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Sunday, July 14 is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost.

Service at 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist with Choir

Find this week's readings in the bulletin.

Block Party in Gloucester Saturday - Come out to the party with St. John's! Saturday, July 13, 6 pm to 10 pm. See the schedule of events.

Landscaping and Yard Work Day THIS SUNDAY, July 14, come to church service in your work clothes and stay a while after to help out! It's St. John's Landscaping and Yard Work Day. Bring tools to clean-up, clean out, and weed. Thanks!

On Sunday, July 21 at 10am, please join St. John's for a special Christmas in July service!

Download the flyer.

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson:

Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,

that we may share in the song of the angels,

the gladness of the shepherds,

and worship of the wise men.

Thanks to all who made

Evening Prayer on

Niles Beach a special and memorable experience this week!

Two more Niles Beach Evening Prayer services are planned, so mark your calendars: Wednesday, August 28 and Wednesday, September 18. We will reschedule in case of rain.

Bring your own food and chair. Fellowship and food begin at 5:30 pm. Evening Prayer will begin at 6:30 pm. All are welcome!

Norm Barr: A Man For All Seasons Undoubtedly you have seen Norm Barr moving around the church on Sundays positioning cameras during the service. As the official videographer for Saint John’s, Norm is the guy who makes sure the Sunday service is live streamed for anyone who cannot attend the service in person. He then spends the rest of the day editing the event, adding text where necessary, and posting the video on YouTube by 10 pm on Sunday night. Anyone in the Cape Ann community can view the entire service, or just the lessons and homily. (It should be noted that Norm purchased the equipment himself and donated it to the church.) Without Norm’s diligence, the Sunday service at Saint John’s would remain within the four walls of the building. This is a special ministry, and one which allows Saint John’s to continue its outreach mission to the community ... Read more here.

Got soup? Even thought it is summer, The Open Door continues to have requests for soup, especially chicken soup. Other items needed include: cooking oil, granola bars, healthy cereal, diapers, and baby wipes. Every bit helps. Many thanks.

St. John's Parking Lot UPDATE:

Thank you, everyone, for your patience as St. John’s works out a new system for using our parking lot!

After July 8, please make note of the following restrictions:

On the Parish Hall side:

1. Spaces numbered 1-6 are available to those who have business INSIDE THE CHURCH BUILDING (including AA and other meetings).
2. Spaces numbered 7-20 are for residential parkers ONLY. Vehicles parked there at any time or day without authorization will be TOWED at the owner's expense.

On the Thrift Shop side:

1. Spaces numbered 39-43 are available to thrift shoppers and regal rummagers Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10-2.
2. When the Thrift Shop is NOT open, those spaces are available for other kinds of church business (including AA and other meetings).
3. Spaces numbered 21-38 are in use most days 9-5, but after 5:00, these spots may be used for church business, (including AA and other meetings).

FOR SUNDAY SERVICES: Park anywhere in the lot EXCEPT spaces 7-20.

AN ILLUSTRATION of the parking lot and which spaces are available when appears below. If you have ANY questions about parking, email Elizabeth. THANK YOU!

Music Notes for Sunday, July 14, 2024

On Sunday, July 14, 2024, David Bergeron will be our organist while I am away from the console. My husband, Kip Ellis, and I, will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, attending the GALA CHORUSES 2024 FESTIVAL, with Coro Allegro (an LGBTQ+Ally choir based in Boston). GALA will have over 7000 participants making up 112 choirs; there will be 200 concerts given in the span of five days. The mission of GALA Choruses is to support, guide, and inspire LGBTQ+ choruses and their allies to leverage the liberating power of singing to create harmony and equity for all. Coro Allegro was given a special invitation to sing on Friday morning, July 12, 2024, at 10:30am at the Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium, which seats 3500 people. Our repertoire for this concert will be: HERE I AM: I AM HERE, a newly commissioned cantata by composer Andrea Clearfield, based on open letters to transgender youth and survivors of conversion therapy, paired with Ronald Perera’s When Music Sounds and Ola Gjeilo’s Luminous Night of the Soul. Thank you for allowing me to attend this extraordinary musical event!

Your Friend,

John Churchwell

Music on the Meetinghouse Green “The Headlands” stars at this Friday’s (July 12) free “Music on Meetinghouse Green,” at the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, right next door. Music starts at 6 pm and plays until 8:30.

This week’s freewill offering will benefit Backyard Growers. Markouk Bread of Gloucester will be onsite with their popular Middle East menu. Alert! The Headlands will perform cabaret-style in the social hall beneath the UU Meetinghouse because the restoration of the Green is not complete!

Christmas in July,

Artisan Craft Fair & Bake Sale

At St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1123 Washington St. in Gloucester, Saturday, July 20, 9 am to 2 pm. This festival will include hand-crafted items by local artisans, freshly baked nisu, (Finnish sweet bread), silent auction, raffles, and more!

Ever wonder why we Episcopalians do what we do?

Preludes and Postludes

Not until this week, did I understand that the prelude and postlude in worship stemmed from a 17th century Dutch tradition of concertizing before and after worship. John Churchwell, our Director of Music sent me a link to an article explaining that during this time church organs were owned by the city council, and organists were hired by the city. The Reformation in the Netherlands, left little room for music in worship, but the Dutch appreciated organ music!! Organs were still in churches from days of Catholicism (before the Reformation) so to accomplish two things at once cities hired organists to play concerts before and after worship. These voluntaries were originally performances outside of worship, not integral offerings as part of our worship. (adapted from Dr. Ben Keseley, Minister of Music ,St. George’s Arlington, VA)

At St. John’s, the prelude sets the tone for what is to follow; inviting worshipers to gather and transition from their busy lives into a sacred place of communion with God and with each other. Before the prelude we greet and re-connect with other worshipers and during the prelude we prepare ourselves for prayer in community with quiet introspection. The prelude is not just background music, but music that is selected with the specific intent of inviting people into worship, preparing us for the consideration of sacred things and is our first act of worship.

Similarly the postlude provides a transition from sacred worship back into our varied lives and activities, equipped with renewed courage, energy, and a commitment to serve God and others, until we are able to meet again, as a community, in worship. It is a loud and enthusiastic “Amen” to worship! At St. John’s we greet one another after we appreciate our Director of Music for pointing us to our Creator who makes all things beautiful and inspires creativity in us all . The last note of the postlude is a sacred bridge that ushers us back into the world to live out our calling as children of God. I invite you to LISTEN to our preludes and postludes!! - Marya

July 14, 2024

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, 10:00 AM

Download the bulletin to see who is participating in the liturgy.

SIGN-UP IN THE PARISH HALL! We always need people to contribute funds for the weekly burning of our sanctuary lamp and for altar flowers. Pick a date that has special meaning for you (anniversaries, birthdays, etc.)! We also always need donations of any kind for the Open Door food bank (no expired items or glass containers please). And don't forget about helping provide lunches for the Action Shelter so people can have something to eat on Sundays!

Sign up in the parish hall for future dates for flower and lamp, Action Sandwiches and coffee hour.



CONTACT MARYA (Priest-in-Collaboration) at mdecarlen@comcast.net or 978-590-1642

Join us for Zoom Coffee Hour, aka Reliable Joy! 

Reliable Joy meets Sundays at 12:30. 

Use this Zoom link to join in. Meeting ID: 873 3272 1412

Passcode: 01930 Dial by location: 1 646 558 8656

WEEKLY CALENDAR

Sundays               

• 8:30 - 9:15 am Choir rehearsal (Sept. through June)
• 10:00 am Sung Eucharist

Mondays             

• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 9-noon Ms. Fixits Women gathering to tend to the fabric of the church

Tuesdays

• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 4:30 pm Women's Cursillo Reunion Group (1st and 3rd Tuesdays)

Wednesdays

• 7 am Men's Bible Reflection, (Bible study) 
• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 10 am to 2 pm Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage Open
• 7 pm Fish City AA

Thursdays    

• 9-noon Church open for prayer and meditation
• 7 - 8:30 pm Parish Choir rehearsal (Sept. through June)
• 7:00 pm AA

Fridays

• 10 am to 2 pm Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage Open

Saturdays             

• Action Shelter Lunch-Making, Carolyn Stewart
• 10 am to 2 pm Thrift Shop and Regal Rummage Open
• 7 pm Big Book AA 

St. John's Intercession List: Ondine, Don Baker, Mandy, Nina Ziv, Marjorie Frontiero, Rita Peritore, Hope, Brie-Anne Martel, Patty Reed, Marjorie Fergusson, Laurie Menard, Jeremy, Lucy, The King Family, The Thompson Family, Gaëlle K., Sean G., Josh R., Sean, Alexis Morris, Charlie Bishop, Lyn Brakeman, Sarah Clifford, Ace Torrence and Family, Jacoby, Jay Featherstone, Isabelle Higgins, Christopher Antonuk, Miranda Featherstone and Family, Marsha White, Claire Stahler, Carole Secrest, Chris Klosterman, Sereda Feener, Lynn Runnells, Alex Furth, Simeon Teitelbaum, Miriam Teitelbaum,  Len Berry, Ellen, Wayne Martin, Ernie Runnells, Jack Ketchopulos, Michael Rocha, Liana and Joe Webb, Anne Sullivan, Linda, Malcolm Henderson, Emelia Currier, Danny, John Fleming. 

Contact prayer list manager: Joan Gorga 978-283-5926 or jmgorga@yahoo.com

Please notify Joan Gorga if there is any change with the people on this list. Thank you.