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Thursday, November 19, 2020
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In this time of personal and national anxiety:
Prayer for the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image
and redeemed us through Jesus your Son:
Look with compassion on the whole human family;
take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love;
and work through our struggle and confusion
to accomplish your purposes on earth;
that, in your good time,
all nations and races may serve you in harmony
around your heavenly throne;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
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Our Sunday Worship Services
Because of the rising number of coronavirus cases placing us in the Purple (worst) Zone,
we cannot gather in the church for in-person worship.
We will continue to gather virtually for our worship service of the Word of God and Spiritual Communion. Our service will be livestreamed on the internet.
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2020 Stewardship Campaign
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God,
serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.- 1 Peter 4:10
The theme for our Stewardship Campaign is Time, Talent, Treasure. While St. John's needs your monetary pledge, we hope that you will also participate in parish activities using your time and talents, your own spiritual gifts. Our stewardship campaign this year is focused on all the gifts that God has given us and our call to serve one another.
Each week of the campaign, we have been hearing from members of the parish about their own gifts that they have been given by God and how they choose to share those gifts with St. John's and the broader community.
Stewardship is about treasure; and also our time and talent. Yes, we do need your generous contributions to operate the parish, but we also need your time and talent to bring forth the mission of the Church - serving one another in love.
Pledge Cards have been mailed out. If you did not get one, please reply to this E-News with your address and Maria will add you to the list.
How to pledge:
You may mail or bring your pledge card back to the parish office
You will notice that the Pledge Card has an opportunity for you to indicate ways that you can offer your gift of time and talent.
Stewardship Results Update
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2020
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2021
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Number of pledges
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70
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23
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Treasure amount pledged
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$141,033.00
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$63,230
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Time and Talent responses
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32
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Stewardship Reflection
Alice Burnham
My name is Alice Burnham. I have been a member of 
Saint John since Palm Sunday 1990. My 2 kids James and Jerusha were baptized in Saint John and graduated from the School.
I grew up as Anglicans in Uganda and my family that included my paternal grandmother Maliza (wife of an Anglican Priest who died a month before I was born) was very musical especially in singing of hymns. I started singing in Choirs ever since I was 5 years old just because my 2 elder sisters were in the school choir and I was desperate to be part of it. I've never stopped and my grandmother had a lot to do with this influence.
Joining Saint John's Choir was the first thing that occurred to me as a contribution to prayer worship through music. I've had wonderful Choir Directors that have included Fr. Michael Kaer, Stephen Sturk, Jennifer Thomas Carini, Jane Ferguson and of course Organist and Choir Director Cheryl Seppala.
I have never taken official music lessons and thus depend on someone pounding out the notes for me and that's all I need. So I encourage anyone not to be afraid to join us. Most of us are amateurs.
I have also been a member of St. Martha's Guild of Saint John. This was a group of ladies that met once a month in the evenings, rotating houses each time and the goals of this group was to organize fundraising activities to raise funds for various projects. Some of the Funds raised were sent to ECS, Battered Women's Shelters, Mama's kitchen, and organizations that catered to homeless shelters, among others. The group celebrated 50 years sometime in mid 1990s, but alas it kind of dissolved due to various circumstances.
I also participated in the monthly Women of Saint John's Projects whenever I could. My husband Kellogg, a non-church participant, was however very happy to provide whatever assistance he could especially in donating products that were used in fund raisers both for St. Martha and the Women.
When it was Saint John's turn, I sometimes assisted in feeding the homeless at the South Bay Community until the venue was changed to F street and then stopped altogether due to some City Health regulations.
As a working person with young kids then, it was sometimes not possible to participate in anything else that was not in the evening but I tried by contributing something monetary whenever I could.
I was on the CALLING COMMITTEE that resulted in the selection of our wonderful current Rector Fr. Roger Haenke. This was quite a great experience for me.
I retired from work end of December 2018 and suffered a big health setback in February 2019 which lasted on and off for the rest of that year. I'm much better now and I'm hoping with better health, God willing, I might be in position to participate more.
God bless you all.
Alice Burnham
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Stewardship Reflection
Jane Ferguson
I was born into the Episcopal Church. My father,  the Rev. Gerald Graves had just finished seminary in Berkeley, CA and was shortly ordained after that at St. Mark's in Pasadena, Calif. I was baptized at 3 weeks old, the first of 5 children, one who died at birth. As I reflect back on my life, I realize that the influences and beliefs of my parents set the stage for how I would spend parts of my life in God's service using my time, talent and treasure. During my childhood, we lived on my dad's very small salary. Back then, becoming a priest meant living in the rectory and not making a whole lot of money. I know my grandparents had to help my parents out sometimes, but we kids never felt deprived. We wore hand me down clothes and only got toys on our birthdays or Christmas, but on Sunday morning, we were always dressed in our very best, with our shoes polished and our hair combed and curled.
I was always taught that the church was a place of reverence, where we were quiet and listened to God, and were respectful in His house. Seeing my dad come home in his clericals or cassock was second nature to me, and having a nightly blessing from my dad was the usual nighttime ritual. The parishioners called him Fr. Jerry, but I called him Fr. Daddy. My sister and brothers and I were never surprised to see someone in need showing up on our doorstep and my dad helping that person with a few dollars or giving them a ride to get help somewhere. We were taught that all people were important and that they mattered. My dad and mom both were civil rights advocates, and I remember how he would gently encourage people through his sermons to remember that God created us all as equals.
In the three churches in California my dad served during his lifetime, my mother and my sister and brothers were always part of the music ministry, and my brothers were acolytes. All of us could sing and mom was both a professional singer and accomplished pianist, so she trained us from toddlers to love music. I sang in my first junior choir at 6 years old, and continued that until I graduated in my teens into the senior choir. We also performed in church musicals and musical fundraisers. Often dad, who had majored in theater in college, would write the scripts and perform in the show along with the rest of us.
As a teenager, things in the Episcopal church were changing some, and my dad asked me if I would like to try getting some of the young people in the church together to present a new concept in an evening event called a "Folk Mass." I took the challenge, grabbed a couple of guitar playing friends and a bass player from school, and people attended and enjoyed this very new idea in worship. We continued to present the Folk Mass on an occasional Sunday and it was well received.
When dad was called to serve here at St. John's in 1970, I was majoring in music in college. At St. John's my dad performed the marriage ceremony for all four of his children and baptized his grandchildren. During the years my dad served, our family was always involved in the choir, entertainment for social activities such as the annual Ice Cream Social, Mardi Gras, and performing in various religious plays such as Amahl and the Night Visitors. I had three children during this time and continued working on my music degree. St. John's had great enthusiasm for the social aspects of being a church family. I really miss those days and would love to see those things brought back as they not only appealed to church members, but also members of the community.
While they require time and talent to organize, they also bring treasure in the way of donations from those attending, and possibly new members joining the church.
My music degree which I finally earned at age 35, offered me opportunities to serve in the church, and I was hired over different periods of time to serve at St. John's School as classroom teacher, music and middle school math teacher, and also as Church Choir Director for many years. I was fortunate to have my mom in the choir as the soprano ringer and also Cheryl Seppala as our organist, who Dad had hired when she was just a teenager. It turned out to be one of the best decisions he ever made for St. John's because to this day, we still have Cheryl sitting on the organ bench as our ever faithful and accomplished organist and choir director. In May 1987, after serving St. John's for 17 years, my dad suddenly died, 5 days after the death of my 31 year old brother Larry, who died of melanoma cancer. I felt the need to separate myself from St. John's because everything about it was a constant reminder that they were gone. I think I was overwhelmed with grief, given that both had died almost simultaneously. On top of that, my father in law was killed by a semi truck in September of that same year, adding more sadness and grief to my family's life. I had a job offer as junior choir director at St. James by the Sea in La Jolla, and figured it would be good for me so I began to attend there. But God had other plans for my time and talent. Six months into the new job, I became terribly ill and so sick I couldn't leave my bed. After many different doctors and their diagnoses, one of them finally tested me for pregnancy and lo and behold! I was having a fourth baby! This was a baby who defied a 9 year old vasectomy. It was a sign to me that God was helping me to heal by sending me a life in the midst of death. We named him Larry, after my brother. I returned to St. John's with renewed faith and along with my mom and my family, continued to make St. John's our home church. We continued to participate in the music ministry including Christmas Cantatas, entertainment for Church events, and benefit concerts for St. John's rebuilding when it was arsoned in April 1994. At the time of the arson, my husband, Carl Ferguson, who was a Project Manager for a contractor hadn't been to church in a long time, due to his busy work schedule and being out of town a lot. He decided to step up and build a temporary building in my dad's honor to serve as the temporary church, and he built it in 40 days with the help of some of the men in the church. That building now serves as the office pavilion on our grounds. Carl also served as Project Manager for the rebuilding of our beautiful sanctuary and parish hall, when his boss was awarded the contract. My contribution during that time was to become a Construction Widow, as Carl was on that job from sunrise to after dark much of the time, and we had very little family time. But it was all worth it in the end to have this beautiful place in which to worship.
There haven't been too many instances of things outside the realm of music that I have volunteered my time and talent to do at St. John's. So last year when I volunteered to serve on the Calling Committee to help find our new rector, I was a little reluctant when David Dennehy asked me to serve as the Chair. It was something completely out of my comfort zone, because the only experience I had had was seeing how my dad had been called to serve various churches. But I said ok and took a deep breath and did my best. I had such a great committee, that my work was mainly organizational skills which I am good at, and the people on the committee stepped up with their wonderful contributions. Their work resulted in calling Rev. Roger, who we are so fortunate to have with us now. Serving on the committee helped me to appreciate the many aspects of calling a priest, and it showed me that what I didn't know how to do, I could learn.
During the recent pandemic, I have found blessings in assisting with the weekly services in leading the music. It has helped to keep me focused on serving God even in the time of trouble, and to contribute and volunteer my talent with music, in order to help bring his word to others every week.
I am grateful that I was born into a family that had both faith and music as our framework. I have brought my own children up in similar fashion, and when I have them, my grandkids as well. To me, the two combined are a vital part of our worship -- and what better way to communicate with and exalt the Divine than through glorious music? I encourage anyone who loves or even just likes music to lend your talents to our choir, once we resume. You will find friends, acceptance and many blessings.
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Prayer for Stewardship
Generous and loving God, we come to you in thanksgiving,
knowing that all we are and all that we have is a gift from you.
In faith and love, help us to do your will. We are listening.
Speak your words into the depth of our souls,
that we may hear you clearly.
We offer to you this day all the facets of our lives,
whether it be at home, at work, or at school.
We seek to be patient, to be merciful, to be generous, to be holy.
Give us the wisdom and insight to understand your will for us
and the fervor to carry out our good intentions.
We offer our gifts of time, talent and possessions to you
as a true act of faith, to reflect our love for you and our neighbors.
Help us to reach out to others as you have reached out to us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Scripture Readings For the Week
Readings for Sunday, November 22, 2020
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Thanksgiving Blessings
Thank you for your generous Thanksgiving donations,
which we will deliver to South Bay Community Services.
We are able to give them $860.00 in cash and grocery store gift cards.
Thank you for your generosity!
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Advent 2020
Advent is a liturgical season which marks the  beginning of a new church year.
During the Advent season, the church celebrates the coming of Jesus at Christmas and prepares for the return of Christ at the Second Coming. As such, Advent is a time of expectant waiting and preparation.
During Advent, God's people seek the courage and spiritual strength to remember that the holy breaks into our daily lives. In tiny ways, we open our broken hearts to the healing grace of God, who opens the way to peace. Advent is not a season of passive waiting and watching. It is a season of opening our lives and souls with active anticipation and renewed hope. This Advent season we will have a three-part forum series following our worship service on Zoom. The forums will include information and discussion about the personal preparation for our own eventual death. First Sunday of Advent, November 29th: The theology and scriptural basis for anticipatory preparation and being prepared. (presented by Rev. Roger) Second Sunday of Advent, December 6th: Personal and legal preparation - Advance Directives, Wills and Planned Giving (presented by Gary Powell, Attorney at Law) Third Sunday of Advent, December 13th: Preparation for our liturgical Celebration of Life (presented by Rev. Cathey) Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20th: Preparation and decoration of the church for Christmas (those who feel comfortable, following the health guidelines will gather at the church)
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The Order of the Daughters of the King
 Congratulations to Diane Gustafson! Last Sunday, Diane was welcomed into the Order of the Daughters of the King.
The Order of the Daughters of the KingĀ® is an order for women who are communicants of the Episcopal Church, churches in communion with it, or churches in the historic episcopate but not in communion with it. Today our membership includes women in the Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran (ELCA) and Roman Catholic churches. The Order was founded in 1885 by Margaret J. Franklin at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in New York City (now the Church of the Resurrection). Our Anglican tradition includes episcopal oversight, recognizes that Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation, acknowledges the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, the real presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, and worship according to The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. Members undertake a Rule of Life, incorporating The Rule of Prayer and The Rule of Service. By reaffirmation of the promises made at Baptism and Confirmation, a Daughter pledges herself to a life-long program of prayer, service and evangelism, dedicated to the spread of Christ's Kingdom and the strengthening of the spiritual life of her parish. Mission of The Order The mission of The Order is the extension of Christ's Kingdom through Prayer, Service and Evangelism.
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Wednesday Morning Prayer
Join us for Wednesday Morning Prayer and Bible Study 
on Wednesdays at 9:30 am as a Zoom meeting.
Please contact Rev. Cathey (revcat@gmail.com)
to be included in the Zoom meeting, or to update your info, if she does not have your current email.
The Morning Prayer guide can be found here:
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Prayers
Birthday and Anniversary Prayers
We would like to acknowledge and pray for anyone celebrating a birthday and/or anniversary in the coming week. Please let us know by Thursday of the prior week so that we can get it in the Sunday liturgy. If you have a picture of you that we could post for your birthday and/or a wedding photo or current photo for those celebrating an anniversary, please email it to us - it would be great to allow everyone to see you.
We Are Available in Your Time of Need If you have a pastoral emergency when the parish offices are closed,
Prayer List
Today and every day include some time for prayer, for yourself,
for your church family, and for those in need.
For our Military
Matt, Drew, Cody, Cameron, Chariti,
Mark, Sean, Jonathan, TK, Christopher,
Timothy, Jeremy, David, Jonathan, Nick,
Jamal, Matt, Daniel, Jocelyn, Devon, Taylor,
Jorge, Katherine, Sebastian, Richie and Roberto.
For Strength in Time of Need
Scott, Betty, Dean, Steve, Ann, the Cook family, Marge,
Brian, Edward, Anne Marie, Bernie, Jeff, Christy,
and for all first responders, medical professionals,
essential workers and their families.
For the repose of the soul of Debbie Milam, who passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 18. May light perpetual shine on her.
Please keep Bob, Penny and Kathy Milam in your prayers.
For Churches in Transition in our Diocese
St. Paul, Palm Springs
All Saints', Vista
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Prayer Quilt Ministry
The leaders of the Prayer Quilt Ministry would like to remind  you that there are many quilts available for anyone in need of prayer and support. This important ministry brings comfort and healing to many people who are suffering with illness. Please contact Diane Gustafson directly ( diangus15@aol.com) or through the office ( maria@saint-johns.org).
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A Prayer for Putting on a Mask
Creator,  as I prepare to go into the world,
help me to see the sacrament
in the wearing of this cloth -
let it be "an outward sign
of an inward grace" -
a tangible and visible way
of living love for my neighbours,
as I love myself.
Christ,
since my lips will be covered,
uncover my heart,
that people would see my smile
in the crinkles around my eyes.
Since my voice may be muffled,
help me to speak clearly,
not only with my words,
but with my actions.
Holy Spirit,
as the elastic touches my ears,
remind me to listen carefully -
and full of care -
to all those I meet.
May this simple piece of cloth
be shield and banner,
and each breath that it holds,
be filled with your love.
In your Name
and in that love,
I pray.
May it be so.
May it be so.
The Right Reverend Richard Bott is the current Moderator of the United Church of Canada. He composed this beautiful prayer for when we put our masks on, and has given permission for it to be shared (asking only that we attribute it to him).
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Upcoming Events at St. John's
| November |
| Stewardship Drive | |
November 25
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7:00 pm
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Thanksgiving Eve Virtual Service
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November 26-27
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Office Closed
for Thanksgiving Holiday
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November 29
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10:00 am
| Advent Forum | |
December 6
| 10:00 am | Advent Forum | | December 13 | 10:00 am | Advent Forum | |
December 20
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10:00 am
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Preparation of the Church
for Christmas
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Episcopal Relief and Development
What Would Love Do: 1000 Days of Love
Love calls us to care for our neighbors and for our enemies. Love calls us to attend to those in prison, to those who are homeless, to those in poverty, to children, immigrants and refugees.
What would love do? To you, who so generously support the transformative work of Episcopal Relief & Development, love calls you to continue to sow seeds of lasting change
Visit Episcopal Relief and Development: One Thousand Days of Love to see how you can help.
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Current office hours are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
If you need assistance, please email Maria Love:
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Rev. Roger's Office Hours
Rev. Roger will be in the office Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and all day Wednesday and Friday. He will be available by appointment. Please call the office (619-422-4141) to schedule an appointment.
In case of a pastoral emergency, Rev. Roger may be reached on his cell phone at 619-301-0724.
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EDSD Statement of Commitment
As part of the Jesus Movement and the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, we pledge to love our neighbors and protect the most vulnerable among us, remembering our baptismal vows to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being." We live these pledges out by actively engaging in dismantling racism. For many of us, this will mean learning more about our racial identity, listening to those who have experienced racial prejudice, speaking out against racism, and showing up alongside those in our community working to change unjust systems in our society. We also live out this pledge at worship during this pandemic, by wearing face-coverings, respecting distancing guidelines, foregoing the common cup and refraining from congregational singing.
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The Vestry
David Dennehy, Senior Warden
Terry Farrelly, Treasurer
Diane Gustafson, Clerk
Pamela Brittain
Tom Brzeczek
Ray Contreras
Muriel Kulikowski
Jim McDevitt
Judy McKay
Lynn Young
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To our Saint John's Family:
Here is your weekly newsletter highlighting important events at St. John's Episcopal Church. You can also find news about St. John's at www.saint-johns.org.
We welcome your feedback, photos, and news items. Contact Maria Love at 619-422-4141 or maria@saint-johns.org.
Please submit your announcements by Tuesday of each week for inclusion in the Enews and Sunday bulletin.
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Reporting Misconduct
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe haven for everyone, our diocese trains people in the prevention of misconduct and encourages all to report misconduct. All reported incidences are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and confidentially. If you believe you have experienced misconduct of any kind, please contact Mr. John Seitman, (jseitman@pacbell.net), 858-793-4555 or Ms. Equilla Luke, (aequilla@icloud.com), 760-583-0485.
Safeguarding God's People
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May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May God's face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short;
Grace to risk something big for something good;
Grace to remember that the world is too dangerous for anything but truth
And too small for anything but love.
So, may God take your minds and think through them;
May God take your lips and speak through them;
May God take your hearts and set them on fire.
-William Sloane Coffin
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Contact Information
phone: 619/422-4141
pastoral care: 619/301-0724 |
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