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Christmas Flower Donations
Sunday is the last day to submit your flower donations in time for them to be printed
in the Christmas bulletin!
Help us fill our church with beautiful poinsettia flowers for Christmas. The flower donation envelopes can be picked up in the Narthex.
If you wish, please make a notation on the envelope:
In honor of ____ or In memory of _____. Please write legibly.
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Candy Cane Distribution
After Sunday's services, please be sure to receive an envelope from the ushers with a story about the meaning of candy canes. Our thanks to Mike Gollihur for this special Christmas treat.
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Farewell, Fr. Tom
All are invited to a farewell pot-luck lunch for Father Tom on Saturday, December 28, beginning at 12 Noon. The Men of Saint John's will provide the main course. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the Church lobby for those wishing to contribute salads, side dishes, desserts.
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Advent and Christmas Events
Sunday, December 22
services at 8am and 10am
Candy Cane Distribution
Tuesday, December 24
services at 5pm and 9pm
(carol sing-along begins at 8:30)
Wednesday, December 25
Christmas Day Celebration at 10am
Saturday, December 28
Farewell Potluck for Fr. Tom, 12:00 noon
Sunday, December 29
Services at 8am and 10am (baptism at 10am service)
Tuesday, December 31
New Year's Eve service with Labyrinth at 3pm and Communion Service at 4pm
Sunday, January 5
Epiphany Sunday - services at 8am and 10am
De-greening of the church 11:30-?
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The Advent Wreath
The symbolism of the Advent Wreath is rich. It is a circle to remind us that God has no beginning and no end. God always has lived and always will live. Evergreens are used on the wreath to remind us that people who love God will live forever with God.
The wreath has four candles, usually blue or purple, but this may vary according to local custom. Deep blue is the royal color; the church uses it to remind us that we are watching and preparing for our King. The four candles stand for the four weeks in Advent. A fifth candle, or Christ candle, may be added in the center of the circle. One candle is lit on the first Sunday and an additional one is lit on each Sunday of Advent. The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve. The candles we use in the Advent wreath are to remind us of the way Jesus changed the darkness of hatred and evil into the light of joy and love.
Here is a prayer that may be used to accompany the lighting of Advent candles. Some people perform the ceremony only on each Sunday of Advent, often at the time of the main meal; others do it on each weekday as well, either lighting the Sunday candle each time or using individual candles for each day of the week.
Fourth Week of Advent
(Light all four candles. Each time you light the fourth one, say:)
"Lord, my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all people- a light to bring light to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel."
(Luke 2:30-32)
Prayer: Dear God, let the glorious light of Jesus' love shine in our lives and proclaim the Good Tidings to everyone we meet. Amen.
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Women & Men of St. John's
January Meetings
The Women of St. John's will meet on Monday, January 6 at 3 p.m. in Nale Hall.
The Men of St. John's will meet on Monday, January 20 at 6 p.m. at
Mangia Italiano's in Chula Vista.
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SOBARS
The South Bay Amateur Radio Society (SOBARS) will be holding their monthly meeting at St. John's on the first Monday of each month in Nale Hall at 7:00 pm. The first meeting will be on January 6. Anyone interested is welcome, and you don't have to be a member (or a HAM) to attend our meetings. We usually wrap up by 9:00 pm.
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Charitable Donations from IRAs
If you're age 70½ or older, you can make up to $100,000 in annual cash donations to IRS-approved charities directly out of your IRA. These direct donations are called qualified charitable distributions (QCDs).
QCDs are tax-free and nondeductible. So, they don't directly affect your tax bill. However, they count as withdrawals for purposes of meeting the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules that apply to traditional IRAs after age 70½.
So, if you haven't yet taken your 2019 RMDs, consider holding off and arranging tax-free QCDs before year end in place of taxable RMDs. That way you can meet your 2019 RMD obligation in a tax-free manner while satisfying your charitable goals at the same time.
Lynn D. Boster, CPA, CGMA
Tax Partner, Vasquez & Company LLP
Parishioner at Saint John's
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Vestry
Application Process is OPEN
Over the past couple of months, members of the Vestry have been inviting folks to ponder God's call to serve on the Vestry. The Vestry is Saint John's board of directors. The Vestry is responsible for the financial and physical well-being of the parish. The Vestry is composed of nine lay members, plus the priest, and normally meets once per month. Biographies of current Vestry members, as well as meeting minutes, can be viewed on Saint John's website (www.saint-johns.org)
Saint John's By-laws state that the qualifications for serving on Vestry are: "any person of 16 or more years of age who is attendant at worship and a regular contributor of record and who for the previous sixty (60) days shall have been registered in the congregation as a baptized person or communicant member." Vestry members are elected by the parish at the Annual Meeting in January and serve for a three-year term.
There will be three openings on the Vestry in 2020, as Karen Duignan, David Dennehy and Mark Jordan complete their terms of service. If you wish to apply, please complete the application form found here:
Vestry Application 2020
and return it to the Vestry Clerk, Diane Gustafson (diangus15@aol.com), no later than December 31, 2019. Paper copies of the application form can be found on the counter in the church lobby.
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Ordination to the Priesthood
Saturday, January 4, 11 a.m.
The Rt. Rev. Susan Brown Snook will ordain the Rev. Hannah Wilder to the priesthood at St. Mark's, 4227 Fairmount Avenue, San Diego, 92105.
Reception to follow.
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Calendar of Events:
Office hours are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday-Thursday.
The office is closed on Fridays.
Farewell Potluck
Saturday, December 28, 12:00 noon
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Memorial Service for Barbara Ervin
Saturday, January 4, 2:00 pm
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Women of St. John's Meeting
Monday, January 6, 3:00 pm
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SOBARS Meeting
Monday, January 6, 6:00-9:00 pm
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Gonzaga Students Visiting
January 5-11
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Fr. Roger's First Day
Monday, January 13
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Men of St. John's Meeting
Monday, January 20,
6 pm, at the Mangia Italiano Restaurant in Chula Vista
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Combined Service and Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 26, 9:00 am
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Prayers
We Are Available in Your Time of Need
If you have a pastoral emergency when the parish offices are closed,
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,
Dee and Barb,
Paul,
the Pallard family,
Kimberly, Lyne, Jim, Purissima,
Scott,
Pete and Phyllis, Mike, Heather and Stephen, Penny and baby Mario.
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
Christ Church, Coronado
St. Paul, Palm Springs
St. Margaret's, Palm Desert
St. David's, San Diego
All Saints', Vista
Holy Cross, Carlsbad
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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 December, our featured items will be peanut butter and jelly.
Thank you for your support!
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Scripture Readings For This Week
Readings for Sunday, December 22, 2019
Isaiah 7:10-16
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-25
Readings for Wednesday Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer will return on Wednesday, January 8.
Celebrant's Schedule
Here is our upcoming celebrant's schedule:
Sunday, December 22
Presider: Fr. Tom
Gospel: Rev. Cathey, 8:00
Fr. Jack, 10:00
Sermon: Fr. Tom
Sunday, December 29
Presider: Fr. Tom
Gospel: Rev. Cathey, 8:00
Fr. Jack, 10:00
Sermon: Fr. Tom
Sunday, January 5
Presider: Rev. Cathey
Gospel: Rev. Cathey, 8:00
Fr. Jack, 10:00
Sermon: Rev. Cathey
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
* Tuesday night Bible Study is on a break and will resume on Tuesday, January 7th.
Every Wednesday, Saint John's will have Morning Prayer at 9:30 am and Bible Study from 10 am to 11.
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From the Prayer Journal of Fr. Jack Tolley
"Every day of our lives is a new Christmas Day."
I have saved my copies of Forward Day by Day for many years. I make notes at the top to indicate the theme of each reflection. I have found that every question or concern I am having some author has blessed me with a thoughtful reflection on it. This December 25, 2011, author is a young lay woman who is a former overseas missionary. That's all FDBD says about her.
I wanted to share it with you. Entrust your life to Jesus.
Blessings, love, and hugs,
Fr. Jack.
Luke 2:1(15-20). But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for see -
I am bringing you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."
Christmas Day. And time to unwrap presents. And time to begin unwrapping the greatest gift of all. The Incarnation of the Son of God has much in common with what we find under the Christmas tree. It isn't something we have earned; there is nothing we might ever do to entitle ourselves to this.
It is freely given, a gift of pure love. It was carefully chosen just for us, to bring joy, amazement, peace, renewal. The Incarnation also differs from other festive packages in some important ways.
It cannot be returned or exchanged. This gift is always with us, even at the too numerous times that we forget we have it. And try as we might, we can never fully unwrap it, never fully see and appreciate its beauty and value. Not in this life, anyway. But we can be intentional about peeling away the layers, revealing more of this gift as we pray, praise, and serve.
Every day of our lives a new Christmas Day.
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The Vestry
Karen Duignan-Senior Warden
(619) 470-1647
David Dennehy-People's Warden
(619) 429-4747
masterfrog@att.net
Terry Farrelly - Treasurer
Pamela Brittain
Ray Contreras
Diane Gustafson
Mark Jordan
Jim McDevitt
Judy McKay
Lynn Young
Approved Minutes for the November 20th Vestry meeting can be found here:
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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.
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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.
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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
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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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Contact Information
phone: 619/422-4141
pastoral care: 619/483-7883 |
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