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The Bridge
July 16, 2021

The Mission of St. John’s is to be a community of God’s people who heal brokenness, build bridges, and exemplify borderless kindness.
From Senior Warden Paula Foy:
“After consulting with Deacon Victoria and the Liturgical Team, and reviewing the APH guidelines (the COVID risk level has been raised to Stage 3), the following decision has been made out of an abundance of caution:

  1. Our mask and distancing policy remains in place for all worship services;
  2. While we will continue to use the Parish Hall for fellowship after services, please observe the following: No food or drink will be served; Everyone in the Parish Hall will wear a mask
  3. Masks are not required for visiting outdoors

Thank you so much for your cooperation in these efforts to keep our St. John’s community safe and healthy.”
Worship at St. John's
We worship God in a variety of ways.
Sunday Service Times
 9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II
1:00 p.m. Santa Eucaristía, Rito II
All worship services will be in the main church.
Safety protocols will be observed in the church, i.e., masks, distancing, and limited attendance.
To participate in our virtual Sunday service at 10:30 a.m., you do not need to have a Zoom account or download Zoom. Simply click the link to join.

You may also join the service by telephone -
dial (346) 248-7799 and enter the meeting ID when prompted.
Meeting ID: 879 9502 6837
The Waiting Room is enabled for this event and is monitored by the Host of the day.
Please note: In order to minimize background noise, everyone except those people who have an active role in the service will be muted. You are invited to put personal prayer requests into the "Chat" to be read at the appropriate time during the Prayers of the People.
The video recording of the 10:30 a.m. English service will be posted on the St. John's Facebook page, YouTube, and the St. John's website later in the day. Additionally, a recording of the English sermon will be available. Links to the recordings will be posted on our website (www.austinstjohns.org).
Virtual Coffee and Fellowship

Join friends for a virtual coffee "hour" every Sunday! This begins after the 10:30am service (about 11:15am), so just stay on Zoom when the service ends. If you don't attend the service, you can click on this button to join the fun:
Please Welcome The Rev. Benjamin Long

During the month of July, while Mthr. Minerva is on vacation, Fr. Ben will serve as our supply priest at all Sunday services. Please extend to him our warm St. John's welcome!
Bishop Héctor Monterroso will visit St. John's on Sunday, September 5, 2021. If you are interested in Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception, please send an email to Fay Jones. Mthr. Minerva will be having classes in August.
Walking the Labyrinth
by Patty Arnold

I have been fascinated by labyrinths since I was a little kid. Back then, I thought of labyrinths as being somehow magical – a way to travel to mysterious places. I remember watching a movie with my daughter when she was young called “Labyrinth”. It was all about the magic (and there were muppets). It's still one of our favorite movies. Later, I came across the idea that labyrinths are ancient and sacred spaces and walking one is a way to pray. I was excited when I discovered the St. John’s Labyrinth. 

I am drawn to St. John’s labyrinth and visit it often. It has affected me in two distinct ways – I relish the peace and serenity permeating our labyrinth and I have become somewhat obsessed with keeping it weed-free. A couple of years ago, I came across a book about labyrinths written by Episcopal priest and psychotherapist, Lauren Artress entitled Walking a Sacred Path – Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice. Rev. Artress is also a founder of the “Worldwide Labyrinth Project” which has its own website – veriditas.org. One feature of the site is a worldwide labyrinth locator app. Type in our zip code and a picture with information about St. John’s Labyrinth pops up.
              
A few random takeaways from the book:
  • Labyrinths have been around for a long time. One of the most famous is in Chartres Cathedral in France and dates to the 12th century.
  • During the Middle Ages, penitents sometimes traveled around cathedral labyrinths on their knees (ouch!).
  • Walking a labyrinth can be a form of meditation or meditative prayer.
  • Most labyrinths are made up of 11 concentric circles with an additional circle in the middle (where the bench is in our labyrinth).
  • When you walk a labyrinth, you come upon 10 “double-ax” shapes between the turns. These are called “Labrys”.
  • If you look at the overall pattern formed by the labrys, you will see a large cross. (I do not know how many times I walked our labyrinth before I noticed the cross. Duh!).

I have spent many meditative hours weeding and raking our labyrinth. I have greeted visitors, observed many kinds of birds flying overhead, and small bits of wildlife meandering along the ground (mostly snails, ants, and worms). I have learned to identify an assortment of wildflowers/weeds that like to take root in the decomposed granite that makes up the pathways. All was time well spent.

Right now, our labyrinth is looking a bit lopsided. Rains have washed away parts of the pathways and many of the stones making up the circles were shattered by the February freeze. We will need lots of help putting things back together once the weather cools down. In the meantime, if you have not walked the Labyrinth lately (or ever) – please find the time to do so. It is a wonderful experience.
Consider This
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Yvette Schock addresses next Sunday's reading from Mark by exploring how Jesus brought the disciples back together after a time apart; a time they were not prepared for and had no experience with:

"He sent them without much notice and with no special equipment or preparation, other than knowing him and witnessing what he did when he went out on the road. They didn’t know what to expect from that unusual time, and often they missed the company of the other disciples. But they got through it.

Here’s what happens when they get back together:
'The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.'

I’m struck by the way Jesus welcomes the disciples back into community here: he listens [as they] sort through a jumble of mixed emotions as they reflect on what they have been through. They need to talk about it all. So Jesus, the teacher and storyteller, gives them the floor and listens.

Whatever the next few months look like for our congregations, we can trust that Jesus will be with us, gathering us in, listening to our stories, inviting us to rest, teaching and healing and feeding us, and sending us out all over again."
"Sunday's Coming" in The Christian Century, July 12, 2021
St. John's Notices and Activities
Lectionary Bible Study - Zoom
Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

All are invited to join our study of the assigned lectionary for the following Sunday. Please click this button to access the class.
Thursday Morning Bible Study - Hybrid
Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

This discussion class is open to anyone who wants to study with us, no previous experience required. All who are comfortable with meeting in-person are welcome to join us at about 9:55 in the Parish Hall or you may join via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out in the Christian Formation email on Tuesday, and will be the same every week.

Guidelines for face masks are: 
  1. Masks are not required for those who are fully vaccinated, 
  2. Masks are strongly recommended for anyone not fully vaccinated,
  3. Anyone who is uncomfortable without a mask, please wear one, and
  4. No masks if you are at home zooming!

If you want more information, please contact Elaine Jackson.
(please refer to our website www.austinstjohns.org or to the Christian Formation email sent every Tuesday for more information and links)
Wednesday Morning Grounds Keepers
Every Wednesday morning at 8:00am, a group of dedicated members gather to keep our grounds and buildings neat and clean. You are invited to join them - for a day, for a month, or regularly. Many hands make light work! If you have questions about this ministry, please contact Hal Hughes (click on the name to send an email).
Labyrinth Community Garden
The Labyrinth Community Garden is continuing to provide produce to our local food bank. If you are interested in obtaining a bed for you and your family, please contact Patty Arnold (click on the name to send an email).
Office Volunteers
Volunteers staff the Parish office during the week. The office is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-12pm.
Coffee Hour after Morning Services
A time for fellowship following the 9:00a.m. and 10:30a.m. services. Please join friends in the Parish Hall for fellowship!
The Episcopal Church
[Episcopal News Service, July 12 2021] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and President of the House of Deputies the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings issued the following statement regarding Indigenous boarding schools on July 12: 

"In Genesis, God conferred dignity on all people by creating them in God’s own image–a belief that is shared by all Abrahamic faiths. We are grieved by recent discoveries of mass graves of Indigenous children on the grounds of former boarding schools, where Indigenous children experienced forced removal from their homes, assimilation and abuse. These acts of cultural genocide sought to erase these children’s identities as God’s beloved children.

We condemn these practices and we mourn the intergenerational trauma that cascades from them. We have heard with sorrow stories of how this history has harmed the families of many Indigenous Episcopalians...

To that end, we commit to the work of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous communities in our church...

As followers of Jesus, we must pursue truth and reconciliation in every corner of our lives, embracing God’s call to recognition of wrongdoing, genuine lamentation, authentic apology, true repentance, amendment of life and the nurture of right relationships. This is the Gospel path to becoming beloved community."
To read the entire statement, please click this button:
[Episcopal News Service July 1, 2021] Episcopal Church extends invite to online service to pray for 2022 General Convention

On Saturday, July 17, at 2 p.m. Eastern, bishops, deputies and alternate deputies of The Episcopal Church will gather online for a convocation of prayer to prepare for the 80th General Convention, which will take place in July 2022. The service will be open to everyone at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/convocation-of-bishops-and-deputies.

You may view the entire article by clicking this button:
Union of Black Episcopalians invites all to ‘outpouring of Spirit’ for churchwide revival
By Pat McCaughan

The 53rd annual conference of the Union of Black Episcopalians, from July 27-30, will include “a fresh wave of divine love, guidance and power,” in the form of a good old-fashioned revival, and everyone’s invited.
Forward Day by Day is a booklet of daily inspirational meditations reflecting on a specific Bible passage, chosen from the daily lectionary readings as listed in the Revised Common Lectionary or the Daily Office from the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer.

There will be a selection of previous issues available in the narthex. Feel free to take one and preview before you subscribe.

Please click on the button below for more information about this publication:
COVID-19 Related Information
In Stage 3, higher risk individuals, namely those aged over 65 or people with underlying health conditions, should avoid all activities unless essential. 

For fully vaccinated individuals, the recommendations are to participate in indoor or outdoor private gatherings and dine or shop without precautions. Travel with precautions.
COVID-19 Testing
Anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. If you get tested because you have symptoms or were potentially exposed to the virus, you should stay away from others pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider.
Community Notices and Activities
Rebels For Humanity and Me'Yer Deus Foundation are two non-profit organizations that serve the needs of the community – food insecurity and student mentorship. They have come together to give 300 (150 Elementary 150 Middle School) students the basic school supplies in hopes of starting them off to a successful school year. There will be a library for students to choose books of their choice. Free clothing give away. We will have music and live performances from the Founder/CEO of Rebels For Humanity Kay Jay SD1.

Saturday, August 7, 2021
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM CDT
Zion Rest Baptist Church
3341 Paisano Trail
Austin, TX 78745

All you have to do is register through Eventbrite (click button below) and come out to enjoy this free community event.
Caring for Each Other
For Prayer and Pastoral Care
If you need pastoral care, please contact Mthr. Minerva or Deacon Victoria. 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 contact Mthr. Minerva (RevMinerva@austinstjohns.org). Please contact Deacon Victoria while Mthr. Minerva is on vacation during the month of July.

We are a church family; when a family member needs assistance we want to try and help that member.
Our Gathering Policy
St. Johns requires masks at all indoor worship services. Masks are optional at all other events on the St. John's campus. Based on the CDC guidelines, all persons that are not fully vaccinated are encouraged to wear masks while indoors.

Fully vaccinated means:
  • Pfizer and Moderna – 2 doses plus a two-week waiting period
  • Johnson & Johnson – 1 dose plus a two-week waiting period
Our Vestry
Ms. Paula Foy, Senior Warden
Mr. Hal Hughes, Junior Warden
Ms. Sandra Welles, Treasurer
Class of 2022
Ms. Paula Foy
Mr. Hal Hughes
Sra. Rosalinda Rodriguez
Class of 2023
Ms. Jessica Glasebrook, Clerk
Mr. Steve Kriechbaum
Ms. Sandra Welles
Class of 2024
Ms. Maria Caballero
Sr. Alfonso Hernandez
Ms. Sandra Ward
Our Staff
The Rev. Minerva Camarena Skeith, Rector

The Rev. Victoria Mason, Deacon
Ms. Fay Jones, Director of Communications

Mr. Philip Riley, Choirmaster and Organist

Sr. Alfonso Hernandez, Spanish Music
Please visit our website (Austin St. John's)
for other ways to make a donation.
THE BRIDGE SUBMISSIONS

You are invited to send photos and stories about yourself, your family, and our parish for inclusion in The Bridge. As we come back together, let's share our experiences! Please send your ideas, stories, and photos to Fay Jones, (newsletter editor) by 12:00 pm on Wednesdays.

Running event announcements two weeks prior to the date is recommended.
Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org)
St. John's Episcopal Church
11201 Parkfield Drive
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II hybrid (in-person & Zoom)
 1:00 p.m. Santa Eucaristía, Rito II
The Parish Office is open on Wednesdays and Fridays
from 10am - 12Noon.
For more information about St. John’s Episcopal Church, please visit our website at www.austinstjohns.org