May 3, 2024

Photo credit: Ted Hine

Worship Schedule

Sundays at 10 a.m.

(with Morning Prayer once a month)

In person and live-streamed on YouTube

Church School

Godly Play Sunday School 10 a.m.

Teen Text Sunday School twice a month

Response-ability

There are a lot of things happening in the world these days that have us wringing our hands.

How are we to respond?

There also are a lot of things happening at St. John's these days that have the potential to bring that "time to love".

The conversation among our Wardens and Vestry right now revolves around how best to channel the many expressions of love into a cohesive vision of, and for, our community.

We are creating a parish-wide survey (stay tuned) asking for your help to identify and prioritize these many interests and passions. Sharing what you cherish as life-giving activity may well spark someone else's dreams. Gathering partners who get excited about similar efforts creates ministries that are meaningful and sustainable.

Please take some time to reflect on all that is within this edition of Connects. Honoring people who have mattered, creating fellowship anew, engaging in the needs of our community, honoring the complexities of difficult issues, cherishing the gift of life - there are a lot of things happening that show us that this, right now, is a time to love.

How might we unite our unique abilities to respond together?

Blessings,

Rev. Lisa

Joan Jejer

As most of you know, long-time parishioner Joan Jejer passed away at her home on April 26.

A Celebration of Life service will be held for her at St. John's on Friday, May 17, at 11 a.m.

'Joanie' as she was know by all of her many friends at St. John's, was a New Milford native and a lifelong member of the parish.

She was a long-time member of the Altar Guild and treasured presence among the 8 o'clockers (back when we had an 8 a.m. service on Sunday).

Reflecting on his arrival at St. John's about 10 years ago, parishioner Herb St. Jean recalled how welcomed he felt, thanks to Joan and others. "I attended the 8 a.m service and the senior members were the most welcoming. Among them were Paul Talaska, Jean Churchill, Joanie Jager and Bonnie Lawrence... All wonderful people who treated me like family and I'll always love them for it."

Joan also volunteered at Loaves and Fishes and the New Milford Thrift Shop.

We pray for Joan, her sister Marion (Pinky) Nordland and brother-in-law Alfred Nordland as well as the rest of her family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, it was Joan's wish that donations be made to St. John’s Book of Remembrance.

You can read more about Joan's life here.

Kathy Leier Jacquith

A memorial service for Kathy Leier Jacquith is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, at 11 a.m.

Kathy passed away in February of 2023.

In memory of Kathy and in recognition of all that she did for our community and for St. John’s, her family and friends raised funds to purchase and dedicate a statue in the St. John’s Memorial Garden. You will be able to see the memorial statue if you head out to the garden after the service,

We started out last Sunday the way we always do - worshiping in our Sanctuary.

But, after the service, we departed from our usual practice of Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall.

Instead, we were the guests of the gracious volunteers of the New Milford Historical Society at the town's museum just up the Green from St. John's - learning about the history of our town and our parish, and partaking of the coffee-hour spread they provided for us

.

St. John's history was on prominent display in the main room of the museum, with photos and artifacts from the church from times gone by. We chose a few to highlight below.

Clockwise from the top left: The St. John's Girl's Choir from the 1950s; Some of the priests who served at St. John's and All Saints Church in the late 1880's and very early 1900's; A copy of the service bulletin from July 9, 1881 - the day the cornerstone of our current church was laid. (You'll notice the psalms were listed in Roman numerals, which, I'm sure, would confuse most of us today); A photo of the church in 1882 (taken, perhaps, from what is now 'your' pew).

In another wing, there are landscape paintings of the main part of town - mostly the east and west sides of Main St. and Bank St.

The painting pictured here was done by Woldemar Nuefeld, born in Ukraine in 1909. Several moves later (Canada, Cleveland, NYC) he settled in New Milford.

You can see other of the museum's paintings of the town by Neufeld and David Merrill by clicking HERE.

A few other things we thought were interesting:

Top left is a pulpit built in 1901 by Rev. Stephen Heacock, the first pastor of the Advent Christian Church. It was in use in the church until it closed in 1973.

Top right is a piece of the pulpit from the Congregational Church, circa 1754, when the church was located a little south of where it is now and when it was used as a town meeting hall and school as well.

And...back in the days when Rosie was riveting, members of the Woman's Land Army of America were doing their part as well. The WLAA was a civilian organization that recruited young women for farm work during the world wars - replacing the men who were off to war and keeping America's farms humming. There was a WLAA unit in New Milford. They're represented in the museum.

Members of St. John's Youth Group took a field trip of a different sort last Sunday. They gathered for a hike at Lover's Leap State Park. Their social outing for May hasn't been planned yet, but they have been recruited to help out with the children's clothes giveaway. (See below)

St. John's vestry members met on April 18 for their regular monthly meeting. We thank Vestry Clerk Jim Rains for this update.

Parish Communication

The primary topic of the April vestry meeting was communication. Alicia Bonner and Nikki Young had previously assessed communication opportunities in response to a request from the vestry.

Alicia outlined the steps in a typical communication strategy – who are we talking to, where are those people and how do we build an infrastructure that sustains the communication.

There was a lengthy discussion on how we might improve communication with people within the parish as well as those outside the parish who might be interested in what we do. 

Alicia pointed out that while there is perhaps an implicit understanding of the values of our parish, there is probably not an explicit understanding. That is, while we think we have a good idea of the values of the parish, our understanding of this is anecdotal. She recommended getting more specific through meetings and other exercises. The end purpose of this is to give parishioners opportunities to engage that really resonate with them. 

The vestry also discussed the need to develop a monthly calendar and how that might be kept current.

Church Historians

Jim Polito, Paul Manfredi and Naomi Fisher are in the process of scheduling a luncheon and conversation for long-time members to chat about their memories of St. John’s. This is part of our ongoing historical documentation project. Invitations will be sent soon.

Our Building

Fire Marshall inspections in Connecticut suddenly got much more rigorous after the recent church collapse in New London. Our most-recent inspection created a number of projects, the most expensive of which was a new fire alarm system.

After some comparison shopping, the property committee chose NYCONN to provide the new system and operate it. It was installed this week at a cost, including installation, is $15,000. Monitoring will cost another $40 a month and the annual inspection is $275.

Many thanks to Herb St. Jean for soliciting and evaluating the bids. 

And Another Thing...

Something not discussed at vestry but certainly worth noting.

Herb St. Jean, his son Andrew and Mike Mills installed new primary posts underneath the narthex a few weeks ago. It was a big job and they did it very well and we are very thankful. 

Kids Summer Clothing Giveaway

Saturday June 15

As we do our spring cleaning and start clearing out closets to make room for summer clothes - take note of how much your children have grown since last summer!

We have children in need throughout our community who would treasure summer clothes that your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces can no longer wear.

We are looking for donations of gently-used summer children's clothes. A donation basket will be in the back of the church, or you can leave the clothing in the hallway right by Tall Paul's Closet.

We also need volunteers to sort the clothing in the days before the event as well as help during the event on June 15.

To offer your help, please contact Tanya Deppen, or see her in church.

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed!!

We're still in need of Coffee Hour hosts for many of the weeks over the next few months.

Hosting is quite simple. All you need to do is make the coffee, heat up some water for tea and bring some breakfasty nibbles.

Except for the nibbles, most of the supplies are already in-house. And, we're happy to help you host the first time or two until you are comfortable.

If you'd like to sign up please email Naomi Fisher here, see her at church, or use the sign-up sheet on the table at Coffee Hour.

This is an important time for casual fellowship. Please help us make sure it's available every Sunday. Thanks!

Help With Our Yard Upkeep

Spring has sprung, which means grass is growing at St. John's. We're hoping we can once again make this a small burden for many. 

Tristan Kamp will be doing the mowing again this year. The cost to us is $30 per mow! 

So, if it is not a financial burden, and you are so inclined, we're asking as many of you as possible to commit to covering the cost of one mowing. If you'd like to help, email Bill Kamp and he will add your name to a list for the season. When your name comes up on the list, Bill will let you know and ask that you send a check to St. John's at that time.

Again, no need to feel any obligation. We normally have a response from enough folks to cover this cost every year - and thank you all for that!!

May Monthly Calendar

We've put together a monthly calendar of events, to be distributed by hard copy at the entrances to our Sanctuary and, eventually, online. You can also view the updated May calendar by clicking here.

Women's Night Out - May 7

The next Women's Night Out will be Tuesday, May 7, at 6 p.m at al Dente, in town. You can view their menu here.

If you'd like to join us, please email Mary Vallo or Sue Denino. Or, let them know when you see them in church

Next Food Collection - May 15

We had a very robust collection on Wednesday of this week and we, and the food banks, thank you!

Our next St. John's Food Drop-off will be Wednesday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The food collected will be delivered to the New Milford Food Bank.

We're in front of the church to collect your donations of non-perishable foods and personal-care items on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

Please remember that you can always bring in food on Sunday mornings and place your offerings in the donation basket next to the last pew. We have had a noticeable uptick in the number of folks using this option, and we thank you!

Men's Night Out - May 28

The next monthly Men's Night Out will be Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. We'll be going to the White Horse Pub, on Route 202 in New Preston.

You can see their menu here.

If you'd like to join us please see Bill Kamp, or email him here.

Memorial Day Duck Race

The New Milford Rotary Club will once again be hosting a duck race on the Housatonic River by Young's Field to raise money for a scholarship for a New Milford high-school senior and for other community needs.

The race will take place on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, after the town's Memorial Day Parade.

For a $5 dollar donation, you can have a duck in the race!

Prizes range from $100 to $500.

For those of you who are not familiar with this fund-raiser, the Rotary Club members float little plastic ducks, with numbers on them, down the river. The water current pulls the ducks downriver to the finish line. The first five ducks (and their ticket holders) are winners!!

The top prize is $500 and it goes down from there to $100. You don't have to be present to win - though it is fun to watch!

St. John's parishioner and Rotary Club member Brad Kamp is selling tickets for the race. Please contact Brad or Jen Kamp, or see them in church, to buy a ticket.

Our Two Afghan Refugee Artists Have a Local Exhibit

Opening Reception is TOMORROW Saturday May 4

The Good Gallery, Kent CT

(Rt. 7 just south of the light in Kent)

If you want to see Matin's amazing pottery, here is your next chance! Also come and meet master calligrapher Alibaba Awrang and experience his artistic expressions of deep faith amid the despair of refugee flight.

Growing Hope, Forging Peace Community Event

Growing Hope, Forging Peace"

at Camp Washington

Saturday, May 11

10 AM - 2 PM.

 A call to change and action,

for God's people weary of gun violence.

The day will include testimony, reflection, experience and action, as we gather around the forge at Camp Washington and transform guns into gardening tools and art. Camp Washington will provide a picnic lunch. The day is open to all, regardless of belief or age.

Diocesan Bishop Jeffrey Mello will be joining us. Rev. Lisa will be there and we both hope to see some of you.

Registration is FREE, and yet IMPORTANT, so the camp can plan food quantities for lunch. 

Click the link below to register or speak with Rev. Lisa for more information.

This event is open to anyone in the community interested in finding a common ground approach to the difficult conversation

of gun violence.

For easier reading, we suggest you view the poster below on a laptop or desktop rather than your phone. (Hard copy flyers are available in the back of the Church)

Prayers for The Ill, Homebound or In Need

Parishioners: Katie, Carolyn, Arthur, Anna, Jean, Joy, Josie and Sonok 

For family and friends: Nancy, Nick, Billy. Janet, Mark, Linda, Carrie, Dennis, Douglas, Rich, Holly, Matt, Artie and Dorothy

For those who have died. Joan Jejer

For the people of Ukraine. For the lives lost and the lives upended in the war there.

I'd like to thank unofficial, but really knowledgable and dedicated, town historian Ted Hine for our 'cover' photo at the top of the newsletter.

The very clear and crisp photo of our beautiful church was taken by Ted on a beautifully crisp, clear day last week when he and others visited with our group of St. John's historians to plan the coffee hour visit to the Historical Society facility.

A special 'thank you' to all from the museum and St. John's for planning a terrific visit/coffee hour.

The next issue of St. John's Connects will be published on May 17.

If you have something to share in the next newsletter, please send the info to Ron Vallo by Wednesday, May 15

Upcoming Birthdays

Mary Vallo (5/3); Jay Coles (5/9); Kim Polhemus (5/11); Nikki Zuris (5/17); Jane Petrucelli (5/17); Al Thierfelder (5/21); Felix Cabell (5/22); Jen Kamp (5/24); Laurel Larsen (5/26); Herb St. Jean (5/26); Audrey Thierfelder (5/28)



Congrats to all who are celebrating! Enjoy your big day!