This Week on the Mountain, March 21, 2021

St. John on the Mountain

This Week on the Mountain

The Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 21, 2021

A Blessing of Holy Textiles

The Schedule for This Sunday

Please join us at

8 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I, Church & Livestream
10 am Sung Morning Prayer, Church & Livestream

You are welcome to attend the 8 or 10 am services in-person or virtually. Space has been available the past few weeks. We urge you to do whatever feels safest to you!

The 8 & 10 am liturgies are held in the Church where social distancing and safe procedures are maintained:

Every other pew is available for seating. Persons sit more than 6 feet apart.
Doors remain open to allow air to circulate.

If you are joining us at the 8 or 10 am in-person, please read the guidelines here before responding. Your reservation is acknowledgment that you have read and agree to conform to them.

The 8 & 10 am liturgies will continue to stream in the SJOTM Zoom Room as well.

All are welcome to and encouraged to join our Sunday Zoom Room Coffee Hour at 10:45 am.

This is the Zoom link

This is the Youtube link for the 10 am Liturgy

The 8 am Service Leaflet is available here

The 10 am Service Leaflet is available here

A Blessing of Holy Textiles, March 21, following the liturgy

A Blessing of Holy Textiles will take place after the 10 am service on March 21. In the past year, J. Wippell & Co of Exeter, England painstakingly removed the original hand embroidery devices from the 1964 frontal. They were then placed and hand-sewn on new white silk in the Tudor Rose pattern. The pattern was created by May Morris in 1892. A chasuble of all new fabric was also constructed. These are all given to the Altar Guild of St. John on the Mountain in loving memory of Sheila and Stuart Christie by their children.

Who ARE Those Attractive Women?!?!?

Click here to see a very recent article in the Bernardsville News about our Lenten Outreach Observances. Thank you indeed to Lynda Stadmueller for writing the article and contacting the Newspaper. Gratitude also to Charlotte and Meredith Mitchell for dropping everything to get to the Parish House and pose. Great writing and great kids are an unbeatable combination!

Some notes on the Holy Week and Easter Observances

Please first go here to read the guidelines for in-person participation.

After you have read and agreed to follow them, please email office@sjotm.org with a list of those attending especially the Saturday Night service at St Marks or either of the 10am Sunday service.

Streaming Links will be emailed and on our website a week before each Observance.

PALM SUNDAY: Spoken Holy Eucharist Rite I

Livestream or in-person at 8am in the Church

PALM SUNDAY: Join Dominique the Donkey on the Journey into Jerusalem

Livestream or in-person

Park in the Parking Lot, along the Nursery School Drive or along Mt. Harmony Rd and join us in Laroque Field any time after 9:30am. Wear a mask, stay six feet away from those outside your family and come pet Dominique the Donkey (Bring a camera). Or attend the service on-line!

At about 10am, the quartet will sing the Hosannas as a sign that it's time to join Jesus (and Dominique) on the journey. We will first participate in the Liturgy of the Palms on the field.

Following Dominique and the altar party, we will walk down the Parish House driveway to the Lawns outside Parish Hall maintaining a 6 feet distance between families even in the procession. Chairs will be set-up and fluorescent boxes painted on the grass to enable us to maintain the required distance. Each pandemic pod will claim their own box. Please go all the way to the far end of the field to claim an unoccupied box.

During the Meal, Eucharistic Ministers will move around the field, serving Holy Bread to the Assembly. The people will remain where they are.

Dismissal will begin with the people closest to Mt Harmony Rd leaving first and all moving in a "Toward-Mount-Harmony-Rd-only" direction, please.

THE DAILY OFFICE

Zoom or in-person on Tuesday at 10am

Zoom only on Wednesday at 5pm

Zoom or in-person on Thursday at 10am

MAUNDY THURSDAY: World-washing and Eucharist

Livestream or in-person

In this year of quarantine, the Thursday Foodwashing Rite of humility and servanthood will be replaced by an anthem sung by our Choir which will include pictures of the ways we can serve each other. There will not be a foot washing.

Large monitors and high fidelity sound equipment allow those in-person to see and hear the prerecorded anthems.

Holy Bread (not wine) will be received by the Assembly pew by pew. Beginning with the front pew on the pulpit side, those wishing to receive will come forward by the middle aisle without kneeling, accept the Bread and (before consuming) immediately return to their pew by the side aisle.

GOOD FRIDAY: Passion, Solemn Collects and Reproaches

Facebook & Youtube only

This Observance includes participation by a large number of members of our Parish including the choir. It will be available at any time after twelve noon.

SATURDAY: Audio Playlist from Our Choir

Facebook & Youtube only

An Audio Playlist will be available all day of music and anthems offered by our Choir

SATURDAY EVENING: Prophecy and Prayers: Selections from The Great Vigil

in-person at St Marks Parking Lot only at 7pm

Join St Marks and St Bernards's as we light the first flame, foretell the coming of a Savior and celebrate the Resurrection proclaimed.

The Observance will be about 45 minutes long. Please go here for a map of the location and paths to parking;l

EASTER:

Livestream or in-person at 8am in the Church

Livestream or in-person at 10am on the Parish Hall Lawn

Park in the Parking Lot, in Laroque Field, along the Nursery School Drive or along Mt. Harmony Rd

Walk down the Parish House driveway to the Lawn outside Parish Hall, maintaining a 6 feet distance between families. Chairs will be set-up and fluorescent boxes painted on the grass to enable us to maintain the required distance. Each "pandemic pod" will claim their own box.Please go all the way to the far end of the field to claim an unoccupied box.

During the Holy Meal, Eucharistic Ministers will move around the field, serving the Assembly. The people will remain where they are.

Dismissal will begin with the people closest to Mt Harmony Rd leaving first and all moving only and always in a "Toward-Mount-Harmony-Rd" direction.

You are invited to safely stand outside the North windows of the Church to listen to the concluding Voluntary performed live!. Please first stand outside the farthest window.

Of course an Easter egg hunt follows the 10am Liturgy. Children are invited to participate while adults glory in the Voluntary (It's Widor!!!) The Hunt (with masks and distancing) will be on the Front Lawns with loads of people present to keep the kids off of Mt Harmony Road.

Contributions for Lenten Outreach Initiatives

You may be generous any time you want and as often as you want even though each initiative is listed for a specific Saturday in the booklet.

There are several ways that you can participate.

1. You can drop donations off into the large bin on the Parish House back porch. It is emptied and sorted daily. Feel free to drive up to the back porch for easy drop-off. (You can turn around in the small lot between the Parish House and the Church.)

2. You can order from Amazon with a shipping address of

379 Mt. Harmony Rd

Bernardsville, NJ 07924

Don't worry. We can sort it all out. The office will acknowledge your package with an email as soon as we get it.

3. You can make an on-line contribution to the Initiative of your choice. You choose the destination for your contribution. These funds are kept in four separate accounts.

FOOD for God's Co-op.

SOCKS for Grace Church, Plainfield.

DIAPERS for CASA SHaW.

CHOCOLATE for Somerset Foodbank.

If making an on-line donation. Please remember to:

+ enter the amount you wish to donate

+ when you're ready to give, click on the blue button at the bottom

Outreach Possibilities

("I was hungry and you fed me," Now who said that?!?)

Easter hams, chickens or large pans of lasagna

Easter is soon! It's the first Sunday of April this year. We will be collecting from now until April 1. Traditionally we fill a commercial freezer each Lent (sometimes twice) and provide for the Foodbank site in Somerville.

Saturdays at the Food Pantry at Somerville

We serve every Saturday in April. That's April 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th. To volunteer for 3 hours on a Saturday morning, please contact Hilary Thomas at hilarity3121@gmail.com. The pantry is held outside and is masked and socially distanced. Youth welcome.

Easter Plants, Flowers, and Special Music

St. John on the Mountain is now accepting contributions for Easter plants, flowers, and special music. Gifts may be given either as memorials or in thanksgiving. So that we can publish all names in the Easter bulletins, we ask that you send in your donations by Friday, March 26th. If you would like to contribute, please complete the form and return it to the Parish Office, along with a check made payable to St. John on the Mountain, with a note in the memo section: Easter Flowers and Music. If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office (908) 766-2282 or office@sjotm.org.

A Gathering to Celebrate the Publication

of the most recent book by Al Niese+

Soren’s Story:

A Parable about Bullies and the Peacable Kingdom

Join us on Zoom to celebrate the recent publication of Al’s new book. He will greet friends and read a selection. Following the 10am liturgy on Sunday, April 11.

The Rev Alfred Niese was the Rector of St. John on the Mountain from 1979 to 1997. Having retired to Maine with his wife Bronwyn, Al remains an advisor to Priests and friend to members

Al has given us signed copies of his book. If you would like one, please contact the church office. Al has mentioned that it would please him if you were to make a donation to the Grace Church Sock Drive in his honor.

The Open Table Men's Group

Wednesday, March 24, at 8:15 am

The group is reading Making Sense of Paul: A Basic Introduction to Pauline Theology by Virginia Wiles. The book is available at Amazon for $24.

Please contact Rich McGlynn here for more information. Especially contact Rich if you want to receive a reminder and the Zoom link early on Wednesday morning.

Listen to Sunday's Music

As we transition to in-person liturgies again, music of the day will continue to be posted on our SJOTM YouTube Channel. You can listen anytime throughout the week with this link . You can also Subscribe to our channel here for automatic updates and notifications.

Morning Prayer

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10 am

Join us in the SJOTM Zoom Room. Or in the Chapel

Sunday School

Check out our Facebook page as Mrs. Mitchell reads bible stories. Each week is a new story and lesson....this is a fun way to continue religious education at home.

This week, Mrs Mitchell reads The Light of the World by Katherine Paterson

Also, don't forget to drop by the SJOTM office and pick up a craft bag. New bags for March are in a bin on the front porch of the parish office building.

Good News in the Garden State

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