anuary 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at St. John’s
Godly Play Tomorrow, January 15!
Consider Masking
While masking remains optional at St. John’s, you are encouraged to consider wearing a mask during worship to help keep down the transmission of covid, flu, and other illnesses. Masks are available at both entrances.
St. John’s: Roles, Responsibilities, and Contacts
When the pandemic hit in the early months of 2020, the entire world was faced with a lot of change. One of the ways we changed at St. John’s had nothing to do with the pandemic but was because our parish administrator of 25 years, Cindy Puetz, retired in 2020. From that point on, nearly all of the administrative duties have been on my shoulders. And I took this on willingly during the pandemic for several reasons.
Now that Suzanne Campise is our Office/Kitchen Administrator, I am giving some of these responsibilities to her. Suzanne works 10 hours/week for St. John’s, spending most of her time meeting with potential renters for our spaces and managing the building schedule and rental program. In other words, if you need to know what’s going on in the building, she’s your person. But Suzanne is happy to help you with parish business if she can and, if she cannot, she will direct you to the right person.
Suzanne Campise, St. John’s Kitchen/Office Administrator
Suzanne will be in the office on Thursday afternoons to print bulletins, but she checks office emails and phone messages throughout the week from home. Here’s how you can contact her:
St. John’s Parish Questions: stjohnskingston@aol.com OR 845-331-2252
St. John’s Rental: kitchenatstjohns@gmail.com
Leave a message at any of the above and Suzanne will get back to you or forward your message as soon as she is able.
Additionally, our feeding ministry, Angel Food East is generally in the kitchen on Mondays and Thursdays. The AFE Kitchen Manager Cheryl MacGahan receives messages at: 845-331-6538. If you would like to volunteer in the kitchen for AFE or as a driver, let me or Lynn Dennison know, and we will connect you with Cheryl directly so she can schedule you.
Finally, my schedule will change as follows beginning Jan 16: My Sabbath day will move to Fridays which means that I am unavailable except for pastoral emergencies on that day of the week. I will be also be in the parish office on Mondays from 11-4 so you’re welcome to come by the office if you need to chat for a few minutes. If you need more time, however, please let me know beforehand so we can schedule an appointment. Of course, you’re always welcome to contact me via phone, text, or email.
In God’s love and mine,
Rev. Michelle
Announcements for January 15
The Second Sunday After the Epiphany
Now Forming! Adult Inquirer’s Class: Beginning in mid-February, Rev. Michelle will start an Adult Inquirer’s Class (6-8 sessions). All members of St. John’s are welcome to attend. We will cover topics like: How do Episcopalians read the Bible? How did the Episcopal Church get started? What do Episcopalians believe? Please reach out to Rev. Michelle via email if you are interested and we will determine the best class times based on the availability of those interested. Childcare will be made available for in-person sessions.
House Blessings – one of the traditions of this season is to bless our homes for the new year. During our Epiphany Celebration on Friday this past week, we marked our own doors of St. John’s to acknowledge and remind ourselves of God’s blessing of Light and Love. So that you can do this at home, there are take-home kits available with everything you need. Questions? Ask Rev. Michelle
Welcome back Suzanne! We welcome back Suzanne Campise as our Kitchen/Office Administrator. She is still working mostly from home, but once she gets childcare worked out for Amara (who is now 6 months!), she will be in the office one day/week. If you’d like to connect with her, please email: stjohnskingston@aol.com.
Pledge Envelopes Are Here: If you made a pledge to St. John’s for 2023, your pledge envelopes are available. You can find a set with your last name on the box where you pick up your bulletins near the lectern. If you’re new to using them or have any other questions, speak with Lynn Dennison.
Annual Meeting: Sunday, January 29 – The Annual Meeting is a time for the congregation to learn more about the business (budgets, buildings, etc.) and ministry plans for the past year and the coming year. Everyone’s presence is requested. We will have childcare for this special meeting.
Acolytes, Ushers, and Lectors… Oh, my! Attention all people of St. John’s! Rev. Michelle will offer a forum after worship on February 26. During this forum, you will learn more about different liturgical duties and be invited to register for training. We’ll talk about Lectors, Sacristans, Acolytes, and Ushers – all of whom are important to our common worship at St. John’s. People from age 6 to adult are welcome to consider these ministries.
Page Turners Book Club Meetings are on the first Thursday of the month at 2 p.m., in the parish hall. Here’s what we selected for the next few months: February 2: The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz; March 2: Inside the O’Briens, by Lisa Genova. If we have bad weather during the winter, we will switch to a Zoom meeting. Interested? Talk with Lynn Dennison.
Angel Food East is in need of drivers! Drivers deliver meals on Thursdays. Meals are ready by 11 a.m., and most routes take about an hour. Substitute drivers are also needed so if you can help out as an on-call driver, you are needed! Speak with either Rev. Michelle or Lynn Dennison if you can help.
Have an announcement for the bulletin?
Please send by Wednesday at noon to stjohnskingston@aol.com.