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

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The Good News of St. John’s

April, 2025

  1. April 1

    A Note from Leah and Lynn, St. John’s Wardens

     

    Dear Friends of St. John’s,We welcome the signs of Spring and of the Easter season. We welcome signs of renewal and rebirth. At St. John’s, we look to the future, perhaps with a bit of anxiety over the unknown, but also with hope of a bright future for the Episcopal community of Kingston. Like Rev. Susan’s recent sermon, we strive to be open, curious, and responsive to the call.

    Our transition team, including members of both St. John’s and of Holy Cross/ Santa Cruz, has been meeting regularly to look at the possibility of a merger. No formal decisions have been made, yet our congregations appear open to this possibility. We have had many opportunities to worship and socialize together over the past few months, which have been positive experiences overall. We will be together for Holy Week as well with services at Holy Cross/ Santa Cruz. For Easter service we will be at St. John’s (just our congregation) with an Easter egg hunt and community brunch. We hope you can join as many services as possible during this most Holy time.

    After Easter, we look to celebrate with Holy Cross/ Santa Cruz on a regular basis, probably every other week. Beginning in June, we will celebrate as one worshipping community through the summer. This is due in part to the lack of air conditioning in the sanctuary, but more importantly to continue the discernment of becoming a shared ministry for the future. It is quite possible that the Spirit is guiding us to continue as one worshipping community in the fall. We will be looking seriously at this over the next few months.

    We know that these changes will bring up many feelings, questions, and concerns. It will also spark curiosity about our future. We hope you will share these thoughts with Lynn, Leah, Liz, or any member of the Vestry. We will also have time to process this with Rev. Susan, who will be with us on Sunday, April 6th for a forum after church. We urge you to stay for coffee hour this Sunday to hear more about this and to share your thoughts. Please keep each other and the community of St. John’s in your prayers.

    Below you will find the schedule as it has been planned by the Transition Team.

    Upcoming Worship Schedule

    April 6:Worship at St. John’s, with Rev. Susan, followed by parish forum (just St. John’s)
    April 13: Palm Sunday | Worship at HCSC, at 4:00pm
    April 17: Maundy Thursday | Worship at HCSC, at 7:00pm
    April 18: Good Friday | Worship at HCSC, 12:00pm and 7:00pm
    April 19: Easter Vigil | Worship at HCSC at 7:00pm
    April 20: Easter Sunday | Worship at St. John’s | Brunch & Egg Hunt (just St.
    John’s)
    April 27: Worship at HCSC at 10:00am
    May 4: Worship at St. John’s with Fr. Eliacin or Rev. Susan
    May 11: Worship at HCSC
    May 18: Worship at St John’s, with Rev Susan
    May 25: Worship at HCSC
    June 1: Worship at St. John’s
    June 8:  Pentecost | Worship at HCSC

  2. March 12

    This Sunday!

    Sunday, 03/16/2025
    This Sunday, March 16th we welcome Rev. Eliacin Rosario-Cruz and the congregation of Holy Cross/Santa Cruz to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St. John’s. I sincerely hope that you can join us for this special time and the building of our common ministry here in Kingston. We will have Godly Play for the children upstairs! We will also host a special coffee hour after church. If you can, please bring something for the table and stay to help us clean up!
    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    An Update on St. John’s Transition

    As you know the transition team, including members of both churches are meeting
    every two weeks to discern the possibility of merging. The first steps, involve getting to know each other, exploring the possibilities, and building relationship. We are hopeful that we will have more opportunities this spring to explore our future
    together as one worshipping community.
    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Next Sunday and Beyond!

    Next Sunday, March 23rd: we celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St. John’s with Rev. Susan Copley. Rev. Susan is a Missioner for Congregational Development who is also a valuable member of the transitional support team. She is also available for Pastoral Care as requested. The Vestry of St. John’s will meet after church with Susan.
    Sunday, March 30th: Rev. Joe Campo will be with us at St. John’s
    Sunday, April 6th: Rev. Eliacin will be with us for the 10 am service at St. John’s
    Stations of the Cross / Via Crucis

    Join us on Fridays at noon at Holy Cross/ Santa Cruz: March 14th, 21st, 28th, and April 4th and 11th for the Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis), led by Chuck Krulis. This ancient practice began with pilgrims who could not journey to Jerusalem to walk the Via Dolorosa.

    Through prayer and reflection, we follow Jesus’ path to the cross, entering into the sacred mystery of his love and sacrifice. All are welcome to this time of contemplation and devotion. The prayer booklet is in bilingual format.

    Lenten Book Study: Entering the Passion of Jesus

    Join us this Lent for a five-week book study on Entering the Passion of Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine. The book is 143 pages long.

    Together, we will explore the risks Jesus took during his final days—personal, political, and theological—deepening our understanding of Holy Week.

    Wednesdays, 6:00-7:15 PM via Zoom
    Begins March 12
    Each session will include group discussion and reflections on how Jesus’ journey invites us to live with greater faith and courage. We will read and discuss:

    • March 12: Introduction & Jerusalem: Risking Reputation – Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as a public, prophetic act.
    • March 19: The Temple: Risking Righteous Anger & Teachings: Risking Challenge – Jesus’ confrontation in the Temple and his challenging teachings.
    • March 26: The First Dinner: Risking Rejection & The Last Supper: Risking the Loss of Friends – Table fellowship, betrayal, and the significance of the Last Supper.
    • April 2: Gethsemane: Risking Temptation – Jesus’ moment of deep struggle and surrender.
    • April 9: Entering Holy Week – Reflections on the risks Jesus took and what they mean for us today.

    Participants are encouraged to acquire the book at their bookstore of choice or online at https://bookshop.org or at any online booksellers. A few books will be available to borrow.

    Contact Fr. Eliacín if you have questions.

    Zoom Link: 
    https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82857133125

    Meeting ID: 828 5713 3125

    The Rev. Eliacín Rosario-Cruz
    he/him/el
    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Holy Week Schedule
    April 13th: Palm Sunday Service will be at HCSC at 4:00pm.
    April 17th: Maundy Thursday service at HCSC (at 6 or 7pm- to be announced)
    Friday April 18: Good Friday services at HCSC at noon, and an evening service,
    time to be announced
    Saturday, April 19th: Easter Vigil service at HCSC at 7:00pm
    Sunday April 20th: Easter Day service at St. John’s with Rev. Susan Copley
    Followed by Easter Brunch and an Easter Egg Hunt
    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Coming Up at St. John’s:

    As you know the transition team, is meeting every two weeks to discuss the possibility of merging. But the first steps, involve getting to know each other, exploring the possibilities, and building relationship. We hopeful that we will have even more opportunities this Spring to explore our future together as one worshipping community.

    A Big THANK YOU!

    A very special Thank You to Liz Moeller and Don Hughes for hosting our FAT TUESDAY pancake dinner, filled with great food, games, decorations, and most importantly, a wonderful opportunity to celebrate with the people of Holy Cross/Santa Cruz! Thanks to everyone who helped!
    Easter Flowers

    We will be collecting memorial donations for Easter flowers on March 23th, 30th and April 6th. Or you can mail your donation to the church. Be sure to include your memorial or thanksgiving intentions.
    Book Club

    The Book Cub will be meeting on Thursday April 3rd at 2:00pm, in the Parish Hall, to discuss “Help Wanted,” by Adele Waldman, a local author.