The Weekly Sunday Bulletin of St. John’s Episcopal Church |
|
Just below are the words of a song written by Linda Snow to an old English folk tune. Please read the song before you continue.
You are beloved branches, I am the Vine.
Abide in me, my people, my gifts are thine.
Drink of my living water and be refreshed.
I will fill you with my Spirit, and give you rest.
Without the vine, the branches will never bloom.
They'll bear no fruit or flowers, they'll wither soon.
Without my love dear children, you'll do the same.
You need my living water as flowers need rain.
Let my words live within you, and there I'll be.
To glorify my Father, abide with me.
Whatever you shall ask me, it shall be done.
My joy shall be within you, and all my love.
Yes, my joy shall be within you, and all my love.
You will notice immediately that the singer of this song is Jesus and that the ones who are addressed are his followers, are you and me.
If you are not fortunate enough to hear this music at a service this morning, then you will need to absorb it from within because Jesus is singing about you and me, about us, about Saint John's, about how his people are living out his commission to know him and make him known. Now the song is certainly more than about us and our parish, individually and corporately, but it is not less. He sings about a relationship between himself and us, a relationship of such intimacy that we are his people, beloved branches nourished by that water that issues from the one who is the true Vine.
One of the things we learn in the gospels is that Jesus is not aloof, not just paying us a casual visit from some far off heaven light years away; rather, he is tabernacling among us; he is the light shining his glory in Saint John's and to its people and, in one of Tom Wright's best metaphors, we have become angled mirrors reflecting joyfully that glory back to him. Linda Snow is not hesitant to reveal the real intimacy that Jesus desires with each of us. We are beloved branches who are grafted into him; all of his gifts are accessible and available to us and the people of Saint John's have used those gifts to feed the homeless, clothe the poor, proclaim the gospel, refresh others with the living water that has been given them; and so many have prayed—daily—for others—so that the joy of the living Lord that lies within them may refresh others. As we sang on All Saints' Day, we rest in the sure and certain hope that our Lord is our Captain in the darkness drear of this world, the one true Light.
Linda has Jesus sing to us in the last verse, Let my words live within you and, if you do, there I'll be. In the midst of fear and chaos, in the midst of civil strife and violence, in the midst of plague and natural disaster, why are Saint John's and its people thriving? Because Jesus has promised that those who have chosen to follow him, to believe and trust in him, to drink of his living water, will be refreshed and fulfill his commission to be filled with his Spirit and be for others what he has been and is for them. I don't think that Tom Wright knows either this song or this parish, yet he summarizes succinctly what is transpiring in Linda Snow's composition and at Saint John's: “The living God is going to make his home, as Jesus promised, not just with us, but actually in us. We are the branches extending out into the world, brought to life by God's Spirit so that we too can feed the lambs and tend the mother sheep.”
Under the Mercy,
Fr. John+
|
|
8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist in the church
Face masks, social distancing, and registration required.
8:00 am - Rite II Morning Prayer
https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live/
9:15 am – Rite II Morning Prayer with Music
https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live/
10:15 am - Sunday School via Zoom
11:00 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist in the church
Face masks, social distancing, and registration required.
|
|
Please join us for a ZOOM coffee hour this Sunday at 10:00 am. Grab a cup of your own coffee and a snack, share some time with your friends at St. Johns. This will be an informal remote gathering where we can enjoy each other's company. Join Zoom Coffee Hour:
|
|
Join us at 9:00 am for Morning Prayer, Monday - Friday, via Zoom (New Meeting #):
Please follow along with Mission St. Clare
|
|
We are studying the New Testament, referencing N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird's The New Testament in Its World.
|
|
THRIFT SHOP OPEN SATURDAYS |
The Thrift Shop will reopen beginning this Saturday, November 7th from 12 to 3 pm!
Our Thrift Shop is a vital ministry for our church and in our community. Help is needed in sorting and pricing during the week, and on Saturdays to serve the public.To volunteer, please contact Nancy Feustel at n.feustel@verizon.net.
Social distancing and masks are required.
|
|
THANKSGIVING BASKET COLLECTION |
St. John's ECW and Youth Group are taking up their yearly Thanksgiving collection to provide Thanksgiving baskets for families who have had to abandon their homes to seek safety from domestic violence.
We are asking for monetary donations only, no food donations. All monies collected will be put towards these Thanksgiving baskets. No amount is too little or too big. If giving cash, please mark your envelope "Thanksgiving Basket Donation"; if giving a check, please make your checks out to the “St. John’s ECW.” You may put your donations into the Sunday offering plate or mail it to the Parish Office.
We will be collecting thru November 23rd, so please contribute now.
|
|
St. Hilda’s Guild meets Tuesdays at 12:00 noon via Zoom. Join us using the link below, and make sure to bring your latest project and a snack:
|
|
There will be an Altar Guild meeting on Tuesday, November 10th at 7pm via Zoom. Anyone interested in serving on an Altar Guild team, should plan to attend.
Our Altar Guild is asking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks in the church or at home to prepare our church for Sunday and special services. Please contact Barbara Hinton ( hwp250@gmail.com) and Nancy Feustel ( n.feustel@verizon.net) to volunteer or with questions.
Also, if you would like to remember a loved one or give thanks for an imporant event with altar flowers or Perpetual Light, Please complete an Altar Flower Form and return it to the Parish Office with your check made payable to "St. John's Altar Guild."
|
|
Thank you so much for your generous spirit and continued support of the ministry of St. John’s. Please turn in your 2021 pledge card if you have not done so already. We will begin preparing our 2021 Budget, and pledges are vital in that process.
If you are financially able, please make sure your 2020 pledge is up to date
We have set up online giving. Using your credit card or a direct payment from your checking account, you will be able to make a one-time payment or set up recurring payments.
Or send a check made payable to "St. John's Episcopal Church" to 12 Prospect Street, Huntington, NY 11743.
To text your contribution (standard text message rates do apply):
Text SJEC1745 STEWARDSHIP $[Amount] to 73256.
Your stewardship is a commitment to sustaining St. John’s ministry today and going forward. Thank you for your continuing support!
|
|
We have set up online giving. Using your credit card or a direct payment from your checking account, you will be able to make a one-time payment or set up recurring payments using our secure online system.
Using the below form, you can choose the types of contributions you would like to make a Plate Offering online:
Or send a check made payable to "St. John's Episcopal Church" to 12 Prospect Street, Huntington, NY 11743.
To text your contribution (standard text message rates do apply):
Text SJEC1745 PLATE $[Amount] to 73256.
|
|
PRAYER CONCERNS FOR ST. JOHN'S |
We pray for all our doctors, nurses, and medical staff who put themselves at risk to care for us during this corona virus epidemic.
We pray for all our men and women serving in the armed services and all first responders who put themselves at risk every day, especially during this time. May God keep them safe and healthy, and return them home to their loved ones.
We pray for those who work for justice. May God give us all strength and wisdom to act for change when it is needed.
We pray for the sick: Kathy, Lynn, Fred, Ellen, Lucille, Frank and Theresa, Spencer and Sue, Tom and Stephanie, Peter, David, Nils, Margaret, Cheryl, Carol, CJ, George, Nichole, Roelie, Tom, Nelly, Marty, Irene and Jim, Debra and Carol, Bette, Justin, Hagai, Cassie, Bill, Amy, Kate, Fr. John, Amelia, Gladys, Christian, Jane, Diane, Robert Boise, Simon, May
Recently Departed: Margaret Delahunt, beloved aunt of Ken Kress.
Altar Flowers & the Perpetual Light are a gift this week of David and Nelly Lasek in thanksgiving for their wedding anniversary.
|
|
St. John's Episcopal Church
12 Prospect Street
Huntington, New York 11743
(631) 427-1752
STAY CONNECTED
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
