The Good News of St. John’s

EVENTS THIS WEEK:
Blessing of the Animals and St. John’s Harvest Team Cook-In

First, it’s wonderful to offer the Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, October 3 again after missing it last year.  Our animals are an important part of our lives and are such a blessing to us that it’s truly a joyous thing for us to bless their presence among us.  Bring your pet, your stuffed animal, mementos of pets that have passed on… we’ll bless all of them!  Worship begins at 10:00 am and then we’ll move outside to the St. Francis Garden for blessings.  Please join us this in celebration of our furry and feathered friends this Sunday!

Second, we’re also coming together for a day of cooking for our first St. John’s Harvest Team Cook-in, Saturday, October 9 beginning at 10:00 am.  We have two goals: a fundraiser for St. John’s where we sell delicious jams and sauces and delightful soaps in December.  We’re using our beloved St. John’s Kitchen and the fruits of this year’s harvest to prepare them.  It’s all hands on deck!  We need people to chop things and stir things and taste things and smell things.  So, even if you don’t cook, come and have a fun day with all of us in the kitchen and parish hall.  We’ll have plenty of jobs for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Reflection on Masks and Vaccination

We all want our worship to be an expression of joy and comfort and we want our place of worship to be one of welcome and inclusivity.  We worship God who is Love and who, therefore, loves all.  And, our primary concern as Christians, is the health and safety of everyone.  As our savior taught us: Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Since the pandemic began, one of the things clergy discuss when we get together, whether in person or on Zoom, is how we’re doing with all the changes.  We’ve noted that we’re all experiencing something called “change fatigue” – just when we figure out what’s happening and how to respond, it seems things change.  I suppose this is the nature of a pandemic – it’s a lot like “non-pandemic life” except with exponentially more anxiety, more questions, and, therefore, more change at a faster rate.  It’s exhausting.

Of course, the worship decisions we make right now are done so under the guidance of our Bishop, Andy Dietsche and are considered with reference to the current infection rate and CDC guidelines.  Even within that, each congregation has a slightly different way of conducting worship, which is something you would expect in Episcopal Churches anyway.  Flexibility, good sense, and Christian care – all informed by science – need to remain our guiding principles.  I use this past summer as an example: Because it was so humid, the windows and doors were wide open, and we had a small enough group of worshippers who were spread out, I invited people to remove their masks if they felt comfortable to.  I stopped making the invitation when the weather became cooler because breathing is much easier with lower humidity.

Now, because we are still facing high infection rates across the country, we cannot cease to be vigilant.  And, as the autumn season continues, we have cooler days and will not have the luxury of open windows and doors for much longer.    Therefore, I ask that, out of consideration for your fellow worshippers, you keep your mask on at all times while you are inside the St. John’s building.    We’ve made some exceptions for those who help to lead worship and we do what we can to ensure these leaders maintain their distance while they are unmasked.  If you forget your mask, we have them available at the door, just ask an usher.

Finally, a few words on the divisive issues of vaccinations.  We will never ask for vaccination status because all are invited to God’s Table.  Period.  Still, I do urge you to get vaccinated if you have not.  For me, this is not “political” or even ideological.  I can honestly say that it’s because I care about each of you and your loved ones.  Having been sick with COVID myself and going through my wife’s hospitalization due to COVID at the same time, I hope you trust me when I say that it’s nothing you want to go through.  I also know there are medical conditions that prevent people from being vaccinated so I hope you don’t read my words as shaming.  I also ask that you not involve yourself in vaccine shaming – one way or another.  That, honestly, never does anything but make ourselves feel superior.  There are plenty of trustworthy sources of information available.

Please, I invite you to bring any questions or concerns to me.  I always want to listen to the concerns on your heart.  If, for whatever reason, you are not comfortable coming to me, please reach out to one of our Wardens – Lynn Dennison and Claudette Ford.

In God’s love and mine, Rev. Michelle

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Announcements for
October 3, 2021

THIS SATURDAY!  Harvest Team Cook-in.  Come one, come all – have some fun together in our parish hall and kitchen as we prepare jams and butters and soaps for our upcoming fundraiser – St. John’s Kitchen Harvest: “Feeding people is our jam!” We need people to chop things and stir things and taste things and smell thing.  We start at 10:00 on Saturday, October 9.  Come have some fun and help us raise money for St. John’s.  Talk to Ana Hernandez or Sara Hutton for details.

THIS SUNDAY! Sunday, October 3: After worship we will offer a Blessing of the Animals.  Bring all your animals – stuffed or live – and we will offer a blessing as we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis.  You’re also welcome to bring mementos of pets who have passed on.

Fall Parish-wide Book Read Discussion.  We continue our parish read, The Church Cracked Open by Stephanie Spellers.  Pick up your book at church or purchase one online.  We will finish our discussion on Sunday, October 24: chapters 6, 7, 8

Fellowship Hour Sign up! – The Hospitality Committee invites you to sign up for St John’s Social Hour.  A sign-up sheet is posted on the bulletin board in the Vestibule.  All are welcome to offer their generosity to others & share some good conversation as well.  Questions?  See Barbara Johnston.

Ushers are needed! Being an usher at St. John’s is a wonderful way to serve your community and be a welcoming presence for those who come through our doors. There is a sign-up on the bulletin board in the Vestibule for you to choose the days you would like to serve. Our Usher Chair, Joe Siuta will put together a rota.  Be a part of this important ministry at St. John’s.

The Page Turners book club will meet on October 5^th and the selection is ‘The Book of Longings’ by Sue Monk Kidd. All are welcome. Speak to Claudette Ford or Barbara Johnston in church, or contact Lynn Dennison at lynnsdennison@gmail.com, for more information.

Have an announcement?
Please send by Wednesday at noon to stjohnskingston@aol.com.

Fall Schedule at St. John’s

Oct 1 (Fri): Choir Dinner, parish hall at 6:30 pm
Oct 3: Blessing of the Animals, Memorial Garden after worship
Oct 9 (Sat): Harvest Team Cook-In, begins at 10:00 am
Oct 16 (Sat): Christian Healing Workshop, parish hall, 10-12:30
Oct 24: Guest Preacher! Dr. Modele Clarke, Lead Pastor of New Progressive
Baptist Church, Kingston AND Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
Oct 31: The Rt. Rev. Andy Dietsche preaches and receives our new
members into the Episcopal Church AND Trunk-or-Treat!  Prizes for costumes and car decorations!
Nov 7: Celebration of All Saints’ Day and Commitment Sunday
Nov 28: Advent begins

Parish Read: The Church Cracked Open by Stephanie Spellers

“This book will make a profound difference for the church in this moment of history.” – The Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

In the introduction to her book, the Rev. Stephanie Spellers offers her readers a beautiful metaphor from scripture – the woman with the alabaster jar.  Here’s the story from Mark’s Gospel:

3While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she

broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. ⁴But some were there who said to one another in anger, ‘Why was the ointment wasted in this way? ⁵For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.’ And they scolded her. ⁶But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. ⁷For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. ⁸She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. ⁹Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.’  (Mark 14:3-9)

Spellers sees this woman as bold and daring – someone who would challenge convention and be willing to break open the precious jar so that the abundance of what’s inside will be used freely.  And she sees a parallel with what’s happening in our church: Can we love our church in a way that doesn’t mean we only desire to protect it and maintain it?  Can we love our church enough to let it crack apart and see who we are and what God is calling us to become?

The Christian church is going through an identity crisis.  Most churches are experiencing a decline in attendance and a shift to how people want to be connected to church.  Who is the church in the 21st century and what do we mean to people? What is God calling us to become?  Spellers asks us to take a look at what has formed us as a church.  As she travels through the history of our larger Church and the social/economic factors in which the Church “grew-up”, Spellers provides a sharp and concise picture of just how deeply connected the Episcopal Church is to systems of racism and privilege.  She also tells the amazing stories of those who pushed against these systems for the sake of the gospel.  But she doesn’t stop at story telling.  She offers us hope for how to move forward from this reality to a new day, a new creation.

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers serves as the Presiding Bishop’s Canon for Evangelism, Reconciliation, and Creation.

Please join us in this fall’s Parish Read.  There are copies of the book available at church and we will be starting the conversation this coming Sunday (September 12) after worship in the Parish Hall.  Even if you haven’t read it yet, please come to the conversation.

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Vestry Notes: Here’s what the St. John’s Vestry Discussed in August

• The Vestry meeting began with a reflection on Mark 14:3-9, a passage featured in our parish read, The Church Cracked Open.
• Episcopal Futures: A new program of the Diocese of New York in which 5 people from St. John’s will meet with a coach and others from the diocese to learn more about developing programs and missional work.  The Vestry voted to apply to this program that will begin in February 2022.
• Lightning Strike Repairs: We still need to replace our bell controller and our sound system, both of which were damaged in the lightning strike.  The Vestry voted to replace both, noting that the new sound system will include the ability to plug the sound directly into a computer for online broadcasts.  We will seek reimbursement from our insurance company.
• The Vestry also discussed: an inspection of our furnaces, the pledge campaign, our new Kitchen Rental program, and the parish read, The Church Cracked Open.

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Zoom Bible Study – Not your grandma’s Bible study

I find that one of the most fascinating aspects of any faith is the holy texts around which that faith has developed.  I marvel at how these texts are translated and interpreted across cultures and through time.  Because, just like any text, our interpretation provides insight into who we are as people.  We see ourselves reflected in them.  I find this hopeful because it means that God’s Holy Spirit hasn’t finished speaking to us.  The interpretation of scripture is not a closed book, no pun intended.

Our scriptures are living texts that invite us to the task of interpretation so that we may learn more about who we are and our relationship with God.  In them, we can find support, wisdom, and hope for ourselves and for all of creation.  So studying scripture is central to ongoing Christian formation.

I invite you to Zoom Bible Study this fall.  No preparation is needed.  We will gather online every week to look more deeply at scripture – ask the hard questions and bring our full selves to these texts. This isn’t your grandmother’s Bible Study.  I’ll use all kinds of scholarly resources to help us learn more about the language that’s used and the time in which they were written and the larger context of scripture itself.

Click on this link to let me know all the times you are available.  If enough people sign up, I may offer two sessions each week – that’s how important I think this is.  If you’ve never tried Bible study before or even if you have, I believe this will be a meaningful experience for you.

I look forward to learning with you.

In God’s love and mine, Rev. Michelle

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Announcements for September 12, 2021

THIS SUNDAY!  Fall Parish-wide Book Read Discussion.  Even if you haven’t yet read the book, please join us as we begin our discussion on The Church Cracked Open by Stephanie Spellers.  Pick up your book at church or purchase one online.  We will discuss in the parish hall (with masks) on the following Sundays so please read ahead!
September 12: Intro and chapters 1, 2  |  September 26: chapters 3, 4, 5  |  October 24: chapters 6, 7, 8

Zoom Bible Study is back!  Join Rev. Michelle for online Bible study every week.  To discern the best time for as many people as possible, please go to the St. John’s website and fill out the form on or before September 15: Grow > Fall 2021 Online Bible Study or click here: Fall 2021 Online Bible Study  The day/time will be announced so we can begin later in September.

St. John’s Kitchen Harvest: “Feeding people is our jam!”
We’re starting up a new fundraiser for St. John’s and we can use lots of help.  Do you have a favorite canning recipe?  Do you like to chop things up into little pieces?  Do you love to stir hot pots of sweet things?  This is your chance!  Join the new Harvest Team as they have fun and cook up recipes in the St. John’s Kitchen.  We’ll sell everything we make during the month of December.  The first cook-in: Saturday, October 9.  Talk to Ana Hernandez or Sara Hutton for details.

The Page Turners book club will meet on October 5^th and the selection is ‘The Book of Longings’ by Sue Monk Kidd. All are welcome. Speak to Claudette Ford or Barbara Johnston in church, or contact Lynn Dennison at lynnsdennison@gmail.com, for more information.

St. John’s Prayer Chain – The St. John’s Prayer Chain is a small group of parishioners dedicated to ongoing prayer for the world and for the needs and concerns of people in our community.  If you need prayers or if someone you love is in need, please email stjohnsprayerchain9@gmail.com Leave as much information as you feel comfortable with, and you or your loved one will be prayed for.

Have an announcement?
Please send by Wednesday at noon to stjohnskingston@aol.com.

Fall Schedule at St. John’s
More items are being scheduled… stay tuned!

Sept 12: Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
Sept 19: Pastoral Care Team Meeting, parish hall after worship
Sept 26: Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
Oct 3: Blessing of the Animals, Memorial Garden after worship
Oct 9 (Sat): Harvest Team Cook-In, begins at 10:00 am
Oct 16 (Sat): Christian Healing Workshop, parish hall, 10-12:30
Oct 24: Guest Preacher! Dr. Modele Clarke, Lead Pastor of New Progressive
Baptist Church, Kingston AND Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
Oct 31: The Rt. Rev. Andy Dietsche preaches and receives our new
members into the Episcopal Church AND Trunk-or-Treat!  Prizes for costumes and car decorations!
Nov 7: Celebration of All Saints’ Day and Commitment Sunday
Nov 28: Advent begins

 

Does Lightning Strike Twice?  Let’s Hope Not!

It was a dark and stormy night… which, so many of our nights have been this summer here in Kingston.  But July 17 was particularly eventful.  In the early evening that Saturday, St. John’s sustained a surge due to a lightning strike – either the building was hit or something nearby was. 

Immediately, the bell started peeling endlessly and, because the crack was so loud, a nearby neighbor called the fire department.  Rev. Michelle was out of town so her wife Ana ran though the pouring rain to meet the fire trucks at the church building.  The fire fighters shut off one of the breakers to stop the bells and, along with Ana, confirmed that there was no immediate danger in the building.

Thankfully, the building itself is just fine.  We have a lightning rod so, if the building had been hit, the current was grounded rather than create a lot of damage.  But the surge that went through the cables and wires in our building created quite a mess.

When Rev. Michelle returned from vacation in late July, we discovered just how messy this was.  Here’s what was affected: the bell controller (that automatically rings the bell at certain times) needs to be replaced, the fire alarm controller was repaired, the sound system has shorts all through it and is currently not usable, both internet modems – the sanctuary and the office – had to be replaced, and one of the computers in the office also had to be replaced.  Whew!

It’s taken a few weeks but we have most things working again, except a few that are expensive and need to be discussed by the vestry (the bell controller and the sound system).  Thanks to George Mine for the help with the bell!  We’ve begun an insurance claim to (hopefully!) get some help covering the costs of getting everything back in order.

The responsibilities of managing a building require quite a bit of expertise and time.  Of course monetary resources are an important part of the equation too.  As a result, it’s easy to get distracted and think that the building is the only thing that’s important.  But the truth is, when lightning strikes, it often does become a priority on everyone’s list.  So, let’s hope that the adage “lightning never strikes twice in the same place” is true.

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Sundays This Fall (and some Saturdays)

We like to be together.  For 111 years we have been worshipping and learning and serving the community – together as the congregation of St. John’s.  And it continues to be important to us, as community, to see one another and share space with one another and to praise God with one voice.  I look forward to seeing each one of you at worship and I love teaching and serving Christ in our community with you all.

I’ve been seeing these kinds of memes on Facebook recently – something that depicts how our hope to make some exciting fall plans is met with the reality and disappointment of yet another year of trying to figure out how to deal with the pandemic.  This is certainly not to make light of the danger that this new variant of the coronavirus brings, but it functions more as a reminder that we are all in this together and, for everyone’s safety, we have to remain vigilant and flexible with the plans we do make.

With that in mind, I think it’s important to make plans for this fall – to have things we can look forward to doing together.  On this list below, I hope you’ll see your invitation to many things: a parish book read, a new fundraiser (see this week’s announcements), a workshop on healing, and, on October 31, our bishop Andy Dietsche is coming to visit which will be followed by a fun event in our parking lot – Trunk-n-Treat!  Plus, I’ll be re-starting Online Bible Study – check out this week’s announcements for more information.

Please put these items on your calendar and join your community of St. John’s as we celebrate life in Christ together.

Fall Schedule at St. John’s
More items are being scheduled… stay tuned!
September 12: Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
September 19: Pastoral Care Team Meeting, parish hall after worship
September 23: Choir Dinner – more information coming soon!
September 26: Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
October 3: Blessing of the Animals, Memorial Garden after worship
October 9 (Sat): Harvest Team Cooking Day, begins at 10:00 am
October 16 (Sat): Christian Healing Workshop, parish hall, 10-12:30
October 24: Parish Read: Church Cracked Open, parish hall after worship
October 31: The Rt. Rev. Andy Dietsche receives new members into the Episcopal Church AND Trunk-or-Treat with prizes for costumes and car decorations!
November 7: Celebration of All Saints’ Day and Commitment Sunday
November 28: Advent begins

In God’s love and mine, Rev. Michelle

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Announcements for
September 5, 2021

Fall Parish-wide Book Read!  Books are now available! This summer, the St. John’s Vestry has been reading The Church Cracked Open by Stephanie Spellers in preparation for our Fall Parish-wide Book Read.  Pick up your book at church or purchase one online.  We will discuss in the parish hall (with masks) on the following Sundays so please read ahead!
September 12: Intro and chapters 1, 2  |  September 26: chapters 3, 4, 5  |  October 24: chapters 6, 7, 8

Zoom Bible Study is back!  Join Rev. Michelle for online Bible study every week.  To discern the best time for as many people as possible, please go to the St. John’s website and fill out the online form on or before September 15.  Click here: Fall 2021 Online Bible Study  The day/time will be announced so we can begin later in September.

St. John’s Kitchen Harvest: “Feeding people is our jam!”  We’re starting up a new fundraiser for St. John’s and we can use lots of help.  Do you have a favorite canning recipe?  Do you like to chop things up into little pieces?  Do you love to stir hot pots of sweet things?  This is your chance!  Join the new Harvest Team as they have fun and cook up recipes in the St. John’s Kitchen.  We’ll sell everything we make during the month of December.  First cooking day: Saturday, October 9.  Talk to Ana Hernandez or Sara Hutton for details.

The Page Turners book club will meet on September 7th to discuss ‘Outlawed’ by Anna North. It has been described as a feminist western, and a fun read.  This discussion will be on Zoom.  For October 5th, the selection is ‘The Book of Longings’ by Sue Monk Kidd. All are welcome. Speak to Claudette Ford or Barbara Johnston in church, or contact Lynn Dennison at lynnsdennison@gmail.com, for more information.

St. John’s Prayer Chain – The St. John’s Prayer Chain is a small group of parishioners dedicated to ongoing prayer for the world and for the needs and concerns of people in our community.  If you need prayers or if someone you love is in need, please email stjohnsprayerchain9@gmail.com Leave as much information as you feel comfortable with, and you or your loved one will be prayed for.

Have an announcement?
Please send by Wednesday at noon to stjohnskingston@aol.com.