An Irish Blessing on Mother's Day
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There is but one and only one,
Whose love will fail you never.
One who lives from sun to sun,
With constant fond endeavor.
There is but one and only one
On earth there is no other.
In heaven a noble work was done
When God gave us a Mother.
- Author Unknown
Saint John's wishes all its mothers, and all the women of the parish who share a spirit of maternity, whether biologically a mother or not, a blessed and Happy Mother's Day!
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All group activities at St. John's remain canceled until further notice, including outside groups and ministries using our facilities.
Stay updated with meditations, readings, music and sermons by visiting our
Facebook page
or our
website a
nd
check your email inbox on Sunday mornings
for video links to this week's readings and sermon from St. John's as well as links to online services at the Washington National Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, CT.
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Here are some tips for viewing live online
this coming Sunday morning:
Non-Facebook Users
- Go to
stjohns-stamford.org
on Sunday morning just after 10:30 am. The livestream will be on the home page. If you do not see it in process, wait a minute then refresh your page. You will see the screen with the play button. Press the button to watch the service live.
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St. John's Fourth Sunday of Easter Broadcast
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St. John's continues to stream the services live via Facebook and on the home page of the website.
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Children & Teen Video Chat
Sundays at 10 AM!
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This Sunday at 10:00 AM
Every week on Sun, until Jun 7, 2020
Meeting ID: 863 6917 0257
Password: 730978
Dial in by phone: +1 929 205 6099
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Further Resources for our Children and Youth
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Resources for kids - Yoga at home!
Rev. Gena Davis is the priest who led the yoga mass at St. John’s. She’s been offering online classes, including a new yoga nidra for kids age 2-12 for $5/family! For all class details, please e-mail her at
Thank you for sharing these Mattie!
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This Week's Musing
By Father Wilfredo+
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God, or the great Transcendent, however we wish to refer to this unitive force that permeates the entire universe (and beyond) is ultimately unamenable. We use the God language, in the Church, while recognizing that at best it is a meager attempt to define that which forever lies beyond our grasp, even when we enter into divine unity with its oneness.
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A Prayer in a Time of Coronavirus
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Click on the banner below to read the prayer
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Prayers for our parishioners
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Dante Continues to Restore and Beautify
the Reception Area
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Our Sexton, Dante Ibanez, has kept himself extremely busy during this time of church closure. Not only did he tackle the walls, plastering and painting the entire reception area, but he's also tackled the floors, restoring the beautiful wood under the old worn carpeting. The decades old carpeting had been glued to the wooden floor, making this a more time, and labor intensive project than Dante anticipated; but he did it! When we all return to church, we will be pleased with how beautifully this area has been restored. A big shout out to Dante, for going beyond the call of duty!
Click on any pic below to enlarge
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Knock Knock Who's There?
A Poem by Carol Kilham
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I’ll meet you halfway to the stars,
Sometimes you seem so far;
It’s not a curse to love the earth,
You can tell me why when the answers are denied.
God, you know when to say Yes,
And when to say No.
Your love is meant to be gently and gigantically.
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Click on the image to enlarge
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Two Pics from Fr. Sandy
Click on either image below to enlarge
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Socially distanced visit with Barbara Cooke
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Women's Group Online Meeting
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Dear Parish Family:
Faced with the unfortunate circumstances of having to keep our church closed, in order to help curb the spread of Covid-19, it is imperative that your pledge be either mailed to the church, or better yet, that you
make your donations electronically
. Please see the instructions below on how to do this.
Our expenses won’t go away even if we’re not having live worship, so I ask that we all be mindful of this. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Kathy McBride, our Parish Administrator. Our vestry, and parish family, will be much appreciative for your efforts.
God’s Grace and Peace,
Fr. Wilfredo+
NOTE:
You can simply mail in your check to the church office if you would rather not use the online giving tool. Our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, is receiving the mail and doing the banking as usual.
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Covid-19 and Returning to Church
A very sobering read from the Wisconsin Council of Churches
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Though in the beginning many of us had mental images of all returning at once to our churches in celebration, we are now recognizing that returning to church will have to happen in phases.
Click here to read the full article>>
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Medical Equipment Lending Program
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Elliott Sloyer is working on starting a volunteer run "lending library" for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) called Wheel It Forward.
DME includes things like wheelchairs, hospital beds, walkers, crutches knee scooters etc... The average piece of DME has a lifespan of 5-10 years but is only used for 4 months. Also, out of pocket expenses for DME are very high assuming that insurance medicare or medicaid would even cover it, which they often do not.
Elliott has secured some donated warehouse space for our launch in June (pandemic permitting) and he asks if any of the Interfaith Council churches, mosques, or synagogues might have space where he could run the day to day operations from.
He would likely need between 1500 - 2500 square feet. The space does not to be "finished" but access to water and electricity would be necessary. Elliott's contact number is below. He has been running this out of his garage for roughly 5 months and the ability to make a significant impact in our community (and beyond) is compelling.
Elliot Sloyer's phone number is: 203-705-1600
Thank you!
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We invite folks from all across the Episcopal Church in Connecticut to share a reflection on your COVID-19 experience with us. We are putting together a blog series with reflections from you, to share how folks are experiencing and living into this new normal.
Where have you seen God during this time?
What are you learning?
What are you doing to care for yourself?
We invite you to submit a reflection, no more than 600 words, along with a photo. The photo can be of you or something that goes with your reflection.
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Dear Parishioners,
UPDATE
I delivered 22 lbs last week.
The shelves at the Food Bank are almost empty. They are in desperate need for donations.
Please help in any way you can.
I will personally come to your house or a mutual destination to keep their shelves filled.
Thank you
Sunny Stearns
203-249-0393
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Food Drive Sponsored by
The Stamford Police Department
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The Stamford police and fire departments, paramedics and EMTs are sponsoring a drive to provide food supplies to the local food bank.
They are asking for donations of non-perishable groceries and are collecting from
9am to 3 pm on Saturday at the police station on Bedford Street.
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Watch Out for Covid-19 Scams
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During a recent meeting, a clergyperson in Connecticut noted a scam that was done on his church membership using an approximation of his email address, etc. Unfortunately, there are fraudsters out there who will try to take advantage of you during this time. Here are a few tips to help you stay safe against COVID-19 scams:
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- Ignore offers of vaccinations or home test kits - there are no products proven to treat or prevent COVID-19 at this time.
- Watch out for phishing emails and text messages - scammers are sending messages that seem to be from "known" organizations like the IRS, CDC or WHO about current topics (like the economic impact payments) in an attempt to get personal information.
- Research before you donate - do your homework and never donate in cash, by gift card or by wiring money.
- Stay in the know - see details on known scams on our How to avoid Coronavirus/COVID-19 Scams page and at the FTC scam information page.
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Tuesday Bible Study: Gospel of Matthew
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Join Fr. Sandy on Tuesdays at 2pm online via Zoom for a Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew. Below is the info:
Meeting ID: 243 991 8700
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Comforting Music For Challenging Times
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Have You Seen These Services?
Click on any of the images below to watch and listen
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Fourth Sunday of Easter
-May 3
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Third Sunday of Easter
- April 26
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NOTE: The Community Thrift Shop is closed to the public until further notice due to COVID 19.
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All group activity at St. John's is cancelled until further notice including outside groups and ministries using our facilities.
Stay updated with meditations, readings, music and sermons by visiting our
Facebook page
or our
website
.
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St. John's Office Hours
The Church office is currently closed to public access.
However you may leave a message at 203-348-2619 x10 -
our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride is checking the messages
many times a day and will respond right away!
Prayer List
FORWARD DAY BY DAY
This is the Episcopal Church's own discipleship publication! As disciples, followers of Christ, daily prayer and reflection grounds us in God's love and gives us strength and clarity to confront our weaknesses, put our trust in God and listen to where God is calling us to serve.
Available online
for-free!
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