WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

MAY 23-29, 2023

UPCOMING EVENTS:

  • Wednesday, May 24 - Book Club (6:30pm - Room 204/205)
  • Monday-Friday, June 19-23, 2023 - Vacation Bible School

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023

8:00am and 10:15am in the Nave

Wear red to celebrate the birthday of the Church!

The Queen City Cats Jazz Band will be joining us for the 10:15am service!

The talented young musicians of Queen City Catz will be bringing their jazz sound and youthful energy to our worship, and their performance will uplift and inspire us all. This is a unique opportunity to see the fusion of jazz music with traditional religious celebration, and we would be delighted if you could join us for this exciting worship service. Please feel free to invite your family, friends, and anyone else who would like to join us. We hope to see you this Sunday, May 28th, at 10:15am for this special worship service!

Join us following the 10:15am service for lemonade and cookies!

PARISH LIFE

The church office will be closed in honor of Memorial Day on Monday, May 29.

We would like to continue our summer tradition of Lemonade on the Lawn hosted by various groups each Sunday of the summer starting May 28 through Labor Day weekend. Janie’s kitchen crew will have the lemonade ready to roll out and the volunteers are asked to bring cookies and/or other easy-to-eat finger food for refreshments. Homemade is always appreciated, but not required. SIGN UP FOR YOUR SUNDAY BELOW! Many thanks for your consideration of this beloved summer tradition!!!

SIGN UP YOUR MINISTRY HERE!

Two Receptionist Needs:

  1. The Volunteer Receptionist Group is seeking high school students to fill in for our regular receptionists when they’re away for vacations this summer. Flexible dates. This is a great opportunity for students looking for service hours! Morning shift is 9-12:30 and afternoon shift is 12:30 - 4 on Monday-Thursday.
  2. The second need is a permanent replacement for Tuesday morning, 9-12:30, twice a month. Please contact Tracy Reed for more information.

DO YOU KNOW……

that gifts to the St. John’s Episcopal Church Endowment can be included in your Estate Planning? A few questions might come to mind.

 

How can I “Commit Now, Give Later?”

Parishioners can donate to the St. John’s Episcopal Church Endowment (incorporated as a separate 501(c3) set apart from the church) as a commitment to the future spiritual life of St. John’s, by providing a legacy gift through estate planning. The gift is distributed to the church following your death as stated in your will or trust. Many people spend an entire life pledging to the church, so this might be considered a “final pledge” upon your passing. A bequest through a will is the simplest and most common planned gift. There are several ways to structure this commitment in a will or trust:

             Specific monetary bequest

             Percentage of your estate

             Percentage of the remainder of your estate after other bequests have been fulfilled

             Specific asset such as personal or real property

 

What about retirement funds?

Retirement funds are an increasingly valuable asset to many people—an asset often overlooked as a source of charitable gifts. Giving from a Traditional IRA, a 401K or 403B plan can provide you with important tax advantages. Since the money that has accumulated in these plans has never been taxed, the IRS levies taxes on any distribution, unless that distribution is to a charity such as the St. John’s Episcopal Church Endowment.

 

Can real estate be included as a bequest?

Yes, giving real estate to the church is a time-honored way of making a substantial gift with an asset, usually highly appreciated, that might otherwise be underutilized. All gifts of personal or real property will need to be evaluated and accepted, as some may require a sale in order to benefit the St. John’s Episcopal Church Endowment which is intended to provide a sustainable annual source of funds for the St. John’s Episcopal Church ministries.

 

How can I learn more?

Additional information can be accessed through the St. John’s website https://www.stje.org/planned-giving If you are interested in becoming a Legacy Leader and supporting the important work of the Endowment, please contact Skip Tappy or George Sheild.

UPCOMING MEETINGS OF THE WEDNESDAY NGHT BOOK CLUB

The Wednesday Night Book Club invites everyone to join our conversations about our monthly selections, other titles being read, and all things literary. We are an open, friendly group, so you are welcome to come anytime. Meetings are from 6:00-7:00pm in Room 204/205 (please note room change) at the church. Here are the upcoming meeting dates and titles:

Lessons in Chemistry

by Bonnie Garmus

May 24

Not a Happy Family

by Shari Lapena

June 28

THE WAY FORWARD FAST FACT:

Approximately 16.6 million AAPIs reside in the U.S. !6.6 million people is approximately 5.4% of the U.S. population. AAPIs represent over 30 countries and ethnic groups that speak over 100 different languages.


The Way Forward meets the third Wednesday of the month in room 204/205 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Zoom link can be found on the online church portion of St. John’s website. All are welcome.


The Way Forward Book Study - Resurrecting Church

Wednesday, May 24, 2023 6:30 pm

ROOM 208

A book study of The Rev. Dr. John Cleghorn’s book, “Resurrecting Church: Where Justice and Diversity Meet Radical Welcome and Healing Hope,” will be held weekly beginning Wednesday, May 24, at 6:30 p.m., in the Parish Hall. Mary Waller will lead the discussion. “Resurrecting Church: Where Justice and Diversity Meet Radical Welcome and Healing Hope” is available on Amazon.com if you’d like to ground yourself in advance of the conversation. R

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

June 19-23, 2023

9:00am-12:30pm

 Summon the Heroes! St. John’s invites young explorers (4-year olds through rising sixth graders) to join us on the Hero Hotline! It is bound to be a great week of games, music, crafts, and more as we learn to become the heroes that God calls us to be. We are also looking for adult and youth volunteers to help our young adventurers during their expedition. All help is welcome! 


Cardboard Paper Towel and Toilet Paper Tubes Wanted!

We are in need of cardboard paper tubes for Vacation Bible School and other children’s crafts. If you have some clean tubes (those without adhesive or paper remnants stuck to them) and want to help, just put them in a bag and drop them off with Matt Williams or leave them at the reception desk. We will be collecting them until June 11. Thanks!

 

Click on one of the buttons below to register as either a participant or a youth volunteer. Adult volunteers should contact Matt Williams at the church. Hope to see you there!

Register VBS Participant
Youth Volunteer Registration

OUTREACH

Volunteer at Galilee! Spring is in full swing and summer is around the corner. This means there are volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups at Galilee Ministries of East Charlotte! 


· Opportunities include -- but are not limited to -- helping tidy our beautiful grounds by weeding, spreading mulch and pea gravel, repairing/repainting picnic tables, removing invasive plants, and pressure washing. 

· We will hold garden workdays on the following Saturday mornings: June 24, July 29, August 26, and September 30. (If these four dates do not work for your schedule, Galilee can coordinate with you to find a time that works for you to serve.)

· Galilee also has a need for skilled gardeners, carpenters, landscapers, and electricians.



Did you know? Galilee has an emergency food pantry to help meet the needs of hungry neighbors on days when the Loaves & Fishes pantry is not open. We are in need of: canned vegetables, canned chicken and tuna, canned beans, rice, pasta, and granola bars. Pop tops are great and no glass, please.      

If you have questions, are interested in volunteering, and/or want to donate food pantry items, please contact Deacon Emily Parker at EDGalileeEast@gmail.com to discuss details. Thank you for your support of Galilee! 

What’s your favorite after school snack? The kids at Charlotte Family Housing’s Plaza Place Shelter don't care for canned/pantry goods when they get off the bus from school …imagine that! Most kids would prefer a granola bar to cracking open a can of soup. Let’s make sure there are no "snack-mergencies" at the shelter and get shopping for the SPRING SNACKATHON! We invite you to collect your favorite pre-packaged snacks (popcorn, granola bars and pop tarts are some of the most requested) for our shelter families - the more bulk sized the better! As long as the items are individually wrapped anything will be welcomed and enjoyed! Please drop off snacks in the bin next to the reception desk and they will be delivered to Plaza Place. Call or text Mamie Stichter if you have any questions. Thank you!

HAGAR'S BASKET: 

June 8 - Hagar’s Basket Prep Day (Come help stock the shelves!) - 10am - 12pm

June 14 - Indoor Pantry - 8am - 11am 

 

The Hagar’s Basket ministry provides hygiene products to families in our community who need them. WIC does not include these products, so this ministry offers them on the third Wednesday of each month. Last month we opened our doors to the new outreach center, and it was a huge success! We served 114 families, and we think that with the opening of the center, the number of families we serve will grow.

 

Please continue to donate hygiene items such as diapers, feminine products, cleaning supplies (new item) and shampoo(new item) as well as monetary gifts that are so valuable to the success of our ministry. In addition, consider donating your time as our need for volunteers is growing!

Sign Up to Volunteer Here!

WEEKDAY WORSHIP & FORMATION

Photo courtesy of Tom Benson, Center For Contemplative Living

HOLY EUCHARIST & HEALING SERVICE

Tuesdays at noon in the Chapel


MORNING PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY

Mondays, 7-7:30am (MP) & 7:30-8:00am (BS) in room 204/05 - Zoom option available. Contact Bo Proctor for details. Newcomers always welcome.

LECTIO DIVINA

meets weekly on Zoom Thursdays from 9:00-10:00 a.m. All are welcome. If you would like to join, please contact Brad in the church office.


PRAYING THE ROSARY

meets each Thursday in the Chapel from 5:45-6:30pm. All are welcome. Questions, contact Jane Williams.

CENTERING PRAYER

meets each Monday in the Chapel from 3:30-5:00pm and Tuesday in room 312 from 10:30-12:00pm. All are welcome. If you would like to join, please contact Brad in the church office.

CLICK HERE FOR PRAYER REQUEST
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