1994 Mountain Road (P.O. Box 1175), Stowe, VT 05672 ~ (802)253-7578

ST. JOHN'S WEEKLY

April 15 - 21, 2024

A community of faith located at the crossroads of Mountain Road and Luce Hill Road.

Our Mission is to be a welcoming Christian community of faith, loving and forgiving, questioning and learning, inviting and serving.

St. John's web site.

www.stjohnsinthemountains.org

Church Office and Pastoral Care

Rector, The Rev. Richard Swanson ~ Deacon, Zarina Castro

Office Administrator, Heidi Dwyer (802)253-7578

office@stjohnsinthemountains.org

Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:00am until 2:00pm.

To contact the clergy or Vestry members, scroll to the end of this newsletter.

Check out the Vermont Diocesan News at diovermont.org

To view past sermons, go to:

YouTube St. John's in the Mountains

Birds on a Wire

In the early mornings, I walk to the quiet space of a bird sanctuary filled with birds alive while much of the world is still rising. The other day, I looked up at one of the many electrical wires overhead and noticed about 100 swallows sitting on it. Every single one of those birds was facing in the same direction. All 100 or so. Sitting on the wire and facing east. There is no way this could have been random and by chance. There must have been some sort of unspoken plan.

As I marveled at this, a new bird flew up and sat on the wire – only this one was facing the opposite direction. “That’s me”, I thought – the one who is always turned around, never quite facing the right way. But, in less than a second, that bird hopped up, turned around, and landed on the wire facing the same direction as the rest of the birds. Soon, another bird arrived, and then another, and the same thing happened each time: the bird landed facing the wrong direction, hopped up, and turned around.

I don’t know what made all of the birds face the same direction. It may have been the direction of the wind, or instinct, but I’d like to think that when a bird landed in the wrong direction, the bird next to him leaned over and quietly whispered, “Wrong way, friend. Turn around.”

Community. It is there to socialize with, it is there to fill our lives with friendship, but it is also there to help us turn around, and when we are unable to do it quickly, it is there to hold the space for us until we can.

There have been times when someone has said to me, “I cannot pray.” and I say, “I will pray on your behalf until you are able to pray yourself.” There have been people in my life who have not believed in God, and I have believed for them. The trick is to not be on that wire alone. If we were, how would we know which way to face? Who would lean over and whisper to us, “wrong way, friend.”? Who would hold the space for us until we were strong enough to hold it on our own? Just one other bird is all that is needed, someone who can help turn us around, who can pray when we can’t, who can believe until we are able. And someone we can do the same for as well.

For the homebound and vulnerable, the window into sanctuaries is life-giving. Through the screen, people can hear the Word, join in singing, be fed in ways not possible before. But for those who have the choice to return to community, the place where birds on the wire conspire with us to do better, to be better, perhaps that is the only option. There are simply too many forces pulling us apart to not lean into the places binding us together. There are simply too many times of loneliness to choose aloneness. So, if you can, return to the sanctuary. And when you do, may your wire be crowded. And when you find yourself facing the wrong direction, as we all find ourselves sometimes, may you hear the gentle words, “Wrong way, friend. Turn around.”

Exerpts from The Rev. Lori Walton

Please Donate

ONLINE or BY Mail or at Sunday Worship

www.stjohnsinthemountains.org

St. John's in the Mountains, P.O. Box 1175, Stowe, VT 05672

Sunday's Holy Eucharist Service

Link to the YouTube sermons page.

https://www.youtube.com/@StJohns-Mts/videos

Deacon Zarina

Sending. With God's Blessing and Our Love

Open Arms Ministry . . . . Childcare Sitter LIly

Bring your children to play

while you attend our 10:00am Holy Eucharist Sunday Service

Week's Schedule

WEDNESDAY, April 17

Zoom Lunch at 12:00pm

Holy Eucharist at 5:30pm

Vestry Meeting at 8:00pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8285487173?pwd=S3h1ZzliS3I2TWwxS0lSSFhhUm9XUT09

THURSDAY, April 18

Spirituality Group at 10:00am

SATURDAY, April 20

AA at 5:00pm

SUNDAY, April 21

Holy Eucharist Worship Service at 10:00am

Eastertide

March 31 to May19

Next Fiber Arts in the Mountain is Saturday, May 11.

April Volunteer Sign Up

Please access the link below to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0848A4A729A4F49-48613184-april

Holy Eucharist Worship Service -- April 21, 2024

Celebrant and Preacher-- The Rev. Rick Swanson

Greeter -- Terry Whelan

Acolyte -- Pete Johnson

Altar Guild -- Oliver Kelley

Intercessor / Lay Eucharistic Minister -- Roger Nicholls

Lector -- Kristin Wells

Counters -- Lynne Harries & Terry Whelan

Open Arms Ministry -- Lily

Coffee Hour -- Barbara Cunningham

Musician -- Sara Huff

ZoomTech -- Donald Clinton

Fiber Arts in the Mountains

Do you like to knit or crochet? Do you enjoy sewing or other needlework?

There is a group called Fiber Arts in the Mountains.

Our meeting are on the second Saturday of each month from 10 AM until 2 PM; here at St John’s in the Mountains.

If you’re interested in joining us, let Sara Huff, Sharon Witbeck, or the church office know; and we can email you with more details.

Sharon Witbeck (sewsews@yahoo.com)

Sara Huff (sarahuffvt@gmail.com)

office@stjohnsinthemountains.org

Prayers of the People

We pray for Rich, Patric, Belle, Peter, Theo, Nancy, Tom, Ann, Rick and Patty, Joyce, Sara, Kurt, Ben, Bonnie, Don,

M-A, Jen, Erica, Goldie, Mark, and the family of Jane Lowe.

We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings and thanksgiving of this life. We pray for the end of war around the world, especially in Ukraine, Sudan, Israel and Gaza, Yemen, and the most vulnerable in the conflicts; the children and the elderly.

We pray for our friends at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Stowe.

We pray for our local community, especially for Home Share Now.

We give thanks for the ministries of St John’s, especially for our Music Ministry.

Birthdays and Anniversaries in March

Birthdays

April 6 --- Zarina Castro

April 15 -- Dave Matthews

April 17 -- Sharon Witbeck

April 21 -- Andy Rodman

April 22 -- Peter Lilienthal

April 25 -- Sue Nicholls

April 26 -- Tim Heath-Swanson

April 28 -- Matthew Hoffman

April 29 -- Richard Bland

Please note; If you are new to the congregation, please join our list celebrating your birthday and anniversary. Just send email to cunningham.barbara@gmail.com.