The Bridge
August 5, 2020
The Mission of St. John’s is to be a community of God’s people who heal brokenness, build bridges, and exemplify borderless kindness.
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From Our Interim Rector
Years ago, I had a parishioner come up to me one Sunday morning and said, “Gee, looks like that weekend retreat was a lot of fun. Wish I had known about it!” The retreat had been advertised for eight months in bulletins, newsletters, posters and announcements at church. It would be hard to have missed hearing or seeing something about the retreat.
Those in the office work hard at trying to be sure upcoming events, programs, etc. are advertised with sufficient time! I really would not like to have to repeat the conversation of that first paragraph!
So, here is some helpful, upcoming information that I believe is worth four hours of your life, of your month of Wednesdays in August! Beginning this week on August 5, Wednesday, 7:00 pm, on Zoom, we will begin our Baptism re-affirmation classes. On Tuesdays, an email will go out that has the zoom sign-in information for each week. This class is for everyone—this is a time to look at our baptismal promises in a new light; with a new candle!
Not many of us remember the initial promises made for us by parents or godparents. What do these promises look like in our lives in 2020? Our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry loves to share the quote from Micah 6:8: “With prayer, by the grace of God alone, rooted in our baptismal promises, we set out now on a lifelong commitment to follow the loving, liberating and lifegiving way of Jesus.” The baptismal promises re-orient us time after time. For every time we have a baptism at a service, we are also renewing our own baptismal vows. Baptism is more than a spiritual vaccination; yes, we only need to be physically baptized once, but, the commitments that go along with the action need to be continually scrubbed and polished.
Baptismal vows/promises are lifetime commitments and constantly engage and challenge our spiritual formation. Do you know the difference between a maze and a labyrinth? A maze has multiple choices. A labyrinth has a single path. Yes, it curves, winds and weaves about; but it connects us, like a bridge, and if we stay the path, we will end up centered in the center. Our labyrinth walk which will begin in August with the baptismal promises shining on the core questions presented in Becoming Beloved Community will then take us into “Sacred Ground”. The fall quadrant will be preparing us as a congregational community for the transition into new leadership and a new year.
Everyone is needed! This is a “work in progress” with each of us moving along the path at our own speed. Come be the body within which all people can provide a positive, theologically and biblically based life style activated by the verbs: telling, proclaiming, practicing and repairing.
Telling, proclaiming, practicing and repairing “what” you may ask? Stay tuned to next week…..
Ann+
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Our Baptismal Covenant and Reaffirmation of Faith
In preparation for Bishop Ryan’s visit to St. John's on August 30, please join us on August 5, 12, 19, 26 at 7 pm. Each week, we will study one of the Baptismal Promises and look at how these promises are lived out in our daily life. The class will also include a special discussion of how these promises can help us confront racism.
We will continue to utilize Zoom for these meetings. The link will be sent out with the regular Tuesday Christian Formation emails, and can be found on our website.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Fay Jones by email (fay@austinstjohns.org).
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Thursday Morning Fellowship - Zoom
This Thursday, August 6, we will begin studying the Gospel of Luke, using the book ”A Journey with Luke” edited by Marek P. Zabriskie. Each week we will read a section of the Gospel and a meditation by a chosen spiritual leader, then discuss questions about the reading and how we respond to it and the meditation. Please try to read the introduction before class, so we can begin there.
There are some copies of the book still available to be picked up in the parish hall, or they can be ordered from Forward Movement or Amazon. If you have a problem getting a book, call Elaine Jackson at 512-832-5663, so we can figure things out. We will try to begin promptly.
Welcome back to the Bible!
P.S. the link is included in the Tuesday Christian Formation email.
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Generosity Changes Everything
Possibly unlike some other churches and denominations, St. John’s does not consider a pledge to be a contract between you and the church. Instead, we consider a pledge to be a statement of intent between you and God, with St. John’s as a beneficiary and witness. Over the years, the people of God have found that giving is necessary to one’s spiritual health and wellbeing, and many of us, even in modern times, can testify to our spiritual growth when we commit that aspect of our lives to God. You are the main beneficiary of your pledge. That being the case, St. John’s understands that our individual circumstances may change over the course of a year, and thus the amount of your giving may also change. All St. John’s asks is that, as you pray and come to a decision, that you keep us informed of your intentions.
The quarterly giving statement is simply a report to of your progress towards your giving goal, nothing more. The over/under calculation is there to make it easier for you to see how you are doing; what you do about it is a matter of prayerful discussion between you and God who knows us and all our needs so very well. Also, be aware that the USA tax laws require St. John’s to make at least an annual report of giving for all contributions of $250 or more. Here at St. John’s we like to report on the receipt of all monetary contributions, and we would like to be able to report on the receipt of gifts of time and talent, but the number of such gifts are overwhelming.
Reported on or not, do know that ALL gifts of time, treasure, and talent are gratefully received and appreciated.
Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!
Marvin Rasmussen
Treasurer, St. John’s Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 801493
Austin, TX 78708
512.836.3974
St. John’s Stewardship Team
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Building Bridges and Healing Brokenness
FAMILY
by Sheri Rasmussen
What comes to mind when we hear the word “family?”
As I reflect these days on the state of the world, or the “Twilight Zone” as I’ve heard it called, my family has been in my thoughts. Family is such an important part of life.
My immediate family was a strong influence, of course, and my extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins provided a wholesome atmosphere to grow up in. (Not to say that it was easy – my Mother, Louise, made sure I also knew about tough love to prepare me for the real world.) Then came school with its teachers, principals, coaches, and other staff, all focused on providing an education as well as a cultural foundation for their students. And of course, the First Methodist Church of Stratford, Texas that taught about the spiritual side of life, the eternal goodness of God.
My Mother told me to always find something to be thankful for, regardless of the circumstances. As bad as this pandemic has seemed, many have finally had time to spend with our families: in person. on Zoom or Skype, and on the phone.
My daughter, Heather, born in 1976, was the center of family while growing up. She was just so loving, and so much fun to parent! Those days of watching her grow up are precious indeed. I’m so very proud of Heather and her husband, Don, as they have established their own family. My Grandchildren are the light of my life. What a beautiful blessing!
And now my thoughts turn to church community. At St. George’s I discovered Cursillo, and discovered a new pathway to Jesus, a guide for living, finding God’s plan for our lives. At a monthly Ultreya, I met a guy named Marvin. We soon realized that we were deeply in love with one another and are blessed to have a wonderful marriage in which to enjoy our lives.
Now as a volunteer in the office at St. John’s, I get to meet almost everyone as I try to keep our membership records current (no small task for a thriving congregation) and get to know as many as possible on a personal basis. This group of loving, caring people worship God with joy and thanksgiving, and really attempt to discern God’s will for all our lives and make the world a better place to live. What a privilege to participate.
As I look at St. John’s, I see FAMILY!!! We are truly blessed. Thanks be to God!!
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Sunday Services at St. John's
We are finding different ways to worship.
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Our Sunday services are being live streamed from our Chapel:
- 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer in English
- 12:00 noon Morning Prayer in Spanish
There are two ways for you to participate in our Sunday services:
- Go to Facebook Live. No login is required to attend the service, but you must log into your Facebook account to comment or to view other comments. Click this button to attend the service using Facebook:
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Call 1-888-958-7272 and, when prompted, enter an access code to listen to the service on your telephone. For the English language service on August 9, the access code is 267603204#
In both cases, the live stream for each service will begin approximately 5 minutes before the start of the service.
Recorded video from both services will be posted on the
St. John's YouTube channel later in the day so that you can replay a service at your convenience. Links to the YouTube recordings will be posted on our website (www.austinstjohns.org).
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Virtual Coffee and Fellowship:
Bring your own beverage and treat of choice
Join us for our Virtual Coffee and Fellowship on Sunday after the 10 am service! This 30 minute opportunity to visit with friends you haven't seen in a while will be a separate Zoom meeting so you will need to use this link to join:
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Note that the Waiting Room is enabled for this meeting, so somebody logged into the St. John’s account must be present to admit people into the meeting. This is to protect the meeting participants from any possible "trolls" who might try to interrupt our fellowship. The meeting facilitator will admit you to the meeting as quickly as possible. |
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Giving at St. John's
People have asked how to continue their giving as the ministry of the Church continues.
There are several ways you can continue to give:
Mail your check to the Church: St. John's Episcopal Church,
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Go to your bank's website and set up direct payment - the bank will send a check directly to St. John's using this address:
St. John's Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Use this link to learn more about online giving: Click here
Use this button to go directly to our online giving portal:
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Caring for Each Other
If you, or someone you know, need prayer or would like to be contacted by the church, please contact the Reverend Ann McLemore at 769-257-2377 or RevAnn@austinstjohns.org to add names to the Prayer List.
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Need Help?
Please, if you find that you need help financially, with food, spiritually, emotionally, do not hesitate to call Deacon Victoria (512-297-5953) or Rev. Ann (769-257-2377).
We are a church family; when a family member needs assistance we want to try and help that member.
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Only Rev. Ann and essential support staff will be in the Chapel for the streaming of services as we continue to follow the direction of government officials and the guidance of our Bishop.
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All meetings and activities at St. John's are temporarily suspended.
Ministry continues. All St. John's meetings will be held virtually (via Zoom).
We will post a notification here, on Facebook, and on our website when this restriction has been lifted.
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St. John's Episcopal Church
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Virtual Sunday Services
10:00 am in English (Facebook and website)
Mediodía en español (Facebook y sitio web)
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For more information about events at St. John’s,
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