"To know Christ and to make Him known . . . "
The Chalice
The Weekly Sunday Bulletin of St. John’s Episcopal Church 
May 14, 2023

“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.”

John 14: 18


Such a comforting message that Jesus gives his disciples in this week’s Gospel! “I will not leave you orphaned.” Comforting even as we yearn for stability. Please don’t change. Please don’t go. We hope that our loved ones will be with us forever and we dread the day that they will no longer be at our physical side.


The disciples were being given a message that must have been churning in their stomachs. Jesus is leaving them. What will they do now? All they understood about how to follow him was through his physical presence.


I remember when I lost my father. It felt like the bottom of my life just fell.  What will I do now? And so, I became ever so protective of my mother. No, I can’t lose you! We traveled back and forth to Rochester so often to make sure mom was ok. That she was still there.  And yet, she too died less than five years after my father.


We live in a world where many of us feel and experience the uncertainty of each day. Uncertainty and impermanence are always real. Yet, we long for something that is unmovable yet lifegiving. We are given that in this week’s Gospel. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” This is how you are being called to live and love. Not holding tight, but sharing that love.


Jesus’ farewell discourse takes place at the last supper the night before he knew he’d be crucified. He is preparing his disciples for their loss. He prepares us also. How to live into the uncertainty of the days ahead when we feel so alone and abandoned.


But the good news is that we have not been abandoned. When Jesus tells his disciples “I will not leave you as orphans! I will come to you,” he is acknowledging their vulnerability and reminds them that they are never alone. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”  Jesus has sent the Comforter, the Intercessor, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit.


When I travel to my birth home in Rochester now, I am not able to be in the physical presence of my own mother, and yet there are always the signs of her presence among us – my siblings and extended family, our old home – still occupied by a family member, my grandmother’s home where we picnicked and worked in the garden. I can smell mom in the flowers and freshness of the air around me.


We celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday. It is also a day when we think about all the people who have loved us and who we have loved in return. For the many of us who feel vulnerable – perhaps lost in a motherless world, be reminded that we all have an Advocate and Comforter.


“O Love, that will not let me go”…. You have not been orphaned – not by the Spirit, and not by those in whom the Spirit has made a home!


May we each find our home in You, Lord!


Sharing with you in a love that will not let us go,

Deacon Claire

SUNDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK

The Sixth Sunday of Easter


The Readings

Acts 17:22-31

1 Peter 3:13-22

John 14:15-21

Psalm 66:7-18


Join us for Sunday Worship at 8:00 am and 10:00 am in the church or remotely on Zoom and Facebook.

 

8:00 am - Rite I Holy Eucharist

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83803451202

Facebook Live Stream: https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live_videos/

Bulletin: Rite I Eastertide


9:45 am - Sunday School meets in the Canterbury Corner

2022-23 Sunday School Calendar


10:00 am – Rite II Choral Eucharist

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86739553648

Facebook Live Stream: https://www.facebook.com/stjohns1745/live_videos

Bulletin: Rite II Eastertide


Music

Opening: H516 Come down, o love divine

Gospel acclamation: "Celtic Alleluia"

Offertory anthem: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"

Performed by St. John's Sunday School choir

Communion anthem: "A New Commandment"

Recessional: H657 Love divine, all loves excelling

GARDEN SUNDAY SCHOOL

On Sunday, May 21st at 9:45 am, Sunday School will meet in the Garden of Blessings to learn about being good stewards of God's creation. The children will be planting in the flower beds, so wear clothes that are ok to get a bit dirty. Bring your favorite gloves and gardening tools!

ECW DINNER

Our annual Episcopal Church Women’s dinner will be held on Thursday, May 25th, at 6:00 pm. The E.C.W., which includes all women in our parish, serve the Church in many ways. This dinner is traditionally prepared and served by the men of St. Johns as a way of saying “thank you.”


Our guest speaker this year will be a representative from SCO Family of Services, one of the charities that the ECW supports. SCO Family of Services delivers vital human services to children, families, adults, and the community to provide them with the necessary tools to achieve success.


This evening is a wonderful opportunity for us to be together, enjoy each other’s company over a delicious dinner, and learn about some of the important issues that confront our community. Come join us for an evening of fun and fellowship and bring a friend!


Please RSVP by May 22nd. Reservations can be mailed to St. John’s, or dropped off in the Great Hall after Sunday services. Please include payment of $25.00 per attendee.


ECW DINNER RSVP FORM


Contact Carol Goldbaum, President of St. John’s ECW, for more information at ecw.st.johns.huntington@gmail.com.

ASCENSION DAY EVENSONG

Please join us at St. John's for Evensong, an ancient traditional Anglican/Episcopal service of evening prayers, psalms, biblical readings and canticles, chanted in a choral setting. Please join us Thursday, May 18th at 7:00 pm in the church.

 

All are welcome! Join us to pray for our broken world in need of healing, through the gift of music!

BIBLE STUDY

Bible Study meets regularly Mondays at 6:30 pm on Zoom.

 

Monday Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83373971746


We are finishing up Jonah this week. We will begin our study of Amos on Monday, May 22nd. Books are available for purchase through the Parish Office or online: The Message of Amos.

EPISCOPAL MINISTRIES ANNUAL APPEAL

You’re invited to join with Episcopal Ministries of Long Island to bring the love of Christ “from the pew to the public square” by investing in parish-based ministries right now during their Annual Appeal. In the past year, parish-based ministries have served over 115 thousand meals, volunteered for nearly 20 thousand hours, and reached 25 thousand neighbors in need with financial support from Episcopal Ministries. 


During this appeal, you can play a vital role in equipping this network of ministries to serve even more of our siblings in Christ in the coming year by making a gift before May 21st. Your gift right now helps to ensure that parishes in our diocese can respond with compassion to the needs of their neighbors. Your support transforms parishes, transforms lives, and transforms our diocese into the Body of Christ across Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. Please, make your gift today at episcopalministries.org/donate . Thank you for your generosity. 


Giving envelopes will be available this Sunday on the table at the back of the church.

THRIFT SHOP

The Thrift Shop is open regularly on Tuesday, Thursdays & Saturdays, 12 - 3 pm.

 

To volunteer or find our more, please contact Mary Beth Dieterle, (631) 427-1752, ext 106.

 

Donations welcome. We accept donations of new or gently used clothing, accessories, and household items. Please no books, furniture, out-dated electronics, or damaged items.

2023 PILGRIMAGE TO IONA, SCOTLAND

Pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona, Scotland

September 29-October 8, 2023


IONA WELCOMES ALL! Come you of great faith and you who struggle with faith; you who believe and you who doubt; explorers and questioners, adventures and contemplatives! Experience Iona without expectation. Let the sacred isle uncover what you need to see and reveal what you need to hear!


For more information or questions please contact the Pilgrimage Leader, Leslie Valentine: Phone: (516) 815-1169; Email: leslieval@aol.com.


Iona 2023 Brochure

 

Iona 2023 Registration Form

MORNING PRAYER

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 occasionally 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.


Join us via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86041146543

REGULAR MINISTRY MEETINGS

Prayer Shawl Ministry - 1st Thursday of each month at 6 pm in the Guild Room. Contact Noelle DeLoreno or Lynn Hansen.


Racial Reconcilitation & Social Justice Minsitry - 4th Wednesday of each month on Zoom. Contact Heather Kress.


Spirituality Group - 2nd Thursday of each month at 5 pm in the Guild Room. Contact Patti Aliperti.


St. Hilda's Guild (Sewing & Crafting) - Weekly on Tuesdays, 12:30 - 3 pm in the Guild Room. Contact Sue Hartman.

PRAYER CONCERNS FOR ST. JOHN'S

We pray for Faith, Patrick, Eric, Anita, Chaya, Valerie, Anna, Denise, Dan, Gladys, Richard, Barbara, Edward, Christine, Brooke, Cassandra, Valerie, Edith, Cole, Luke, Danielle, Steve, Amy, Kate, Cheryl, David, Irene, Leslie, Brandon, Shelley, Melissa, Caitlin, Patti, Sandra, Skip, Ethan, Hal


We pray our departed mothers: Florence Stennes, Dorothy Quinn, Frances Herberger, Margaret Sabella, Elizabeth McCarthy, Irene Butler, Tenny Schwefel, Bernetta "Bunny" Roberts, Carlotta Madhoo, Nina Joyce Chin, Ida Sutherland, Dorothy Wagner, Marjorie Bienz, Kay Gorman, Bertha Lasek, Natividad Roman, Ann Vaccaro, Edith Seymour, Vaughan Spilsbury, Leigh Hanson,


Please send your prayers or updates to prayers@stjohns1745.org or call Coral in the Parish Office, 631-427-1752, ext. 101.

St. John's Episcopal Church

12 Prospect Street

Huntington, New York 11743

(631) 427-1752

stjohns1745.org


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