October 17, 2019


Steak Dinner

Last Chance on Sunday!

Tickets are available after both services for the Men of St. John's Dinner on Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 6:00 pm in Nale Hall. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children; a chicken option is available.  Wine and Margaritas will be available for purchase.
 
Help is needed for set-up, serving and clean-up. There's a signup sheet on the counter  in the narthex.
 

Opportunity Drawings
 
The Women of St. John's are sponsoring opportunity drawings at the Steak Dinner on October 26.  Each prize will have a paper bag next to it; drop one or more tickets in the bag to have a chance to win that prize. Tickets will be sold at the Dinner, six for $5.

Thursday, October 24 at 10 am is the deadline to bring items for the Opportunity Drawings for the Steak Dinner to the church office. We can use almost anything in good condition because we  combine things into baskets.  Questions? Call Diane Gustafson 619-253-7298.
 
Now Thank We All Our God!

As we begin our stewardship pledge request season,
I encourage all of us to consider the spiritual benefits of giving and participating in the life of this parish. Consider how giving to Saint John's can be a source of joy. Consider how our giving is in accordance with what Jesus teaches about money (Where your heart is, there will be your treasure also). And consider how the early church encouraged cheerful and generous giving (They would sell their possessions and give to those in need.). Our participation in the stewardship of Saint John's should not be done out of obligation,  nor expectation, but with an open heart and open arms. 
Here are some of the positive ways in which your giving during 2019 has supported the ministry of Saint John's and our outreach to the surrounding community. 
Hosting various groups/events
2 new 12-step programs
Christmas Cantata - choir sang as well
Bonita Valley Garden Club 
Called to the Wall pilgrimage by Dioceses of Los Angeles and San Diego
Diocesan Walk-abouts preceding election of new bishop
First Diocesan parish to host then Bishop-elect, Susan Brown Snook
Donations for Toys for Tots
Thanksgiving Bags of Blessing
Leasing school buildings to ECS Head Start (enrollment 260)
Trimmed trees for safety and aesthetics
Ensuring long-term use of buildings through:
Termite tenting and repairs
HVAC repairs and updates
Plumbing repairs and updates
IT and security updates 
Sold/donated: playground equipment, staging, musical instruments, 
graduation robes
Hired 3 new part-time staff people: sexton, child care attendant, IT manager
 
Now thank we all our God!

Lunch Bunch
 
Lunch Bunch will meet on Friday, October 18th
at Applebee's in Chula Vista, 610 Palomar St.,
at 11:30 am.


Men of St. John's Oktoberfest Meeting

The next meeting of the MOSJC is our annual Oktoberfest meeting at Fr. Al's home on Monday, October 21, at 6 pm.
Oktoberfest originated in Germany many years ago as a festival to support items produced by Germany, such as their famous beers. It is now celebrated all over the world. The main course, of course,  will be brats and sauerkraut. Please bring your favorite dessert or side dish along for our potluck supper.
Remember: All men attending services at St. John's are welcome and automatically members. No dues either. Please come. It's a great way for us to get know, love, and support each other and St. John's too.
 
Pet Food Ingathering

The Diocesan Convention is November 8th-9th at St Margaret's in Palm Desert. The congregation at St Margaret's hosts a large weekly ministry for people struggling in the Coachella Valley.  Many of them receive unconditional love from their pets and often have to choose between buying medications or food.  Help us help others keep their loving companions at their side by bringing pet food donations. Dry dog and cat food is recommended.
There will be a box in Nale Hall for your contributions. Thank you.
 
Thanksgiving Blessings in a Bag
 
Please bring your "Blessing in a Bag" donations to Church on November 24th, the Sunday  BEFORE Thanksgiving, so they can be distributed to needy  families in the South Bay.

Grocery List:

$10 Gift card from any local grocery store or a cash donation
Candied Yams   
Gravy   
Stuffing Mix       
Boxed Potatoes       
Rice      
Canned Vegetables
Cranberry Sauce      
Cake Mix     
Jello or Pudding Mix
Pie Crust in Foil Pan       
Small Bottle of Oil
Aluminum Foil

 
Clergy Appreciation Month

October was designated as Clergy Appreciation Month in 1992. It has been said that if any church can and should appreciate their clergy, it's St. John's. We have four of the most caring, ready-to-serve clergy we could ever desire, save Jesus Himself.
 
You are invited to celebrate Cathey, Jack, Al and Tom on each Sunday during the month. You will find a box in the narthex where you can drop your cards, notes, and letters. Gift cards are an option, too! Let's REALLY show them how much we appreciate them!
 
"Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." 
1 Tim 5:17 (Contemporary English Version)
 
Obey your leaders and do what they say. They are watching over you, and they must answer to God. So don't make them sad as they do their work. Make them happy. Otherwise, they won't be able to help you at all.
Hebrews 13:17 (Contemporary English Version) 
 
Women of St. John's Meeting
 
The Women of St. John's will meet in Nale Hall on Monday, November 4 at 3 pm. 
Please note the earlier time; we will be finished in time to drive home before dark.
 
Calendar of Events:

Office hours are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday-Thursday.
The office is closed on Fridays. 

Lunch Bunch at Applebee's in Chula Vista, 610 Palomar St.
Friday, October 18, 11:30 am
  ---
Men of St. John's Oktoberfest
Monday, October 21, 6:00 pm at Fr. Al's
---
Tuesday Night Bible Study 
Tuesday, October 22, 6:00 pm
--- 
Morning Prayer and Bible Study
Wednesday, October 23, 9:30-11:00 am
---
Choir Practice
Wednesday, October 23, 5:30-7:00
---
Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, October 23, 6:00-8:00 pm in Nale Hall
--- 
Steak Dinner and Opportunity Drawing
Saturday, October 26, 6:00 pm
---
Reformation Sunday and First Communion 
Sunday, October 27
---
All Saints/All Souls Commemoration
Sunday, November 3
---
Healing Service
Sunday, November 3, 11:30 am 
---
Women of St. John's Meeting
Monday, November 4, 3:00 pm

Prayers

We Are Available in Your Time of Need

If you have a pastoral emergency when the parish offices are closed, 
please call 619-483-7883 or email  priest@saint-johns.org

Prayer List
 
Today and every day include some time for prayer, for yourself,
for your church family, and for those in need.  

For our Military
 
Matt, Drew, Cody,  Cameron,  Chariti, 
Mark,  Sean, Jonathan,  TK,   Christopher, 
Timothy,  Jeremy,  David,  Jonathan,  Nick, 
Jamal,  Matt, Daniel,  Jocelyn, Devon, 
Taylor, Jorge, Katherine, Sebastian and Richie.

  For Strength in Time of Need

Scott, Betty, Rob, Florence, Eva, Priscilla, Bob,
Kenny, Patty, Karina, Flo, Heather and Steven,
Dee and Barb, Joe, Paul and Marilyn, Nancy,
Gabriel, Abraham, and Nicole.
 
Those unable to come to services, but thankful
for their continuing connection with Saint John's, 
especially Lois, Roland  and  Juanita.   

For Churches in Transition in our Diocese

All Saints', San Diego
St. Thomas, Temecula
Christ Church, Coronado
St. Paul, Palm Springs
St. Margaret's, Palm Desert
St. John's, Chula Vista
St. David's, San Diego
All Saints', Vista
St. Paul's, Yuma
Holy Cross, Carlsbad



Opportunities For Service

Pill Bottle Ministry

Did you know that in developing countries, the pill bottle and cap is often more expensive than the medication inside. You can donate your empty prescription bottles! Just drop off your empty prescription bottles in our collection bucket located in the foyer- no need to peel the information off.  Our volunteers will take care of that for you! We will wash them and ship them to Matthew 25: Ministries.  Matthew 25: Ministries accepts donations of empty plastic pill bottles for inclusion in shipments of medical supplies and for shredding and recycling. Our pill bottle program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment.

Please note that we can currently only collect the clear orange prescription bottles.  We have found that the others do not benefit the program.
Thank you for your support!
Emergency Food Pantry:

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17
The South Bay Community Services "Emergency Food Pantry" needs donations every month. It's easy to donate! We will focus on a different food category each month. Pick up a flyer from the narthex, carry in your car until your next trip to the market, purchase the food, and place it on the table in Nale Hall before the end of the month.  During the month of October, our featured items will be soup, ramen noodles and crackers.  Thank you for your support!
  

Scripture Readings For This Week

Readings for Sunday, October 20, 2019

Genesis 32:22-31
Psalm 121
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8

Readings for Wednesday Morning Prayer

Psalm 119:25-48
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
Matthew 12:1-14

Celebrant's Schedule

Here is our upcoming celebrant's schedule:

Sunday, October 20
Presider: Fr. Tom
Gospel: Rev. Cathey, 8:00
            Fr. Jack, 10:00
Sermon: Fr. Tom

Sunday, October 27
Presider: Fr. Tom
Gospel: Rev. Cathey, 8:00
            Fr. Jack, 10:00
Sermon: Fr. Al

Sunday, November 3
Presider: Fr. Tom
Gospel: Rev. Cathey, 8:00
            Fr. Jack, 10:00
Sermon: Fr. Tom


Weekly Bible Study  and Morning Prayer 

Tuesday night Bible Study meets on  Tuesdays from 6-7:30 pm  in the youth room.  For information, please contact Mike Gollihur
at 619-852-4960  or  mgollihur@aol.com.  
 
Every Wednesday, Saint John's will have Morning Prayer at 9:30 am and Bible Study from 10 am to 11. 

From the Prayer Journal of Fr. Jack Tolley

Prayer doesn't change God, it changes the one who prays
-Soren Kierkegaard

I think it's important to be praying constantly to Jesus, to be connected to him. A RC prayer I like and use daily is this:
"I entrust myself to the name of Jesus; I pray Jesus, Jesus."
For me it's important to be in constant relationship -  presence - gets at the heart of prayer. God won't change, but we will - and isn't that the  point ?"
I'm quoting here from an article written by The Very Rev. Steven A. Pray, PhD., FBS. Anyway, I thought you might find my comments helpful.
Blessings, love, and hugs,
Fr. Jack.
 
Here's a prayer The Rev. Cathey gave to me that I use daily now:

A Jesus Prayer
Heart of Jesus, think of me. 
Eyes of Jesus, look on me.
Face of Jesus, comfort me. 
Hands of Jesus, bless me.
Feet of Jesus, guide me. 
Arms of Jesus, hold me.
Body of Jesus, feed me. 
Blood of Jesus, wash me.
Jesus, make me thus thine own, 
Here and in the world to come.
Amen.
 
 
The Vestry



 
Karen Duignan-Senior Warden
(619) 470-1647
David Dennehy-People's Warden
(619) 429-4747 
d.dennehy@icloud.com
Terry Farrelly - Treasurer
Pamela Brittain
Ray Contreras
Diane Gustafson 
Mark Jordan
Jim McDevitt
Judy McKay
Lynn Young

Calling Committee

Tim Attaway
Lynn Boster
Alice Burnham
Bob Dunn
Jane Ferguson
Helena Livingston
Lynn Young

Approved Minutes for the August 28th Vestry meeting can be found here: 


To our Saint John's Family:
Here is your weekly newsletter highlighting important events at St. John's Episcopal Church.  You can also find news about St. John's at  www.saint-johns.org.

We welcome your feedback, photos, and news items. Contact Maria Love at 619-422-4141 or  maria@saint-johns.org .

Please submit your announcements by Tuesday of each week for inclusion in the Enews and Sunday bulletin.

Emergency Contact Information

If you had a medical emergency at church on Sunday morning, would the Wardens or church  staff know who to contact? If you would like to add someone to St. John's emergency contact  list in case of such an emergency, please contact Maria, our parish secretary (619-422-4141 or
maria@saint-johns.org). A sign-up sheet will also be available in the church lobby to collect this information. Please provide your name, the name of your emergency contact, their relationship to you, their phone number and/or their email address. This is one more way we can show how we love one another.
 
Reporting Misconduct
 
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe haven for everyone, our diocese trains people in the prevention of misconduct and encourages all to report misconduct. All reported incidences are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially. If you believe you have experienced misconduct of any kind, please contact Mr. John Seitman, (jseitman@pacbell.net), 858-793-4555 or Ms. Equilla Luke, (aequilla@icloud.com), 760-583-0485.

Safeguarding God's People
 
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May God's face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short;
Grace to risk something big for something good;
Grace to remember that the world is too dangerous for anything but truth 
And too small for anything but love.
So, may God take your minds and think through them;
May God take your lips and speak through them;
May God take your hearts and set them on fire.
-William Sloane Coffin

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phone: 619/422-4141
pastoral care: 619/483-7883
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