November 15, 2020

Good morning St. John's Community,

First, I invite you to join us for worship this morning as we hear the parable of the talents. You may watch "live" at 9:00am on Facebook, or at any time on our YouTube page. More information on worship and classes can be found here.

At this time, we are turning a corner as we move nearer to the holidays while also seeing Covid infections increase across the country. Fortunately, the case numbers in our immediate area are not going up as dramatically as in other places, but they are rising. Our bishop recently wrote to churches in the diocese stating that she is not imposing new restrictions at this moment, but that she will be monitoring the situation in the weeks ahead. Our practices at St. John's for in-person worship are well within city and diocesan requirements, and we intend to continue being cautious while still allowing for the goodness of limited in-person worship.

As we get deeper into this time of pandemic, I am mindful of what a different season this is from when it all began in March. Back then there was an excitement in the opportunity to be creative. People then had Zoom happy hours, Netflix marathons, and bread baking adventures. In the warmer months we had ample opportunities to be outdoors. But now there is deep pandemic fatigue just as the weather is getting darker and less hospitable.

The way we are going to get through this upcoming season is with holy habits. We will continue to need to rely on our creativity and adaptability, but more than before we will need to practice intentionality, patience and focus. The Christian tradition is built not only on ideas but also on time tested practices which make faith come alive. Now will be a good time to reclaim the centrality of many of those practices together. Expect to hear more about this from us in the coming weeks.

Finally, we plan to have two in-person outdoor worship opportunities this afternoon:

All are welcome with no prior sign-up necessary. The weather may be iffy, so bring a rain coat. Here is a link for maps and more info.

Whatever you do today, and however you choose to engage in worship and prayer this weekend, I wish you wellness.

God's peace,

Rob+

***

Join us at 11am for our Speaker Series as we welcome Katharine Hayhoe, an eminent atmospheric scientist. Hayhoe has devoted herself to communicating shared values and breaking down barriers to action on climate change, reaching out in particular to evangelical Christian audiences. She has served as reviewer of several national climate assessments as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. 

She was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People and the Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers, among many other honors. In addition to teaching at Texas Tech's Climate Center and conducting research, she advises cities, stakeholders, and decision-makers on the climate information they need to prepare for the future. 

Click here to attend.

How to help, or how to get help. During this difficult time, St. John's is looking to connect people in need of assistance with those who are able to help. If you fall into either category, please visit this link or send an e-mail to help@stjohns-dc.org with your name, contact information, and details of the type of support you can give or the support you need. And to get involved in any of our ongoing local outreach ministries, which are in special need curing this time, you may click here.

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