The Bridge
November 25, 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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Holiday Safety Guidelines from Austin Public Health
Please click this button to read the latest suggested guidelines to stay safe and healthy during the holidays:
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From Our Interim Rector
This Sunday, November 29, will be our first Sunday in Advent. A new Church Year! Year B! Waiting is going to be a bit harder, I do believe, as we move through Advent 2020. I’m sure your neighborhoods are similar; the Christmas decorations and trees are already going up – we are ready! Ready for all of 2020 and COVID-19 to be over! We may be ready; however, this is the beginning of the season of waiting. So, while we wait; consider these ideas about decorating a Christian Christmas tree by the Rev. Malcolm A. Hughes, Bar Harbor, Maine, as found in Forward Movement Publications:
- TREE. It should be an evergreen symbolizing a life that never ends as well as the beauty and wonder of God’s creation.
- ANGELS. There should be lots of them reminding us that it was an angel that spoke to Mary; a choir of angels heralded Jesus’ birth, awaking the shepherds. And much later two angels were to sit outside his tomb.
- STAR. Many trees have a star on top reminding us of the star of Bethlehem which guided the Wise Men and the shepherds to the stable.
- LIGHTS. They symbolize not only the Light that has come into the world with the birth of our Savior but also the light of God as reflected in all creation. Lights of varied colors remind us that all races reflect the beauty of God’s love.
- BOAT. Many disciples were fishermen, and our Lord taught the Beatitudes while sitting in a fishing boat. From earlier times the boat has been used in Christian art. The Latin word for boat is “nave” which is the world used for the place where people sit in a church. The church carries us to a safe harbor during the stormy times of life. So, hang a boat on your tree.
- FISH. “I will make you fishers of men,” promised Jesus. In the early days of Christian persecution, the Greek word for fish was an acronym for “Jesus, Christ, Son of God Savior” and was a secret password to identify followers of the Way. It also was put on doors to identify a Christian home.
- BIRDS. Birds are a symbol of the Holy Spirit. A dove came to rest upon our Lord at his baptism. The peacock is a symbol of the resurrection, and our Lord made references to birds in his teachings.
- ANIMALS. They remind us of God’s creation. Especially at this time of year a tree should have lambs, donkeys, and cows, reminding us of the part they played in the stable.
- PAPER-CHAIN. Children can make these with glued strips of paper. A paperchain is a symbol of connectedness and a reminder that families are held to each other (glued) with love.
- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. Drums, trumpets, harps, and other instruments are spoken of in the Bible and legend has it that they all played to herald the birth of Jesus.
- BELLS. Bells have sounded from steeples and towers for centuries calling people to worship. Bells may also sound when the sacrament of the Holy Communion is consecrated, peal at weddings, and toll at funerals. Bells symbolize guidance and call us to turn our attention to the holy.
- BALLS. Balls should be at least in two sizes and multi-colored. The big balls may symbolize the big nations while the smaller balls remind us of smaller countries. Colors remind us of the various races, all different colors, but all equally loved by God. There can be antique balls representing old countries and new balls symbolizing young ones.
- SEA SHELLS. The scallop shell is a symbol of baptism and many tree ornaments are being made these days from sea shells.
- CANDLES. In the earlier days real candles were lighted and placed on the tree and looked like so many stars shining against the green. Today we do not recommend that real candles be placed on the tree, but they do remind us that our Lord talked of candles and oil lamps, that he is the Light of the World, and we are meant to reflect that light.
- BOWS. Many presents come with a bow of ribbon and many find their way both on and under the tree. They remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood. As a gift is tied with a bow, we should be tied together with the bonds of goodwill. The bow symbolizes charity and goodwill.
- CANDY CANES. The cane represents the shepherd’s crook with which he guides and at times defends and saves the sheep. It symbolizes a helping hand and is the pattern for the Bishop’s crozier or staff. The candy cane reminds us that we, like our bishops, are to be supportive of those in need.
- A GIFT. On every tree a gift should be placed—a gift for the poor or a gift for the church. It symbolizes a gift for the Christ Child. Just as the shepherds and wise men came with gifts, so we should come to the manger bearing our gifts. Our gift may be a very simple one, but it should symbolize our loving gratitude for our many blessings, especially for the gift of the Savior’s love.
I hope this gives you food for thought, patience for the journey, and hope for the future!
Faithfully,
Ann+
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Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord!
Baptismal Promise:
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? (BCP 305)
Deacon Ordination:
Will you look for Christ in all others, being ready to help and serve those in need? (BCP 544)
As baptized Christians, we promise to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” In their ordination, deacons promise to do this in a more specific way – “being ready to help and serve those in need.”
In February 2007, Bishop Wimberly ordained me as a deacon. In the Examination of a deacon the bishop says, ““God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly under your bishop. … You are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world.” (BCP 543) This instruction has truly come to fruition this year through the need for racial justice.
The call to address racism has been surging ever since the death of Trayvon Martin in 2013. Three women founded the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 in response to his deaths. The movement has grown with the addition of deaths of Black teenagers and men since then. Now, seven years later, the death of George Floyd caused an eruption of anger and shame comparable to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. White people were suddenly questioning how this could happen. Black people were crying out, “Enough!”
Every General Convention of The Episcopal Church since 1976 (except 1982) has passed resolutions condemning racism and authorized programs to counteract this form of injustice. The current expression of implementing these directives is the Becoming Beloved Community movement of The Episcopal Church.
This is the set of “needs, concerns, and hopes of the world” that has triggered the evolution of a racial justice ministry at St. John’s. A handful of parish leaders, clergy and lay people, formed the Racial Justice Team. The work of this team launched a Becoming Beloved Community initiative for the congregation. The Baptismal Promises classes held in August and attended by 30 parishioners was the inauguration of this initiative. The next step was the introduction of the Sacred Ground curriculum. About 20 parishioners participated in the two introductory dialogue circles that were held during the last couple of months. Many, if not all, will continue participating in the remainder of the curriculum in 2021.
My role as a deacon in this initiative is being a facilitator and convener. This is an important distinction for a deacon. A deacon provides servant leadership, encourages the parishioners who follow a call to serve Christ in a ministry, and uses her gifts to support the ministry. The viability of the ministry depends on the active participation of the congregation. At some point, the deacon’s role is to step away as the ministry continues to fulfill its mission under lay leadership.
In Ephesians 4:7, St. Paul says that “each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” I thank God for the gift of diaconal ministry and specially to serve Christ here at St. John’s. Together we will “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” (BCP 236) the issues of racial justice to prepare for how we may “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” (BCP 305)
Deacon Victoria Mason
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Stepping Onto Sacred Ground
We just finished our Introduction to the Stepping Onto Sacred Ground program - five sessions of sacred dialogue. The participants in our morning and evening dialogue circles developed close relationships and experienced deep sharing about race in our society and their own lives. Here are some comments from the participants:
- I’m thankful that I got to join the Sacred Ground Dialog Circle. The reading materials and videos helped to open my eyes to issues I wasn’t fully aware of and to deepen my understanding of racism and anti-racism. It helped me begin to understand ways to incorporate the learning into my life as a faithful Christian. The actual dialogs took place in a way that made me feel safe to share my feelings and ideas.
Laurie
- I am so happy I joined a Sacred Ground Dialog Circle! It has greatly deepened my understanding of racism and how Christians must respond to oppose it.
John
- Wow. All I can say is “wow” as a first reaction to the Sacred Ground classes this fall. The sessions (and “homework”) were full of good, professionally produced materials, mostly visual, for thinking about what constitutes racism. (Think PBS & Nat Geo-level products.) This isn’t a hard course but it can lead fair-minded, decent white-skinned people to think more deeply about race and racism—to see and understand things that are not normally on our radar.
Catherine
- I am so glad St. Johns decided to participate in the Sacred Ground program and I am looking forward to continuing the journey when it becomes available. I came to the table with some level of awareness about being a person who is misunderstood, perceived as less and other, and I learned things about the similarities and disparities between groups who are marginalized in America. I do feel more comfortable about asking questions of people of color and the books and discussions helped me know how to enter that kind of dialog with appropriate communication styles and language.
Ann
- Looking back at history through a different lens, another angle can be quite emotional, profound and enlightening. I owe it to myself to continue to learn as much as I can to help me deal in a more compassionate way towards others who have had and continue to have more challenging lives due to discrimination.
Mary Anne
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A Message from Your Senior Warden, John Williams
Dear Friends in Christ,
Since the summer of 2020, St. John's has been devoting special attention to learning more about racism. We added discussion of racism as an essential element of our classes in August to study our baptismal vows prior to reaffirming those vows in a service led by Bishop Ryan. In the fall, we began our Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles, which allow participants to explore racism and its terrible legacy more deeply. The Vestry believes in these efforts, and at its last meeting adopted a resolution speaking out against racism and endorsing our church's efforts to learn how we as Christians can make our best efforts to oppose racism. Please read this statement, reproduced below. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact a member of the Vestry. We intend to publish the statement on our website in January, under the link "Who We Are".
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To the Congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church; Austin, Texas
We, the Vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, fully support our stated mission “to be a community of God’s people who heal brokenness, build bridges, and exemplify borderless kindness”.
The question for each of us to answer is how we may more fully support and live out our church mission. Changes in technology and communications allow our parishioners to watch horrific images such as the death of Mr. George Floyd, a Texan killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota by police officers during a routine stop. Mr. Floyd’s death and the recorded deaths of other minorities in recent years anger, sadden, and create fear among members in this parish, diocese, state, nation, and the world. These emotions result from the realization that these tragedies stem in whole or in part from the practice of racism, the view that some races are better than others and that these other races deserve discrimination or hostility.
The on-going, sustained protests across our planet have served as a humbling reminder that we can do more, and, with God’s help, address “what we have done, and what we have left undone”.
We have started with the formation of a Racial Reconciliation Team. This team has established two Sacred Ground Dialogue Circle groups totaling twenty people. These are small groups in which the participants (led by co-facilitators) will engage in sacred sharing and listening. The goal is to learn more about the origins of prejudice and structural racism which have not allowed people of color to have the same opportunities that are enjoyed by the majority of White Americans. We believe that this will be a transformative experience for all participants, which is done in a safe and respectful manner by Zoom meetings.
Racism produces a broken relationship with God. It is not a practice that Christians should follow or condone. Our country, as well as countries across the globe, has a history tainted by racism. We choose not to ignore American racism but to use it as a starting place to build a better future for our church, diocese, state, and nation. The Sacred Ground dialogue circles represent an effort to build toward this future.
Scripture encourages Christians to live the words of their faith. The vestry encourages that activism among its church members. We are stronger as a united parish than as a collection of committed individuals. We ask your support and prayers as we discern God’s will for us in these times. We believe the path forward is a constant renewal of our faith through action. Our goal, as we see it now, is to build a community where we are judged not by race but by the content of our individual characters.
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Outside Work Day - Saturday, December 5
We will be having an Outside Workday on Saturday, December 5. Because of the safety guidelines for public health, our Jr. Warden, Hal Hughes, said “we need people to show up, but not too many!” Hal has promised to make assignments which will keep everyone appropriately distanced. Please wear a face covering / mask while you are on the St. John’s grounds.
The tasks to be tackled are:
- Mowing and edging – approximately 2 hours
- Raking leaves – approximately 1 hour
- Weeding and cleaning the Labyrinth – approximately 1 hour
- General clean-up – approximately 1 hour
More hands make light work! Please use this button to register.
We have two "sessions" - 8-10am and 10-Noon
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The workday will have projects beginning at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 5. Hal will provide coffee and donuts outside. The restrooms will be open, but we ask that you do not gather inside. |
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Labyrinth Community Garden Fundraiser
Our Labyrinth Community Garden is participating in the #SeedMoneyChallenge, a 30-day fundraising challenge and we could really use your support TODAY! In addition to keeping the funds we raise from individuals like you, we have a chance to win a challenge grant of up to $600 from SeedMoney based on how much we raise over the course of the 30-day period running from Nov 15 to Dec 15.
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Here is the answer to this week's trivia question:
This week’s question asked about our yearly celebration, now called Jamaica but originally called “Fall Fest.” The first Fall Fest was held in 1991, under the Reverend Murray Powell.
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Check the St. John's Facebook page on Monday for next week's question! |
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Thanks to those who sent stories for our 2020 Memory Book! The book will be published in early December in time for our 60th Anniversary.
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Sunday Services at St. John's
We are finding different ways to worship.
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Our Sunday services are being live streamed from our Chapel:
- 10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer in English
- 12:00 noon Morning Prayer in Spanish
There are two ways for you to participate in our Sunday services:
- Go to Facebook Live. No login is required to attend the service, but you must log into your Facebook account to comment or to view other comments. Click this button to attend the service using Facebook:
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- Call 1-888-958-7272 and, when prompted, enter an access code to listen to the service on your telephone. For the English language service, the access code is 540813761#.
In both cases, the live stream for each service will begin approximately 5 minutes before the start of the service.
Recorded video from both services will be posted on the
St. John's YouTube channel later in the day so that you can replay a service at your convenience. Links to the YouTube recordings will be posted on our website (www.austinstjohns.org).
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Holy Eucharist on the Porch
Limited in-person worship will continue this Sunday, with an outdoor Holy Communion Service at 1:15 PM. This week's service is in English. The service will be held on the lawn in front of the Annex.
Remember: Please bring a chair - chairs are not provided!
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Pre-registration is required; please click the button to register. Please register for only one Sunday service at a time so others will have an opportunity to attend.
If you need to cancel your reservation, please return to the registration site or text Fay Jones at 512-626-1771.
In case of inclement weather, this service will be cancelled.
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Sunday Morning Prayer services at 10:00 AM in English and noon in Spanish will continue to be live streamed on Facebook. No login is required to attend the service. |
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Virtual Coffee and Fellowship:
Provide your own beverage and treat of choice
Join us for our Virtual Coffee and Fellowship on Sunday beginning at 11 am! This 30 minute opportunity to visit with friends you haven't seen in a while will be a separate Zoom meeting so you will need to use this link to join:
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To protect the meeting participants from any possible "trolls" who might try to interrupt our fellowship, the Waiting Room is enabled for this event. The meeting facilitator will admit you to the meeting as quickly as possible. |
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There are several ways you can continue to give towards the mission and ministry of St. John's:
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 link to learn more about online giving: Click here
Use this button to go directly to our online giving portal:
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To those who have returned your giving intention for 2021 -
Thank You!
If you have not already done so, please return your giving intention (pledge) card for 2021 to the church as soon as possible.
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Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) Assistance Program
"The Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants (RENT) Assistance Program provides up to six months of full rent payment for income-eligible Austin renters who have experienced a COVID-19-related income loss. Applications are open.
More eviction information, help with paying utilities and related housing services are available on the Housing Resources webpage."
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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?
If you find that your situation is causing financial, spiritual, or emotional difficulties, or if you are in need of food, 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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Only Rev. Ann and essential support staff will be in the Church for the streaming of services and outside for the in-person Holy Communion services as we 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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Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org) |
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St. John's Episcopal Church
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Virtual Sunday Services
10:00 am in English (Facebook and website)
Mediodía en español (Facebook y sitio web)
In-Person Holy Communion
1:15 pm Sundays
On the lawn in front of the Annex
Alternating weeks: English and Spanish
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