Thursday, October 12, 2023

St. John's Mission Statement

St. John's is a Christian community that intentionally gathers 

to experience God's love through Episcopal worship, education,

fellowship, and ministry to the wider community.

Prayer Service this Evening

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit

may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed,

all people may live in justice and peace. We pray now for peace

among the nations, and especially for the people of Israel and Palestine.

Guide us all into the way of justice and truth, and establish among us

that peace which is the fruit of righteousness,

that all people may live and flourish in the world you have created.

All this we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Collect for Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us,

that we may continually be given to good works;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Readings for Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 25:1-9

Psalm 23

Philippians 4:1-9

Matthew 22:1-14

Worship Booklet for Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday Liturgy Schedule

9:00am with Organ/Choir and Sunday School

Coffee and Fellowship to follow

11:00am with Contemporary Music

All are welcome to attend!

Altar Flowers for 2023

The altar flowers for Sunday, October 15, 2023 are given by Wilma Hunter 

in celebration of Jeane, Marianne, and Wilma’s birthdays.

Our 2023 Altar Flower sign-up is available in the Narthex. If you are not able to sign up in person, please contact the office to see if your desired date is available. If you donate online, please contact Maria with your dedication: maria@saint-johns.org

Suggested donation is $40.00.

Transportation to Church

Do you need a ride to church on Sundays?

Would you be willing to pick up a parishioner who lives in your proximity?

If "Yes" to either question, please contact the parish office at 619-422-4141 or

info@saint-johns.org.

Churches everywhere celebrate the second Sunday in October as Clergy Appreciation Day. At the 9:00 a.m. service last Sunday, Rev. Roger was honored with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and showers of love from the people of St. John’s. He gave heartfelt thanks and said, “There is nowhere I would rather be.”

The entire month of October is Clergy Appreciation Month, so we all have opportunities to tell Rev. Roger that we are blessed to have him lead us.

This Sunday, October 15th, we kick-off our

2024 Stewardship Pledge Campaign. We are intertwined by faith and Rooted in the Abundance of God’s blessings.

2024 Stewardship Pledge Campaign

2024 Budgeted (preliminary) Expenses   $352,478

2024 Budgeted Net Income from ECS  - $177,736

2024 Stewardship Pledge Income Goal:   $174,742

Stewardship Reflections:

Each week, we will have the opportunity to hear from parishioners during our Sunday liturgy and written in our E-Newsletter about the ways we a made generous by being Rooted in Abundance of the blessings and grace of God.

Stewardship Pledge Campaign Receptions:

We will gather at parishioner’s home to socialize and celebrate the abundance of God’s blessings in our lives. It is God’s abundant blessings that allow us to generously minister to the needs of the members of our parish and those of the surrounding community.

• Tom Brzeczek: Friday, October 20th at 6:00pm
• Gregg and Elizabeth King: Sunday, October 29th at 4:00pm
• Lynn Young: Wednesday, November 8th at 1:00pm
• Jeff Bates and Rev Roger Haenke: Sunday, November 19 – Nale Hall at 10:00am 

            (Between services)

Click here for Stewardship Pledge Card

Stewardship Reflection

I had a good friend, Kathy Barnes, who lived to almost 100. She imparted a lot of wisdom, and she liked to say that everyone, at some point in their life, should help to build a church. But not necessarily hammering two-by-fours or paying for the nails.

We have a large building, but our congregation is small. We have lost many people who have moved away or passed away. (This is common throughout the country now.)

But we are mighty! 

We have an abundance of caring, welcoming, and generosity, for example the Thanksgiving bags and the 40 Items-in-40 Days campaigns. We give generously because we have received abundantly. Think back to the beginning of the pandemic. It seemed like the end of the world was coming, didn’t it? We all saw our world shrink. Some of us were confined to small quarters. We coped, did without, rearranged our priorities.

Look at what we have accomplished in the last year. We built a magnificent columbarium with landscaping, celebrated 100 years in Chula Vista, honored our organist who has been with us for fifty years, invited our neighbors in to share music and ice cream.

“Rooted in Abundance”.   We give abundantly because God has been good to us.

Others before us built the church up. Now it is our great joy and opportunity to help build St. John’s out, to share what we love about it and encourage others to join us.

Diane Gustafson

Celebrating Latino/a/x - Hispanic Heritage Month

By: Rachel Ambasing, EDSD Multicultural Missioner

Last Thursday, I attended “La Misa in English” at St. John’s, Chula Vista, where over 40 people of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds spanning several generations gathered in St. John’s Nale Hall. La Misa in English is a monthly gathering designed particularly for the predominantly Latino/a/x- Hispanic neighborhood in which St. John’s is planted.

Each La Misa in English service is centered around a theme, celebration, or saint. Past celebrations have centered around San Pedro y San Pablo (Saints Peter and Paul) and Santa Maria la Virgen (the Virgin Mary). For October, St. John’s La Misa celebrated Hispanic Heritage in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Read More

Join us for our next La Misa in English

celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

on Thursday, November 2nd at 6:00pm.

Please bring a pumpkin or two to church this Sunday!

Items Needed for Blessings in a Bag

Supplies are needed for those who go without food or shelter. Please Click Here for all the items needed.

Outreach Collections

We will continue our ongoing collections for:

• New Blankets - Domestic Violence Shelters (Denise Czer and Linda Dennehy)
• Eyeglasses
• Greeting Cards - ECS HeadStart (Judy McKay)
• Clean, Gently Used Blankets - Dreams for Change
• Emergency Food Pantry - South Bay Community Services (Maria and Joe Love)
• Blessings in a Bag - For our neighbors who live in need. Click here for a list of items you can donate to fill the bags.
• Gently Used Clothing - Men's, women's and children's 

Items may be brought to Nale Hall on Sundays when we gather for worship.

You may also bring your items to the church during our weekday office hours,

Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm.

If you are not able to bring them, please contact the parish office, and we will pick up the items from your home.

St. John's Outreach Committee meets monthly to discuss our parish Outreach activities.

Please click on the following link for more information on our Outreach collection activities:

Outreach Ministries of St. John's

Prayers and Squares: The Prayer Quilt Ministry

St. John's is a member of a national organization called "Prayers and Squares: The Prayer Quilt Ministry".

Prayers and Squares will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month in Nale Hall from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to sew. Participants will be shown how to make simple quilts for our Prayer Quilt Ministry. If you don't sew but would like to be a part of this ministry, there are many other quilt-making steps you can help with.

Please bring your own sewing machine and brown bag lunch. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie Lothspeich.

If you would like to request a Prayer Quilt for anyone in need of prayer and support, please contact Diane Gustafson (diangus15@aol.com) or Maria (maria@saint-johns.org).

This important ministry brings comfort and healing to many people who are suffering with illness.

Wednesday Morning Prayer and Bible Study



Join us for Wednesday Morning Prayer and Bible Study

on Wednesdays at 9:30 am as a Zoom meeting.

Please contact Rev. Roger ( revroger@saint-johns.org)

to be included in the Zoom meeting.

The Morning Prayer guide can be found here:

Morning Prayer, October 18th

Parish Prayer Lists

For our Military

Matt Jensen, Drew Shorkey, Cody Crossland, Cameron Ronie, Chariti Paden, Mark Stanfield, Sean Robinson, Jonathan Martinez, TK Nguyen, Christopher Lindshield, Timothy Lindshield, Jeremy Colton, David Sanchez, Jonathan Baldera, Nick Wyatt, Jamal Warner, Devon Strunk,

Matt Hernandez, Daniel Getreu, Taylor Harrold, Jorge Zuazua, Sebastian Morales, Roberto Chavez, Ryan Lothspeich, Andrew C. Dugger, Dan and Chelsey Nyaradi, Gen. G.J. Heinrich and Pedro Bonilla.

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping 

all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad.

Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; 

strengthen them in their trials and temptations; 

give them courage to face the perils which beset them; 

and grant them a sense of your abiding presence 

wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Strength in Time of Need

Steve Magill, Gary and Shirley McCarren, Ann Lindshield, the McClure family, 

Josey Felts, Barbara Oliveira, Linda Longoria-Neff, Celia Vasquez, Ann and Bill Rogers, 

Alec Hauer, Karen Polk, Penny and Bob Milam, and Nancy Stewart.

O God of heavenly powers, 

by the might of your command you drive away from our bodies 

all sickness and all infirmity: 

Be present in your goodness with your servants, 

that their weakness may be banished and their strength restored; 

and that, their health being renewed, they may bless your holy Name;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Cycle of Prayers for the Church

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the clergy and people of St. Thomas of Canterbury in Temecula.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Anglican Church of Kenya.

In the Military Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Sailors aboard Naval Base Point Loma and Naval Base San Diego.

We Are Here For You!



If you, a family member, neighbor or a friend are interested in celebrating a significant event in your spiritual life, please know that you are welcome.

We would be honored to be a part of your Baptism, Holy Communion, Quinceañera, Marriage, Renewal of Vows or Anointing of the Sick.

At St. John's, no matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey - you are welcome here.

Upcoming Events at St. John's

• October 16th: Men of St. John's Meeting, 6:00pm at the Cheney's home
• October 19th: Daughters of the King Meeting, 9:30 am in the Rev. Al Stott Conference Room
• October 25th: Vestry Meeting, 6pm, on Zoom

Parish Office Hours and Contacts

The Parish Office will be open 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.

Please call the parish office if you have any questions or concerns

(619-422-4141) or email info@saint-johns.org.

Rev. Roger will be in the office on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and all day on Wednesday and Thursday. He is available by appointment. Please call the office to schedule an appointment.

In case of a pastoral emergency, Rev. Roger may be reached on his cell phone at

619-301-0724.

Prayers for Peace

By: Bishop Susan Brown Snook

Over the weekend, the world was shocked and grief-stricken to see the attacks in Israel on unarmed civilians, resulting in many deaths and numerous hostages. Here in the US, I know that many Jews and others were deeply grieved and traumatized by the deaths and the graphic violence shown in videos of the victims, as well as videos of people around the world celebrating the violence that occurred. 

The situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza is deeply complex, as all acknowledge, and a peaceful solution to generations of conflict seems very far away. But there is no excuse for terrorist acts against civilians, and we must offer our prayers for civilians held captive and innocent people in danger in this broadening conflict. Read More

Diocesan Convention

This year holds special significance as we are celebrating 50 years as a diocese. We've journeyed together through half a century, carrying forward our faith and mission. Join us for EDSD’s 50th Annual Convention (November 10-11) and reflect on the challenges overcome and victories achieved. Read More

EDSD’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner

Tickets for the 50th Anniversary Dinner at St. Paul’s Cathedral (November 10) are sold on a first come first served basis. Seating is limited.

Buy Tickets Here

Vendors Invited to Convention 

Vendors are invited to join the Diocesan Convention exhibit space on Saturday, November 11th. Register your table here.

Sacred Ground

A new Sacred Ground circle sponsored by EDSD’s Racial Justice and Reconciliation Task Force starts on Wednesday November 8, 3-5 pm. Info session is on Wednesday, October 18, 4-5 pm.

Click here to register.

Church Governance Round Table

On October 21, join leaders on Zoom from throughout EDSD for a dedicated time to discuss important aspects of church governance. This round table will cover benefits, reading monthly financial reports, internal controls, and property insurance. 

Click here to register.

LARK: Localized Anti-Racism Knowledge

This EDSD grown two-day anti-racism workshop focuses on local history and populations and deals with regional issues and stories.

It will take place in-person on October 27 (4-9 pm) & October 28 (9:30 am-4:30 pm) at St. Margaret’s, Palm Desert.

Read More

Cursillo Back to the Mountain Retreat

The Cursillo Back to the Mountain Retreat will be Friday, October 27th through Sunday, October 29th at the Whispering Winds Camp and Conference Center near Julian. This retreat is for those who have already made their Cursillo weekend.  

Click here for more information and to register

Faith to Go Podcast

In this episode, David and Charlette discuss the Gospel for Sunday, October 15th. Listen Here

Preparing for Advent



This Advent and Christmas, The Episcopal Church is offering a number of resources to help you and your congregation share signs of God’s love through the coming of Jesus Christ—the “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Read More

Support Episcopal Relief and Development



Partner with Episcopal Relief & Development to provide support to people affected by the earthquake in Morocco, flooding in Libya, the deadly fires in Hawaiʻi, Hurricane Idalia in Florida, families devastated by war in Ukraine, earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and those affected by climate change.

Visit episcopalrelief.org today to make a contribution

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760 First Ave  Chula Vista, CA  91910

(619) 422-4141 |  info@saint-johns.org | www.saint-johns.org

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