Hello St. John’s Family,
One year. As you’ve likely heard on news reports, today (March 11) is the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of widespread Covid-19 infections as a worldwide pandemic. Many cancellations immediately followed. By Friday, March 13th, our children were instructed to bring home any books and materials they would need for the next 2 weeks, as a pause to “beat the virus” was anticipated. Two weeks became the remainder of the school year and beyond, and all of our lives have been turned upside down ever since.
To say the past year has been difficult is an incredible understatement. Well over 500,000 people in the U.S. have died; millions have been sickened and hospitalized. Uncertainty and loss, economically and relationally, have reached levels that we have never experienced before. Yet… we are here! God hasn’t abandoned us; God has been with us every step of the way, sustaining us and guiding us forward. As we see meaningful signs of hope ahead, pause today and give thanks to God for God’s presence and strength. Also pray for all who have suffered through tremendous loss over the past year and ask for the Holy Spirit to grant strength, peace, and a new path forward. Psalm 40 is one of my favorite Psalms, as it speaks powerfully to God’s mercy and saving grace. Verses 1-3 from the New Jerusalem Bible are below; may we all pray for a fresh song to be put in our mouths (and that we can sing together soon!), such that many will be awestruck and put their trust in God.
I waited, I waited for Yahweh,
then he stooped to me
and heard my cry for help.
He pulled me up from the seething chasm,
from the mud of the mire.
He set my feet on rock,
and made my footsteps firm.
He put a fresh song in my mouth,
praise of our God.
Many will be awestruck at the sight,
and will put their trust in Yahweh.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
TURN CLOCKS AHEAD THIS WEEKEND
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Sunday, March 14, 2021
In-person Worship!
Two services offered.
9:00 am in the Sanctuary
and 10:30 am in Fellowship Hall.
Reservations Required
A recording of the service will be available on our website upon completion.
Given the overall decreasing trend in Covid cases and the expansion of vaccinations, St. John’s leadership has investigated options for additional seating in the sanctuary. All discussions have focused on maintaining a safe environment for our most vulnerable attendees while expanding the number of persons who can attend.
Based on those discussions, the following changes will be implemented beginning Sunday, March 21st:
Worshippers will be seated in an alternating pattern, where one row has attendees seated at each end, a row is left vacant, and the following row has attendees seated in the middle of the row. The next row will remain vacant, then the pattern will repeat. Utilizing this approach can potentially increase attendance by 50%, depending on the number of people in each registration.
Please note that all other mitigation measures, including wearing a mask or face shield, maintaining six feet of distance, and pre-registering for worship attendance via Signup Genius will remain in place at this time. Pre-registration is critical in enabling our Ushers to safely and efficiently seat all worshippers. We recognize this is a sacrifice and appreciate your compliance in this endeavor.
One final reminder: if you are not feeling like your normal, healthy self, please do not attend worship. Thank you for your perseverance as we eagerly anticipate the day when Covid mitigation measures are a thing of the past.
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The Sign-Up Reservation for next Sunday
will be emailed and posted to the website by Noon, Monday.
Please update the SignUp Genius or contact the church office if there's a need to cancel/update your reservation so another may have the opportunity to attend.
Thank you!
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Scout Recognition Sunday
March 14, 2021
On Sunday March 14, St. John's will continue a long tradition of honoring the efforts of our Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and adult leaders involved in Scouting. Anyone involved in Scouting is invited to register and attend either of our worship services in uniform as we acknowledge your efforts. A number of our Scouts are in the GENesis Bells; this group will be involved in the 9:00 worship service.
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Palm Sunday and Easter will be simulcast to additional seating in Fellowship Hall.
Anyone who does not pre-register will be seated in Fellowship Hall on these dates.
We'll also have radio transmission on Palm Sunday and Easter.
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LENTEN BIBLE STUDY
Thursdays
10 AM and 7 PM
This brand new study for the Season of Lent 2021, Character Matters, flows from the language of Proverbs 6:16-19. Study participants will journey through the “seven things the Lord hates,” moving participants toward confession of the sinful practice/tendency... and challenging disciples toward a personal and corporate character which is far more holy!
Beginning the week of Ash Wednesday, this study in seven sessions addresses the “seven things the Lord hates.” Session eight of the curriculum is a post-Easter word of encouragement from Bishop Peggy Johnson.
Each Thursday in Lent, two sessions will be offered via Zoom: 10AM and 7PM.
Please contact the office and indicate which session you'd like to participate in, and a Zoom link will be forwarded to you.
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ST. JOHN’S LENTEN MISSION PROJECT
WRAPPING PLASTIC WARE FOR THE TRENTON AREA SOUP KITCHEN.
Monday, March 15
10 AM
in Fellowship Hall
This is the final work session before the plastic utensils are ready to be taken home and wrapped.
In order to assure safe distancing procedures,
please sign up on our SignUp Genius.
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When this project is completed, the plastic ware utensils
will be delivered to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.
If you have any questions please contact me
@ 215-357-6998 or 215-343-4749,
Pastor Ruth
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All Sunday School classes will continue on Zoom this Sunday. Note that Pre-K to Grade 6 will have a video component and will also include follow-up materials that guide parents in talking about the concepts throughout the week. Hope to see you on Zoom! Links to Zoom meetings with details will be emailed separately. For more information, please contact Susan Seamans, Director of Children's Ministry: childrensministry.stjumc@gmail.com
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Young Children (Pre-K to Grade 2)
What's In the Bible?
Sundays at 11 am on Zoom
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Older Elementary Children (Grades 3-6)
Orange 252 Kids
Sundays @ 11am on Zoom
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Youth Study - Orange High School XP 3:
Sundays @ 11:30 am on Zoom
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Thinking About God
Paul Henry will be continuing his Zoom Class “Thinking About God” on Tuesday, January 19, at 10:30 am. If you are interested in joining these discussions please contact Paul at 215-962-6719 or phenry605@verizon.net so that he can get you set up on Zoom.
This presentation and discussion format is designed with a number of topical areas so that you can participate as topics interest you or you can be a part of the Zoom course through April.
On Tuesday, February 16, the Tuesday Zoom class Thinking about God will be joined by Walter Edmonds. He will be leading a presentation and discussion on the “Hymns of Charles Wesley”. Walt is a retired pastor and musician living in Monrovia, MD. He is a graduate of Lycoming College, Yale Divinity School and Temple University. He is an accomplished organist and choral director who has served in both musical and pastoral positions throughout his career. He is strongly committed to hymnody and liturgy and was responsible for the Constitutional Hall celebration of the Methodist Hymnal in November 1989. Walt will be leading the Zoom discussion on the hymns of Charles Wesley. If you are interested in joining this session, please contact Paul Henry at phenry605@verizon.net.
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The Gospel of John
The Gospel of John is often considered the greatest Spiritual writing of who Jesus is as it reveals His mission to bring salvation to all of God's children by His life, ministry, death and resurrection. Beginning Wednesday, February 3, Ken Lee will be offering a weekly Bible study of John's Gospel utilizing Jesus in the Gospels curriculum. The group will meet each Wednesday at 7pm in the Parlor. By studying this Gospel in Fellowship, the group aims to develop and grow our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you are interested in participating, please contact the church office and indicate if you need a Study Manual. The cost of the Study Manual is $32; St. John's will provide assistance as needed to ensure the cost isn't prohibitive.
This is an excellent opportunity to grow in and strengthen your faith - hope to see you in February!
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UNITED METHODIST MEN UPDATE
The UMM Recovery Breakfast was well attended with lots of laughter!
The Fellowship abound and strengthened our Faith with a Joy in our Heart.
A Great Time!
A Stripped Down - Take Out Only - Chicken BBQ is tentatively planned for September 11th.
The vaccine shots were discussed and most all in attendance have had both shots.
It was agreed to continue the Recovery Breakfast at
The Sycamore Grill through to May.
The next UMM Breakfast will be March 20th and hosted by Paul Henry.
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Prayer requests can be submitted
Prayer requests are reviewed
Monday-Friday AM.
All "Ongoing Prayer Concerns"
will be listed for two weeks.
Please submit a new prayer request,
if you desire to renew the listing for 2 additional weeks.
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PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
Hand made prayer shawls (or lap robes for men) are again available for those experiencing serious illness, bereavement, or other major life issue. Each comes in a sealed plastic bag. Recipients need not be members of St. John's. Requests can be made via the comments section of the prayer request form on the church website, by calling or emailing the church office, or by calling Carol Rice at 215-357-1203. Requesters will be notified of contactless pickup arrangements at the main entrance of church building.
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DONATIONS NEEDED
Donations of non-perishable food for the Eastwick Food Pantry are needed throughout the year. Please place contributions in the shopping carts located in the narthex and fellowship hall lobby.
Volunteers are also needed to deliver food and clothing to the Eastwick Food Bank. Please contact Lou Lescas, stjohns820@gmail.com if you are available to help.
Thank you for your support.
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On Tuesday, Joanne and I delivered 18 boxes of food to the Eastwick Food Bank.
Annette Glover and all of the volunteers were so appreciative! The need is always so great- moreso this year than ever, as many food cupboards are stressed beyond normal limits from the pandemic. Thank you, St John’s for your passionate generosity for the last 25 years, and in the future!
Lou Lescas
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The Red Bird Mission are CLOSED for the winter and are expected to open in April.
Drivers Wanted
If anyone at St. John's holds a Pennsylvania Commercial Drivers License (CDL), or knows of anyone who does, the Church's Redbird Missions
is actively seeking drivers to haul full trailers of donated goods to the Redbird Mission store in Beverly, Kentucky. For more details, any interested party should contact Bob Snarr at (215) 779-9464.
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The Upper Room Devotionals
for March/April are available.
Copies are in the Narthex and also in a container on the front porch of the church. Be sure to pick up your copy and take one for a friend as well.
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MOBILE GIVING
- Just go to our website stjohnsivyland.com
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Click on the 'Give' button in red, Donate Any Amount and register.
Once you've registered, you can either make donations by debit or credit. Lenten Offerings may also be received through our website.
OR try TEXT GIVING
All you have to do is text the amount you wish to give to 877-960-2396.
You will immediately receive a one-time registration link, then just follow the prompts to complete your donation!
It's quick and secure.
The same vendor that handles electronic giving for us, Vanco Services, has state of the art encryption, so you can rest easy that your transaction is 100% safe and confidential.
You may also send your tithes and offerings to the church office:
820 Almshouse Road, Ivyland, PA 18974
If you have any questions about mobile or text giving,
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Gmail account users:
In addition to your inbox,
please check your "Promotions" file for any St. John's emails.
Bulk emails may appear there. Simply by moving the message from Promotions to your primary inbox or by adding
St. John's as a contact should allow our messages to go directly to your inbox.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING!
The latest Devotionals, News and Worship Videos can be be accessed below, as well as, under the
"What's Happening"tab on our website.
www.stjohnsivyland.com
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HELP NEEDED
Two significant needs and great opportunities to serve at St. John's!
A small team of dedicated audio-visual ministry volunteers enable us to offer meaningful online worship each week. We're in need of additional help, as there's very little flexibility within the team in the event someone needs to be away. While some aspects of this ministry requires technical expertise, other aspects are very straight-forward. If you have the ability to advance PowerPoint slides, you can help us offer online worship!
Similarly, ushers are needed for in-person worship to greet worshippers, direct them to their seats, and assist with questions. This is a simple yet meaningful opportunity to serve God by serving our St. John's family.
Please consider serving God by assisting with one of these this crucial ministries. Those interested in serving can contact the office at stjumc@aol.com or (215) 357-6998. Thank you for your faithful support of all we do in service to Christ at St. John's!
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CCLI Streaming License #CSPL049266 |
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For those interested in receiving Bucks County's latest vaccine information,
please click on the link below:
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St. John's Ivyland
820 Almshouse Road
Ivyland, PA 18974
stjohnsivyland.com
Rev. Brad Leight, Sr. Pastor
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