 After eighteen years of faithful service to St. John's, Hayden Bryan, Executive Director of Operations, has announced his retirement. Hayden has seen the parish through two major renovations, innumerable personnel changes, and a myriad of operating issues, both large and small. His retirement will be effective as of December 31, 2018. A reception in his honor is in the planning stages and will be announced when plans are complete. He will be greatly missed.
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November 11 | Speaker Series - Peter Bergen
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Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst. Bergen is also a print and television journalist, documentary producer, professor, think tank executive and the author of five books, three of which were New York Times best-sellers and four of which The Washington Post named among the nonfiction books of the year. The books have been translated into 20 languages and have been turned into three documentaries. Two of the latter were nominated for Emmys, and one of them received the award.
He is a vice president at New America in Washington, where he directs the international security program; professor of practice at the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University, where he is the co-director of the Center on the Future of War; and a fellow at Fordham University's Center on National Security.
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November 11 | St. John's Book Group Field Trip
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The St. John's Book Group will make a field trip to the National Building Museum on Sunday, November 11. We will meet in front of the church after the 11:00 a.m. service to go to see NBM's ground-breaking exhibition exploring the causes and impacts of eviction. This exhibit is a collaboration with Matthew Desmond, professor of sociology at Princeton University, a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, and best-selling author of Evicted. The Evicted exhibit offers an immersive experience into the world of low-income renter eviction. Tickets are $10.
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The St. John's Book Group will meet on December 6 at 6:45 p.m.
The next meeting dates and books are as follows
- December 6: Fire in the Lake:
The Vietnamese and The Americans in Vietnam by Frances FitzGerald
- January 3: News of the World by Paulette Jiles
- February 7: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
If you like to read and meet with others who like to read and
talk about books, the Book Club is for you. The meeting will
be held in the Parish House Parlors.
If you have questions or would
like more information,
please contact Leila Taaffe
.
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November 15, 16, and 19 | Outreach
Opportunity
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First quarter report card counseling will take place at Cardozo School on November 15, 16, and 19. Volunteers can participate for as little as an hour or two or for the entire time. Training is provided. Fluency in Spanish is useful but by no means necessary. Parishioners have found this activity to be a very positive way to support DC students. For more information, please contact Livy More (202-291-8783).
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November 18 | Bishop Mariann Budde Visits St. John's
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The Rt. Rev. Mariann E. Budde will visit St. John's on Sunday, November 18.
Here is the schedule for the morning:
- 7:45 a.m. - Holy Eucharist and Sermon
- 9:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist and Sermon
- 10:00 a.m. - Speaker Series
- 11:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist, Sermon and Service of Confirmation and Reception
- 12:30 p.m. - Reception in the Parish House with a short Rededication ceremony. The Rev. Dr. Luis León will also be present and a light lunch will be served.
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November 18 | Parish House Rededication
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 After more than a year, the Parish House renovation is nearing completion. We are all excited to be returning to normal operation in the updated space that has been the center of our operations for generations. While we think that everything is organized and planned out, there will in all
likelihood be some interruptions in Parish operations.
We want you to be aware of the timing of our return, as we understand it today.
The Rededication of the Parish House is next Sunday, November 18, following the 11:00 a.m. service to coincide with the visit of Bishop Mariann Budde and the Rev. Dr. Luis León.
This will be a grand celebration honoring those who will be confirmed on November 18 and at the same time giving thanks for all the hard work that has resulted in the beautify renewed Parish House. A light lunch will be served.
We are grateful to so many who have contributed to the renovation project: to Chase Rynd and Sharon Park who chaired the Renovation Committee; to Michelle Mangrum and the firm of Shook, Hardy and Bacon for contributing office space for the staff; to the Hay-Adams Hotel and the AFL-CIO for contributing space for nursery and church school activities; to Hayden Bryan for being our eyes and ears as the project progressed; to Holly Sukenik for helping parishioners
find new ways to socialize and fellowship at community dinners; and to the many parishioners, choir members and staff who have persevered through the inconveniences.
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November 18 |
St. John's Orchestra in Residence Performs Beethoven's Sixth "Pastoral" Symphony
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Sunday, November 18 at 5:00 p.m. in the Nave
St. John's Orchestra in Residence, the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra (ANCO), will perform the first of their two season concerts. The 90-minute program will include Mozart's Overture to Don Giovanni, selections from Berlioz' Les nuits d'été ("Summer Nights") with soprano Tracy Labrecque-Pearson, and Beethoven's Sixth Symphony "Pastoral."
ANCO is an innovative 30-member ensemble that performs as a full orchestra without a conductor using chamber music techniques. Tickets are available at the door for $20 for general admission and $5 for students or via ancoselfconducted.org. For St. John's parishioners and friends, three tickets for the price of two are available through the music office.
Questions? Contact Director of Music Michael Lodico (202-347-8766).
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St. John's Refugee Committee
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Upcoming Events
Sunday, November 18, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Refugees' First Thanksgiving Dinner
Every year, the
Ethiopian Community Development Council hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for refugees who are celebrating their first Thanksgiving in the United States. The dinner is held in Arlington.
The St. John's Refugee Committee will participate as a group. We would love to have you join us for the afternoon shift. We will caravan from the church to 903 S. Highland Street, Arlington, VA at 2: p.m. They will use volunteers for a variety of tasks, including:
- Cleaning up throughout and after the event,
- Signing volunteers and guests in throughout the day,
- Kitchen assistance on day of event,
- Running a small children's room throughout the event
If you can join us, please contact Leila Taaffe.
Tuesday, November 27, 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Film Screening - Voices of the Sea
Please join the One Journey Festival for a free screening of PBS POV's Voices of the Sea. The film will be followed by a panel discussion on the global refugee crisis and a short Q&A session. Panelists will tell their stories and navigate the dizzying complexities of the refugee crisis.
Please RSVP here.
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A Request for Help
For many years, Afghans who aided the American military - many as interpreters - were granted Special Immigrant Visas (SIV). The SIV program, which was enacted in 2009, "saves the lives of Afghan interpreters and support staff who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans in the field, putting themselves and their families at risk to help our soldiers and diplomats accomplish their mission and return home safely." Without the passage of new legislation, the program cannot continue to issue visas.
Sen. Jean Shaheen (N.H.) has introduced the "Afghan Allies Immigrant Act of 2018." This bill, which has bi-partisan support in the Senate, would allow 4,000 additional SIV visas to Afghan interpreters who are seeking refuge here. There is a similar bill in the House of Representatives.
Please contact Senators Orrin Hatch (Utah) (202) 224-5251 and Chuck Grassley (Iowa) (202) 224-3744 to communicate your support for the legislation.
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December 5 | First Wednesday Concert
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Music of the Season
Episcopal High School
12:10 p.m.-12:45 p.m.
Please consider joining us during your lunch break on the First Wednesdays of the month, through June, and bring a friend. Each concert is ticketless, free of charge, and held in the nave of our historic church.
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December 5 | Latrobe: Holiday Dinner and White Elephant Gift Exchange
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7:00 p.m. at St. John's Parish House
Celebrate the holiday season with your young adult family! Join us at 7:00 p.m. for a service of Holy Eucharist followed by a holiday feast! We will also have a white elephant exchange, so bring a fun or silly wrapped gift ($10 or less, please!). To RSVP or to get more information about the Latrobe Fellowship,
please contact the Rev. Andy Olivo
.
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December 24 |
SAVE THE DATE for the Christmas Pageant
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The annual Christmas Pageant will take place on Christmas Eve at 4:00 p.m.
The service prelude of
anthems and carols will begin at 3:30 p.m. Children ages three and up are invited to participate in the Pageant as an Angel, Shepherd, or Friendly Beast. All children who wish to participate must attend the rehearsal on Saturday, December 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Contact Savannah Ponder, Assistant for Children and Youth for more
information.
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Update from the Rector Search Committee
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The Rector Search Committee has completed its initial webcast interviews and has progressively narrowed the list of candidates in order to perform site visits across November and December; subsequent in-person interviews are expected to occur thereafter in order to recommend finalists to the Vestry for ultimate consideration. The progress of the committee can be followed on the Rector Transition page of our website. Please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit guides us throughout the Rector Search process.
Rector Search Committee
Hilary West (Chair), Krista Becker, Betsy Danello, Clark Ervin, Wendy Fibison, Andrew Hunt, Powell Hutton, Frank Klotz, Michelle Mangrum, Sara McGanity, Ralph Olson, and Lisa Russo. |
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Sunday Parish Lunches Return in January 2019!
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We know everyone is eager to continue our important Sunday
Parish Lunches. The Parish House renovation is almost finished, but the basement and kitchen are among the last parts to be completed. It is uncertain when the kitchen and dining room will be ready, and the holidays are almost here. To be safe we will plan to begin Parish Lunches with the new year beginning January 13, 2019. Please start thinking about hosting a parish lunch: be among the first to celebrate! Watch for our signup sheet.
In addition we will continue our popular potluck events in homes. Please contact Holly Sukenik if you want to reserve a date or have any questions.
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Stewards of Life Abundant: Transformative Generosity
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You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God.
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2 Corinthians 9:11
As Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann points out, the Bible starts out with a liturgy of abundance
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a song
of praise for God's generosity. It keeps saying, "It is good, it is good, it is good, it is very good." Filled with God's generosity, Jesus went around to people suffering from scarcity-
of health, of acceptance, of power, of understanding
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and replaced it with a gift of abundance. Jesus is well-schooled in the transformative generosity of God and in the conviction that if you share your bread with the neighbor, the world will be
made new. He knows that generosity isn't something you just think about, it's something you do.
Stewardship presumes blessing and abundance. Jesus sums up the purpose of his ministry this way: that we
"may have life, and have it abundantly." Our job is discernment of the ways in which all of us, including the church, already have "far more than all we can ask or imagine." Then the real work of stewa
rdship becomes embracing generosity
in the spirit of Jesus
as a way of life. How is this way of life transformative for you?
Have you prayerfully and carefully considered making a pledge to St. John's for 2019?
For those of you who have already pledged, our Committee and our Church thank you!
For a pledge card, please contact Evangeline Gravina (202-347-8766 ext. 301). |
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Our prayers are requested for the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially:
Those sick or recovering:
From our parish: Jimmy Lowe, Bob Patchell, and Brenda
Wolter.
Friends and family of our parish: Yvonne Allen (Nikki
Allen), Bonni Ashburn (Kaye Edwards), Jim Bailey (Mike
Becraft), Rachael Buckley (Chrystal Martin), Judi Campbell
(Brenda Wolter), John Frew Carter (Margo Arnold), Lane
Carter, Ellen Cromwell-Cecrle (Carolyn Becraft), Bill Clark
(Clark Ervin), William Frew Conderman (Margo Arnold),
Dona Coultice (Betty van Iersel), Sambar Datta (Ashley
Culbertson), Henry Farrington (Samuel Watson), Ted Fibison
(Wendy Fibison), Elisabeth Fisher (Ellen Parke), Nancy
Francisco (Ellen Parke), Allison Gardner (Elizabeth Gardner),
Tyrone Gayle (Jessica Sanchez), Anne Harrington (Anne and
Robert Harrington), Joe Heitzler (Mike Becraft), Rosemary
Mariner (Carolyn Becraft), William Markiewicz (Matthew
Taylor), Tammy McCleaf (Matthew Taylor), Hattie McDowell
(Ellen Parke), Timothy Mullins (Jim Mullins), Judy Nicola
(Cynthia Walker), Jerry O'Hagan (Lance Jensen), Jonathan A.I.
Olowu (Elizabeth Leach), Susie Pappas (Alex Pappas), Lisa
Pell (Mike Becraft), Moon Sa (Richard Metzger), Elizabeth
Soyster (Debby Hailey), Jim Tatosian (Pat Dalby), Henry and
Sandy Welles (Donna Welles), and Peter Winkler (Betty van
Iersel).
Those who are in the hospital:
From our parish: Max Hudgins, Gordon Richmond, and Dace Vidins.
Friends and family of our parish: Robert Hohman (Wendy
Fibison), Julie Howell (Cynthia Walker), Aiden Mylnikov
(Lindsey Bowen), Conyers Thompson, Jr. (Joanne Hutton), and
Larry Watson (Catherine Outten Olivo).
Those who were born:
From our parish: Hunter Moore Yeomans, who was born
November 7.
Those in our parish celebrating a birthday this week: David
Abernethy, Janie Abernethy, Clark Agnew, Carys Beaumont,
Brenna Duncan, Rob Ehrich, Richard Ellison, James Hahn, Jeff
Hantson, Ann Kaye, Katherine Kehoe, Joshua Maxey, Livy
More, Luke Parcell, Eliza Quinn, Garret Rasmussen, Jessica
Sanchez, Jennifer San Pietro, Andrew Tomlinson, and Angelica
Young.
Those in our parish celebrating an anniversary this week: Natasha Simes and Thomas Bleha, Karolina Arias and Peter
Koch, David Malone and David Wham, Sarah and Hugh
Yeomans, and Catherine and Kris Zeller.
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7:45 a.m.
Holy Eucharist with Homily - The Rev. W. Bruce McPherson
8:15 a.m.
Parish Choir Rehearsal
8:30 a.m.
Nursery opens
9:00 a.m.
Choral Holy Eucharist with Sermon - The Rev. W. Bruce McPherson
10:00 a.m.
Speaker Series: Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst and terrorism expert (Parlor)
10:10 a.m.
St. John's Choir Rehearsal (Nave)
10:45 a.m.
Church School (2nd Floor, Parish House)
11:00 a.m.
Choral Holy Eucharist with Sermon - The Rev. W. Bruce McPherson
12:15 p.m.
Hospitality Hour (Front of Church)
Tour of the Church
12:30 p.m.
St. John's Choir Rehearsal (4th Floor, Parish House)
1:00 p.m.
Oraciόn Vespertina
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Vestry Nominations Now Accepted
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The next dates for
Holy Baptism are:
* December 9, 9:00 a.m.
* January 13, 9:00 a.m.
* February 17, 11:00 a.m.
If you are interested in having a child baptized, or in baptism for yourself,
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Listen now
to past Sunday Sermons and Speaker Series.
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