| | Weekly Dispatch, February 23rd, 2022 |
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| |  | | St. John's Schedule- Catechesis Hour – Sundays at 9:00 AM before Church
- Holy Eucharist – Sundays at 10:30 AM at Church and via Zoom
- Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, March 2nd, 6:30 PM at Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, March 3rd, 7:00 PM, location TBD
- Cana Vox – Friday, March 4th, 7:30 PM, at Church
- Vestry Meeting – March 10th, 6:00 PM at church
- Vestry Retreat – Saturday, April 9th, 10:00 AM at The Archibald's
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | There are many wonderful transitions happening in the life of St. John’s and I wanted to highlight some of them for you.
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| First, last Sunday was our Annual Meeting where the congregation gave thanks for the service of our two out-going Vestry members; Dale Boston and Jackie Tritabaugh. The congregation also voted to receive two new Vestry members: Maira Liliestedt and Josiah Spencer! We are grateful for those who served and joyfully receive our new members. Another transition about to take place is within the Church calendar. |
This Sunday is the Last Sunday of Epiphany with Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent. Next Dispatch I will say more on the season of Lent, but I would like to reflect on this past season and the significance of this coming Sunday. The season of Epiphany is all about revelation; God revealing Himself to the world in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. We literally feasted and kept the feast on the Epiphany (Jan. 6th) with the procession of the Wise Men. We renewed our baptismal vows on the Baptism of our Lord. Our texts from Luke revealed the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry. In a season of light breaking into all the world, we honored our values as a church and dreamed together for our future in the Vision Charette. Finally, we experienced World Mission Sunday with various prayers and liturgies to connect us in some way to the worldwide Church. This propelled us into our Annual Meeting.
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It is good to look back and see what the LORD was up to in His Church. It can be easy to hit the gas trying to reach your destination, yet completely missed what happened in the journey. What was your favorite memory from the season of Epiphany? What was God doing in your heart and mind? We have one more Sunday left! And this Sunday is always focused on the event of the Transfiguration.
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Jesus, along with three of His disciples, went up the mountain where the Body of our Lord was transfigured or transformed to reflect His divine glory. He spoke with Moses and Elijah, and the event ended with the Father declaring very similar words at Jesus’ baptism. He said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” In that moment, the OT figures disappear, the glory fades away, and the disciples are left with Jesus. Such a crazy event! But we recognize this event every year before Lent because the flow of the Gospel narrative is that as Jesus comes down the mountain, He sets His eyes towards Jerusalem. This is where His true glory will be displayed, and it is not His glorious entrance with the Palms but it will be the nails pierced through His skin. The Transfiguration marks a shift in the ministry of Jesus and a shift for us as we approach the somberness of Lent. As Jesus looks towards Jerusalem, we look alongside with Him where our redemption would finally be accomplished. Our very own Deacon Chad will be preaching too.
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Be sure to belt out your alleluias on Sunday! It will be the last time until we celebrate with such joy our resurrected Christ! After Sunday, we will bury our alleluias and wait patiently for their resurrection. Hope to see you at 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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| A Sent People by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." World Missions can often feel like a foreign (no pun intended) subject for the average Joe. How does World Missions speak into my everyday life and what it means to be a “sent” people? What is the uniqueness of Christianity in what we can offer the world? Come and see!
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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 This Sunday we are wrapping up our conversation on the creeds of the Church. We are starting a new Lenten series which will include Morning Prayer and a brief discussion on the Ten Commandments. In order to respect our time, we will start promptly at 9am. If you have children and are arriving late, please use the black doors located to the right of the red doors. This will open to the stairs for the kids. Then, please enter through the red doors. I highly encourage everyone to attend this unique catechetical experience that connects both process (prayer) and content (teaching) together in our formation.
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Our children will also enter a new catechetical season with Lent in our Gospel Play formation. They will lean more into the season which includes learning about the imposition of ashes, the temptation of Jesus, the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ ministry pointing to the cross, and the reality of sin in our lives.
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| | How Can I Serve at St. John's? There are plenty of ways to serve at St. John’s and we would love for you to join in on what God is doing in the church. Below you can see all the different ways to serve. No special skills required, simply a willingness to learn and grow in service.
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| Acolyte Ministry – Carrying the cross, assisting at the table, and learning more about the Anglican Way. |
Altar Guild – Preparing the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion before the service and developing a sense of holiness in worship.
Readers – Approaching God’s Word with boldness and declaring it to the people.
Hospitality – Providing food, setting up and cleaning up the area, and making space for all people to feel welcome and belong. We also hold special events throughout the Church calendar preparing feasts together.
Gospel Play – Experience catechesis with our children with interactive materials enhancing biblical narratives within the liturgical calendar. It is a lot of fun!
Ushers/Greeters – Welcome people as they come to church, especially newcomers, handing out bulletins, and passing the plates for the offering. |
| Music – We would love to expand our music ministry with your various gifts. Do you play an instrument? Are you a gifted singer? Come join the team! |
We hope to develop these ministries with more lay leadership. In the meantime you can contact Fr. Joe, Dcn. Chad, or Maggie if you interested in participating or even taking leadership in these various ministries. |
| | Ash Wednesday| March 2nd begins a new season in the life of the Church called Lent. It begins with the Imposition of Ashes commonly called Ash Wednesday. It is a very moving and powerful service reflecting on our own frailty and sinful nature. Please note the time change. The service will begin at 6:30pm. |
I highly encourage you to attend. Hope to see you there! |
| | Evening Prayer and Bible Study| Wednesday the 23rd will wrap up our Lectio reflections with the Gospel of Luke. Next Wednesday will be Ash Wednesday, but the following Wednesday we will maintain Evening Prayer and include some Bible Study. Our Lenten focus will be discussing the relationship and connection between the OT and Gospel Lesson in the Sunday Lectionary. All are welcome to attend and hope this can be spiritually formative for you in the season of Lent. |
| | 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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