St. John's News for the week of April 25, 2021

Weekly

e-News & updates for the week of April 25, 2021

Important: There will be no Godly Play this Sunday, April 25.

Children & families are encouraged to attend our Earth Day Celebration after the 9 am service. Godly Play will resume on May 2.

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Weekly Parish Message

From Mo. Sarah Phelps, Rector

I prayed for you all and for our ministry together this week as I spent 3 1/2 days on personal retreat. There is much in flux during this gradual entry into post-pandemic reality, and I treasured this time to step back from the daily tasks in order have uninterrupted time for prayer and reflection. Thank you for this gift of time.

I'll write more in next week's eNews about where the Spirit led me during this extended time of reflection and prayer. I need a little more time to let it "steep" before I try to share much of it with you.

In the meantime, I look forward to gathering with you for worship this Sunday - "The first Sunday after Earth Day." It is not an official liturgical day for the Church (yet!), but nevertheless it is a holy time which we will mark with a blessing of gardens and the celebration of the new North East Community Garden following our 9 am service.

Join us by our Native Teaching Garden around 10:15 for the festivities! (Don't forget to bring a mask!)

Click the video to watch Community Outreach at St. John's

We Are Back!

Worship Schedule

Sunday Worship continues at 9 AM via livestream on Zoom & YouTube (likely thru summer)
Nursery Care is not yet available (not allowed yet as per Bishops' Re-Gathering Plan)
40 (ish) people may attend in-person at 9 AM (prior sign-up and health protocols REQUIRED)
Those attending 9 AM in person are asked to attend every 2-3 weeks, giving others a chance
Occasional outdoor services may be held (eg., Liturgy for Healing - watch for more info soon)
Beginning June, an "early" service will be offered at 7:45 AM (in person only, not livestreamed)
Worship hours may change as circumstances change - we'll keep you posted!

Church Office

Beginning on April 25th, our church staff will be back in the office. Please note the days and times for each staff member:

Mo. Sarah Phelps: Tuesday - Thursday, 10 am - 3 pm (Monday off; Fridays work from home)

Barbara Kwiatek: Monday - Thurs, 8 am - 4 pm (appointments between 10 am & 2 pm, please)

Joy Shillingsburg: Tuesday & Wednesday, 9:30 am - 2 pm

Mawethu Ncaca: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday, 10 am - 4 pm (thru May)

If you need to see one of us, please call ahead to make sure we're at the office and available. The hours above are approximate. Most staff come and go through the day for meetings and visits.

Special Worship Note re: Sun, May 2

No in-person worship
Online Worship on YouTube only (no Zoom gathering)

Our bishops will offer an online Eucharist on Sun, May 2 as a thank offering for all who have worked so hard this year to create digital worship offerings in our congregations. This Eucharist is intended to give all clergy and lay worship leaders a "week off" in thanksgiving for their "extraordinary service" over the last year. (Isn't that lovely?!)

For worship on Sun, May 2, please go to our homepage at whatever time you'd like to worship and click "View on YouTube." You also may go directly to our YouTube Channel by clicking the link below.

We'll be back "in person" and online as usual the following week!

View on YouTube

The Rt. Rev. Sam Rodman

(Bishop Diocesan)

and

The Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple

(Bishop Suffragan)

Celebrate Earth Day!

Join us on April 25th to celebrate Earth Day at St. John's at about 10:15am following the Zoom Worship service.

We will gather in the native Teaching Garden between the church and the education building for a garden blessing. All ages are encouraged to participate in a "Wonder While you Wander" scavenger hunt on our beautiful grounds. CLICK HERE to download the scavenger hunt sheet.

A co-leader from the Northeast Community Garden and Gathering Space will attend to share in this special blessing and tell us about this new community garden. Information on native plants, brochures on how to maintain your own garden and pre-printed postcards to the Secretary of Agriculture advocating for equitable use of federal resources for farmers/ranchers of color will be available.

April 25th immediately after

the 9 am service

CLICK HERE for ways you can support small farmers!

Saturday April 24 @ 8:30 am

Let's Go Hiking!

Join Helen Holt this Saturday, April 24 to hike the Mountains to the Sea Trail, one of NC's greatest resources for folks who love to be outdoors and hike: a good chunk of it passes right through our area! The expected hike duration should be approx. 1 to 3 hours and the expected distance is 3-5 miles.

Meet at 8:30 am sharp in the church parking lot if vaccinated and want to carpool; otherwise, meet at 8:45 am at the dam on Old Falls of Neuse Rd.

If you have questions about the hike or the location, please contact Helen at hwholt09@gmail.com or 919 556-1958.

The Way of Love - Living our Baptismal Promises

Rev. Lorraine Ljunggren will lead Wednesday evening discussions in April and May that help us explore our Baptismal Covenant focusing on “where the rubber meets the road” when it comes to living a life of faith or seeking faith. Much like the Ten Commandments, our Baptismal promises have to do with how we live as individuals and as a community of people. The promises are included in The Book of Common Prayer (which can be found at bcponline.org) on pages 304-305.

This is a 10 week series held on Wednesdays at 7 pm via Zoom. All are welcome to join one or as many sessions as you would like!

Our next discussion will be on April 28 @ 7 pm

Baptismal Promises 1 & 2:

Remaining Faithful & Responding to Temptation

We’ll explore the first promise of our Baptismal Covenant which grounds us in a community of God’s people and the second promise engages the reality that we human beings face temptations that lead us to make mistakes in life.

Click HERE to register for this Virtual Event on Zoom.