The Week of February 14, 2021 |
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St. John's Episcopal Church
ASH WEDNESDAY OBSERVANCES
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The Holy Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday
February 17th.
We invite everyone to the observance of a Holy Season of Lent.
Given the ongoing Covid19 Pandemic we have two options available this year:
Option #1: Weather permitting (meaning no snow or rain) we will have
a short outdoor Service at 10:00AM. The distribution of Ashes will consist
of a lite sprinkling of Ashes over the head.
There will be no physical contact for safety reasons.
The Holy Season of Lent is a sacred time, and an opportunity to go deeply into our walk with God, and the desert journey. Please join us, and stay tuned for information on our upcoming Wednesday Lenten programs beginning February 24th.
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THE BLACK FAMILY:
Representation, Diversity, and Identity
Saturday, February 13, 2021 @6:00PM
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Please Join Us for This Year's Black History Month Celebration Via Zoom. Our Program will Feature Prayer; Music; Black Cultural Traditions; Food; Poetry; Youth Presentations; and an Online Game of Jeopardy. All Are Welcome and Encouraged to Participate. This is a Saint John's Parish Event. Please see the Zoom Invite Below.
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The Racial Healing Group at Saint John's is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom event.
Topic: Black History Month - Parish Event
Time: Feb 13, 2021, 6:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 884 4186 0088
Passcode: 141933
Dial by phone: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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A Historical Look at Race in the Episcopal Church. |
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An invitation to join me in Daily Prayers |
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I am happy to offer you a new opportunity to enhance your prayer life. Every morning, Monday through Friday, on my Coffee and Morning Prayers Podcast you find an offering of various prayers and scripture readings. I invite you to click on the picture below and join me in this next step in our common prayer life as we seek a new and exciting way to find a spot for God in our busy lives.
Blessings,
Sandy+
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Saint John’s Church Racial Healing Group
Mission Statement
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In pursuit of living the love of God with hearts open to all, the Racial Healing Program Group at St. John’s Church seeks to deepen our calling as the beloved community through an active dedication to anti-racism within St. John’s, Stamford, and beyond. As a multigenerational and multi-ethnic church, we seek to go beyond being a welcoming and inclusive place of worship to actively dismantle racism through creative ministry, healing dialogue, justice, and public programs.
Anyone wishing information on the work of the Racial Healing Group please contact Ms. Jackie Bembridge: jackiebembridge@gmail.com
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Bon Samaritain Sponsor a Child Program |
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The Haiti Committee has launched a new online bulletin board for Haiti with 31 children who need sponsorship for the 2020-'21 school year. It costs $80 to sponsor a child’s tuition or $150 for tuition, books and uniform.
Please consider sponsoring a child. No contribution is too small! You can sponsor online by visiting https://stjohns-stamford.org/give/ Click on the blue GIVE button and select Bon Samaritain School and Clinic in the "Give To" box; or see Sheelagh or any member of the outreach committee for further info.
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Trivia Night Fundraiser for Haiti
March 13 at 7pm
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More details coming soon...mark you calendars! |
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Dear Parish Family:
Sometimes simple tasks get put off when we are surrounded by other tasks requiring our immediate attention. Pledge Cards were discussed at the Annual Meeting. It's become apparent that many of our parishioners have every intention of returning their Pledge Card but in the absence of the usual convenience of dropping it off at church on Sunday, this has been set aside. For your convenience we are including a pledge card here that you can print, fill out, and either scan and e-mail back to the church (kmcbride@stjohns-stamford.org) or you can mail it back via snail mail. You would be doing our parish family a huge service if you return your Pledge Card, especially in the midst of the ongoing challenges that Covid19 represents. The leadership of the parish is sensitive to the fact that income may have been affected by the Pandemic for some of our membership. Please give this request your prayerful consideration.
Blessings and Grace,
The Rev. Wilfredo Benitez,
Priest In Charge
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*** VIRTUAL GAME NIGHT!!! - for HIGH SCHOOLERS!
Friday February 19, 2021 at 8pm
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One awesome suggestion from the last fun night was doing a virtual game night! Join us as we chat, play games together, share a blessing for the coming weeks - feel free to bring your dessert of choice! Please let me know if you can make it!
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*** Social Justice Bible Study Series - COMING UP FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS!
Women’s Rights!
Wednesday February 24, 2021 at 8pm
At a recent children and youth ministry meeting, parents talked about the importance of learning how our faith in Christ grounds us in modern questions with ancient roots.
In this gathering, we’ll explore how the Bible relates to women’s rights! Through Bible study, we will begin to wonder at these issues, creating a jumping off point for each individual to explore for themselves what they believe God dreams for our world.
Do you think your high schooler would be interested in these conversations? Are there other opportunities you’d like to see offered as well? And of course, if there are particular questions, they’d like to explore further, please let us know.
We’re in the midst of planning a few opportunities for children and youth alike in the coming months.
If there’s anything in particular, you’d like to see let me know!
Looking forward to sharing God’s love as a church family! - Mattie Johnson
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All group activities at St. John's, apart from the Sunday morning in-person services, remain canceled until further notice. These include outside groups and ministries using our facilities. |
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Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - Youth Led Service |
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Children & Teen Video Chat
Sundays at 10 AM!
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Please join us for a video chat with kids and teens. We’ll pray, check in on how we’re doing, share a Bible story, and share gratitudes together.
Sundays at 10:00 AM
The Zoom meeting info will be sent out on Sunday morning.
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Godly Play Sunday School
Sundays at 10:00 AM
The Zoom meeting info will be sent out on Sunday morning.
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Tuesday Bible Study: Gospel of Matthew
Note new Zoom link
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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
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Have You Seen These Services?
Click on any of the images below to watch and listen
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Prayers for our parishioners
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A Prayer in a Time of Coronavirus |
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Click on the banner below to read the prayer |
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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 is 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.
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UPDATE
Our total for the year is 746lbs.
The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield remains in desperate need for donations. Please continue to help in any way you can.
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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.
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St. John's Office Hours
The Church office is currently closed to public access.
However you may leave a message at 203-348-2619 -
our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride is checking the messages
many times a day and will respond right away!
Prayer List
FORWARD DAY BY DAY
This is the Episcopal Church's own discipleship publication! As disciples, followers of Christ, daily prayer and reflection grounds us in God's love and gives us strength and clarity to confront our weaknesses, put our trust in God and listen to where God is calling us to serve. Available online for-free!
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