St. John’s Episcopal Church
207 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401

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The Good News of St. John’s

August, 2022

  1. August 26, 2022

    This Week at St. John’s

    Saturday, August 27: St. John’s Harvest Cooking Day – Come and help out the cooks. We need people to chop, stir, wash and prepare things in the kitchen for our fall fundraiser, St. John’s Harvest. The cooks will be in the kitchen from 10-5. Come for an hour or two or as long as you’d like. There are jobs for everyone so come, help with the fundraiser, and have some fun!

    Sunday, August 28: Conversation with Rev. Michelle – Stay after worship this coming Sunday for a conversation with Rev. Michelle where we will be talking about the Episcopal Church’s ministry in Kingston.

    Monday, August 29 6:00 pm: Kids and Family Night – We’re so excited to have the kids invite their families for this event – see below for more information. And don’t forget to RSVP by Monday afternoon so we have enough pizza! (but we’ll have extra, just in case)

    ______________________________________________

    A Short Reflection from a Special Retreat

    This week, the Committee to Elect a Bishop is hosting a retreat for the candidates for the Bishops of New York. As many of you know, I’m on this committee and we have been having some really incredible conversations with the people who have decided to offer themselves as candidates to be the next Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

    For those of you who don’t know, the Diocese of New York is all of the Episcopal churches in the boroughs of Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx as well as all the counties along the Hudson from NYC up to Ulster and Dutchess. So, it’s quite a diverse area with so many opportunities for amazing ministry. Being the bishop in this place is quite the ministry.

    It’s been such a busy schedule that I haven’t had much time to do anything else for a couple of days. I certainly haven’t had the time to reflect on everything I’ve heard and seen. But what I do know is that this is a very exciting time to be a part of this diocese. These leaders are truly gifted and they are deeply faithful people. The Diocese of New York has much to look forward to.

    We finish up our work here tomorrow morning in time for me to prepare to worship with you on Sunday. Look for me to offer more reflections on the Bishop Search process in coming newsletters.

    In God’s love and mine,
    Rev. Michelle

    __________________________________________

    Announcements for the Twelfth Sunday of Pentecost
    August 28, 2022

    THIS SUNDAY: BACKPACKS! If you haven’t gone shopping yet, we’ll take your money to go shopping for you this afternoon. Then, we’ll get all the backpacks over to People’s Place where they will be distributed to kids who need a little help getting started for the school year.

    THIS WEEK! Kids & Family Night: Calling all young children! Bring your parents to Kids & Family Night at St. John’s on Monday, August 29 at 6:00 pm. We’ll have pizza, talk Sunday School programs for the upcoming year, and Leah Siuta will offer a Godly Play story. No need to bring anything except yourself. All families with kids are invited!

    Benefit Concert for Ukraine: Sunday, September 11! Arts & Crafts Tent Opens at 3:00 pm and Concert begins at 4:00 pm. The Kingston Interfaith Council is hosting the event here at St. John’s. Please save the date! We’ll need many hands on deck to help that afternoon.

    Page Turners Book Club: The Page Turners book group will be meeting on September 13, at 7 pm, at Jeanette Baggot’s apartment. We’ll be discussing everyone’s favorite summer reads and selecting what to read for the next few months. New members are always welcome. Speak to Jeanette, Claudette Ford, or Barbara Johnston for more information about the September meeting, or the book club in general.

    Social Hour Hosting: You are invited to sign up on the bulletin board in the Vestibule to be a social hour host! Talk with our Hospitality Coordinator, Barbara Johnston for more information. Feeding people is our jam! St. John’s Harvest is back! Join us in the kitchen to clean, chop, stir, and make cool stuff on the last Saturday of the month from 10-5. Last year, we canned jams, chutney, and conserves; made Sara’s soap, hand sanitizer, and Jocelyn’s amazing Beeswax wraps! No experience necessary. Hands of all ages welcome. Show up for shifts of 2, 4, or 6 hours, and let’s have fun while we raise money for St. John’s!  Mark your calendar: Sept. 24th, and Oct. 29th

    St. John’s Walkers: Let’s get moving! We do one walk a week, alternating morning and evening times, so pick the times that work for you and let’s get moving! We meet at the location. If you need a ride, contact Ana Hernandez at ana@anahernandez.org or 914-357-0365 and she will arrange a ride. We need people to lead walks and come up with ideas for walks, keeping in mind that we have people of all abilities. Summer Walking Schedule: Thurs, August 30, 7pm and Tues, Sept. 6, 9am

    Flower Ministry: Every week, members of St. John’s offer a memorial of thanksgiving or honor a loved one who has gone before by supporting the Flower Ministry at St. John’s with a monetary donation. You’ll see this memorial listed in the bulletin each week. This ministry ensures we have lovely fresh flowers every week on our altar. Please consider signing up for a Sunday. Contact Elaine Lawrence at eslawrenc@aol.com

    Calling all bakers! Do you like to make things in the kitchen? Our Communion Bread recipe is easy and quick. You bake one batch, deliver the bread to the church, and we keep it in the freezer until we use it. Sign up to bake for a month (or two) this year. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the Vestibule.

    Have an announcement for the bulletin?
    Please send by Wednesday at noon to     stjohnskingston@aol.comAnchor.

  2. August 21, 2022

    St. John’s Kids and Family Night:
    Christian Formation for Children and Families

    All who are interested may attend this event!
    Please be sure to RSVP so we have enough pizza.

    ___________________________________________

    Harvest of Joy

    The garden is such a good teacher for me.

    Last year, Ana and I were still recovering from very severe bouts of COVID so, when it came to the garden, we decided to go ahead with it because we felt like we needed to do it. But as the spring wore on, we could not seem to get little things done and opted for what we thought were easy solutions. We ended up with quite a mess – an overgrown, mosquito-ridden, gnat-filled space where all manner of pests took out most of our vegetables. We didn’t enjoy being in the garden at all. And I have to say, I took great pleasure in ripping out the plants at the end of the season.

    Lesson for me: When you’re sick, take care of yourself instead of taking on a large project.

    This year, we both feel a lot better. And we took the time to plan and do some research. Throughout the spring and summer, we’ve been able to do a little bit here and a little bit there so it doesn’t ever feel overwhelming. And, even though the summer has been anything but calm and we have had very little rain, we are the beneficiaries of quite an abundant harvest so far. We are truly enjoying our time this year as we learn about new vegetables (for us) and watch how everything grows.

    Lesson for me: Know what you have the energy and capacity to do. Then, listen to experts and make good plans. Enjoy the time you do spend and don’t give yourself any grief for past mistakes.

    Because I tend to take on too much, these lessons from the garden are about slowing myself down and finding pleasure in the things I do. I also know that two different people could take on the same task and would learn completely different things about themselves. My lessons wouldn’t necessarily be your lessons. And I think this is most of what life is for us humans – learning as we go. It’s not just that we learn how to do things, it’s that we learn more about ourselves, not just about limitations and gifts but about who we are in the process.

    So, in whatever you decide to do with your time for these remaining weeks of summer, I hope that you’ll take time for reflection too so that you can experience the joy God intends for us.

    In God’s love and mine,
    Rev. Michelle

    ___________________________________________

    Announcements for the Eleventh Sunday of Pentecost
    August 21, 2022

    BACKPACKS! A favorite event of ours every year is the backpack giveaway at People’s Place. Bring new backpacks every Sunday to St. John’s until August 28 and we’ll get them over to People’s Place where they will be distributed to kids who need a little help getting started for the school year. If you don’t want to shop, donate money to St. John’s… just make sure its earmarked for backpacks… and we’ll do the shopping for you.

    Kids & Family Night: Calling all young children! Bring your parents to Kids & Family Night at St. John’s on Monday, August 29 at 6:00 pm. We’ll have pizza, talk Sunday School programs for the upcoming year, and Leah Siuta will offer a Godly Play story. No need to bring anything except yourself. All families with kids are invited!

    Benefit Concert for Ukraine: Sunday, September 11! Arts & Crafts Tent Opens at 3:00 pm and Concert begins at 4:00 pm. The Kingston Interfaith Council is hosting the event here at St. John’s.
    Purchase tickets! $20 (suggested) kingstoninterfaithcouncil.org/events

    Social Hour Hosting: You are invited to sign up on the bulletin board in the Vestibule to be a social hour host! Talk with our Hospitality Coordinator, Barbara Johnston for more information.

    Feeding people is our jam! St. John’s Harvest is back!
    Join us in the kitchen to clean, chop, stir, and make cool stuff on the last Saturday of the month from 10-5. Last year, we canned jams, chutney, and conserves; made Sara’s soap, hand sanitizer, and Jocelyn’s amazing Beeswax wraps! No experience necessary. Hands of all ages welcome. Show up for shifts of 2, 4, or 6 hours, and let’s have fun while we raise money for St. John’s!  Mark your calendar: August 27th; Sept. 24th, and Oct. 29th

    St. John’s Walkers: Let’s get moving! We do one walk a week, alternating morning and evening times, so pick the times that work for you and let’s get moving! We meet at the location. If you need a ride, contact Ana Hernandez at ana@anahernandez.org or 914-357-0365 and she will arrange a ride. We need people to lead walks and come up with ideas for walks, keeping in mind that we have people of all abilities. Summer Walking Schedule: Tues, August 23, 9am; Thurs, August 30, 7pm; Tues, Sept. 6, 9am

    Calling all bakers! Do you like to make things in the kitchen? Our Communion Bread recipe is easy and quick. You bake one batch, deliver the bread to the church, and we keep it in the freezer until we use it. Sign up to bake for a month (or two) this year. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the Vestibule.

    Page Turners Book Club: The Page Turners are returning to meeting in person. Details for coming meetings will be announced as soon. New members are always welcome. Please speak to Claudette, or Barbara Johnston for more information.

    Have an announcement for the bulletin?
    Please send by Wednesday at noon to     stjohnskingston@aol.comAnchor.