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

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The Good News of St. John’s

September, 2023

  1. September 22, 2023

    Coming Up at St. John’s

    Next Sunday: All Ages Worship AND Blessing of the Animals

    Join the community of St. John’s as we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis On October 1 with All Ages Worship and the Blessing of the Animals. Our guest priest, the Rev. Joe Campo, will be presiding while Rev. Michelle is on vacation. Rev. Joe will be sharing the story of St. Francis during worship and will then offer animal blessings in the St. Francis Memorial Garden after worship. Bring pets, pet mementos, stuffed animals… all will be blessed!

    Expansion of Children’s Formation

    We are so pleased to announce that in the month of October, our Children’s Formation program will expand. Thank you to all the parents and to Leah Siuta and Sara Hutton for making this happen! Here’s what it will look like:
    • First Sundays: All Ages Worship
    • Second Sundays: Godly Play
    • Fourth Sundays: Children’s Activity designed to reinforce the month’s Godly Play lesson
    Right now, there is no children’s programming on the Third Sundays but we always welcome our youngest members in our 10:00 am worship!

    Bible Study Announcement

    We will have Bible Study this coming Sunday at 8:30 am (September 24).
    Rev. Michelle is on vacation for 2 weeks and there is no Wednesday or Sunday Bible Study during this time. Bible Study will resume on Wednesday, October 11 over Zoom and Sunday, October 15 in person.

    _________________________________________________

    Block Party Pics!

    Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Neighborhood Block Party a success!

    ______________________________________________

    Vestry Notes from August and September

     

    • The Vestry celebrated a successful second (annual) Neighborhood Block Party with 10 organizations and more than a dozen sponsors. We’re thankful to the City of Kingston for providing a grant that helped us purchase new chairs and a new tent to help us with future events.
    • Liz Moeller announced her resignation from the Vestry and everyone thanked Liz for nearly 6 years of service as a Vestryperson. She has been an amazing presence over her tenure.  Please note that Nilsa Rodriguez-Jaca’s tenure will end this year and Claudette Ford will crown her Vestry career in her last year as Co-Warden.  Please pray for the Nominating Committee and offer Sara Hutton, Leah Siuta, or Reverend Michelle any suggestions, even interest you might have.
    • The Vestry thanked Leah Siuta for all her work in finding the right people to fix an ongoing mold issue in the Angel Food East Pantry. We also thanked Kajuan Douglas for showing up at a moment’s notice to help Leah get things covered up on the roof!
    • The Vestry approved a motion to authorize Reverend Michelle and Keith Ferber to use the new St. John’s credit card.  The card will help reduce costs for supplies and enhance our ability to respond quickly to parish needs.
    • As we continue to navigate the Rector’s move to part time, the Vestry will meet in early November for a Mutual Ministry Review. The Reverend Allison Moore will be facilitating an assessment of the needs and demands experienced by the parish and by Reverend Michelle during this process.
    • Paula Wisneski was elected to be the lay representative at Diocesan Convention on November 11.

    Submitted by Kathy Burdick, Clerk of Vestry

    _______________________________________

    “Out of Office”


    Dear Ones,

    Ana and I were married nearly 5 years ago and we are taking a very-delayed brief honeymoon this coming week. Although our official anniversary isn’t until October 17, we are both going to be so busy in the middle of October, we decided to go earlier.

    I will be “out of office” beginning September 25, returning on October 12.

    Why such a delay? The short answer is, “Life got in the way.” Of course it’s much more complicated and includes my brother’s death, my own gall bladder removal, the pandemic, both Ana and myself having extreme cases of covid, my mother’s illness, and moving her twice. It’s been no small list of rather important and rather challenging experiences. So, we are planning on a little pampering this coming week.

    Please take good care of each other and know that you’re in very good, very experienced hands with Revs Joe and Joann Campo the next 2 weeks on Oct 1 and Oct 8 respectively.

    And I’ll see you this Sunday!

    In God’s love and mine,
    Rev. Michelle

    ________________________________

    Announcements for September 24
    The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

    St. John’s Office Hours
    Wednesdays 10:00-12:00 noon
    Thursdays 1:00-4:00 pm
    Phone: 845-331-2252
    Email: stjohnskingston@aol.com

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

    NEXT SUNDAY: Blessing of the Animals – Sunday, October 1
    Join us for All Ages Worship on Sunday, October 1 and bring your pets (properly leashed, please), favorite stuffed animals, or mementos of pets. After worship, we will have the Blessing of the Animals in the St. Francis Garden.

    Choir Recognition Sunday: Join us for a special Morning Prayer celebration on October 29 as we recognize the ministry of the choir together and honor their gifts and commitment.

    St. John’s Outreach Project – People’s Place: When you go to the store, pick up a few extra non-perishable food items for People’s Place food pantry (tuna, soup, pasta, sauce, etc.). We are also taking donations of birthday napkins/plates, candles, and gift bags in various sizes. Bring them to church and place them in the appropriate baskets near the Font.

    Page Turners Book Club meets the first Thursday of the month, at 2 pm, in the parish hall. New members are always welcome! Upcoming selections: Oct 5: The First Ladies, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (maybe a field trip to Val-Kill?), Nov. 2: The Trackers, by Charles Frazier, Dec. 7: Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson. Speak to Lynn Dennison, Barbara Johnston, or Claudette Ford for more information.

    Sukkot Shalom Community Dessert: Sukkot (plural word for “tent”) is a Jewish holiday commanded in the book of Exodus that celebrates the ingathering/harvest. Every year, our neighbors at Congregation Emanuel invite everyone to celebrate with them with singing, stories, and dessert. Friday, October 6 7-7:30pm at Congregation Emanuel, 243 Albany Ave.

    St. John’s Upcoming Schedule
    Check back, more events/dates being added!
    www.stjohnskingston.org/welcome/event-calendar
    Look for updates on children’s programming and occasional adult education forums. Soon we will announce dates for our Stewardship Campaign.

    Sept 24      Choir rehearsal after worship
    Sept 29/30   Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Book Sale Plus! Fr 4-8 / Sa 9-2
    Oct 1         All Ages Worship, Blessing of the Animals after worship
    Oct 5         Page Turners Book Club, 2:00 in Parish Hall
    Oct 8         Godly Play for kids
    Oct 15       Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Oct 22       Sunday School Activity Day for kids
    Oct 29       Morning Prayer: Choir Recognition Sunday
    Nov 2        Page Turners Book Club, 2:00 in Parish Hall
    Nov 5        Feast of All Saints’: All Ages Worship
    Nov 12      Godly Play for kids
    Nov 11      247th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
    Nov 19      Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Nov 26      Sunday School Activity Day for kids
    Dec 3         All Ages Worship: Season of Advent begins
    Dec 7         Page Turners Book Club, 2:00 in Parish Hall
    Dec 10       Godly Play for kids
    Dec 17       Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Dec 24       Advent IV worship at 10:00am
    Christmas Eve Worship:
    – Family Service 3:00 pm
    – Choral Eucharist 8:00 pm
    Dec 31       Morning Prayer

  2. September 9, 2023

    Coming Up at St. John’s

    THIS SUNDAY! All Ages Worship and Backpack Blessing

    This Sunday is All Ages Worship as we return to the sanctuary. Terry has some fabulous music lined up but most importantly: Don’t forget to bring your backpacks! Rev. Michelle will bless them and we will all pray for everyone starting a new year of school. Be sure to come and celebrate our community and the beginning of the programming year.

    Next week! St. John’s Neighborhood Block Party

    Invite your friends and come meet the people in our neighborhood! And be sure to sign-up for a volunteer slot that day because everyone’s help is needed as we welcome our neighborhood to St. John’s. Sign-up sheets are on the bulletin board in the vestibule.

     

     

    St. John’s Bible Study Continues

    We’re studying the Gospel of Matthew and, this week, we’re finishing up the Sermon on the Mount – chapters 5, 6, and 7. Sundays 8:30-9:30 in person or Wednesday 12:00-1:00 on Zoom. If you’d like to join Wednesday’s session, email Rev. Michelle so she can send you the Zoom link. To learn more, click here

     

    _________________________________________

    From Bishop Co-Adjutor Matt Heyd

    On Tuesday, September 5 the Diocese of New York began weekday online morning prayer at 8 am via Zoom.

    The 30 minute service offers an opportunity for us to join together daily in shared prayer— the foundation of our Anglican tradition and our lives as Christians. We’ll use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer Rite II Morning Prayer liturgy.

    The service includes different leaders as officiants and features diverse voices to offer brief daily reflections. This liturgy offers an additional possibility for connection across the 10 counties and nearly 200 congregations of the Diocese of New York. The Holy Spirit moves at ground level— and connects us to each other.

    You can find the Zoom link for Tuesday here.
    You’ll be invited to register when you join.

    Everyone’s invited! My hope is that Morning Prayer will widely engage voices from across our diocese and will be intercultural in its expression.  

    I’ll support the service along with postulants and candidates preparing for ordination in our Diocese. Thanks to Canon Victor Conrado for helping imagine this new service and to Alito Orsini for coordinating.

    Grace and Peace,
    Bishop Matt

    Matthew Heyd
    Bishop Coadjutor

     

    ___________________________________

    The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC


    Dear Ones,

    Let’s talk about cathedrals… stay with me here.

    The Episcopal Church has a structure that is similar, in some ways, to the Roman Catholic Church – we have bishops (but no archbishops and no pope), we have dioceses, and we have cathedrals. Each congregation is a part of a larger collection of congregations (diocese) and each diocese has a bishop who oversees and supports the mission of that diocese. The cathedral is named as such because the word “cathedra” is Latin for “seat.” The cathedral, then, is the seat of the bishop.

    Our diocese is the Episcopal Diocese of New York which covers Staten Island, Manhattan, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Sullivan, Dutchess, and Putnam counties. Our current bishop is Andy Dietsche who will retire in January and our new bishop is Matt Heyd who will be installed in February at our cathedral.

    So, now we get to talk about our cathedral. On Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world – St. John the Divine, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. They are a part of our common life as a diocese – a kind of center, if you will. They have a congregation that worships together, just like we do, but they are also our cathedral. They, like the bishop and the bishop’s staff, are here to support our lives as congregations. It’s a stunning place to visit.

    One of the ways they are reaching out to all of us is to collect prayers from us. These prayers will then become an art installation called Divine Pathways. Artist Anne Patterson will install 1,000 ribbons in the nave (sanctuary) of the cathedral for 9 months and on these ribbons will be written all the prayers.

    As the wind blows through these ribbons, it will be a symbol of all our collected prayers being lifted up to God.

    Jocelyn Bergen has volunteered to collect thoughts/words for the prayer from St. John’s Kingston. You don’t have to craft a beautiful prayer – it can just be a word or two or three, something for our common life as St. John’s Kingston. What do we desire? What do we need? For what would we like to offer our thanks? How does God’s glory manifest in our common life?

    From now until Sept 17, please email Jocelyn directly at jocelyn@zephyr-interactive.com with your thoughts/words of prayer for St. John’s. She will collect them and make sure that our collective prayer gets to the cathedral. So, on one of those 1,000 ribbons will be our words, our prayer, our collective heart.

    As a congregation, we will plan a trip to St. John the Divine in the spring, not only to view the installation, but also to experience the beauty and awe of our collective spiritual home as a diocesan family. I look forward to reading our collective prayer and finding ways to include it in our worship life here too.

    I hope you will spend some time considering what our congregational prayer might be and reach out to Jocelyn with your words. Also, please thank her for helping us to participate as a congregation.

    In God’s love and mine,
    Rev. Michelle

    _____________________________________

     

    Announcements for September 10
    The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

    St. John’s Office Hours
    Wednesdays 10:00-12:00 noon
    Thursdays 1:00-4:00 pm
    Phone: 845-331-2252
    Email: stjohnskingston@aol.com

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

    Neighborhood Block Party! Sunday, Sept. 17 from 12:00-4:00 pm.  It’s ALL HANDS ON DECK! Clear your schedule and be sure to sign up on the bulletin board in the vestibule for set-up and take-down duties that Sunday. And take some flyers and postcards to help get the word out!

    Change to Centering Prayer Meeting Time: Centering Prayer will now meet on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm on Zoom. If you’d like to learn more about Centering Prayer, please visit this page on our website.

    Social Hour Sign-up! If you enjoy staying after worship for snacks and socializing, please sign up to host for a week. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the vestibule. Talk to Barbara Johnston if you have any questions.

    Bible Study: Come and join in Bible Study with Rev. Michelle on Sundays at 8:30 am (in person) or Wednesdays at 12:00 noon (via Zoom). We are studying the Gospel of Matthew and you can join the conversation any Sunday! Everyone is welcome to pick up a one-page overview of this Gospel on the bulletin board in the Vestibule. Email Rev. Michelle if you’d like to join the Wednesday Bible Study on Zoom.

    St. John’s Outreach Project – People’s Place: When you go to the store, pick up a few extra non-perishable food items for People’s Place food pantry (tuna, soup, pasta, sauce, etc.). We are also taking donations of birthday napkins/plates, candles, and gift bags in various sizes. Bring them to church and place them in the appropriate baskets near the Font.

    The Page Turners Book Club will meet on September 14, at 2 p.m., in the parish hall, to discuss ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver. New members are welcome! To learn more about the book group, speak to Lynn Dennison or Barbara Johnston.

    St. John’s Upcoming Schedule
    Check back, more events/dates being added!
    www.stjohnskingston.org/welcome/event-calendar
    Look for updates on children’s programming and occasional adult education forums. Soon we will announce dates for our Stewardship Campaign.

    Sept 10      All Ages Worship and Return to the Sanctuary
    Sept 17      Godly Play, Healing Sunday
    Sept 17      Neighborhood Block Party 12:00 – 4:00 pm
    Sept 18      Vestry Meeting, 6:00 pm, Parish Hall
    Sept 23      Ulster Deanery Meeting, 9-12 at Holy Cross/Santa Cruz, Kingston
    Sept 29/30   Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Book Sale Plus! Fr 4-8 / Sa 9-2
    Oct 1         All Ages Worship; Blessing of the Animals after worship
    Oct 8         Godly Play for kids
    Oct 15       Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Oct 22       Sunday School Activity Day for kids
    Oct 31       Morning Prayer
    Nov 5        Feast of All Saints’: All Ages Worship
    Nov 12      Godly Play for kids
    Nov 11      247th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
    Nov 19      Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Nov 26      Sunday School Activity Day for kids
    Dec 3         All Ages Worship: Season of Advent begins
    Dec 10       Godly Play for kids
    Dec 17       Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Dec 24       Advent IV worship at 10:00am
    Christmas Eve Worship:
    – Family Service 3:00 pm
    – Choral Eucharist 8:00 pm
    Dec 31       Morning Prayer

  3. September 2, 2013

    Coming Up at St. John’s

    September 10: All Ages Worship and Backpack Blessings!


    ALL AGES WORSHIP MOVES TO SEPT 10!
    Due to Labor Day Weekend, when everyone is enjoying the final hurrahs of summer, we are moving All Ages Worship to September 10 when we return to the sanctuary. And don’t forget to bring your backpacks! Rev. Michelle will bless them and we will all pray for everyone starting a new year of school. Be sure to come and celebrate our community and the beginning of the programming year.

    Three weeks away: St. John’s Neighborhood Block Party

    Invite your friends and come meet the people in our neighborhood!

    _______________________

    A Note From Bishop Co-Adjutor
    Matt Heyd

    On Tuesday, September 5, the Diocese of New York will begin weekday online morning prayer at 8 am via zoom.

    The 30 minute service will offer an opportunity for us to join together daily in shared prayer— the foundation of our Anglican tradition and our lives as Christians. We’ll use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer Rite II Morning Prayer liturgy.

    The service will include different leaders as officiants and feature diverse voices to offer brief daily reflections. Many of our leaders and communities have their own daily office practices—some congregations host morning prayer in person and a number of our congregations host morning prayer online.

    This liturgy will offer an additional possibility for connection across the 10 counties and nearly 200 congregations of the Diocese of New York. The Holy Spirit moves at ground level— and connects us to each other.

    You can find the zoom link for Tuesday here.
    You’ll be invited to register when you join.

    Everyone’s invited! My hope is that Morning Prayer will widely engage voices from across our diocese and will be intercultural in its expression.  

    I’ll support the service along with postulants and candidates preparing for ordination in our Diocese. Thanks to Canon Victor Conrado for helping imagine this new service and to Alito Orsini for coordinating.

    Grace and Peace,

    +Matthew Heyd
    Bishop Coadjutor

    ___________________

    Living Into Change


    Dear Ones,

    I love-love-LOVE this time of year. The garden’s work is starting to slow down as the harvest comes to fruition. The air starts to shift and open up as temperatures drop and humidity lessens. And there is an energy in the air as people prepare for new school adventures after the close of summer.

    And… that’s alot of transition. Alot of change. I’ve spoken with many of you and there are so many things going on in your lives right now. Moving, new family members, shifting abilities, new schools, new jobs… wow!

    And, in the common life of St. John’s, we are also living into change. On June 1, the Rector’s hours (my hours) changed from FT to PT (at 60%). It’s hard to see this change over the summer because so many people are away on vacation and we don’t offer much programming. But now that we are starting our programming year, we will likely begin to see some differences in how much I am able to be available.

    But I hope that we all keep this in mind: During transition, I think we sometimes get so focused on the new things we have to do… or missing the things/people/situations we are leaving behind, that it’s easy to miss the abundance that is still present. And it’s also easy to miss that when we are living into new ways of doing things, our creative spirit is invited to open us up to new possibilities. My friends, this is how we miss God.

    Because God is with us. This is Christian Hope! God is always with us.

    We have so much, as a community. We have bread at our Table that everyone is invited to receive. We have one another and we always have God.

    Last week, in my short missive to you I spoke about how excited I am for the program year. I am really looking foward to all we have already planned and all that we will plan together.

    If I don’t see you this Sunday (because it’s Labor Day weekend) then I look forward to seeing you next Sunday, September 10 when we return to the Sanctuary for All Ages Worship and Blessing of the Backpacks!

    In God’s love and mine,
    Rev. Michelle

    ___________________________________

    Announcements for September 3
    The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

    St. John’s Office Hours
    Wednesdays 10:00-12:00 noon
    Thursdays 1:00-4:00 pm
    Phone: 845-331-2252
    Email: stjohnskingston@aol.com

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

    September 10: All Ages Worship and Backpack Blessing We return to the sanctuary on September 10 with a special All Ages Worship. Don’t forget to bring your backpacks so Rev. Michelle can bless them!

    Neighborhood Block Party! Sunday, Sept. 17 from 12:00-4:00 pm.  It’s all hands on deck to help get the word out and ensure all the people and businesses in our neighborhood are invited. Clear your schedule and be sure to sign up on the bulletin board in the vestibule for set-up and take-down duties that Sunday too!

    Social Hour Sign-up! If you enjoy staying after worship for snacks and socializing, please sign up to host for a week. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the vestibule. Talk to Barbara Johnston if you have any questions.

    Bible Study: Come and join in Bible Study with Rev. Michelle on Sundays at 8:30 am (in person) or Wednesdays at 12:00 noon (via Zoom). We are studying the Gospel of Matthew and you can join the conversation any Sunday! Everyone is welcome to pick up a one-page overview of this Gospel on the bulletin board in the Vestibule. Email Rev. Michelle if you’d like to join the Wednesday Bible Study on Zoom.

    St. John’s Outreach Project – People’s Place: When you go to the store, pick up a few extra non-perishable food items for People’s Place food pantry (tuna, soup, pasta, sauce, etc.). We are also taking donations of birthday napkins/plates, candles, and gift bags in various sizes. Bring them to church and place them in the appropriate baskets near the Font.

    The Page Turners Book Club will meet on September 14, at 2 p.m., in the parish hall, to discuss ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver. New members are welcome! To learn more about the book group, speak to Lynn Dennison or Barbara Johnston.

    St. John’s Upcoming Schedule
    Check back, more events/dates being added!
    www.stjohnskingston.org/welcome/event-calendar

    Sept 9        Choir Luncheon and Rehearsal, 11:00 am
    Sept 10      All Ages Worship and Backpack Blessing
    Sept 17      Godly Play, Healing Sunday, Neighborhood Block Party 12:00 – 4:00 pm
    Sept 18      Vestry Meeting, 6:00 pm, Parish Hall
    Sept 23      Ulster Deanery Meeting, 9-12 at Holy Cross/Santa Cruz, Kingston
    Oct 1         All Ages Worship
    Oct 15       Godly Play, Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Oct 31       Morning Prayer
    Nov 5        Feast of All Saints’ All Ages Worship
    Nov 11      247th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
    Nov 19      Godly Play, Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Dec 3         Season of Advent begins
    Dec 17       Godly Play, Healing Sunday; Choir Rehearsal after worship
    Dec 24       Christmas Eve Worship: Family Service 3:00 pm; Choral Eucharist 8:00 pm
    Dec 31       Morning Prayer

    ____________________________________

    WORSHIP SCHEDULE

    Sunday Worship: Rite II Eucharist 10:00 am
    Join us in-person for Rite II Holy Eucharist in the St. John’s Sanctuary. On “5th Sundays” we offer Morning Prayer.

    Monday Compline 9:00 pm  Click here to join.
    A quiet service of prayer at the end of the day held via Zoom.

    Wednesday Centering Prayer 5:30 pm  Click here to join.
    PLEASE NOTE: No Centering Prayer for the month of August.
    Meditative readings, silence, and reflection over Zoom.
    A prelude of contemplative music is offered by Ana Hernández.