| | Weekly Dispatch, April 20th, 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 Facebook
- Evening Prayer and Bible Study – Wednesdays at 6:30 PM at Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, April 21st at 7:00 PM at The Semelsberger's
- Feast of the Ascension (Provided Meal and Holy Eucharist) – Thursday, May 26th at TBD
- Prayer Book Retreat – Saturday, May 28th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Loylola Retreat Center (Lunch provided)
- Bishop's Visitation for Confirmations – Sunday, May 29th at 10:30 AM at Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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This will be our continual acclamation for the next 50 days in what’s commonly called Eastertide. Since our Lenten fast is over, the temptation is to think Easter is about going back to our normal rhythms. However, Easter invites us with renewed imagination to feast. It sounds strange to consider feasting as a spiritual discipline for a season, but one can’t help but embrace it in the season of Easter. What can this look like?
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First, keeping the feast means exactly what it sounds like, receiving the sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Keep coming to church! And if for any reason you can’t, I would love to visit you and keep the feast with you.
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Second, fellowship with other believers. One of the consistent themes in the parish survey was your desire to connect with one another more deeply. Invite each other over for meals, come to our Wednesday prayer and Bible Study gathering, attend a child’s sporting event, or even simply send birthday cards with prayers and words of encouragement to one another. This is the time to think creatively how to express grace and love towards one another because Christ’s resurrection makes us all new creations.
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Finally, and I mentioned this in the Easter sermon, but don’t take yourself too seriously. This is probably more difficult for us than we would like to admit. However, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ liberates us from the pressure to be anything but those whose lives are hidden with Christ. Last Sunday, our NT text exhorted us to seek the things that are above, where Christ is…set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. What are the things above? Or who are we looking towards? Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of God.
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When we behold and embrace all that has been revealed to us in Christ, we can’t help but be loosed and free in our love, joy, and humility with one another. Our pressured lives can be relieved because our lives wrapped into the life of Christ means we have died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God. Our identity is united and realized through Christ, and not through what we think we need to figure out or self-actualize. What a relief! Alleluia!
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Friends, I encourage you to keep the feast of Eastertide. It is a rich season preparing us for the 50th day of Easter, namely Pentecost. This will ultimately propel us towards mission and our continual ministry on the ground with each other in the power of the Holy Spirit. Until then, keep those alleluias going!
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P.S. - I will not be in church this Sunday. Our family is taking a trip to attend a wedding. Grateful for Dcn. Chad our preacher and Fr. Bryan our celebrant. We have such gifted people in our 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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| Alleluia! The Lord is Risen! by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." What a joyful day on Easter Sunday! This sermon enters the wonder, marvel, and joyful historical event of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Celebrate the feast and hear the very heart of the Gospel and the Christian faith.
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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 Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis to discuss Lewis' layered text pointing us to the great truths which underlie the Christian faith. |
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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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| | Bishop Visitation and Confirmation| Are you sensing a call to be confirmed in the Anglican Church and deepen your sense of calling to St. John’s Anglican Church? If so, there are three things to pursue. First, contact Fr. Joe and he would love to meet with you. Second, start attending our Sunday catechesis on the sacraments at 9am. Third, mark your calendars for the Prayer Book Retreat on May 28th and the Bishop’s visit on May 29th. Among many aspects of the Anglican Way, catechesis on Sundays will also further explore the nature of confirmation and more information will be made available. |
| | Baptism| All parties, both adults and children, interested in pursuing baptism please contact Fr. Joe. This would involve intentional pre-baptismal catechesis leading to baptism on the feast of the Holy Trinity (June 12th). |
| | Catechesis As we begin a new season in the Church calendar, Eastertide, we will begin a new catechetical focus. Our focus will be on the sacraments and the sacramental life within the Church expressed in the Anglican Way. We will resume April 24th at 9am.
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| Our children will begin a new focus on the post-resurrection encounters from Jesus, the development of the Church and worship, the sacraments, the ascension of Jesus, and culminating with Pentecost. |
| | Evening Prayer and Bible Study As we enter a new season in the life of the Church, we will begin a new pattern of prayer and focused conversations on the Scriptures. Eastertide is often associated with the book of Acts or what’s called the Acts of the Apostles. Acts is a wondrous text to explore and engage to help inspire us in our called ministry together. Please come with a desire to be shaped, formed, and sent out by the Scriptures.
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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. |
| | 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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