April 5, 2024

Worship Schedule

Sundays at 10 a.m.

(with Morning Prayer once a month)

In person and live-streamed on YouTube

Church School

Godly Play Sunday School 10 a.m.

Teen Text Sunday School twice a month

Easter is more than a Day.

How do we sustain joy?

One of my colleagues from seminary recently posted on FB: “for all my clergy friends who just muscled their way through the Marathon called Holy Week, I hope you were able to worship along with your folks.”

Another colleague commented: “how many clergy in their years of being ordained and in parish ministry have actually worshipped this season without having to work?”

I scratched my head at this. My instant gut reaction: “our work is worship”.

In spite of the picture above, I am still rejoicing in our glorious Easter Sunday celebration. Yes, we had a more-than-usual packed house. Yes, we had new faces and faces we haven’t seen for a while. Yes, special touches were added through wonderfully crafted floral arrangements, expanded music, “coffee hour” snacks on the Steps, gleeful laughter from the Easter Egg Hunt, and lots of meaningful conversation before we all dashed home for celebrations with family and friends (or long naps!)

All the “work” that went into this, all the engagement by all the hands involved – this is worship.

All the joy, even all the chaos – this is worship.

And yet, Easter is more than a day. Christ’s Resurrection is a way of life. So, where do we go from here?

How do we sustain our presence in this community and continue to grow? On a practical level, this is our current Vestry conversation. Finances and property care are very real concerns. And we will be coming to you again and again with both questions and invitations.

This is in no way discounting any and all of the work we are doing!

Mother Teresa once wisely said Christians "aren't called to be successful; we're called to be faithful." There's a lot of truth in that, especially when success is elusive. Independent of our efforts, Christ really has won the victory over sin and death.

So, from a spiritual point of view, we continue to respect all that we are doing as ‘worship” (honoring the love of God and love of each other), and we keep walking this journey together. We keep deepening and celebrating the gift of community. And we keep “working” to share that gift with others.

Father of all, we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Eastertide Blessings,

Rev. Lisa

It was slightly chilly but otherwise glorious Easter Sunday morning as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus - as we have so many times before.

We may be a little biased, but it always feels as though our Easter celebrations are a bit more special, and that each year is better than the last! And it always warms the heart to see the Sanctuary filled with fellow worshippers.

Many thanks to Rev. Lisa and the liturgy folks for your hard, behind-the-scenes, work preparing for a meaningful Holy Week and beautiful Easter Sunday service.

Thanks to Music Director Laurel Larson and the choir for the wonderful music, which included a performance of 'Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Hands' by our expanded choir at the Offertory.

Emily Harvey led a group of folks who provided the goodies for our coffee hour on the front steps after church. And, we even had an impromptu 'sleep-in' at the Kiddie Corner during the service.

We thank you for being there as well. It made the celebration more special.

Check out the video of the choir above and photos from the Easter service below. (There's a bit of ambient sound at times during the video but the strong, beautiful voices in our choir come shining through).

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt came off without a hitch after the Easter Day service. Some of our older kids spent quite a bit of time before the service hiding the eggs - some hiding in plain sight, others cleverly concealed. That was much to the delight of our youngest parishioners, who made quick work of finding them.

Thanks to Jen Kamp, Dorothy Shakelford and Aimee Altemus for coordinating and running the event, the teens for setting up and helping to guide the little one during the hunt, and the parishioners who donated candy and helped stuffing it into the eggs.

Above, the kids gathered with Rev. Lisa to compare their haul. Below are a few more photos.

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed!!

We're looking for folks to host coffee hour for the next many weeks.

As of now we have no volunteers for any of the days beyond this Sunday, April 7.

Hosting is quite simple. All you need to do is make the coffee, heat up some water for tea and bring some breakfasty nibbles.

Except for the nibbles, most of the supplies are already in-house. And, we're happy to help you host the first time or two until you are comfortable.

If you'd like to sign-up for a Sunday in April or May please email Naomi Fisher here, see her at church, or use the sign-up sheet on the table at Coffee Hour.

This is an important time for casual fellowship. Please help us make sure it's available every Sunday. Thanks!

SPECIAL NOTE: The Historical Society of New Milford is hosting a Coffee Hour after our 10 am service on Sunday April 28.

Mark your calendars and come see what treasures they have about

St. John's history!

Next Food Collection - April 17

Our next St. John's Food Drop-off will be Wednesday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The food collected will be delivered to Our Daily Bread Food Bank.

We're in front of the church to collect your donations of non-perishable foods and personal-care items on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

Please remember that you can always bring in food on Sunday mornings and place your offerings in the donation basket next to the last pew.

Men's Night Out - April 30

The next monthly Men's Night Out will be Tuesday, April 30, at 6 p.m. We'll be going to the 202 Tavern, which is, oddly enough, on Route 202 - in New Preston.

You can peruse their menu here.

If you'd like to join us please see Bill Kamp, or email him here.

Women's Night Out - May 7

The next Women's Night Out will be Tuesday, May 7, at 6 p.m at al Dente, in town. You can view their menu here.

If you'd like to join us, please email Mary Vallo or Sue Denino. Or, let them know when you see them in church

Spring Training & Gathering 2024

Spring Training is our annual diocesan gathering open to all, as we gather to learn from each other. This year we’re reflecting on Ephesians 4: 11-13 and how we can build up the body of Christ in ECCT through sharing, supporting and learning from each other.

See the booklet of courses available HERE (or pick up a hard copy at church). This year we are offering 20 online courses (via Zoom) from April 8-April 18. The courses last from 1.5–2 hours and are offered at various times of day. Online course are FREE!

Workshops will also be available in-person for a one-day gathering on April 20, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Lincoln Middle School, Meriden. The $20 is an admission fee for April 20 to help cover the cost of food and is non-refundable. Space is limited so be sure to register soon. Registration for in-person closes April 14.

The gift of any and all parishioners learning something that you can bring back to our life together is deeply appreciated. The value of engaging with Episcopalians beyond our church is PRICELESS

Slate of Four Bishops Announced for 28th Presiding Bishop

From left, Nebraska Bishop J. Scott Barker, Pennsylvania Bishop Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez, Northwestern Pennsylvania Bishop Sean Rowe and Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright.

By David Paulsen



[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church’s next presiding bishop will be chosen this June from a slate of four nominees, whose names were released April 2: Nebraska Bishop J. Scott Barker, Pennsylvania Bishop Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez, Northwestern Pennsylvania Bishop Sean Rowe and Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright.

Those four bishops – and any additional candidates nominated by petition – will be presented for election at the 81st General Convention, which convenes June 23-28 in Louisville, Ky. The nominees’ names will be formally submitted June 25 during a joint session of the House of Bishops and House of Deputies.

On June 26, the bishops will elect, and deputies will be asked to confirm, the church’s 28th presiding bishop, who will succeed Presiding Bishop Michael Curry beginning Nov. 1.

Read the full story here.

Presiding Bishop joins global Christian leaders calling for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter

BY Aleja Hertzler-McCain

Posted Mar 27, 202

[Religion News Service] More than 140 global Christian leaders, including a Guatemalan Catholic cardinal and the presiding bishops of The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and for an end to foreign military support for Israel in a March 26 letter to President Joe Biden and other politicians.

“We, as global Christian leaders, stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Palestine and around the world and say the killing must stop, and the violence must be brought to an end,” they wrote. “The horrific actions Hamas committed on October 7th in no way justify the massive deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli military.”

Read the full story here.

Community Dinner at

Camp Washington

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Join us at 5 p.m. tomorrow for a service of beautiful music, inspiring words, and Holy Communion in the language of the Celtic Christian tradition led by the Rev. Tuesday Rupp, and accompanied by Pete Miserendino on guitar- our friends from St Paul's, Woodbury.

Contemporary and contemplative, a beautiful offering to God.

Following worship, join us at 6:15 p..m for dinner- a time of community, conversation, and wonderful food!

Menu:

Braised Corned Beef

Colcannon

Maple Roasted Carrots

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Coffee

Brownies

Come for worship - stay for dinner, or just come for dinner. It's your choice. All are welcome!

In lieu of a ticket price for dinner, we welcome your generous donation at the table. All proceeds will go the CW Campership program, offering need-based financial assistance to our campers.

Registration is required. (Click HERE to register)



Gather your family, invite a neighbor and make plans to join us at camp.

For easier reading, we suggest you view the poster below on a laptop or desktop rather than your phone. (Hard copy flyers are available in the back of the Church)

Hey! That's Us!

So we sat down to watch a little Masterpiece on PBS (Nolly, I think) a couple of Sunday nights ago. I usually don't pay much attention to the station promos that come right before the shows, but I happened to look up for a sec and saw this.... Did you see it too?

Matin in the New York Times

It's been two years now since the Afghani refugee families hosted by New Milford Refugee Resettlement settled in our town.

It's been quite a journey.

The New York Times recently chronicled the journey of master potter Matin Malikzada and his family. In case you missed the story, we've linked it here.

(Credit for the above photo: Adrian Martinez Chavez for the New York Times)

Prayers for The Ill, Homebound or In Need

Parishioners: Katie, Carolyn, Peter, Arthur, Anna, Jean, Joy, Joan, Josie, Helen and Sonok 

For family and friends: Nancy, Nick, Billy, Bishop Curry. Janet, Mark, Linda, Carrie, Dennis, Douglas, Rich, Holly, Matt, Artie and Dorothy

For those who have died: Helen Gardner (funeral service scheduled for Thursday April 11, at 2 pm, at the Church. Internment in the Memorial Garden)

For the people of Ukraine. For the lives lost and the lives upended in the war there.

The next issue of St. John's Connects will be published on April 19.

If you have something to share in the next newsletter, please send the info to Ron Vallo by Wednesday, April 17.

Upcoming Birthdays

Emily Lee (4/5) Edith Estrella (4/6); Christopher Partelow (4/6); Jim Bain (4/11); Anna Lemos (4/12); Tristan Kamp (4/13); Sue Denino (4/14); Norma Solis-Andrade (4/17); Merit Fowler (4/18); Danny Shackelford (4/19); Carter Hawkins (4/30)

Anniversaries

Jim and Aimee Altemus (4/16)



Congrats to all who are celebrating! Enjoy your big day!