The Weekly Sunday Bulletin of St. John’s Episcopal Church |
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Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
(I Cor. 12:4-11)
Epiphany is a season that manifests the divinity of Jesus. It starts with the recent birth of Christ in the coming of the Magi on the day of the Epiphany. Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus as a young boy in the temple. The Baptism of our Lord was observed on the Sunday after Epiphany. The gospels for the other Sundays of the Epiphany season describe the wedding at Cana, the reading of Isaiah in the temple by Jesus, and the opposition to Jesus in Nazareth. On February 2nd, we celebrate the Presentation of our Lord in the temple. The Last Sunday after the Epiphany is always devoted to the Transfiguration. Jesus' identity as the Son of God is dramatically revealed in the Transfiguration gospel, as well as the gospel of the Baptism of Christ. We are called to respond to Christ in faith through the showings of his divinity recorded in the gospels of the Epiphany season. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the coming of the Kingdom of God in today’s lesson. He says that you will no longer be forsaken and you will no longer be desolate. This helps bring us from despair to hope in troubled times. You will be blessed and loved by God. So God sent his only Son so that everyone would know that God rejoices over them and brings about righteousness and justice so that we all will know that we are loved and blessed by God.
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).
I ask each member of our congregation to consider your own gifts and to share them with those in need in our community and at St. John’s. Please consider joining our Altar Guild or serving as a reader at St. John’s. You might also consider serving in the Thrift Shop. There are many opportunities such as a Lay Eucharistic Minister or helping out on Buildings and Grounds.
Most of all, we need you to be connected to one another. Joining a small group at St. John’s is healthy for your spiritual life. Praying with a group of folks and walking together in good times and bad is one of the greatest benefits of joining a church community. Morning prayer is at 9am every weekday. Sunday zoom is at 8am and 10am and each service has a coffee hour after the service. Spirituality Group meets every 2nd Thursday. Thrift shop meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 12-3. Racial Reconciliation and Social Justice meets on the last Thursday of this month. Bible Study meets Monday night at 6:30pm and Tuesday at 11:00am. St. Hilda’s Guild meets on Tuesdays at 12pm. EfM meets on Monday nights. We have mission teams to Navajoland in Utah, Puerto Rico, and Border Ministries in Arizona. We are traveling for a spiritual pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland next year. Please use your gifts through a small group, serve on a committee, or pray with us.
In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan
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Second Sunday after the Epiphany |
Join us for Sunday Worship at 8am and 10am in the church or remotely on Zoom and Facebook.
8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist
NO SUNDAY SCHOOL THIS WEEK
10:00 am – Rite II Choral Eucharist
The Readings
The Hymns
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SAFE PRACTICES FOR IN-PERSON SERVICES & EVENTS |
We are so happy to welcome people into the church for in-person worship. As we increase the number of people allowed in the church, we can all do our part to keep ourselves and others safe and healthy:
- Masks are required. Disposable masks are available at the back of the church;
- Social distancing. Please maintain a 6ft distance between your group/family and others;
- Sanitize hands upon entrance. Dispensers are available at the back of the church;
- Prayer books are available at the back of the church;
- Service bulletins and reading inserts are available at the back of the church.
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All are welcome at Morning Prayer. We meet Monday through Friday at 9:00 am via Zoom.
Our short prayer service is followed by some fellowship and discussion. Feel free to join us occassionally to listen and pray, or come more often to participate as a leader or reader, and to start your day with your focus on Christ and a deeper connection with your friends at St. John's.
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Bible Study meets on Mondays at 6:30 pm and Tuesdays at 11:00 am. The topics covered on Monday will also be covered on Tuesday of the same week.
We have begun a new program on Paul's Letter to the Philippians using the writings of N. T. Wright.
More copies of the book, Paul for Everyone: the Prison Letters by N. T. Wright will be available in the Parish Office on Thursday, January 6th. It is also available at amazon.com in paperback or Kindle versions:
We are also referencing an online program, "Paul and His Letter to the Philippians" at Udemy.com. Here is the log in information if you would like to review them before we meet:
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This winter, St. John's is supporting HIHI by collecting Dunkin Donuts gfit cards of $5 or $10 amounts to distribute to homeless in Huntington. If you would like to contribute, you may drop your Dunkin Donuts gift cards off at St. John's, 12 Propect St, Huntington.
We are also collecting men's jeans, sweatshirts, work boots, and winter coats which may be dropped off at St. John's.
HIHI is the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative. In a pre-COVID year, St. John's and other local churches would provide a meal and shelter for homeless in the area on a rotating basis in the winter months.
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ST. FRANCIS IN THE VALLEY |
Mission Trip to Arizona Postponed
Due to the uncertainty of traveling to the border at this time, we have decided to postpone the mission trip until Fall 2022. We are considering a late October or early November trip (after our church fair), hoping for a decline in the virus numbers that we have seen throughout the past two summers and falls.
We will continue the planned five part Lenten program on Tuesdays beginning on March 8th. The Rev. David Chavez, Canon for Border Ministries in the Diocese of Arizona will be our presenter for the series. It will take place on zoom. More to follow.
Kino Border Initiative Newsletter Passages for December:
Next Meeting with St. Francis in the Valley will be in February. Date to follow.
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St. John's Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Please contact Noelle DeLorenzo ( ndelorenzo217@gmail.com) for the Zoom link to join this group. |
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For those who requested giving envelopes, we are sorry to inform you that we just received a notice from our vendor that the giving envelope boxes will not arrive in time for January, 2022. We will let you know when they arrive and are available for pick up.
In the meantime, please continue to give either using prior years' envelopes or plain envelopes. Please be sure indicate your giving number and whether your contribution is for Stewardship, 275th Capital Campaign, Altar Guild or another ministry. You may do this in the memo of your check and on the envelope you use.
If you have any questions, please contact Coral in the Parish Office. |
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2022 STEWARDSHIP THANK YOU! |
Thank you to everyone who has submitted a pledge for 2022! Your stewardship is a commitment to sustaining St. John’s ministry today and going forward. We are so grateful for your pledge.
Please turn in your 2022 pledge card if you have not done so already. Our Joy will increase exponentially as we give of our time, treasure, and talent!
You may also submit your pledge online using our online pledge form. Then beginning in January of 2022 you may send your regular stewardship payments in the mail, leave them in the collection plate on Sundays, or set up automatic, recurring payments online.
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ALTAR FLOWERS & PERPETUAL LIGHT |
If you would like to remember a loved one or give thanks for an important event with altar flowers or Perpetual Light, please complete an Altar Flower Form and return it to the Parish Office with your check made payable to "St. John's Altar Guild."
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PRAYER CONCERNS FOR ST. JOHN'S |
We pray for the sick: Fred, Lynn, Jackie, Manny, Cory, Richard, Barbara, Edward, Christine, Patricia, Alberta, Patti, Tom, Allison, Mike, Gabe, Joann, Patti, Christian, Anthony, Joanne, Harry, Christine, Gabriel, Frank, Theresa, Sue, Spencer, Tom, Stephanie, Matt, Wylie, Susan, Maggie, Ursula, Christina, Bill, Amy, Kate, Cheryl, John Michael, Lauren, Mikey, Marie, Dianne, Ryan, Rich, Preston, Lucy, Irene, Jim, Debra, Rhys, David, Denise, William, Walter, Belle, Jackie, Hal, Ann, Gus, Peter, Diane, David, Irene, Hope, Mike, Michael, Leslie, Jill, Patricia, Doug, Sue, Amelia, Dan
Please to add or remove someone from our prayer list, please email prayers@stjohns1745.org or call Coral in the Parish Office, .
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St. John's Episcopal Church
12 Prospect Street
Huntington, New York 11743
(631) 427-1752
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