The Bridge
December 16, 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
The train is approaching the station; and our time together is about to come to an end! Next week will be my last letter in The Bridge. So much contact has been cut-off since March 22 when COVID-19 hit the United States full blast; however, our weekly newsletter The Bridge/El Puente has been a mechanism for the St. John’s community to stay in touch with one another and know what is going on…
Sunday, December 20 will be my last Sunday with you all. My final service officiating will be at the 5:00 pm Christmas Eve service. This bilingual service will be beautiful! The choir has a special treat and the sermon a whole new look for Christmas! Our liturgy for the service will be Evening Prayer.
Sunday, December 27 will be lay led. There will only be one service, at 10 am in English. We will not have a noon service nor will we have the 1:15 pm service. Sunday, January 3, will be the first service with your new rector, The Rev. Minerva Camarena Skeith. At that time, the regular COVID live stream schedule will be back in operation: 10 am in English, noon in Spanish; and the outdoor, in-person service of Holy Eucharist at 1:15 will be in English.
COVID-19 has given us a whole different sense of our lives and of how we spend our time. May this time that celebrates God Incarnate teach us a little bit more about Christ’s first coming and in the future, His second coming. For this we still maintain our Advent posture of being alert, awake and ready; in the midst of lots of patience!
Blessings to all, Ann+
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Diocesan Bishop Andy Doyle's Advent Message for 2020
"Bishop Doyle shares his Advent message - there is hope in that COVID politics and even our struggles economically, at this time, will not have the last word of meaning on our lives. The church is here, you are here. I am here, we are here, the people, the people- Episcopalians in Texas- are here and we are here to receive, and to share for each other a comforting word."
Click this button to hear Bishop Doyle's message:
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“'What is a posada?' you may ask. Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to the baby Jesus. It is celebrated from December 16th to the 24th … Growing up as an immigrant in the U.S., it always feels like you’re borrowing from everyone else’s cultures. Nothing ever feels like an authentic experience. Rather, it is what America has told you Christmas is. The posadas immediately felt like this is ours, and we get to share it with you … We are reminded of the journey Joseph and a pregnant Mary took to find a place to stay. We are reminded of how they were turned away many times. Most importantly, we are reminded of how one person who did not have much, shared what he could to provide shelter for them. God shows us this in our lives. He takes those who don’t have much and gives them what they need to share his glory … The glory that we share is what both Joseph and Mary shared with the world. God’s glory in human form. Posadas are near and dear to me because it was through this tradition that I was able to find God in a place that was not my home, in a borrowed country. Most of the people with whom I have shared posadas came to this country in search of a better life. They are people who have sacrificed their lives to be somewhere that does not resemble home. Posadas are something that we, as Hispanic people, are able to share with our neighbors and truly make it feel like our Christmas."
Borrowed from Las Posadas and the Journey to Bethlehem, Raul Diego Veizaga, Episcopal Church Foundation, November 2020
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Holiday Safety Guidelines from Austin Public Health
Please click this button to read the latest suggested guidelines to stay safe and healthy during the holidays:
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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 Church:
- 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer in English
- 12:00 noon Morning Prayer in Spanish
To participate in our Sunday services:
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Go to Facebook Live. No Facebook account or 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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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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Holy Eucharist on the Lawn
Limited in-person worship will continue this Sunday, with an outdoor Holy Communion Service at 1:15 PM. This week's service is in Spanish. The service will be held on the lawn in front of the Annex.
Remember: Please bring a chair - chairs are not provided!
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A concession to a rainy, windy day ...
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Pre-registration is required; please click the button to register. Please register for only one Sunday service at a time so others will have an opportunity to attend.
If you need to cancel your reservation, please return to the registration site or text Fay Jones at 512-626-1771.
In case of inclement weather, this service will be cancelled.
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Sunday Morning Prayer services at 10:00 AM in English and noon in Spanish will continue to be live streamed on Facebook. No login is required to attend the service. |
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Virtual Coffee and Fellowship:
Provide your own beverage and treat of choice
Join us for our Virtual Coffee and Fellowship on Sunday beginning at 11 am!
This will be Rev. Ann's last coffee time with us and we will be celebrating her time with St. John's, so please join us after church.
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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You may also join the coffee hour by telephone - dial (346) 248-7799 and enter the meeting ID when prompted.
Meeting ID: 868 2558 3268
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To protect the meeting participants from any possible "trolls" who might try to interrupt our fellowship, the Waiting Room is enabled for this event. The meeting facilitator will admit you to the meeting as quickly as possible. |
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Christmas Worship at St. John's
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at St. John’s will look very different this year. We will have a single bilingual service on Christmas Eve, which will be live streamed on Facebook at 5:00 PM. The recorded service will be available for replay on our web site and on YouTube shortly thereafter. The Christmas Eve celebration will begin with a set of prerecorded musical performances from members of the St. John’s Choir, followed by the Liturgy of the Word for Christmas Eve. We will hear the Christmas story through a musical presentation of Las Posadas as part of the sermon.
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No Facebook account or 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 access St. John's Christmas Eve service:
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There will be no services at St. John’s on Christmas Day. Here are the links to three Christmas Day services: |
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Feast of St. John the Evangelist
December 27, 2020 is the First Sunday of Christmas and it is also the day that we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, the patron saint of our church. Morning Prayer will be officiated by lay leaders at 10:00 a.m. There will be no other services on that day. Parishioners may wish to attend the online Spanish service at Christ Church Cathedral (Houston) at 1:00 p.m.
Click on this button to access this service:
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Save the Date!
Wednesday, January 6, 2021 is Epiphany! That evening we will have Evening Prayer and an Epiphany Party - all at home via Zoom. You are invited to share the prayer service with your St. John's family and our new Rector, then "share" virtually your fancy Epiphany dessert. Wonder if we will have any trifles to show off?
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Return to In-Person Worship Survey
December 2020
Reminder! Our church leadership is prayerfully and thoughtfully exploring how our congregation can gather again. Most importantly, we are seeking God's guidance in these decisions. We are also paying close attention to the dictates and advice of the Diocese of Texas and our governmental officials and health experts. We first asked you about your opinions and concerns back in May, 2020. At that time, none of us expected the COVID-19 pandemic to last as long as it has. Much has changed since then, and we are now again asking you to share your opinions and concerns.
If you have returned the survey with your responses, we thank you! If not, would you please take 5 minutes to complete this survey?
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Christmas Eve Candle Kit for your Home
Start a new tradition! Hold a candlelight service at home with this exclusive Home Candlelight Service set. It has everything you need for a worship service—10 candles and drip protectors, plus a service suggestion with the Christmas story and several classic Christmas carols. Available while supplies last.
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There are several ways you can continue to give towards the mission and ministry of St. John's:
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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To those who have returned your giving intention for 2021 -
Thank You!
If you have not already done so, please return your giving intention (pledge) card for 2021 to the church as soon as possible.
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An Amazing Gift from an Amazing Artist
Ruth Beer's oil paintings are now available at half price to St John's members, with ALL proceeds going to St John's Church. You can go to Ruth's web page to see her paintings by clicking this button:
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Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) Assistance Program
"The Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) Assistance Program provides up to six months of full rent payment for income-eligible Austin renters who have experienced a COVID-19-related income loss. Applications are open.
More eviction information, help with paying utilities and related housing services are available on the Housing Resources webpage."
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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?
If you find that your situation is causing financial, spiritual, or emotional difficulties, or if you are in need of food, 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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St. John's Christmas Holiday
St. John's staff and volunteers are taking a well-deserved holiday from December 25 through January 2. Classes are cancelled and The Bridge will not be published for that week. Normal activities will resume in the first week in January.
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Only Rev. Ann and essential support staff will be in the Church for the streaming of services and outside for the in-person Holy Communion services as we continue to follow the direction of government officials and the guidance of our Bishop.
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All in-person 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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Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org) |
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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)
In-Person Holy Communion
1:15 pm Sundays
On the lawn in front of the Annex
Alternating weeks: English and Spanish
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