St. John's Episcopal Church

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Weekly Events

Sunday Morning Worship
8:00 a.m. Rite I
10:00 a.m. Rite II followed by coffee hour and fellowship

Monday nights
The Cub Scouts
Knitting Fellowship

Wednesdays
9:30 a.m. Healing Eucharist
7:00 p.m. Healing Eucharist and Bible Study
Al-Anon

Thursdays
The Boy Scouts

Dates to Remember

March

• March 1
  • 6-7 pm - Undercroft, Knitting Fellowship
  • 7-9 pm - ECW Meeting, Undercroft, The Rev. Don Page with a Lenten Meditation
• March 2
  • 11:30 am-1 pm - Senior singing and luncheon
  • 7-8 pm, Lenten Series on Loss
• March 3
  • 9:30 am - Service of Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayer in Children's Chapel
  • 7 pm - Service of Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayer in Children's Chapel, followed by Bible Study (the Parables)
• March 7 -  noon-6 p.m. - Vestry, Leadership, and PMC Retreat at the Diocesan House with Anne Watkins
• March 8 - 7-9 p.m. - Knitting Fellowship
• March 9 - 7-8 pm - Lenten Series
• March 10
  • 9:30 am - Service of Holy Eucharist and healing Prayer in Children's Chapel
    
  • 7 pm - Service of Holy Eucharist and healing Prayer in Children's Chapel, followed by Bible Study (the Parables)
    
  • 7:30 pm - Meeting of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew
• March 11 - 7-9 pm - Youth Team Meeting with St. Mary's at Rectory
• March 15 - 7-9 p.m. - Knitting Fellowship
• March 16 - 7-8 pm - Lenten Series
• March 17
  • NO 9:30 - Eucharist
    
  • 7 pm - Holy Eucharist and healing Prayer followed by Bible Study (the Parables) in the Children's Chapel
• March 20 - (Parish Hall) Corned Beef Supper with Living Water
• March 21 - 4-6 pm - Youth Group mission project at St. Mary's
• March 23
  • 7-8 pm - Lenten Series
    
  • 7-9 pm - Vestry in Undercroft
• March 24
  • 9:30 am - Service of Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayer in Children's Chapel
    
  • 5:30 pm - Book Club at the Rectory, I Couldn't Keep It To Myself by Wally Lamb
• March 27 - 7-11 am - AngelFood Ministries
• HOLY WEEK all services will be in the sanctuary
  • March 28 - 8 and 10 - Palm Sunday Services
  • March 29 - 9:30 am - Service of Holy Eucharist
  • March 30 - noon - Service of Holy Eucharist
  • March 31
    • 9:30 am - Service of Holy Eucharist
    • 7 pm - Service of Holy Eucharist
      

April

• • April 1 - 7 pm - Holy Thursday Service of Foot Washing, Holy Eucharist, and the Stripping of the Altar
  • April 2 -
    • Good Friday noon-3 pm - Church open for Stations of the Cross Meditation and Prayer
    • Good Friday 7 pm - Worship with Music and Communion
  • April 4 - Easter Services with special music at 8 and 10 am
• April 11 - ECW Tea in Parish Hall from 2-4:30, with a presentation and book signing by Jane Sutcliffe, author, and a fashion show by Coldwater Creek
• April 17 - Consecration of Bishop Elect Ian Douglas by presiding Bishop Catherine Jefferts Schorri, Bishop Desmond Tutu, preacher, at the Trinity College Rink
• April 23 & 24 - PMC weekend in Agawam MA
• April 24 - AngelFood Ministries and Tag Sale
• April 25 - 5 pm - Youth Group Spaghetti Supper Fundraiser with St. Mary's at St. John's Parish Hall

On Wednesdays there are healing Eucharists at 9:30 am and 7 pm, with Bible study always following the 7 pm service.

Knitting Fellowship meets Mondays from 7-9 pm in the Undercroft, except for ECW Monday.

Other News

ST. PATRICK'S DAY GALA

Join us for St. John’s second annual St. Patrick’s Day Gala - Saturday March 20th 6:00 p.m. Music will be provided by the Living Waters Band and we will enjoy a delicious corned beef and cabbage dinner. Tickets are $10.00 per person or $25.00 per family.

A STUDY ABOUT LOSS AND GRIEF

A Lenten Study series is started about Loss and Grief. There will be five sessions and you are welcome to attend all of them or any particular one that is of interest to you. They will meet from 7-8 pm in the classroom off the Parish Hall.

• 2/23 The Loss of a Job with Vance
• 3/2 The Loss of Relationships, Expectations or Marriage (Divorce) with Virginia
• 3/9 The Losses of Aging with Virginia
• 3/16 The Loss of Health with Vance
• 3/23 The Loss of a Loved One Through Death with Vance and Virginia

Healing Services of Eucharist will continue this season at 9:30 AM and 7 PM on Wednesdays.  The evening service is followed by BIble Study.  Come join us for mid-week worship, fellowship, and prayer together, and the laying on of hands for healing if you wish.

There are many opportunities for fellowship, for serving others, for journeying and growing in faith, for meeting new people and getting to know old acquaintances better at St. John's.  YOU are always welcome to join in the faith, fun, friendship, and fellowship of our various groups and ministries.  I hope you will consider stepping "OUT and UP" a bit this fall, making a new beginning, and becoming involved in new ways, through joining the work of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew or the ECW, through volunteering as a pastoral visitor to shut-in members of our congregation, helping with Sunday School or the Youth Groups, or being part of Wednesday worship, Bible Study or Monday fellowship groups.  Remember, YOU are WANTED and NEEDED!!!

ADOPT A SHUT- IN

Adopt a Shut-In is a new program that St. John's will initiate in 2009. We are in the process of compiling a list of shut-ins to be adopted, if you have someone you would like to have put on the list or if you are interested in adopting one of our shuts-ins, call the office (860) 872-0517.

EASTER OUTREACH EFFORTS

Are you looking for a way to reach out to those in need this Easter? Here are two ways you can help.

Locally

Join with friends or groups to prepare Easter baskets or boxes with the makings for a festive Easter meal. I will arrange to deliver them to Hockanum Valley Community Council by Good Friday. Use your creativity to provide food for a family of four.

A ham, the makings for nice side dishes, dessert, some Easter candy for the kids, an Easter egg coloring kit are suggestions. Be as creative as you want in decorating your basket or box. You can bring your basket to church on Palm Sunday or contact me for different arrangements. If you plan to do this, please let us know by Palm Sunday so that appropriate arrangements can be made with HVCC.

Haiti

Help rebuild the church in Haiti. In a message from the Presiding Bishop, she said "You can begin to challenge your parish and your diocese to begin to think about the longer-term rebuilding efforts," she added. "Collecting funds for that is probably the most appropriate thing to do."

"The priorities are going to need to come from the Diocese of Haiti -- the priorities and the strategy -- and it's going to be some months before they begin to emerge."

Bishop Curry, at the stewardship dinner, suggested we might start a fund at St. John's aimed toward long-term rebuilding and perhaps a long term relationship with a specific parish in Haiti, but that the specific uses for such a fund would not be identifiable for some time.

You can help start the St. John's Haiti Fund, preferably with a check to St. John's stating that it is for the Haiti Fund.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE NEWS

1. Worried about the proposed concert venue on Frontage Road? The next two Zoning Commission meeting will continue to address this, and the public is invited and encouraged to come and to speak! These will be on Thursday evenings, February 18th and 25th, and March 4th, at 7 pm at the Vernon Senior Center. Looking for more information about this? Check out the 'Vernon Citizens for Responsible Development' group. They have a website VernonCRD.org and a place where you can sign a petition.

2. Save $50 On Home Energy Solutions

   Many of you will receive the free "Bargain Book" coupon book in the mail this week. Please look for a coupon from the CT Energy Efficiency Fund to save $50 on Home Energy Solutions, the in-home energy assessment and weatherization program. It reduces the co-pay for renters and owners to $25, no matter how you heat your house! The program includes a "blower door" test which enables the technicians to identify leaks and then actually go to work air-sealing your home. You also receive free compact fluorescent light bulbs and coupons for insulation and appliances if it is determined your home needs them. You can sign up by calling 877-947-3873 or choose a vendor yourself at:

   CL&P customers: www.cl-p.com/hes/

   UI customers: www.uinet.com

   Some vendors have a waiting list while others can schedule you right away. The coupon must be used by 3/31/2010. Renters or owners on a Limited or Fixed income can get similar services for free through WRAP (CL&P) or HELPS (UI customers). Call 1-877-WISE-USE to set up an appointment.

3. Here is a clean and safe way to remove those spatters from your microwave:

   Boil half a cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl for 4 minutes, inside the microwave. Let stand for 2 minutes. Then open and wipe the interior with a damp paper towel. The job is done, easily and quickly!

4. The Environmental Ministry will be supporting the Interfaith Power and Light Carbon Covenant, buying trees to reforest Mt. Kilamanjaro in Northern Tanzania.

   For more information, see www.co2covenant.org

5. The next meeting of the Environmental Ministry will be on March 7, 2010 at 9am (note different time, just this once) in the parish house.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS

The Church School has been continuing along as usual but some changes are in the works. As a team we decided that under our present format there is not enough class time. Since the children get the benefit of coming into the "Big Church" after the Peace and getting a good taste of the structure of our worship service, we are going to skip the Chapel service as it exists today. We will still meet in the Chapel for a prayer before splitting up into classes, but will be spending more time in the classes.

We have also decided as group that we are committed to launching a Journey to Adulthood program at St. John's, to begin in September of 2010. This venture will take careful planning and the energy, effort, talent, and time of many parishioners. But we believe that the rewards for our young people and our parish will be rich, immediate, and abundant. Stay tuned for more information and to learn how you can help or support the initiation of this program in our church!

NOTES FROM THE ORGAN BENCH

A quick note of thanks to everyone for their kind words and well wishes as I begin my role as Music Director. I have had the opportunity to meet many of you, and am looking forward to continuing to expand the music programs at St. Johns.

Here’s where we need you….

First - your participation in the liturgy.

Each week, much planning, preparation, and rehearsal go into making Sunday mornings as spiritual and uplifting as possible. Your role as a member of the congregation is to participate fully, and with regard to music, I would encourage you to sing with vigor, confidence, and enthusiasm. It is very rewarding to hear a congregation sing hymns and responses without inhibition.

Second – a small amount of your time.

We need more singers in the choir. Period. Did you sing in a chorus in high school? How about a community chorus? A church choir? Do you sing in the car, or the shower? Have you never tried it? There are no requirements to come sing with us, only your will and desire to enhance the liturgy through music. I would like to talk to you individually about helping us. Your opportunity, right now, is to make a 5-week commitment to 90 minutes a week, to sing with us during Lent and Easter. I’m not asking for anything more. Many exciting things are planned, and they rely on your participation. I invite you to call or email me to discuss.

Third – your ideas.

We want your feedback on what we’re doing. Do you have a special hymn that you would like to sing? Is there a favorite choir piece that you haven’t heard in a while? Suggestions are welcome at any time. Please direct those to me, either on Sunday after worship, or through email or a phone call.

Fourth – something for Easter.

On Easter Sunday, I am planning to present the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah at the end of the service. Have you sung this before? Will you be here on Easter? If so, please let me know.