November 27, 2019
Join Us This Sunday
Sunday, December 1
Holy Eucharist Schedule

8am I Holy Eucharist
9am I Holy Eucharist
10:45am I Holy Eucharist

Additional Offerings

10am I Advent Wreaths & Parish Hall Decorations

Adults and children are invited to come and make Advent wreathes to take home, and learn more about ways to observe Advent. Parish Hall decorating with greens will also take place.
Important Notice: E-Mails
Dear St. John's family,
 
It appears that nobody or no entity is immune from “phishing”. That includes St. John’s Essex.
 
Several people have notified the office of fake emails being sent to them from an address of linda.stjohnsessex@gmail.com and asking for gift cards to be purchased or money to be sent. They appear real and yet these requests are coming from a fake or fraudulent account. The address listed here is not from Linda's valid St. John's email account. Please note that Linda's St. John's address would only be sent using her linda@stjohnsessex.org address.
 
We have received word that there are number of churches experiencing the same problem. Please pay close attention to the email address being used. If the email does not originate from @stjohnsessex.org, do not click on any links or download any attachments in these emails before confirming their legitimacy.
 
Please don't hesitate to contact the St. John's office via chelsea@stjohnsessex.org or by telephone at 860-767-8095. Please let the office know when you receive a fraudulent email by forwarding it to chelsea@stjohnsessex.org.
 
We thank you for your patience and your assistance as we address this matter. 
Office News



Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!

St. John's will be closed Thursday and Friday.
2020 Commitment Campaign

Please consider your response to God’s generosity in this community and your own life and submit your 2020 pledge online! Please feel free to mail your pledge card in the accompanying envelope or fill out your pledge form online. The EMC Booklet may also be viewed here: EMC Packet. We thank you for your generosity!
St. John's Soup Kitchen
Cold Weather Help For Our Soup Kitchen Guests Is Needed

The Health and Wellness committee, as well as our youth, are collecting toiletries for our Soup Kitchen guests. Here you will find a list of items we are most in need: Toothbrushes, lotions, shampoo. (We are hoping for full size as they are best because they last longer, but the hotel and travel sizes are also useful! If folks can keep in mind, unscented and non-gender-specific is best!)

All may drop off items in the Narthex on Sundays where there is a box marked for our collection, or you may bring it in during office hours, Monday - Friday. All items must be delivered no later than Sunday, December 8th. Thank you so much for your generosity this holiday season! 
Sunday Forum Offerings!
ECCT Convention Report
Sunday, December 8
Come and find out more about what took place at the annual convention of the Episcopal Church in Connect, as Linda+, Fr. Benjamin, and our parish delegates share their observations and their experiences from their time there.
Holy Land Presentation
Sunday, December 16
The Rev. Linda Spiers, Maggie & Charlie Walden, Sherley Furgueson, and Allison Fresher will share their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and discuss the lasting impressions made upon them.
Celebrations of the Epiphany
Sunday, January 5
In many traditions, including Hispanic cultures and the Eastern Orthodox churches, the celebration of the Epiphany rivals or is even more important than Christmas. Come find out more about the visit of the Three Wise Men, and be ready to break open a festive piñata!
Advent Offerings
Advent Quiet Day
Saturday, December 14th

From 9:30 to 1:30, parishioners are invited to come to Saint John's for a time of quiet and reflection in this season of Advent. After gathering with some coffee, a series of meditations and readings will be offered in the church, interspersed with periods of quiet contemplative prayer. After a celebration of the Eucharist, lunch will be served. 

If you are interested, please email Fr. Benjamin at benjamin@stjohnsessex.org, so we can plan on numbers for the lunch.
Advent Meditation

As part of our deepening engagement with the season of Advent, we would like to send out a daily reflection during the weekdays of Advent which will contain a short meditation on Advent or a scripture passage written by your fellow St. John’s parishioners, AND YOU! This is a way for us to share some of our thoughts and reflections with one another, in a way that we so often don't have a chance to on Sunday mornings.

A sign-up sheet for those interested is located in the Narthex. As a courtesy, the reflection would ideally be submitted a week or so before being sent out. This is something anyone can do! Theology is not merely the work of academics or theology professors.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please email Fr. Benjamin at benjamin@stjohnsessex.org or call the office 860-767-8095. 
Lessons and Carols
Our annual service of Lessons and Carols will take place on December 8, at 4 pm, and we hope you will invite your friends and neighbors and plan to be with us again this year. Once Thanksgiving is past, everything tends to "speed up," and we all get very busy during the month of December. It's important to make time to hear the Scripture, sing the old familiar carols, and begin the season in the right way. As is our custom, we will be honoring a community organization, and this year, it is Middlesex Habitat for Humanity. We are thrilled to have readers who volunteer for Middlesex Habitat for Humanity as well as, staff, board members, and a homeowner!

Richard Pittsinger says he will be back from Julliard to sing for us, and Phred is preparing an original arrangement of a well-beloved carol. The choir has started practicing, and we hope the Holy Family and the three Kings will be there, too. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall, and there will be plenty of time to greet our neighbors and make some new friends.

Please mark your calendar for December 8 at 4 pm., and join us for Lessons and Carols. It's a St John's tradition, and it wouldn't be the same without you!
Lessons and Carols Reception Help

This year's annual Lessons and Carols is Sunday, December 8. The service will begin at 4 PM, and directly following the service, there will be a reception in the Parish Hall hosted by Paulette Rider and Darlene Ferris. They are looking for other volunteers to help with bringing in platters for hors-d'oeuvres and with set up and clean up. You may contact Paulette Rider, 860-575-1625 or riderpaulette@gmail.com. 
St. John's Greeters!
St. John's has the opportunity to participate in good cheer and fellowship by being a part of the Essex House Tour on Saturday, December 7th, from 12 PM - 4 PM. The Essex House Tour brings in hundreds of visitors, and it's the perfect opportunity to welcome folks into our home. We hope our resident Sunday Greeters, and anyone interested in signing up to welcome folks who would like to learn about us and what we have to offer by having two or three greeters in the Parish Hall.

There will be a tri-fold that you can hand out that will have a little bit of our history and upcoming advent and Christmas programming and services. If you would like to sign-up, please contact Chelsea DiDonato at chelsea@stjohnsessex.org or 860-767-8095 ext. 10, and we will also have a sign-up sheet in the Narthex. 
St. John's Giving Tree
By Paulette Rider

Our Giving Tree is currently in the Narthex!

We are hoping for a total of about 80 children this year due to our helpful elves at St. John's, and folks outside of our St. John's community who even tracked me down to donate! 

We have fifty-five gift tags (given by Child and Families (DCF) on the Tree, each with the name of a child plus three Wish List ideas. There are also twenty-five tags (given by Essex Social Services) for $25 gift cards from Walmart, which is the special request by the Essex Social Services Department for the children in town. These will not have names on them. 
Please select a tag and purchase a gift or gift card for the intended recipient. Then, enter the tag number and your name and phone number on the sign-up sheet beside the Tree.

PLEASE DO NOT WRAP the gift with paper and tape --please USE GIFT BAGS!! This allows DCF to check the contents without disturbing the beautiful wrapping. Attach the tag to the gift bag when you bring the gift in so that we will know who should get it.  

The cards from Walmart for Essex should not be wrapped – just put them in the marked bag in the Narthex along with the numbered card you chose.

Please return the gifts to the Church no later than Sunday, December 8th!
Children & Youth Ministry
How To Sign-Up!
To sign-up or to learn more information, please contact
Becky Honan at
eduction@stjohnsessex.org , 860-857-3091, or leave a message with Chelsea in the office.
CONFIRMATION CLASSES
St. Ann's Old Lyme, February 23 - Bishop Visitation: Confirmation Service I Calling all 8th graders and up!! It is Confirmation time! The Rev. Benjamin Straley, Becky Honan, and Andrea Bednarz are joining forces and have put together a preparation program that should prove to be both fun and informative.
The Confirmation service will be held at St. Ann’s Old Lyme on February 23rd during their Bishop visit. All six preparation classes will take place at St. John’s at 10:00 a.m. on dates to be announced. For more information please contact Benjamin, Becky, or Chelsea (if you haven’t already) to say, “sign me up!”

If adults are interested in becoming members of the Episcopal church or in reaffirming their baptismal vows, please contact Linda at linda@stjohnsessex.org or call the office, 860-767-8095. The book we'll be using is Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices.
Local Outreach and Regional Events
Habitat for Humanity: Future Habitat Build by David Evangelisti

Jonathan's calling to be South Dakota's 11th Bishop has ignited a spark in me to learn more about South Dakota and Native American culture. While attending his consecration, I had the privilege of meeting wonderful folks who share my passion for the Habitat for Humanity mission. They also expressed their excitement in wholeheartedly welcoming Jonathan as their new Bishop.

Let's share in the excitement by establishing a work team to help with a Habitat project during the summer 2020 for those in need of a hand-up on the Rosebud Reservation.

The Rosebud Episcopal Mission is on the Rosebud Reservation, which along with the Pine Ridge Reservation, are the most impoverished counties in our country. I will organize the project with The Rev. Dr. Lauren Stanley. Mother Lauren is Superintending Presbyter for the Rosebud Episcopal Mission (West) and Vice President of the local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.

Stay tuned for dates/details. If you have an interest in joining the team, please contact David Evangelisti at 860 767 2075 or email: dage154@aol.com.
 
A special thanks to Jonathan for always leading us to opportunities that put God's Words into Action; "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Online E-News Sign-Up

The Southeast Region of ECCT has its own monthly newsletter. Stay in the know of what's happening in your region!
Did you miss last week's E-Epistle?
If so, click the link below to catch up and not miss anything significant happening at St. John's!

Or to find out where you are on the service schedule!

You can also check out this week's lectionary readings!

To check out past sermons!
St. John's Episcopal Church Calendar
St. John's Episcopal Church Schedule
Sunday, December 1
Holy Eucharist: 8:00 AM
Holy Eucharist: 9:00 AM
Intergenerational: Advent Wreath Making: 10:00 AM
Holy Eucharist: 10:45 AM

Tuesday, December 3
Blood Pressure Screening: 4:30 PM
Soup Kitchen: 5:00 PM
Budget Meeting: 6:30 PM

Wednesday, December 4
Holy Eucharist: 9:00 AM
Shoreline Clergy @Clinton U.M.C: 12:00 PM
Contemplative Prayer: 5:00 PM

Thursday, December 5
Staff Meeting: 1:00 PM
Choir Rehearsal: 7:00 PM

Saturday, December 7
Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary): 9:00 AM
Men’s Discussion Group: 9:00 AM
Essex House Tour: 12:00 - 4:00 PM

Sunday, December 8
Holy Eucharist: 8:00 AM
Coffee Hour: Directly following the service
Holy Eucharist: 9:00 AM
Forum: ECCT Convention Report: 10:00 AM
Holy Eucharist: 10:45 AM
Light Lunch directly following the service
Christmas Lessons and Carols: 4:00 PM
Reception for Lessons and Carols directly following the service