The Bridge
June 17, 2020
The Mission of St. John’s is to be a community of God’s people who heal brokenness, build bridges, and exemplify borderless kindness.
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The Bridge -
formerly "What's Happening at St. John's" - watch for it weekly!
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From Our Interim Rector
I’ll never forget when my youngest nephew was baptized. He was about 3-1/2; same age I was when I was baptized. Very stubborn (hmm), he insisted on answering the questions for himself. Finally, his seven-year-old brother told him, your Prayer Book is upside down!
Ever feel that way? Like, right now? You want to take care of things, answer for yourself, but the tools you need are upside down? I was reading the letter I sent out to the congregation two months ago; and here we are—not sure where that is, but here we are! So, I looked back to something a bit more historical, that has been tested through time – look how these questions are to be answered by us. Not once, but over, and over, and over, for a lifetime!
1) Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers? I will, with God’s help.
2) Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent, and return to the Lord? I will, with God’s help.
3) Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? I will, with God’s help.
4) Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? I will, with God’s help.
5) Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help.
We can answer the questions by ourselves, but we cannot find the wherewithal to put those answers into action. We need God’s help.
These questions from our Baptismal Covenant are not just about baptism; they are about how we live our lives. How do we continue being an apostle? How do we pick ourselves up and return to Christ? How do we walk the walk, doing more than talk the talk? How do we serve Christ in everyone? How do we respect the dignity of those whom we have never met? God. God’s help.
We need help; and we can begin by praying for help every day. No, our four-letter word is not “zoom” it is “help”. Help is here always. Turn your BCP around and look at page 299!
Ann+
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Building Bridges and Healing Brokenness
GARDEN BLESSINGS
by Patty Arnold
In using part of the church property to build Labyrinth Community Garden, the congregation of St. John’s has done something awesome and wonderful. The church’s presence in the neighborhood has been enhanced and shown to be a blessing. People, both gardeners and their families, as well as food pantry clients are being fed fresh, nutritious, beautiful vegetables. And on a more personal note, I have found a church family that brings me much joy. The garden is what brought me to St. John’s. I came looking for a place to grow some veggies because my yard is small and found so much more – a place to worship, good friends, a labyrinth, and a sense of purpose.
The Labyrinth Community Garden connects St. John’s with the surrounding neighborhood in several ways. Many of the gardeners, myself included, live within a few blocks of the church. Through the garden’s mandate to donate at least 10% of what we grow, we provide fresh, healthy food to those who need it via the Saturday food pantry at the nearby Vincentian Center where I am a volunteer. Neighborhood parents and gardeners bring their little ones to explore the grounds, walk the Labyrinth, and feed a neighbor’s chickens on the other side of our fence. People stop to admire the pollinator bed and the adjoining wildflower meadow. As I walk to the garden most mornings, pulling my purple wagon down the alley with various garden tools and implements, neighbors ask me where I am going and I spread the word about the garden. Some neighbors have contributed to garden fundraisers we post about on Nextdoor.
More than anything, I love to grow food and give it away. In the garden, we currently have three plots dedicated to growing veggies for the pantry. I help take care of them by planting the seeds, keeping everything weeded and watered, and harvesting the results. I take home everything grown in the pantry plots plus what is donated by the other gardeners, clean it off, weigh it, and package it. Finally, the veggies are delivered to the Vincentian Center in time for the Saturday morning pantry clients. Lately, between 150 and 225 people have been showing up for the pantry. The harvest has been bountiful this year. So far, we have donated 144 pounds of produce including broccoli, cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard, zucchini, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and rosemary. I just planted some okra which should be ready in a couple of months.
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Making a Statement
Our own Ann and Douglas Foxworth being interviewed by KXAN about effects of COVID-19 on our blind and visually impaired neighbors.
Click button for story:
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Love God, Love Neighbor
Episcopal Month of Action
In the month of June, join the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations and Episcopal Migration Ministries for Love God, Love Neighbor: Episcopal Month of Action, a series of webinars to learn and advocate with and on behalf of immigrants, DACA recipients, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Newcomers contribute greatly to U.S. communities, enriching our common life, strengthening the U.S. economy, and bringing joy as they join and reunite with families and friends. And yet, immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees face a wide array of challenges, including federal policies and legislation that are outdated and do not address the realities of immigrants in America today. As the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement, we are called to advocate with and for our siblings seeking safety and a better life in the United States.
This webinar is available only in English.
Register:
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June 21-27: Episcopal Action on Asylum Week
WEBINAR: June 23, 3:30-5:00pm Eastern Time
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Sunday Services at St. John's
We are finding different ways to worship.
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All Sunday services are being live streamed from our Chapel:
10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer in English
12:00 noon Morning Prayer in Spanish
You can participate in our live streamed services by clicking this button:
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The button will take you to the "Live" tab on our Facebook page. When the red
LIVE
box appears, St. John's is live and on the air!
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The live stream for each service will be available approximately 5 minutes before the start of the service.
If the red box is not visible and we are not currently live, the page will show you our archive of previously streamed services.
Recorded video from all services will be posted on YouTube later in the day. Links to the YouTube videos will be posted on our website
(
www.austinstjohns.org)
.
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Giving at St. John's
People have asked how to continue their giving
as the
ministry of the Church continues.
There are several ways you can continue to give:
Mail your check to the Church: St. John's Episcopal Church,
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Go to your bank's website and set up direct payment - the bank will send a check directly to St. John's using this address:
St. John's Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Use this button to go directly to our online giving site:
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Caring for Each Other
If you, or someone you know, need prayer or would like to be contacted by the church, please contact the Reverend Ann McLemore at 769-257-2377 or RevAnn@austinstjohns.org to add names to the Prayer List.
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Need Help?
Please, if you find that you need help financially, with food, spiritually, emotionally, do not hesitate to call Deacon Victoria (512-297-5953) or Rev. Ann (769-257-2377).
We are a church family; when a family member needs assistance we want to try and help that member.
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Christian Formation and Education
Watch for the email on Tuesdays giving information about class times and Zoom links.
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Only Rev. Ann
and essential support staff
will be in the Chapel for the streaming of services as w
e continue to follow the direction of government officials and the guidance of our Bishop.
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All meetings and activities at St. John's are temporarily suspended.
Ministry continues. All St. John's meetings will be held virtually (via Zoom).
We will post a notification here, on Facebook, and on our website when this restriction has been lifted.
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St. John's Episcopal Church
Virtual Sunday Services
10:00 am in English (Facebook)
Mediodía
en español (Facebook)
For more information about events at St. John’s,
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