Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This is the collect for our coming week, Proper 28, starting this Sunday. I mentioned a few weeks back that my favorite collect is from Proper 22 (early October). I can believe this is one of Bishop Provenzano’s favorite collects, as I’ve heard our bishop quote this collect time and time again – and it’s a good line: to “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” scripture. As we are preparing for the season of Advent, we have a couple of themed weekends before we start preparing for the birth of Jesus. As Fr. Duncan mentioned in this past weekend’s services, last week was Loyalty Sunday. Loyalty Sunday is where our parish family is invited to pledge a financial gift to the parish, so our vestry (governing body) is able to create a budget for this next year. FYI - there is still time to get in your pledge cards!

One article I read regarding this Sunday’s lectionary readings called this Sunday Bible Sunday. As a prayer book people, I think we Episcopalians sometimes shy away from the good book. This Sunday’s collect ties us to scripture, but we don’t know or truly recognize how much scripture affects our liturgy. Our Confession, Prayers of the People, and Eucharistic Prayers, all reference portions of scripture that tie us to the Bible.

This week’s collect drives home the importance of scriptural repetition. We hear scripture every Sunday. We have four readings from scripture proclaimed: two Old Testament readings and two New Testament readings. We hear from the time of the prophets before Christ and we hear a psalm from King David, singing of God’s glory or lamenting life on this fragile earth, our island home. We also hear from the epistles – one of Paul’s letters or the Acts of the Apostles, and a Gospel reading which focuses on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. A majority of the Bible is read in a three-year cycle we call the lectionary, that we share with our sister churches. All Episcopal Churches, in addition to other mainline denominations like the Lutherans, the Methodists, the Roman Catholics, the Presbyterians follow this common lectionary for the most part as well.

As a prayer book people, meaning that we use the Book of Common Prayer, we have access to the Daily Office. The Daily Office is an opportunity for all of us to read the prayers of the church and pray for others in our community daily – like the monks and nuns of old. Clergy promise to read the holy scriptures and pray for those who have asked for prayer, especially within our church family. A group of us gather to pray together every weekday at 9:00am (lay people from our parish community and our clergy). It is not a commitment that one needs to promise to – we have people who join for a period and then leave. We offer the opportunity to those who would like to learn how to pray the Daily Office and join us in reading scripture because we know it is important for us to know about our spiritual roots.

Mark – not the evangelist St. Mark, but mark as in taking notes – mark up your Bible! Marking your Bible is something us seminarians did to understand scripture and remember what our professors taught us. It is a task for all who study the Bible – either with our parish community or on your own. Bible Study is an opportunity for those who want to dig deeper into knowing our spiritual roots. Mark goes hand-in-hand with learn which is the follow-up of marking. Learning more about the Bible can be done in community like at our Bible studies on Monday nights and Tuesday mornings, but also on one’s own. Lectio Devina is a spiritual practice of reading the Bible by marking and learning the parts that God calls you to focus on whether in community or on your own.

The last term that draws my attention is the inwardly digest. It is a slightly graphic image to think of an illustration of one digesting anything, but the analogy remains: the breaking down of scripture and taking in the spiritual nutrients that God needs us to take in.

This is all a process. We start with easy steps of hearing and reading, which we do regularly on Sundays. I invite us all to go deeper into our faith – marking, learning, and inwardly digesting the word of God – the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us meditate on our commitment to scripture and pray on how we can go one step deeper this upcoming Advent season of hope – which our collect points us to. God wants to know us. We need to know God as well.

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 meets 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 After Pentecost - Fall

Our 2023 Stewardship campaign is well underway. Pledge cards have started coming in and online pledging is growing. Thank you so much for your generous spirit and continued support of the ministry of St. John’s. 

• Please turn in your 2023 pledge card if you have not done so already
• Please make sure your 2022 pledge is up to date 



We will begin preparing our 2023 Budget, and pledges are vital in that process.

Let us acknowledge that this building and our lands are on the traditional territories of the Matinecock Indians, the original nations of Huntington, and the twelve other tribes who owned, farmed, and led societies across Long Island before the European settlers obtained their lands. Let us commit ourselves to honoring Indigenous people and work for justice and self determination.  

This year, we are hosting the Huntington Interfaith Thanksgiving Service here at St. John's!

Join us and our partners in faith on Sunday, November 20th at 7:00 pm in our sanctuary for beautiful music by St. John's Choir, as well as the combined choirs, children's choirs and musicians from our local houses of worship. 

Please contact Alex at rurikbird@gmail.com if you or your child are interested in singing in the choir.

What is a Lay Eucharistic Visitor?  

Eucharistic Visitors bring communion to those who are not able to participate in the Sunday Eucharist due to age, illness, infirmity or inability to attend services for a period of time. They are an expression of our mission to live as Christ’s heart and hands in the world.

In addition to the reception of communion recipients are also kept up to date on what’s happening at the church through the friendly visit of our Lay Eucharistic Visitors. 

Our diocese will be offering a training session on Saturday, November 19 at the Mercer School in Garden City from 9-12.

Anyone interested in more information, please contact Deacon Claire.  

All are welcome to make and take home an Advent wreath with Fr. Duncan on Sunday, November 27th after the 10 am service in the Great Hall. Candles, greens, and rings will be provided. If you have a ring from a prior year, please bring it with you to reuse or drop it off at church for another family.

Youth Group members will be volunteering with other students at the Rotary Club of Huntington's annual 2-day food drive, Saturday, November 19th & Sunday, November 20th from 9 am to 4 pm at Southdown Market, 205 Wall St, Huntington. For more info contact Ford Spilsbury at (212) 873-7088.

Giving is at the heart of what we do at St. John’s

Sunday, November 13 – Sunday, December 4

Our adopted family of four includes single mother, Marines, who recently had open heart surgery and is unable to work, along with her three children, Carlos, 16, Joelis, 10 and Joseph, 10.

There will be a poster board in the Great Hall for you to select a gift you’d like to offer. In addition to wrapped gifts, the family would accept and appreciate gift cards. 

Please wrap each gift in holiday wrapping paper and label it with the first name of the child or adult from this household and place in the box in the Great Hall, or in Deacon Claire’s office.

Any questions, please contact Carol Goldbaum or Deacon Claire.

Advent Retreat with Fr. Anthony Jones - Saturday, December 10th at 9:00 am

If you are interested in exploring your spirituality and deepening your connection to others, consider joining us. For more information please contact Patti Aliperti at silverymoon33@yahoo.com. All are welcome! 

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, November 17th 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!

This Christmas remember your Loved Ones, or offer Special Thanksgivings, by making a donation for this year’s Christmas Poinsettias. 

Forms are due on Wednesday, December 14th

Order forms can be found on the St. John's website or by using the link below:

ALTAR GUILD CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA ORDER FORM

If you are unable to download and print the form, you may send an email with all the necessary information to Coral (cfreas@stjohnshuntington.org) in the Parish Office and send your check made payable to "St. John's Altar Guild" with "Poinsettia" written in the memo to:

St. John's Church

Attn: Altar Guild

12 Prospect Street

Huntington, NY 11743

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.

• December 8: Special Blue Christmas Healing Liturgy

Bible Study meets regularly Mondays at 6:30 pm and on Tuesdays at 11:00 am on Zoom with Fr. Duncan and Fr. John.

Monday Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83373971746

Tuesday Zoom link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82553627635

Advent Bible Study - Join us in Advent beginning November 28th as we read and discuss Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge.

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.

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!

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.

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, 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, Barbara, Bodhi, Tom, Melvin, Greg, Brian, Thomas

We will begin a new prayer list in Advent (Sunday, November 27th).

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