The Week of March 29, 2020
Schedule For The Coming Week
All group activities at St. John's remain canceled until further notice, including outside groups and ministries using our facilities.

Stay updated with meditations, readings, music and sermons by visiting our Facebook page or our website a nd check your email inbox on Sunday mornings for video links to this week's readings and sermon from St. John's as well as links to online services at the Washington National Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, CT.

Be sure to scroll down to see all of our current online resources and announcements for this week.
Fourth Sunday in Lent:
Collect, Readings and Sermon
Let us stay connected as a faith community during these challenging times. One we can do this is by viewing and sharing the recordings of each week's collect, readings and sermons . Click here or on the image for a video and downloadable materials pertaining to the Fourth Sunday in Lent.
Giving
Dear Parish Family:

Faced with the unfortunate circumstances of having to keep our church closed, in order to help curb the spread of Covid-19, it will become imperative that your pledge be either mailed to the church, or better yet, that you make your donations electronically . Please see the instructions below on how to do this. 
Our expenses won’t go away even if we’re not having live worship, so I ask that we all be mindful of this. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Kathy McBride, our Parish Administrator. Our vestry, and parish family, will be much appreciative for your efforts.

God’s Grace and Peace,

Fr. Wilfredo+
NOTE: You can simply mail in your check to the church office if you would rather not use the online giving tool. Our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, is receiving the mail and doing the banking as usual.
St. John's Family Chat for Children, Youth and Parents
Our Director of Children and Youth Ministries, Mattie Johnson, is going to be hosting a Zoom call with children, youth, and parents on Sunday morning at 10:15am. People can begin gathering at 10am, giving us fifteen minutes to get settled, work out any technology issues, etc. We will begin officially at 10:15am with prayer, check ins, Bible study, and feast. 

Topic: St. John's Family Chat
Time: Mar 29, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 515 854 043
Password: 222286

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Meeting ID: 515 854 043
Find your local number:  https://zoom.us/u/aeGCjGn3v3
Further Resources for our Children and Youth
Here are some guidelines from the National Association of School Psychologists about COVID-19 . It was written before many schools started closing, but it still has a lot of helpful suggestions, particularly about lowering anxiety.



Thank you for sharing these Mattie!
Tuesday Bible Study: Gospel of Matthew
Join Fr. Sandy on Tuesdays at 2pm online via Zoom for a Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew. Below is the info:

Meeting ID: 243 991 8700

Fr. Wilfredo Turns 64 on Friday!
Fr. Wilfredo Benitez, our Priest In-Charge (PPIC) turns 64 on Friday, March 27th. Here's a photograph of Fr. Wilfredo's 4th birthday, 60 years ago. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Fr. Wilfredo, from your Saint John's family!
Click the photo to enlarge
Some Good News in the midst
of the Covid19 Pandemic
Before COVID-19 upended our lives, last month our Vestry Clerk, Danielle Sullivan, was fortunate enough to travel to Tanzania with the University of Utah's John A. Moran Eye Center. The team completed nearly 300 cataract surgeries over a four day period at a hospital located in the city of Mwanza. "In founding the Moran Eye Center, my grandfather, John Moran, was inspired by a bible passage that he was read to as a child," explains Danielle. "He was so moved by the story of Jesus curing blindness that he sought to create a facility that aided in helping others in that way."
Outdoor Benches Restored
The parish remains closed but Dante continues with the upkeep and maintenance of the church.  These benches were donated by the Congregational Church in a Stamford that closed last year.  They were full of mold. Dante has restored them after removing all the mold.  The benches now look great, and once everyone is able to come back to church, they will enjoy them.  In the meantime stay safe, stay home, keep social distancing, and pray that this pandemic soon be under control.  

Unable to be with dying parishioners due to COVID-19, Connecticut priest gives Last Rites by phone
Dear Parish Family:
Please know that you are all in my heart and thoughts. I'm missing not being able to celebrate with you, at the Eucharistic Table, and the time we usually spend together. The story below is heart wrenching, and one I believe will touch you deeply. None of us would have ever imagined a scenario such as the one we're living, even a couple of weeks ago, yet here we are.
Please keep Roger Bullard in your prayers, as the person referenced in the story below was a close friend of his.
God's peace, blessing, and grace be upon us, as we push forward in the trust that we are not alone. God will give us the strength and wisdom we need in our dark hour. We are bound to each other in a circle of love. The blessed Trinity is a circle of mutuality, a model for us of community, as the Body of Christ.

Keep the Faith,
Fr. Wilfredo+
Interfaith Council
Zoom Interfaith Prayer Service
Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 PM
The following is an invitation to a Zoom Interfaith Prayer Service on Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 PM. You can click  here  to get the flier pdf with a link to the Zoom meeting
Comforting Music For Challenging Times
Our Director of Music, Dr. Chris Shepard, is recording comforting piano repertoire for the St. John's community to enjoy during this challeging time. Click here to see what has been already uploaded and check back daily for more! Thank you Chris!
Online Taizé Services
Taizé Evening Prayer is being livestreamed at 2:30pm EST (8:30pm in France), and you can also view it after the livestream is finished. See Taize’s Facebook page in “Taize’s Video” section -  https://www.facebook.com/pg/taize/videos/
Thanks for sharing Mattie!
Scam Alert
Online Scammers are busy using Fr. Wilfredo's e-mail address. In the past they have used Fr. Sandy's e-mail address. If you get any E-mails, allegedly from Fr. Wilfredo or Fr. Sandy requesting money, please ignore, and delete them. Once you open these e-mails, the hackers may be able to access your e-mail list. There is some evidence that these hackers are based in Russia.
Food Bank Update
We donated 20lbs of potatoes and rice last week.  Total for the year is now 190 lbs. Even though the church is closed, we need to continue giving. The Food Bank is desperate for our donation, now more than ever ... I will personally come to your house or a mutual destination to keep their shelves filled.  

Thank you
Sunny Stearns
203-249-0393
Presiding Bishop Curry: Statement on Coronavirus
Have You Heard These Sermons?
Click on any of the images below to watch and listen
The Fourth Sunday In Lent
- March 22
The Third Sunday In Lent:
A Lenten Sermon During a Time of Coronavirus
NOTE: The Community Thrift Shop is closed to the public for the time being.

Proceeds from the Thrift Shop are donated to charity. This month the Thrift Shop donated to:

The Undies Project  - new underwear to men, women and children in need 

Donor’s Choose  - for local classroom STEM programs.  

Thank you for your generosity. 
Weekly Calendar
All group activity at St. John's is cancelled until further notice including outside groups and ministries using our facilities.

Stay updated with meditations, readings, music and sermons by visiting our Facebook page or our website .
Announcements
St. John's Office Hours 
 The Church office is currently closed to pubic access.
However you may leave a message at 203-348-2619 x10 -
our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride is checking the messages
many times a day and will respond right away!

Prayer List  
Please send all prayer list requests for the bulletin to the Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, at  kmcbride@stjohns-stamford.org .
   
FORWARD DAY BY DAY
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