The Bridge
September 3, 2021
The Mission of St. John’s is to be a community of God’s people who heal brokenness, build bridges, and exemplify borderless kindness.
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ST. JOHN’S GATHERING POLICY:
St. John’s requires masks and social distancing
for all indoor worship services and gatherings.
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Austin Public Health is encouraging everyone to wear a mask and stay at home as much as possible. With that in mind, if you are not vaccinated or you are at high-risk because of medical issues, we encourage you to come to the 10:30 service via Zoom. The Zoom link is also provided further down below.
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NOTICE
Parishioners and staff have received yet another phishing scam email purporting to be from Mthr. Minerva. Some people have even received a text message on their phone.
This is a scam. Please know that under no circumstances will the real Minerva Camarena Skeith ever ask you for money or gift cards or even send an email like this asking you for assistance. Additionally, Mthr. Minerva's email address does not end in @gmail.com. Her email address is Revminerva@austinstjohns.org.
Scams like this are unfortunately currently a problem encountered by many churches around the country.
Thanks to those of you who reported this to us. In the future, if you receive an email which doesn't sound "right", please report it to me at Mthr. Minerva. Do not consent to give money or gift cards or any other assistance. You can also help us by reporting that email to Google or whoever you use for email.
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Mother Minerva's Musings
There has been a lot of activity this week at St. John’s campus. We are all getting ready for Bishop Monterroso’s visit. A lot of time and attention has been given to the liturgy. The choir has been practicing, the bulletins have been created, edited, re-edited, and published. The Building and Grounds team have been working hard to make our campus look its best. The sanctuary has been fitted with the proper colors. Even the parish hall got a little sprucing up. Besides all the hard work on getting the parish hall and the sanctuary ready, there has also been work done by several members of our community as they prepare for their sacraments.
All these special preparations are important. The bishop’s visit is a special event for St. John’s. It gives us an opportunity to hear a message from our bishop, have parishioners confirmed, and do a bit of showcasing. I also want to draw attention that this event is not the end unto itself. In a certain way it is an opportunity to begin again. A restart as it were. For some, it is the beginning of a new life in Christ, for others, it is a recommitment to discipleship. It is also an opportunity for all of us to affirm and recommit to our life as disciples. Reaffirming our baptismal vows to continue to grow in love and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Visits from our bishops also call attention to our commitment to one another and to the greater Church. We are reminded that we are connected to other congregations in our diocese, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and the greater Church. The next time you visit the parish hall you will notice that St. John’s founding document is surrounded by the pictures of Archbishop of Canterbury Welby, Presiding Bishop Curry, The Bishop of Texas Doyle, Bishops Suffragan Ryan and Fisher and Bishop Assistant Monterroso. It is a reminder that St. John’s is part of the greater Church and we are all connected to one another in the body of Christ.
On Sunday as we hear the message from Bishop Monterroso and see the candidates be baptized, confirmed, or reaffirmed, let us also recommit ourselves to living out God’s mission to bring about His Kingdom here on earth by loving God with all our hearts and mind and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
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We worship God in a variety of ways. |
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Sunday Service Times
On Sunday, September 5, we welcome Bishop Hector Monterroso. Please join us for our special worship services, and for the fellowship on the lawn after each service.
You are invited to come to the fellowship outdoors if you don't feel comfortable coming to the worship service indoors.
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II (in person and Zoom)
1:00 p.m. Santa Eucaristía, Rito II (en persona y Zoom)
“All funds collected during the offertory will be given to Bishop Monterroso’s discretionary fund, to be used as he determines will best further the mission of the Church and the Diocese of Texas.”
"Clergy Manual of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas"
pp. 6.2-6.3
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To participate in our virtual Sunday services, you do not need to have a Zoom account or download Zoom. Simply click the link to join.
You may also join the service by telephone -
dial (346) 248-7799 and enter the meeting ID when prompted.
Meeting ID: 879 9502 6837
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The Waiting Room is enabled for this event and is monitored by the Host of the day.
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Please note: In order to minimize background noise, everyone except those people who have an active role in the service will be muted. You are invited to put personal prayer requests into the "Chat" to be read at the appropriate time during the Prayers of the People.
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The video recordings of the 10:30 a.m. English service AND the 1:00 p.m. Spanish service will be posted on the St. John's Facebook page, YouTube, and the St. John's website later in the day. Additionally, a recording of the English and Spanish sermons will be available. Links to the recordings will be posted on our website (www.austinstjohns.org).
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Virtual Coffee and Fellowship
Bishop Monterroso will briefly join the virtual coffee "hour" this week to greet those who do not feel comfortable attending in person. Stay on Zoom when the service ends or click on this button to say hello to Bishop Monterroso:
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Bishop Monterroso is coming!
September 5, 2021
10:30 AM (English) 1:00 PM (Español)
Please join us on this festive day for Bishop Monterroso's first visit to St. John's!
Here is the latest information about what’s happening when Bishop Monterroso visits St. John’s on Sunday, September 5:
- We will have two (2) services: 10:30 a.m. in English; 1:00 p.m. in Spanish
- The 10:30 a.m. AND the 1:00 p.m. services will be hybrid (in-person and Zoom); both services and sermons will be recorded and published on our website later that day.
- One person is being confirmed at the 10:30 a.m. service; we will have baptism, confirmation, reaffirmation, and the blessing of a Quinceañera at the 1:00 p.m. service.
- Bishop Monterroso will meet with the candidates prior to each service.
- We will have fellowship outdoors with light refreshments after each service. This is being organized by volunteers, so if you are asked to help, please do so.
- We will have a canned food drive since we can’t have a potluck luncheon.
- The vestry will meet with Bishop Monterroso virtually.
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Being Present to the Moment
"Miracles are unexpected joys, surprising coincidences, unexplainable experiences, astonishing beauties...absolutely anything that happens in the course of my day, except that at this moment I'm able to recognize its special value.
Judith M. Knowlton in
Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much, Anne Wilson Schaef
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St. John's Notices and Activities |
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Bag Tags!
You are welcome to pick up some of our really cute and clever bag tags (thanks, Nancy Mangham!) - they can be used yourself, or give them to kids, grandkids, neighbor's kids.
When the school supplies are delivered to McBee, the remaining tags will go to the school, but we can make more!
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School Supplies for McBee Elementary School
Sunday, September 5 - LAST DAY FOR DONATIONS!
St. John's is participating in a back-to-school supply drive for McBee Elementary School, as we have done for many years.
Please refer to our web site or click on the button below for a list of needed school supplies. We will collect supplies and monetary donations through September 5, 2021.
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Province VII ECW Conference
September 11, 2021
8:45 am - 3 pm
All women in Province VII of the Episcopal Church are invited to this conference either in person or by streaming. Come and be filled with the Holy Spirit as we share our stories and ideas regarding women’s ministries in the Episcopal Church.
Click on the image to see more information and register.
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Christian Formation at St. John's |
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Lectionary Bible Study - Zoom
Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
All are invited to join our study of the assigned lectionary for the following Sunday.
Please click this button to access the class.
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Thursday Morning Bible Study - Hybrid
Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
To participate in person, join us at 9:55am in the Parish Hall. To participate virtually, enter Zoom meeting number 821 5253 7149 in the Zoom app or follow this link to enter the waiting room for the meeting Thursday Morning Bible Study - Zoom.
St. John's Gathering Policy:
- Masks are required for all indoor gatherings.
- No food or drink in the buildings.
- No masks if you are at home zooming!
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(please refer to our website www.austinstjohns.org or to the Christian Formation email sent every Tuesday for more information and links)
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Wednesday Morning Grounds Keepers
Berm attack 2! Continuing the effort to get our campus ship shape, our intrepid Weed Warriors Patty Arnold and Sandy Welles have removed all the weeds from the Labyrinth and straightened the stones damaged during the return of the Ice Age last winter. Thanks to all the hard working volunteer groundskeepers! Hal Hughes, Familia Cobos, Wayne Harry, Mike Davis, Margaret Beare, Scott Hiers, Patty Arnold, Sandy Welles, Henry Welles, Don Robertson. If you have questions about this ministry, please contact Hal Hughes (click on the name to send an email).
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Labyrinth Community Garden
We are coming to the end of the Spring/Summer growing season for the garden. In this in-between time, gardeners are beginning to clear out the remnants from the summer harvest and prepare their plots for the Fall/Winter season. We’ll slowly be progressing from tomatoes, beans, squash, and okra to carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and greens. So far this year, we have contributed 45 pounds of veggies to the food pantry. (Would have been more except for the February freeze that wiped out all the cool season crops that were almost ready to be harvested).
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In the common areas of the garden, the pergola is festooned with bright yellow luffa gourd flowers (and several gourds). Once the gourds turn brown, we’ll harvest and then peel them. If you want your very own Labyrinth Garden luffa sponge, let me know. We should have plenty. The scent garden is gorgeous right now and full of bees and butterflies. There are chocolate daisies (they really do smell like chocolate), lavender, African Blue basil, roses, and salvia. The pollinator bed along the fence is also in bloom with milkweed, lantana, mealy blue sage, and other native wildflowers. |
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If you are interested in obtaining a bed for you and your family, please contact Patty Arnold (click on the name to send an email).
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Office Volunteers
Thanks to our Office Volunteers, the Parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-12pm.
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The Episcopal Diocese of Texas |
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A Weekend Retreat with C.S. Lewis
Dates: December 3-5, 2021.
Join us at Camp Allen, amid the piney woods near Houston, as we “feed on the truth” of the Psalms, with C.S. Lewis as a guide.
Enjoy a respite with friends, old and new, with good food and laughter, learning, and community. Be inspired by Gregory Cootsona, Andrew Lazo, Holly Ordway, Matthew Clark, and others as they give us insight into the truth, goodness, and beauty in the Psalms, so that we might apply these lessons to our own spiritual journeys.
Don’t miss this unique experience of faith, reason, and imagination in the company of friends! For more information or to register (early registration ends September 14), click here:
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Observance of the
20th Anniversary of
September 11, 2001
Trinity Church Wall Street invites all who are seeking solace around the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to join us for A Time and Space for Remembrance and Healing from Friday evening, Sep. 10, to Sunday evening, Sep. 12. In 2001, St. Paul’s Chapel, part of Trinity Church Wall Street, served as a relief mission for recovery workers at Ground Zero for nearly a year after the buildings fell. (click on the green link to access more information)
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"Eternal God, hear our prayer for the peoples of Afghanistan. There is a profound humanitarian crisis. Countless people, mostly women and children, are now fleeing and vulnerable. The lives of many are now endangered. The hopes of many are forgone. Send your Spirit, Lord, to rally the resolve of the nations of the earth to find pathways to save human lives, protect human rights, and to resolve the hardships of those seeking refuge, asylum, and safety. Hear our prayer for the peoples of Afghanistan. This we pray as followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen."
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs
Posted Aug 17, 2021
"Contact your representatives to ask them to press the Biden administration to implement new reforms to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program to process these visas as quickly as possible and designate Afghans facing danger in the country as P-1 priorities for refugee resettlement. Although the scope of this challenge is large, our members can contribute to the broad voices asking Congress and the administration to do well by our allies and bring them to the United States to honor their service."
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NOTE: If you are interested in exploring ways that St. John’s can serve Afghan refugees, please contact Deacon Victoria (click on the name to send an email).
For other ways to support The Episcopal Church’s efforts to resettle and provide direct assistance to our Afghan allies, please visit Support our Afghan Allies
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Episcopal Relief & Development
Hurricane Ida Relief
On Sunday, August 29, sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Ida made landfall in the same region. This Category 4 storm brought flooding and damaging winds that caused a loss of water to hundreds of thousands and a loss of electricity to over 1 million people. Episcopal Relief & Development is working closely with the Diocese of Louisiana and other regional partners in what will be a long-term response. Your generous gift will help alleviate suffering for the most vulnerable residents impacted by Hurricane Ida. Please visit Hurricane Ida Relief Fund to make a gift today.
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COVID-19 Related Information |
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Austin-Travis County is currently in Stage 5
Austin Public Health (APH) has published a color-coded chart to help residents of Austin-Travis County understand the stages of risk and provide recommendations on what people should do to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gathering Is Discouraged
Cases and hospitalizations continue to increase in Travis County as new variants, such as the Delta variant, spread throughout the community. For Stage 5, High-risk vaccinated people as well as for partially vaccinated and unvaccinated people, private indoor gatherings are not recommended at all, with or without masks.
As we obtain more information about the variants, we will update the recommendations.
Full recommendations and to see the new Risk-Based Guidelines charts regarding actions for vaccinated and unvaccinated/partially vaccinated individuals please visit the City of Austin COVID-19 website.
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COVID-19 Testing
Anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection. If you get tested because you have symptoms or were potentially exposed to the virus, you should stay away from others pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider.
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Community Notices and Activities |
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Additional COVID Shots (Moderna) - Auro Pharmacy
The CDC has approved an additional COVID shot for cancer patients and immunocompromised people.
Auro Pharmacy is the pharmacy which partnered with St. John's to get about 100 of our members and friends vaccinated against COVID. They have notified us that they are giving this additional shot to eligible people (cancer patients and immunocompromised people) who had the Moderna vaccine. You did not have to receive the Moderna vaccine at Auro Pharmacy to receive this additional shot. There is a questionnaire which must be completed to determine eligibility.
No appointment is necessary - walk ins accepted. There is no charge.
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday - Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
1139 W Braker Lane #102 Austin, TX 78758
(512) 206-3150
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For Prayer and Pastoral Care |
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If you find that your situation is causing financial, spiritual, or emotional difficulties, or if you are in need of food, do not hesitate to call Deacon Victoria (512-297-5953) or email Mthr. Minerva (RevMinerva@austinstjohns.org).
We are a church family; when a family member needs assistance we want to try and help that member.
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St. John's gathering policy continues to be updated as conditions change relative to the COVID pandemic. St. John's holds the health and safety of our community as a top priority.
Your understanding and cooperation are very much appreciated.
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Ms. Paula Foy, Senior Warden
Mr. Hal Hughes, Junior Warden
Ms. Sandra Welles, Treasurer
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Class of 2022
Ms. Paula Foy
Mr. Hal Hughes
Sra. Rosalinda Rodriguez
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Class of 2023
Ms. Jessica Glasebrook, Clerk
Mr. Steve Kriechbaum
Ms. Sandra Welles
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Class of 2024
Ms. Maria Caballero
Sr. Alfonso Hernandez
Ms. Sandra Ward
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The Rev. Minerva Camarena Skeith, Rector
The Rev. Victoria Mason, Deacon
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Ms. Fay Jones, Director of Communications
Mr. Philip Riley, Choirmaster and Organist
Sr. Alfonso Hernandez, Spanish Music
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“All funds collected during the offertory [on September 5, 2021] will be given to Bishop Monterroso’s discretionary fund, to be used as he determines will best further the mission of the Church and the Diocese of Texas.”
"Clergy Manual of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas"
pp. 6.2-6.3
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for other ways to make a donation.
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Stories and Photos for The Bridge
You are invited to send photos and stories about yourself, your family, and our parish for inclusion in The Bridge. As we come back together, let's share our experiences! Please send your ideas, stories, and photos to Fay Jones, (newsletter editor) by 12:00 pm on Wednesdays.
Running event announcements two weeks prior to the date is recommended.
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Fay Jones, Editor (fay@austinstjohns.org) |
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St. John's Episcopal Church
11201 Parkfield Drive
P. O. Box 81493, Austin, TX 78708-1493
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Sunday Services
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I
10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II hybrid (in-person & Zoom)
1:00 p.m. Santa Eucaristía, Rito II
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The Parish Office is open Tuesday through Friday
from 10am - 12Noon.
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For more information about St. John’s Episcopal Church, please visit our website at www.austinstjohns.org
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