WEEKLY MESSAGE
from the Sr. and Jr. Wardens
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Opening Updates
As our world begins the slow process of emerging from the stay-at-home sheltering during the COVID-19 pandemic, we as a church family are negotiating the path toward our new way of worshipping together. As Fr. Ripp has stated, we will not return to normal for some time. He spoke about our need to know who plans to return to church when we are able to safely open, and we continue to collect that information.
When we do open, new procedures will be in place to ensure everyone’s safety. These procedures have been carefully thought out, are based on recommendations from the CDC and governmental leaders, and are required by the Diocese of West Texas. Fr. Ripp as our Rector and Linda Lund as our Sr. Warden have signed a covenant on behalf of the church stating that we will comply with those procedures. To help prepare you for returning to the St. John’s sanctuary, we are listing them here:
1.
A continual reduction in COVID-19 cases for 14 consecutive days. We are looking beyond New Braunfels since we have people from San Antonio, San Marcos, Seguin and Bulverde/Spring Branch who attend this church.
2.
Cleaning and disinfecting supplies needed to ensure that the church is disinfected before and after each service. These supplies can be difficult to obtain, but we are working to build an appropriate inventory to meet our needs going forward.
3.
Volunteers who are trained and assigned dates to clean so we know that all spaces are thoroughly disinfected before and after each worship service.
4.
Personal safety supplies needed to equip our volunteers who will clean the church before and after services, including gloves, masks, and hand washing/sanitizing products.
5.
Creation of a seating chart showing who will be attending each service. Parishioners will have to select a preferred service to attend and understand should they might be asked to attend a different service than their first preference. A list of all who attend each service will be maintained. Should someone test positive in the days following a service, we can aid in advising close contacts of that individual.
6.
Creation of a detailed list of all the areas and items to be cleaned after each worship service.
When we begin to hold public worship again, you will notice some differences. Here are a few: Everyone in attendance will be required to wear a mask; hymnals, prayer books, and Bibles will be removed from the pews due to sanitation issues; the entire service will be printed on a bulletin for each person attending; cushions in the pews will be removed as they cannot be sanitized after each service; communion will be in one kind only and we will not go to the communion rail.
As required by the Diocese, once all the safety measures are in place and two weeks prior to opening, we will notify all members of the church that we are slated to open on a certain date. This ensures that all people are informed of the reopening plan per the Covenant. Additionally, the Vestry is creating a plan in case we have a major spike in COVID-19 cases and deem it necessary to stop public worship for a while. Please be aware of this possibility, as well.
We know there will be challenges, but we also know these measures will help us get back to church! In the meantime, please stay safe and continue to pray for the St. John’s family and all those in our world dedicated to ending this pandemic.
Yours in Christ,
Linda Lund, Sr. Warden
Don Greer, Jr. Warden
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OUR PEOPLE AND PARISHIONERS | All About Our People
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MAY ANNIVERSARIES
Brent and Maureen Bullock 5/5, Carl and Mary Bourgeios 5/18, Tom and Marjorie Nolan 5/21, David and Shannon Drichta 5/22, Larry and Karen Shumway 5/22, Robert and Janet Harris 5/27, Bennie and Kathy Bock 5/29, David and Kathy Simmons 5/29, Charles and Kay Keigley 5/30
BIRTHDAYS
| May 21 - 27
Preslee Dupriest 5/21, Olivia Green 5/24, John Michael Douglas 5/25, Mary Elizabeth Douglas 5/25, Emily Turpin 5/26, Tim Zipp 5/26
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Church Office Closed Monday, May 25 in Observance of Memorial Day
The office will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 25. If the office staff is needed for assistance, please call or email on Tuesday, May 26. Jenny Montgomery, Assistant to the Rector, will return emails and phone calls on Tuesday morning.
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WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
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COVID-19, Outreach, and Virtual Resources
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WORSHIP & CLASS SCHEDULE
| Live Streaming on Facebook
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- Worship and Prayers Sunday, May 24 | 8:45 a.m.
- Family Devotions Sunday, May 24 | 10:00 a.m.
- Children's Chapel Sunday, May 24 | 2:00 p.m.
- Noonday Prayers Monday-Saturday | 12:00 p.m.
- Healing Service Tuesday, May 26 | 6:30 p.m.
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Virtual Altar Flowers given by God
Picture sent in by Hattie Green.
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Healing Service | Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m.
The next Healing Service will be on Tuesday
, May 26 at 6:30 p.m. live on Facebook and then will be posted to the St. John's website and YouTube channel
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Noonday Prayer Volunteers Needed
St. John’s needs more volunteers to lead noonday prayers. There are just a few requirements to serve in this new ministry:
· Internet access at home
· Smart phone
· Active Facebook account
· LOVE for Jesus
Contact office@stjohnsnb.com if you are called to serve in the noonday prayer ministry!
Men's Bible Study is Zooming In
Join us Wednesday, at 7:30 a.m.. The class focus is on the lectionary readings for the upcoming Sunday and there is always stimulating discussion. This is a great new way to be part of a wonderful group. If you just want to call in and be part of the discussion you can! No computer necessary! If you would like to join, email Roy Lund at
lindaroy@earthlink.net or call (713) 858-1320 for the Zoom meeting information.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
If interested in participating, please contact Carol Folbre at
carol.folbre@gmail.com. This is a fabulous learning community for seekers of Christ. If interested, Carol will talk with you and show you how to register online by
July 1st.
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CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES
| Announcements & Resources
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Hello Children and Families!
Hello children of God! I hope this week finds everyone well. I have been busy in the yard making sure plants and trees have enough water. I have also been trimming trees of the old, dead branches so new life can grow. I am reminded of how much Jesus cares for us, gives us all we need, and how he can restore our souls to new life.
Have you been out and seen God’s glory in nature lately? Anyone drawing or taking pictures of some wildlife? Please share them with me so we can all praise God’s work! You can send them to
cheryl@stjohnsnb.com
or text pics to (210) 663-8074.
Children's Chapel
Lessons post to our media channels (Facebook, YouTube, and the St. John's website) at 2:00 p.m. each Sunday. This week we will talk about being in the world but not of the world. That sounds confusing so join us to explore John 17:16,18. Father Ripp and I will see you live on Facebook on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for a Family Devotions service.
Flowers for the Altar
Thank you to Jon and Nolan Hagy for the altar flowers, given in Thanksgiving for all of our service members, and in remembrance of all that died for our freedom. If you would like to create flowers for our virtual services, place your flowers (any medium) in the yellow box outside the office doors or text me (210) 663-8074 to arrange a pick-up. The flowers will be delivered to St. John's members the week after the service. Be sure to put your name on your design.
Camp Outreach Save the Date!
Camp Outreach will begin Monday, June 8 through Thursday, July 2 for Preschool through 5th grade.
The groups will be divided by age: Preschool through 1st and 2nd through 5th grades. On Mondays, prerecorded videos will be posted and on Thursday an interactive Zoom meeting will take place. Camp Outreach will look different this year but there will still be lessons about Jesus, loving our neighbor, and the focus will be on community! More details to come.
Hope and love in Christ,
Ms. Cheryl
Read Ms. Cheryl's letter from last Sunday, May 17 by
clicking here
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Resources from Ms. Cheryl
Cheryl Smith, Director of Children and Family Ministries, has compiled a list of resources during this time at home. Click the link below to read. Email
cheryl@stjohnsnb.com
with questions or for more information.
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Children's Chapel lesson from Sunday, May 17, led by Ms. Cheryl
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Youth Compline Every Sunday Afternoon
Emma Kypuros, Youth Leader, will have weekly Compline meetings for all youth, on Sundays at 4:15 p.m. and evening prayer on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. This is a good time to get together virtually so that we may still join in prayer and community. We will be able to connect on a lot of the things we're going through right now. It's a weird and uncertain time, but togetherness and intentional times set aside to practice our faith and prayer are even more important than ever.
Emma will send the Zoom invitation link each week before the scheduled time and will hopefully see all of your faces there. Other family members are welcome too! Email Emma at
emma@stjohnsnb.com
to sign up!
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HOW TO WORSHIP ONLINE
| Tutorials and Resources
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Facebook Live
- Daily devotions with Fr. Ripp and guest leaders at noon (Monday through Saturday)
- Sunday worship with Fr. Ripp at 8:45 a.m.
- Sunday Family Devotions with Fr. Ripp and Ms. Cheryl at 10:00 a.m.
- Children's Chapel at 2:00 p.m.
The prayer and worship videos will be saved and uploaded to the church
website under the "Videos" tab located in the header menu and also on the
YouTube channel. Viewers are not required to have a Facebook account to view the live stream. Visit
St. John's Facebook Page, ignore the prompt to create an account, and then view the live stream and saved videos.
For assistance viewing any of the streaming services, contact St. John's Communications Coordinator, Marjorie Nolan, by texting or calling (832) 729-3966.
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ZOOM App Tutorials
| Use for small groups, fellowship, & bible study
This
YouTube ZOOM tutorial provides online tutorials for the app. St. John's will use ZOOM for virtual meetings and classes.
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EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND DWTX
| Announcements & Updates
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Family Camp (Session 3) at Mustang Island
June 11-14, 2020
Gather your family for awesome fun in a Christian community led by Fr. Ripp. Surf lessons, crafts, games, s'mores, music, worship, and more. $395 for family of one, $535 for family of two, $700 for family of three, $860 for family of four, each additional child $180 and each additional adult $270. Children 24 months or younger at time of session no charge. This includes 1 room, 8 meals per person and activities.
Visit
www.dwtx.org
Summer Camp for the latest details.
Questions? Contact
lynn.corby@dwtx.org
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Please read the
attached statement
from the Diocese in regards to COVID-19 and the 2020 Summer Camps schedule and payments.
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A prayer for doctors and nurses from the Book of Common Prayer:
Sanctify, O Lord, those whom you have called to the study and practice of the arts of healing, and to the prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them by your life-giving Spirit, that by their ministries the health of the community may be promoted and your creation glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Nominate a front-line worker or health care professional to be featured in the eNews by submitting their name, job title, short description, and a picture to marjorie@stjohnsnb.com by Monday of each week.
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ST. JOHN'S UPDATES
| Continuing Classes and Ministries
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Urgent Prayer Requests Available
| Contact the Prayer Warriors
Have an urgent prayer request? T
ext Pat Jefferson at (713) 899-1566 with the request and she will alert the warriors.
The Forward Day by Day Devotionals
New devotional booklets have arrived! Please contact the office at (830) 625-2532 prior to coming if you would like to pick up a copy. To have a booklet mailed to you, send your request to
office@stjohnsnb.com.
Bishop Reed's Letter to the Diocese
Fr. Ripp would like the church to read the most recent letter from Bishop Reed regarding the phased reopening of churches in the diocese.
Click here to read.
Church Closure
| How to contact the church office
St. John's Episcopal Church will be closed until further notice out of an abundance of caution regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The situation is being assessed carefully and updates will be provided as they become available.
Jenny Montgomery, Assistant to the Rector, is able to access office email, so please contact
office@stjohnsnb.com
with any questions.
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2020 Vestry Members
Linda Lund,
Sr. Warden; Don Greer,
Jr. Warden; Jim Whitcomb,
Treasurer
Paul Anthony, Janet Guillen, Bruce Howard, Carol Lenker, Adrian Quintanilla, Tori Smith
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