Coming Up at St. John’s
The Paschal Triduum: March 28-30
(The Three Days before Easter)
Easter Sunday: March 31
We have begun our commemoration of Holy Week – the most sacred time in the Christian calendar. This is our time to gather in the deeper meaning of our faith. By participating in ancient Christian rituals, we are able enter into the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, learning more about why we claim Jesus as our Savior. The story itself gives us incredible insight into what’s happening today – it’s not just something that happened 2000 years ago! And, perhaps, through our participation, we can make a link between our spiritual lives and our worldly lives; granting us insight and hope to see that God’s love permeates creation so completely that even death and violence cannot overcome us. Love is always the final word.
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Maundy Thursday March 28 at 6:00 pm We come together for the ancient rituals of healing prayers, foot-washing, communion, and the stripping of our altar. |
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Good Friday March 29 at 1:00 pm We are asked to acknowledge and grieve the difficulties, despair, and sin in our individual and collective lives. |
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Holy Saturday Prayers March 30 at 9:00 am We gather for quiet reflection and prayer and then spend time preparing the space for the Easter celebration. |
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Great Vigil of Easter March 30 at 8:00 pm Gathering around the new fire, we tell the ancient stories and sing songs of salvation as we celebrate the first witness of the Risen Christ. Bring bells from home! |
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Easter Sunday March 31 at 10:00 am A traditional Easter Sunday choral Eucharistic worship. Afterwards, Community Brunch and Egg Hunt for kids. Bring something to share for brunch |
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Thank you to Radio Kingston!
Not all communities have an amazing community partner like Radio Kingston. Here’s a bit about their story and how it connects with our story at St. John’s.
Sometime in the 1930’s, after St. John’s moved from Wall St. to our current location we took ownership of the Rectory where Rev. Michelle and Ana currently live, St. John’s sold land to WKNY, a new radio station, so they could build a radio tower. (You can see the current tower behind the Rectory!). For many years WKNY was a commercial radio station that served the area.
In 2017, Jimmy Buff (a long-time local broadcaster), backed by a Novo Foundation grant, became the new director of WKNY. He changed the format and direction, creating Radio Kingston – a community-based radio station.
Since then, they have done things like build a solar field under the tower to add energy back into the grid and use the energy credits to help people in need; create community-based programming that gives us all a place for conversation; develop a way to broadcast free internet into the community (of which, we are a recipient); introduce an underwriting program that gives businesses and organizations (like ours!) a way to get our names out there while all the money is directed into the Community Fund that is managed by Family of Woodstock. Phew! That’s a lot!
And, most recently, they developed a community based event planning and tech team to assist non-profit organizations with planning and audio/video support. This is so great! St. John’s has been gifted with the diagnostic expertise of this team who found the problem with our audio system. Then, they bought us a new amp and came to install it this week!
So, please reach out and thank Radio Kingston for all their amazing support in our community and their continued support of St. John’s. We are blessed by their work and their mission.
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Things To Take Note Of
Easter Sunday Community Brunch: THIS SUNDAY! Don’t forget to bring something to share on Easter Sunday. Egg dishes, bagels, rolls, salads, casseroles, fruits, cheeses, juices, meats, sweets… we love our celebration brunches!
Baptisms! May 19
Rev. Michelle will be baptizing people on May 19, the Feast of Pentecost. If you are interested in baptism for either yourself or your child, please reach out ASAP to Rev. Michelle so that she can help with preparation. Email her at michelle.stjohnskingston@gmail.com
Families Area
Take notice of the Families Area in the sanctuary. We’ve made it a little softer and a little more organized for our younger kids and their parents.
Sermons Archive
Did you know that most all our sermons are posted online? You can visit the St. John’s website to read and/or listen to the archive of sermons. Go to stjohnskingston.org and use the “Celebrate & Pray” drop down menu, then choose “Sermons.”
Looking to Volunteer? Community Partners
There is a new page on the St. John’s website: Community Partners. On this page, you will find a listing of those agencies and organizations that St. John’s has a strong connection to. Most of these have volunteer opportunities available. So, if you are looking to volunteer, go to stjohnskingston.org and use the “Serve” drop down menu, then choose “Community Partners.” And let Rev. Michelle know if there are others that should be listed here.
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Announcements for March 28-31
Triduum and Easter Sunday
Wednesdays 10:00-12:00 noon
Thursdays 1:00-4:00 pm
Phone: 845-331-2252
Email: stjohnskingston@aol.com
- Pastoral Care Meeting: Come and be a part of the compassion and care fabric of St. John’s. Pastoral Care is about finding ways to reach out to anyone who needs a little extra care as we learn to care for one another more deeply in Christ’s love. Talk to Laura Ricci for more information.
- Sunday School Assistance: Our Godly Play program is an integral part of life at St. John’s. Here’s how you can help: Volunteer to be the assistant. You don’t have to prepare anything, you just have to be present for the first half of worship with the children and our Godly Play Storyteller. Please talk to Leah for more information.
- Did you know we have an Anglican Rosary? If you are interested in learning about it, you are invited to join Rita Carver, an Education for Ministry mentor, on Saturday mornings at 9:00 to learn to pray our Rosary. To sign up or learn more contact Rita at rita.k.carver@gmail.com
- 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: April 4: All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley; May 2: North Woods by Daniel Mason. Speak to Lynn Dennison, Barbara Johnston, or Claudette Ford for more info.
- Online Morning Prayer: Join hundreds of others from across the Episcopal Diocese of New York every weekday morning at 8:00 am. Start your day with prayer, connection, and peace. Go to dioceseny.org/online-morning-prayer to join.
- Choir Rehearsal takes place on the third Sunday every month. Please speak with Terry Earles to learn more about the choir.
- Social Hour Sign-up: If you enjoy staying after worship for snacks and socializing, please sign up to host! The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board in the vestibule. Talk to Barbara Johnston at 845-594-2181.
St. John’s Upcoming Schedule
See stjohnskingston.org/welcome/event-calendar for a full listing.
April 7 All Ages Worship
April 13 Vestry Retreat
April 14 Godly Play for kids
April 21 Healing Sunday; Choir rehearsal; Vestry Meeting
May 5 All Ages Worship, Pastoral Care Meeting after worship
May 12 Godly Play for kids
May 19 Feast of Pentecost and Baptisms!