The Bridge
April 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.
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Lilies Ready for Adoption
If you would like to take home one or more lilies from Easter, they will be available outside the church for pick up on Sunday, April 18.
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Parish Office Hours Announced!
As promised, we are informing you that our offices will be open on a limited basis beginning next week. Currently, someone will be in the office on Wednesdays from 10-12, and Fridays from 10-12. If you need an appointment at a different time, please contact Sheri Rasmussen or Mthr. Minerva.
It will be appreciated if you take note of and observe the St. John's mask policy when you visit the campus:
St. John’s Episcopal Church requires masks and social distancing for all in-person worship services and other gatherings in which persons who are not fully vaccinated may be present.
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Important Announcement!
On Monday, April 12, long-awaited and much needed repairs to the back (north) side of the parish hall began. The construction zone is limited to the area just behind the parish hall and is marked with construction fencing.
The repairs are expected to take approximately one month. Not only will we have a new back wall, but the entire parish hall will be painted!
We have been asked to stay clear of the construction zone. By definition, it will be an unsafe place for those who are not actually involved in the work. Which pretty much means all of us!
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4.14.2021 - John the Baptist stained glass window well protected! |
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4.14.2021 - North side of parish hall - demo day! |
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On Sunday, April 18, we will initiate a service of Holy Communion, Rite I, at 8:00 a.m. in English. This service will be inside the church, and will use the Book of Common Prayer, which has been placed back in the pew racks. Masks will be required, and the seating will be restricted for social distancing. Please click this link: 8:00 a.m. Holy Communion Rite I to register for this service.
Yes, for a time we will have four (4) services each week:
- 8:oo a.m. Rite I, in-person inside the church (English)
- 9:30 a.m. Rite II, virtual via Zoom (English)
- 11:15 a.m. Rite II, in-person outdoors (English)
- 1:00 p.m. Rite II, in-person outdoors (Spanish)
As we continue to transition to our new "normal", times and places will change, but we hope that our St. John's faith community will continue to celebrate and worship together in harmony and joy. Your clergy and staff are working hard to offer a variety of worship experiences.
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.
Mahatma Gandhi
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Central Texas Collective for Racial Equity
CTCRE invites members and friends of St. John's to participate in a rally hosted by Huston-Tillotson University. Read on for more information:
"Over the past year we’ve seen a dramatic rise in attacks on our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) brothers and sisters. It’s important for us to come together and form a coalition in support of the AAPI community. This latest wave is just the latest iteration of Anti-Asian violence and we are hosting a rally to condemn it.
Join us on April 17th at 4p to stand in solidarity with AAPI communities across the nation to condemn this wave of violence and racism.
The event will be hosted at Huston-Tillotson University and will include a rally & vigil. Bring your friends and family.
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The Austin American-Statesman has reported that "State health officials Tuesday asked providers to stop administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, after a recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to pause use of the vaccine 'out of an abundance of caution.'" To read the entire article, please use this link:
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Caring for Neighbors
In our partnership with Auro Pharmacy, approximately 100 people received the COVID vaccine over the last week. Mthr. Minerva and Rosalinda Rodriguez have been instrumental in getting the word out and getting shots in arms. Sheri Rasmussen did data input to help notify those who registered.
Auro Pharmacy will be accepting "walk-ins" on Saturday and Sunday from 9-1 if you haven't had a chance to get your first vaccination dose.
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Williamson County has "more shots than arms"
Click here to register ...
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Texas health officials have opened COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for those aged 16 and older. The Moderna vaccine has been approved for people 18 and older. Reportedly, APH is still limiting to over age 50 but other sites are open to all.
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APH Guidelines for Fully Vaccinated People
"As more people become vaccinated in our area, we are able to move to more lenient requirements for those individuals,” Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said in a written statement Tuesday. “However, we have not yet reached herd immunity in our community. To get there, we need more people to acquire immunity which is why we encourage people to get the vaccine when it is available to them.”
Click here to read the entire article:
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COVID Safety Guidelines from Austin Public Health
Austin-Travis County is currently in Stage 3
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Please click this button to read the latest suggested guidelines to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic:
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Click this button for a partial list of businesses which still require a mask during the pandemic: |
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Sunday Worship at St. John's
We worship God in a variety of ways.
- 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in English Rite I (in-person)
- 9:30 a.m. Liturgy of the Word in English (Zoom)
- 11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist in English (outdoors in-person)
- 1:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist in Spanish (outdoors in-person)
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This is an in-person service inside the church. Safety protocols will be observed, i.e., masks, distancing, and limited attendance. Please register for this service using the link above. |
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To participate in our virtual Sunday services, 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
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To protect those participating in the service from any possible "trolls" who might try to interrupt our worship, the Waiting Room is enabled for this event. The Verger will admit you to the service as quickly as possible. |
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Please note: Everyone except those people who have an active role in the service will be muted. This is to minimize background noise. At the Prayers of the People, you will be invited to put any prayer requests into the "Chat" and Deacon Victoria will read these at the appropriate time. |
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The virtual English service will be recorded and video will be posted on the St. John's Facebook page, YouTube, and the St. John's website later in the day so that you can replay a service at your convenience. Links to the recordings will be posted on our website (Austin St. John's) .
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The English Holy Communion outdoor service starts at 11:15am. The Bread will be distributed by Mthr. Minerva or Deacon Victoria to each person in place.
We ask that you use our registration system for our contact tracing protocols and in case we need to give you updated information about the service. We will continue to require the wearing of masks while on the St. John’s campus, as well as social distancing of non-household members. We recommend you think of this like any other outdoor event in the sun - use sunblock, bring an umbrella and/or hat, water, and a chair or blanket to sit on. There will be a limited number of metal chairs available in a special section for those who are physically unable to bring their own.
A recording of the English sermon will be available on our website later in the day.
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Virtual Coffee and Fellowship:
Provide your own beverage and treat of choice
Join friends for a virtual coffee "hour" every Sunday! This will begin shortly after the 9:30am service (about 10:15am), 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:
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Knitting Us Together
All knitters, crocheters, cross-stitchers, etc., are invited to bring a project to Sunday's Zoom coffee hour! If you have questions, call 512-423-9935 to speak to Lisa Shirah-Hiers.
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ERCOT update:
Power grid still strained,
but no blackouts expected
"Texas' power grid continued to feel strain on Wednesday as 25% of power plant generation remained offline, the grid's operator said.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas stopped short of calling for energy conservation, something the organization called for on Tuesday. But the agency, which is commonly known as ERCOT, said the market remains "tight" while 33,000 megawatts of generation is offline while generators perform maintenance."
Here is a link to the entire article in the Austin American-Statesman:
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for other ways to make a donation.
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Caring for Each Other
St. John's is interested in meeting the pastoral needs of our community. If you have prayer requests, please contact Sheri Rasmussen. If you need pastoral care please contact Mthr. Minerva or Deacon Victoria. If you would like the Daughters of the King to include you in their prayer list, please contact Sandra Ward.
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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 contact Mthr. Minerva (RevMinerva@austinstjohns.org).
We are a church family; when a family member needs assistance we want to try and help that member.
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St. John’s Episcopal Church requires masks and social distancing for all in-person worship services and other gatherings in which persons who are not fully vaccinated may be present. As we gradually return to in-person services and open offices, we will let you know of the hours and days.
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Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org) |
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St. John's Episcopal Church
11201 Parkfield Drive
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
Sunday Services
In-Person Indoor Holy Communion
Rite I
In English - 8:00am
Virtual Liturgy of the Word
Rite II
In English - 9:30am (Zoom)
In-Person Outdoor Holy Communion
Rite II
In English - 11:15am
In Spanish - 1:00pm
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