I usually take Mondays to be monastic - or a bit like a monk. I sit, I read, I pray, and be contrary to my self for a day. It centers me and brings me to stillness. I had had a busy Monday morning with our first day at the nursery school and started Morning Prayer a little later than usual when Fr. Duncan knocked on my office door to check in on me. We sat at the conference table in my office catching up for a few minutes and then we transitioned to talking about liturgical theology - meaning our personal beliefs and piety surrounding the liturgy (or public worship). It was a bit of a jump from our conversation but within the topic. We came to talk about the Eucharist, being an act of remembering Jesus: “do this in remembrance of me.” Fr. Duncan emphasized different portions of the word remember back-to-back: remember… re-member. 

I sat for a brief moment in silence; an epiphany. Re-member. It was not something I had contemplated recently. When we take communion, we are literally coming together to become part of the body of Christ as we receive God into our bodies through communion with one another. We are quite actually re-membering ourselves to God. This had bridged a thought pattern I have mused about in the past but I really dwelt there this Monday. 

This coming Sunday is our parish picnic at Centerport Beach. I don’t know if you are new to the parish like me, or have gone to the picnic for years like Fr. Duncan, but this picnic isn’t just a picnic; it’s an act of re-membering. Jesus gathered with friends for a simple meal two thousand years ago when he said, “this is my body; this is my blood… do this in remembrance of me.” We are coming together as a community, bonded through our common trait of believing God wants us to be in community with one another. 

Many of you have asked me, why priesthood? Why become a priest? It was a challenging question to answer throughout seminary, when I knew God had called me but I did not have the appropriate language to answer those who asked. Last Lent, I had some time off and I contemplated this question: Why does Jesus call me to the priesthood? It has to do with this re-membering. I am called to priestly ministry, by way of distributing the sacraments, through being in community with others.

How are you a member in this community? For the next several weeks, we are approaching stewardship season. We will talk about time, talent, and treasure. Do you have a ministry that you give yourself to? Breakfast crew, St. Hilda’s Guild, Youth Group, Sunday School, Altar Guild, Thrift Shop, Nursery School, Choir, Vestry, are some of the important ministries we have here at St. John’s. Do you give your time or talent to any of these ministries? Do you feel called to be a part of them? To be a member? What about treasure; do you give a portion of what God has given you, to this community that you are a member of? 

In order to be a living, thriving community, we all have a job to do. Whether its pouring orange juice and coffee on Sundays, knitting blankets for the Fall Festival, being a part of our youth ministry, or teaching our youngest siblings-in-Christ about Jesus, or preparing the sanctuary for service, or assisting someone buy a gift through our Thrift Shop, or watching little ones from our Nursery School on the playground, or sing your heart out from the choir stalls in the front of the church, or help lead this community, or financially give to sustain these ministries to ensure their survival for the betterment of our community, you are giving. Have you discerned how you can do any of these things better? I ask you to meditate on the various ministries we have here at St. John’s and ask yourself: how can I do this better, in remembrance of Him? How can I be a part of this parish family differently this year?

I ask you to re-member yourself to this community, whatever that means to you. You are called by God to be here. How will you allow that call to change your life? Do this in remembrance of me.

I hope to see you at the picnic.

Your sibling in Christ,

Fr. James

Join us for Sunday Worship at 8:00 am and 10:00 am in the church or remotely on Zoom and Facebook.

8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83803451202

Facebook Live Stream: https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live_videos/

Bulletin: Rite I After Pentecost

9:40 am - Sunday School in the Canterbury Corner

10:00 am – Rite II Choral Eucharist

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86739553648

Facebook Live Stream: https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live_videos

Bulletin: Rite II Day of Pentecost

The Music

Opening: 390 Praise to the Lord, the almighty

Before Gospel: 707 Take my life and let it be

Offertory hymn: PB 81 Here, O My Lord

Communion: PB 54 Be Present Jesus

Closing: 376 Joyful, joyful we adore thee

There will be an ECW Harvest Fair planning meeting this Sunday, September 18th in the Guild Room immediately following the 10 am service.

Please contact Carol Goldbaum with any questions or to send your regrets at carolboomer@yahoo.com.

All are welcome to the Annual Parish Picnic on Sunday, September 18th from 12:00-3:00 pm at the Senior Beach House at Centerport Beach, 239 Little Neck Road, Centerport. This will be a wonderful chance for all of us to meet our newcomers. The Youth Group will organize fun activities for the children and families.

Please bring your food donations as follows:

• Last names beginning A thru M - salad
• Last names beginning N thru Z - dessert

There will be a sign up sheet available at the back of the church and in the Great Hall during coffee hour.

Hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks will be provided by the Breakfast Group and the ECW. Don’t forget to bring a beach chair and umbrella!

Sunday, September 18th, beginning at 1 pm at the Family Picnic at Centerport Beach House. Qi Gong with Leslie Martin & Native American Prayer Tie Workshop with Dr. Ric Statler.

Help us Help our Friends in Christ

Donations Needed  - Beginning September 18

There will be an open suitcase in the back of the church for the following much needed items which we will bring with us on our journey:

• Toiletries – hotel size – small – we have to carry with us
• Toothpaste/toothbrushes/shampoos/soap/lotions/ deodorant/sunscreen
• Masks
• Socks (all sizes, preferably white)

 MISSION TRIP to Arizona

October 24 – 30 2022

Thank you for keeping the 9 of us who are traveling in your prayers:

Deacon Claire

Fr. James Reiss

Ken Denker

Paula Dodge

Barbara Hinton

Bob McGonagle

Jan Stebbins

Stephanie West

Judy Wohrle 

Sunday, October 9th at 7:00 pm

Pianist Alex Pryrodny, our very own Artist-in-Residence, teams up with award-winning tap dancer, Alex MacDonald for an evening of piano and tap in our beautiful, historic church.

There is a suggested donation of $20 at the door or presale using the following link:

TAPS & KEYS TICKETS

Spread the word. Invite a friend: POSTER (please share)

Sunday, October 9th at 11:15 am

We are offering Acolyte training for new acolytes. Any child or youth interested in becoming an acolyte please meet Fr. James on October 9th at the front of the church by the piano following the 10 am service.

New acolytes learn by shadowing experienced acolytes at the 10:00 am services. This is a wonderful way for our youth to serve our parish and received community service hours.

"The ultimately responsible question is not how I extricate myself heroically from a situation, but how a coming generation is to go on living." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

Creation Care Retreat 10/1, 8:30am-4pm at Mercer: All are warmly invited to join the Creation Care Community for our first Green Team Retreat, coming up on Saturday, October 1 at the Mercer School of Theology in Garden City. This is an opportunity to get to know people from across the diocese who share your concern for the earth, and to discern your own call to Creation Care. If you’ve been looking for a way to jump-start Creation Care ministry in your parish, this is it!

To register for the retreat, please follow this link. If you have any questions, please email The Rev. Matthew Moore (mmoore@diocesli.org).

Join St. John's Youth Group! 

Anyone in grades 7 through 12 are welcome to participate in Youth Group activities at St. John's and our youth partner parishes, Trinity, Northport and St. John's, Cold Spring Harbor. Here's what coming up for our youth:

Sunday, September 18th, 12-3pm - Parish Picnic Games & Activities Kick-off Event!

Meetings, 6:30- 8:00pm, location indicated below 

Sunday, September 25th - St. John's, Huntington 

Sunday, October 2nd - St. John's, CSH 

Sunday, October 16th - Trinity, Northport 

Sunday, November 6th - St. John's, Huntington

Sunday, December 11th - St. John's, Huntington 

St. John’s Huntington Youth Group Events

Saturday, October 15th - Drive upstate to pick apples and cheese for Harvest Fair 

Saturday, October 22nd - Harvest Fair 

Saturday, November 19th - Rotary Club Food Drive, 10am - 4pm 

Sunday, November 20th - Rotary Club Food Drive, 10 am - 4pm

Saturday, December 3rd - Youth Group Wreath Making & Selling

Sunday, December 4th - Youth Group Wreath Selling

Please contact Fr. James at jreiss@stjohnshuntington.org or Ford Spilsbury at fordspils@gmail.com for more info about Youth Group.

Sign-up for Youth Group using this link:

https://forms.gle/qUbsrEEDwvxyBzRP6 

Confirmation – Confirmation is the sacrament when individuals choose to confirm the promises that were made for them at their baptism. The church recognizes one’s full membership and it is the day a bishop seals one with gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Confirmation classes start in January, meeting an hour before Youth Group, and the Rite of Confirmation will take place at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City this May. Anyone interested in Confirmation in the Spring of 2023 should attend Youth Group meetings and activities. For information about Confirmation, please contact the Parish Office, info@stjohns1745.org.

This joint ministry with St. John's, Cold Spring Harbor and Trinity, Northport, of fostering relationships amongst young adults within our community is not a simple project, but one we’re willing to take on. We plan on starting slow this Fall with monthly brunches, the first Sunday of the month. This is geared towards young adults who are 21 and older. This will later be accompanied by Spirituality on Tap/Pub Theology events to be released at a later date.

For the Fall, the brunches will be:

• October 2^nd
• November 6^th

They will all start at 12:00pm, at different brunch locations throughout the township. 

Contact Fr. James at jreiss@stjohnshuntington.org to learn more and sign up for notifications.

St. John's Spirituality Group labyrinth walk will be on Saturday, October 8th. We will meet at St. John's at 10 am to carpool to St. Philip Neri Church in Northport to walk their labyrinth. Afterwards, we will have lunch in Northport. Everyone will pay for their own lunch. There is no cost for the labyrinth walk. 

To RSVP, please contact Patti Aliperti at silverymoon33@yahoo.com, or click on the following link to register:

LABYRINTH WALK REGISTRATION FORM

Please join us in the Canterbury Corner at 9:40 am for Sunday School!

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION REGISTRATION FORM & CALENDARS

Bible Study meets every Tuesday at 11:00 am on Zoom with Fr. Duncan and Fr. John.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82553627635

Knowing God in the Created World - For hundreds of years, people have wondered what we can know about God based on the evidence of the world in which we live. Prof. N.T. Wright asserts that to answer this question with fidelity requires putting Jesus back in the middle of the question. The line of thought explored in this course seeks to do just that.

To preview to the course go to:

https://www.udemy.com/course/knowing-god-in-the-created-world

Login: dbu632@gmail.com

Password: GodsLove12

On Mondays at 6:30 pm, Fr. John will lead a study of the novel, Elijah in Jerusalem by Michael D. O'Brien.

Saturday, September 24th, 4:30 - 6:30 pm, in the Garden of Blessings, Janice Buckner & Wayne Sayres will play Country, Folk, Rock, Jazz, Traditional & Contemporary Music. In the Garden of Blessings at St. John's Episcopal Church (weather permitting). Rain date: Sunday, September 25th, 4:30-6:60 pm.

Please join us at St. John's for Evensong, an ancient traditional Anglican/Episcopal service of evening prayers, psalms, biblical readings and canticles, chanted in a choral setting. In collaboration with Alex Pryrodny and St. John's Choir, Fr. James will officiate our monthly Service of Evensong on the fourth Thursday of the month. Please join us Thursday, September 22nd at 7:00 pm in the church.

All are welcome! Join us to pray for our broken world in need of healing, through the gift of music!

Saturday, October 1st at 5:00 pm in the Garden of Blessings

We invite you and your leashed or small caged animal companions (or bring a photo of your pet) for a special blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of Animals. Join us in the Garden of Blessings. All are welcome!

St. John's Thrift Shop is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays, 12-3pm.

HELP! Volunteers continue to be needed - If you wish to become a volunteer, please contact Mary Beth Dieterle, (631) 427-1752, ext 106.

Donations welcome. We accept donations of new or gently used clothing, accessories, and household items. Please no books, furniture, out-dated electronics, or damaged items.

We believe that not only does Jesus still heal today, but that healing is one of the most powerful ministries of evangelization. Jesus never preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God without demonstrating the kingdom through signs, wonders, and miracles, with healing as the most frequent demonstration of God’s love.

Healing services at St. John’s will include a time of worship and praise, proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, corporate prayer for healing ending with individual prayer teams for healing. Come prepared for breakthrough!

Please join us for a safe and loving offering of prayer and healing on the following dates. All Services will begin at 7:00 p.m.

October 13

November 10

December 8: Special Blue Christmas Healing Liturgy

Wednesdays & Thursdays at 12 - 1pm

To continue to be welcoming neighbors in the village, St. John's Church opens its doors to Huntington during the week!

On Wednesdays - Noonday Prayer will start at 12:15 for any who are interested in attending this brief in person service.

On Thursdays - The sanctuary will be open for individual prayer and quiet contemplation. Our Music Director and Artist-in-Residence, Alex Pryrodny, will offer a brief interlude of contemplative music.

If any one feels called to join in this ministry and help expand it, please reach out to Fr. James at jreiss@stjohnshuntington.org . All are welcome!

Just a reminder that all parish events and building use must be submitted to the Parish Office. Notices for events to run in the Chalice, to post on the website and social media must be received by the Parish Administrator by noon on Tuesdays. We are looking to finalize the fall calendar to coordinated our many events and start to spread the word about all the great programs and ministries here at St. John's.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ST. JOHN'S CALENDAR

We pray for Susan, Jack, Charise, Spencer, Matt, Ernest, Sue, Wylie, Tom, Debra, Christina, Ursula, Victor, Melissa, Olivia, Annie, Tom, Allison, Chyah, Mary, James, Dylan, Jake, Jeff, Shannon, Kelsey, Justin, Patti, Richard, Barbara, Cole, Edward, Christine, Fred, Patricia, Hal, Carmen, Ignacio, Anita, Amy, Katherine, Briton, Cheryl, Edith, George, Patty, Gabriel, Siobhan, Danielle, Matt, Jane, Harry, Denise, Barbara, Edith, Ana, Angel, Gladys, Richard, Christian, Anthony

Recently departed: Angelina Sacco

Please send your prayers or updates to prayers@stjohns1745.org or call Coral in the Parish Office, 631-427-1752, ext. 101.