The Good News of St. John’s

This Week at St. John’s

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Christian Saints: St. Bartholomew

With a feast day this past week on August 24, Bartholomew is one of the 12 apostles appearing in the Gospel stories of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He is also a part of the story in the Acts of the Apostles. We don’t often hear much about him though. Who was he? What did he do?

The name Bartholomew is a Greek transliteration from the Aramaic name bar-Tomay, which simply means “son of Tolmay” or son of the furrows, a furrow meaning a trench dug into the ground. This likely means that Bartholomew and his father were farmers in the region of Galilee.

But Bartholomew is not known for being a farmer. He is best known for being an evangelist of Christ and our tradition tells us that he was martyred for this and there are lots of stories about this. Depending on which account you read, he was either kidnapped, beaten, and drowned, or he was crucified upside down, or he was flayed and beheaded. Regardless of the story, Bartholomew remains an especially significant figure in Armenian Christianity and other Eastern Christian Churches because it was in the countries we now know as Turkey and Azerbaijan, that Bartholomew traveled to spread the news of Jesus the Christ.

What is often true of Christian Saints is that they become significant to us through the stories we tell, some of which may be based on the factual history of their life. These stories we call hagiographies. And the fantastical tale of Bartholomew’s death by flaying has captivated the imaginations of so many who have tried to wrap their minds around the kind of courage and faith that martyrdom requires. This story has led us to identity him as the patron saint of professions such as tanners, bookbinders, leatherworkers, tailors, and butchers. Through the centuries, artists have also been fascinated, depicting Bartholomew’s death in many graphic offerings.

After his trek in this area of the world, Bartholomew went on to India… or possibly Ethiopia. Scholars are in disagreement about the exact location of this mission trip as they attempt to read the works of 4th century hagiographers, Jerome and Eusebius. 

The Saint Bartholomew Monastery was founded in the 13th century and it became a prominent part of the Armenian Church, used continuously for centuries. However, during the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900’s, the monastery was abandoned and then destroyed by Turkish military. It still stands in ruin today.

Here are the scripture verses that talk about the presence of Bartholomew as a disciple and apostle:
Matthew 10:2-4
Mark 3:16-19
Luke 6:14-16
Acts 1:1-13

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Church Programming

Dear Ones,

Right now, all across the church, clergy and lay leaders are all getting ready to launch our “programming year.” Following the calendar of the traditional American school year, we shift back into our regular schedule.

What does this mean for us at St. John’s? We have regularly placed programming throughout the month that provides a rhythm of common life and enables us to schedule other things around what is important to us in our life at St. John’s.
Here is what our typical month will look like:

• First Sunday: All Ages Worship – the words and music of our liturgy are slightly altered to accommodate younger ears and, instead of a sermon, we have a story that illuminates the lesson of the Gospel for that week. Sometimes there are fun additions to worship. And, most importantly, we have our younger kids helping to lead worship. NOTE: For September (due to Labor Day), this will be moved to Sunday, Sept. 10!
• Third Sunday: We offer Godly Play for kids during worship and one of our healing ministers is available to offer healing prayers during communion. After worship, the choir gathers for a longer rehearsal.
• Fourth Sunday: Rector’s Forum – I offer a special teaching or I find someone to come and offer a presentation on a special topic. I’m always open to suggestions so let me know what you’d like to learn more about.
• Fifth Sunday (if there IS one): Morning Prayer is offered, led by either myself or one of our lay leaders.

We also have the following events scheduled in the coming year:

• Neighborhood Block Party – Sunday, September 17
• Stewardship Campaign – Dates to be announced
• St. John’s Harvest Sale – dates for cooking and sales to be announced!
• Christmas Eve – All Ages Worship is mid-afternoon our candlelit choral Eucharist is in the evening followed by a dessert reception (finally coming back after covid!)
• Annual Parish Meeting – held on the last Sunday in January, reflecting on what we did the past year and elect officers for the coming year.
• Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – the night before Ash Wednesday
• Ash Wednesday – the beginning of Lent, 2 services and Ashes to Go are offered out front to the larger Kingston community
• Holy Week and Easter Sunday – our Christian high holidays that are happening this year in the last week of March
• More plans in progress!

We are still finalizing plans as we look toward what we want and need from our common life. You can always find the most up-to-date schedule in your weekly bulletin or here on the St. John’s website.

Do you have ideas for programming or events? Reach out to our Events Team: Kathy Burdick, Sara Hutton, Paula Wisneski, or Ana Hernandez.

I’m really looking forward to this year!

In God’s love and mine,
Rev. Michelle

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Announcements for August 27
The Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost