INCLEMENT WEATHER

St. John's Church & School follow (MCPS) Montgomery County Public School regarding late openings,

early closings, or closures due to inclement weather.

MCPS communicates closings and delays via several outlets, including local news media.

In the event of inclement weather on a Sunday morning,

an ALL parish email will be sent out prior to service.

Grace and peace,

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

But in here it is so delightful

And since we’ve no place to go

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Admittedly, some people love winter weather, and others not so much. Six days of the week the decision to be open or closed is made by our school system, the federal or local government, or our employer. Sunday is another question; do we venture out in the winter weather to attend worship, or do we cocoon in our homes with the “church of the holy comforter”? 

Generally, St. John’s follows the same policy as our local school system; when MCPS closes the schools, the church is also closed. Sunday is different. On Sunday a decision to close and not hold worship will be made and communicated to the parish by 9pm Saturday. An email will be sent to all households, and a Facebook post will be on the church social media page. Included in the email will be a link to a Zoom meeting where we will gather digitally at 8am and 10:30am to offer prayers and praise to God. We ask that the scheduled readers log in to the Zoom session so that they can read the assigned Scripture for that day.  

Even amidst the storms and snow, or especially amidst the storms and snow, it is important that we gather in community, even if community is digital and not in-person. We should also consider how are we reaching out to our neighbor in times of storms and snow. The photo below appeared on my social media with the admonition “don’t be that person”. Was the intent to chide the person who did not shovel their steps? Or was this barb directed at the person who did not help their neighbor by doing just a little bit of extra shoveling?  



Our lives as Christians are lived fully in community, and sometimes that means a little extra shoveling, or an extra meal, or a card, or any manner of help. Reaching out to someone with a phone call during a snow storm might just be the warm fire that is so delightful. 

Live in community, be in community, and “don’t be that person”. And please, if snow falls, do join us via Zoom for prayers and praise. And if there is someone in our community who does not receive regular emails from the church, please help them get signed up so they don’t miss any opportunities to participate in our St. John’s community.

Peace

Fr. Henry+

"Inside Out" Movie Night

THIS Sunday January 12th at 4pm

Join us to watch the movie, " Inside Out". As we prepare our hearts and minds for our Day of Service on Sunday, January 19th recognizing that ALL emotions, not just happiness, are important to our well-being. It's okay to go through challenging times, as difficult emotions are a part of life.