St. John's Episcopal Church

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Groups and Ministries at St. John's --

Altar Guild

Initially, the Disciples set the Table for Eucharist, but as the Christian community grew they found it necessary to delegate the responsibility. Today, the Altar Guild of Saint John's is responsible for preparing the Altar for the Sunday, Wednesday and Special Services such as weddings, funerals, baptisms and the outside services held in the Memorial Garden. They decorate the church for the Advent, Christmas, Palm Sunday, and Easter liturgical holidays. Altar Guild members are all volunteers who consider this ministry to be a privilege and go about their duties reverently. They are honored to be in charge of setting the Lord's Table for each service, where the Saint John's family and its guests may join together for the Eucharistic meal.

Bridge Group

Our fellowship occurs the third Friday of each month at 7:00. All skill levels are welcome. Players change partners every four hands. Scores are recorded and each year a champion will be declared.

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew is a ministry for the spread of Christ’s kingdom, especially among men and youth. Founded in Chicago in 1883 to assist homeless men, it is the oldest missionary and evangelism ministry of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.
Brothers have three disciplines – prayer, study, and service – and our goal is to bring men and youth to Jesus Christ through an intentional life of faith. Brothers of Andrew renew their vows each year in a ceremony during a Sunday service nearest to St. Andrew’s Day.
The Brothers are very active in local, national, and international service projects.
• Episcopal Orphanage in Uganda founded by The Brotherhood of St. Andrew
• Relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina
• Habitat for Humanity in Connecticut
• Supporting other St. John's ministries

Choir (Junior & Senior)

 

Cornerstone Soup Kitchen Ministry

 

Counters

Every Sunday after the 10AM service, this group gathers up the donations and begins the process of recording the collection. They log what has been given by each pledge as well as loose donations. If a special collection has been taken on a Sunday for a specific cause, those proceeds are counted and recorded as such. There are four teams of Counters each working one Sunday a month.

Environmental Ministry

  We of the Environmental Ministry currently focus our activities on Energy (promoting conservation and clean generation on a personal and parish basis, forestalling climate change),  Communication of all kinds of environmental issues to the parish, and Creation Appreciation, so that we would remain aware of the majesty of Creation, both as inspiration and as comfort.  Some of us are mystics, waxing eloquent about the wonders of God's creation, while others of us are intensely practical, pushing activism.  Newcomers are always welcome! We meet once a month to talk and plan.   Read more here . . . .

Episcopal Church Women

 

Flower Gardeners

St. John’s is blessed with a beautiful campus, but that blessing comes with a call to action: Our “church on the hill” is home to many acres, large swaths of green lawn, countless trees and shrubs, and –thanks to the hard work of dedicated parishioners – many beautiful flower beds.
St. John’s “Adopt-a-Garden” program encourages people to choose an untended garden and create a patch of beauty. This is not a “Green Thumbs only” type of activity: anyone who can dig a hole in the ground and is willing to get their hands a bit dirty on a beautiful spring (or summer or fall!) afternoon is asked to come on board.
Gardening can be many things to many people: for some it’s a terrific aerobic workout; for others a great family activity; someone else may see it as much needed alone-time after a hectic week. The end result, though, is a church campus that is a joy to come to each week, season after season.

Flower Ministry

Each week at the end of the ten o’clock service, the Altar Guild gives the flower arrangements from the Altar to two individuals. They in turn deliver each arrangement to two recipients scheduled that Sunday to receive them. These are individuals that may be suffering from illness, or hospitalization, in a nursing home or housebound, or recently lost a loved one, or just going through a difficult time and in need of being remembered and cheered up. The team of Flower Ministers consists of 13 parish members that alternate Sundays.

Finance Committee

Established in 2004, the Finance Committee is comprised of the parish Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer as well as four additional parishioners. The committee serves in an advisory capacity to the Vestry relative to the financial matters of the parish. The committee is charged with: compiling of an annual budget, monitoring of the financial activities of the parish, and keeping the parish informed relative to our financial status.
Since its creation, the committee has consolidated numerous separate bank accounts; changed of how our endowment funds are invested; and implemented of proper accounting procedures. The committee has served as a valuable part of the parish's over-all financial administration.

Golf Group

The St. John's golfing group plays a different course throughout our local area on the last Sunday of each of the months of June through October. Some of the courses we have played are: Twin Hills, Skungamaug, Rolling Meadows, Cedar Knob, Willowbrook; Blackledge and Tallwood. The age range varies of the golfers, from younger teens upwards in age. All ability levels are welcome. This is not a tournament. We enjoy being outside on a nice day, getting some exercise, playing some golf, and spending time with other St. John's folks in a relaxed setting.

Healing Ministry

Healing has been a practice in many religions and cultures for centuries. The Jewish practice was to offer prayer for the sick and anoint them with oil which was considered a common medicine. The New Testament offers no direct information about healing, however the administering of “the gift of healing is an ordinary condition of the faith of the recipient”. Jesus healed by laying on of hands as The Book of The Acts of The Apostles describes including healing by the Apostles as well.
Rev. William Byers, our Parochial Pastor, brings a vibrancy and true compassion to the Healing Ministry within St. John’s. Rev. Byers prays with a recipient and then lays hands on that person as a conduit of holy energy and Christian faith more powerful than the illness, stress, pain or emotional suffering stimulating the individual’s hidden resources to participate in the healing process. Rev. Byers is often at the side of the altar rail during the communion time.

Lay Eucharistic Ministers

 

Lectors & Intercessors

 

Memorial Garden Mowing Team

This group of faithful mowers share the responsibility of the weekly mowing and care of the Memorial Garden throughout the season. The Memorial Garden is a source of great pride for our parish and all mowers feel blessed in being a small part of its upkeep.

Ministers of Communion

 

Office Assistance

One Thursday morning each month, a group of volunteers meets in the Parish House to assemble and prepare the Epistle for mailing. There are four groups of volunteers that rotate throughout the year, joyfully spending time together while performing a much needed service.

Parish Library

Books on theology and self-help are offered, as well as a number of Christian novels. At present the library is in need of children’s books and books that families can use together. The library also offers a number of DVDs. Many of the books have been donated from the personal collections of John and Connie Satton. The library is dedicated to him, and a temporary sign marks the “Satton Library.” The library is located in the undercroft by the choir room. Borrowing is on the honor system, and please return books to the same shelf when they are done.

Parishioners Fund Committee

As a result of our parishioner generosity during our recent capital campaign, the Parishioners' Fund and oversight committee were formed. The Fund is available to help any St John's parishioner in need of limited, temporary financial assistance. Inquiries and/or requests (which are kept strictly confidential) can be made to any committee member or to the rector.

Prayer Group

St.John's Prayer Group is active in the healing ministry at St. John's. We have been in existence for over 55 years. We meet at 10 a.m. every Wednesday morning in the Parish House 52 weeks a year. We have seen many healings over the years - some real miracles! Most of our prayer requests are for the healing of the sick. Your requests are always kept in confidence and we only use first names. In addition to our Prayer Group, our weekly list is sent to a group of people who pray for the people on the list each day. While praying for others is a real commitment of time, it is a real joy to see how the Lord works when a few people join together in prayer.

Senior Fellowship

The Senior Luncheon is a time for retirees to get together for fellowship and good food. Those who enjoy singing come early and join in singing some old-time songs. Luncheon is served the first Tuesday of each month, weather permitting, from September through June at 12:00 noon – except September when we meet on the second Tuesday.
We have a basic group of people who make food (pot-luck) for each luncheon. Those who attend do not have to bring food—just enjoy it. Some of the people who come enjoy cooking and like to bring one of their special favorites which we always welcome.
We try to phone each person as a reminder each month and this also gives us an estimate of how many people might be attending.

Ushers

Our ministry of ushers is a ministry of hospitality and welcome. Ushers are the friendly faces for members of a parish's family. To the stranger, they are the first people to make a newcomer feel at home. Without the welcoming presence of an usher, a visitor can easily feel awkward and out of place.
An usher's ministry is to greet people coming to worship, introducing themselves in the process as needed. They do well to learn the names of every member of the worshipping community. As an usher hands a worshipper a bulletin, their friendly welcome is meant for any and all…..strangers, friends and children. An usher accompanies visitors to a pew, and should introduce newcomers to members who will be sitting near the new visitors during worship. Ushers can further a new visitor's welcome by introducing the visitor to a member of the "Greeters" who can accompany a visitor to coffee hour, the church school or to meet the clergy.

Vestry

Originally the word referred to the room where the Rector put on his vestments. Parish leaders often met with him there to discuss the day-to-day affairs of the parish. Later, the word came to refer to the leaders themselves, instead of the room. The Vestry members are the elected leaders of St. John's. As the governing body of the parish, the Vestry handles the parish's business and serves as a council of advice for the Rector. Members of the Vestry volunteer their time to represent the parish as a whole and are elected by the parish at the annual meeting. One of the primary responsibilities of the Vestry is to oversee the parish's financial health. In partnership with the Rector and Wardens, it develops and approves the annual parish budget.

Wardens

The Wardens act as the executive officers of St. John’s. Traditionally the Senior Warden is called “the Rector’s Warden” and serves as the liaison between the Rector and the parish. This includes providing a flow of information and ideas between the leadership of the parish and the membership in general. The Junior Warden is “the people’s Warden.” He or she assists the Rector and Senior Warden in providing leadership to the Vestry. As the senior lay officials of the parish, the Wardens are expected to step in when the Rector is absent and act as presiding officers of the Vestry.

Please contact the church office for more information about any of these groups.