| | Weekly Dispatch, February 9th, 2022 |
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| |  | | St. John's Schedule- Catechesis Hour – Sundays at 9:00am before Church
- Holy Eucharist – Sundays at 10:30am at Church and via Zoom
- Evening Prayer and Lectio Divina – Wednesdays at 6:30pm at Church
- Vestry Meeting – Thursday, February 10th, 6:00pm at Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, February 10th, 7:00pm at The Bittaker's
- Annual Meeting – Sunday, February 20th, after Church
- Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, March 2nd, 6:00pm at Church
- Vestry Retreat – Saturday, March 19th, 10:00am at The Archibald's
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | What is the role of the Vestry? On the back of the nomination form for Vestry members there is a lengthy detailed description of both the role and the responsibilities of the Vestry. I highly encourage you to read through this document. Fr. Bryan composed most of the document in the formation of your first Vestry. It patterns well with the book the Vestry read together (The Rector and the Vestry).
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One of the key roles of the Vestry, and perhaps primary in how we approach other areas, is to protect the vision and mission of the church. The timing of our Annual Meeting and the Vision Charette was intentional. We wanted to be inspired towards the future of St. John’s, celebrating what God has done in this place and the areas He seeks to move us forward. As we gain a sense of direction and movement by the Spirit among us, we are trusting in Him with our decisions.
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The Anglican form of governance is chiefly representational. You elect Vestry members who are called to represent you in making decisions that best uphold the direction of the church. Serving on the Vestry is a call. We believe the LORD calls people in all sorts of vocations and realms of service. The Holy Spirit, indwelling all baptized believers, uses His people to accomplish His purposes. This does not mean we can’t make mistakes, but again, we entrust our decisions to the LORD who is our true wisdom and helper in all things.
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As you discern who you would want to serve on your Vestry, begin with prayer. As often as you pray, pray for your church. Pray for God to do wondrous things and open yourself to the Spirit who desires you to be drawn in deeper fellowship with His Church. He desires, by His grace, to birth within you His fruit and gifts not for yourselves but for the Gospel to move forward to all people. He has called each of us, and I pray He will deepen your calling with St. John’s Anglican Church.
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If you would like to support St. John's during this time, you can give online by clicking the button below. You may also send a check to the following address:
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PO BOX 36591, CANTON OH 44735
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| Of First Importance by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." The Church in Corinth was a very complicated place and faced issues not unlike what the American/Western Church is dealing with today. St. Paul addressed these issues by bringing them back to what is “of first importance.” Thankfully, it is what the present Church needs to hear too. What is of first importance and why does it matter?
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|  | | Join us every second and fourth (usually) Thursday night for our Eagle and Child reading group! This is a group that meets to discuss and apply classic works in Christian theology from the likes of Lewis, Augustine, Bonhoeffer, and other important authors. Currently, we are reading The Love of Wisdom by Andrew Davison to discuss the history of philosophy as it relates to Christian theology and practice. |
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 | | Cana Vox is a discussion group that meets every other Friday where those, married or unmarried, who support a classical understanding of marriage can explore the controversial issues in a calm, deliberative setting that is not subject to the hostilities often found in today's public discourse on the topic. We seek to discuss thoughtful and gospel-oriented responses to the confusion surrounding marriage in our culture. |
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| | Catechesis| Adults: We continue our focus on the creeds of the Church. What are we professing every week and why does it matter? Join us every Sunday at 9am for a time of rich conversation, engaging teaching, and the coffee is on us! |
Children: Our children began a new catechetical approach called Gospel Play. Our children are focusing on the parables of Jesus where they are catching the revelation of Christ, what He came to do, and what His Kingdom is like. It is a highly interactive approach to catechesis, and we invite all children to participate! |
| | Annual Meeting| Why do churches hold annual meetings? What’s the point? The Annual Meeting is designed to empower you, as a member to give questions, concerns, voice, and even vote for certain matters in the church. All are welcome to attend, but only members are allowed to vote. We will give more details on membership in future dispatches, but all members should mark their calendars for February 20th after church. We will provide childcare too. The meeting should not last more than an hour. One of the major items on the agenda is voting for two new Vestry members. More information on nominating Vestry members is forthcoming, but I would ask you to pray who you might nominate to serve on the Vestry. |
| | Vestry Nomination Form| Every year we come together to handle certain business items of the church where you can voice questions, comments, and in some situations vote. This will include presenting the 2022 budget, a summary of the vision charette, voting for the election of two new Vestry members, and voting to approve our new bylaws. All are welcome to attend, but only members are allowed to vote. Please prayerfully consider becoming a member! If you are still discerning, this is a great time to learn about our local church governance. We hope you can join us on February 20th after church. Childcare will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Fr. Joe. |
| | Evening Prayer and Lectio Divina| Alongside our regular Evening Prayer we are going to implement Lection Divina or “Divine Reading.” This practice helps us focus our attention towards the Scriptures and relies upon the Holy Spirit to direct our hearts and minds to the text. We will be praying through the Gospel of Luke outside of the normal Lectionary readings. Come and rest in prayer and the Scriptures. Every Wednesday at 6:30pm. |
| | Interested in Becoming a Member of St. John’s?| Fr. Joe would love to take you out for coffee discussing your interest in becoming a member at St. John’s Anglican Church. Membership is wonderful step forward in affirming your sense of calling to the local and even wider church. If you have any interest in becoming a member or seeking discernment of membership, please reach out to Fr. Joe. |
| | The Daily Office| Interested in a simple way to pray the daily office from the Book of Common Prayer? Follow this link for text and audio versions of the morning, noon, and evening prayer services taken directly from the 2019 ACNA BCP. |
| | Contact Fr. Joe
| I am here for you. If you would like to grab some coffee or other beverages, or would like a home visit, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: frjoe@stjohnscanton.org |
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