| | Weekly Dispatch, April 27th, 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, May 12th at 7:00 PM at TBD
- 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 | We continue to keep the feast in Eastertide! And this Sunday is a specific feast day. It is the feast of St. Philip and St. James. While not giving too much away (saving it for the sermon), in this week’s dispatch I would like to highlight why we celebrate feasts days, particularly feasts days related to the saints.
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As baptized Christians seeking to follow Jesus Christ, we all belong to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. This Church is always much bigger than the people we see in the pews. It extends to those we see and don’t see. This is called the visible and invisible church. As we pray before we sing the Sanctus, we join with angels and archangels and all the host of heaven singing the same song together. This, of course, is the image we see from St. John’s Revelation. It is the great multitude which no one could number. Therefore, as we come together to worship and recognize a feast day tied to a saint, we are reminded that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. You are a brother and sister to these saints who join with you in our song to Lamb.
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| Secondly, all the collects or prayers related to the feast days of saints focus upon their example and witness in the world and we pray for the Spirit to instill within us that same example and witness to follow. It is important to note that we do not pray to the saints nor ask the saints to pray for us. As the celebrant always prays at the closing of the prayers of the people, we acknowledge Christ to be our only Mediator and Advocate. |
What’s evident in the lives of all the saints is that they do not point to themselves, but towards Christ and the mission of the Gospel towards others. They endure hardships, persecution, and some even martyrdom expressing such devotion to Christ and their neighbor. We celebrate their example and witness to inspire one another towards our own faithful endurance.
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Finally, what we surprisingly discover is that the power of God extended through the lives of the saints is ultimately communicated by their weakness and humility. May we, with all the saints, look upon Christ and by the power of the Spirit bear witness to His grace through our weakness and frailty. I look forward to keeping the feast with you this Sunday!
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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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| The Mission of the Church by Deacon Chad |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." Jesus wastes no time after his resurrection setting the mission of the Church on its course. In John's gospel, we get an account of Jesus' commissioning and empowering of the Church with his Spirit. If we truly do claim this spiritual heritage as a modern church, what implications does this momentous event have for us today? Deacon Chad Sanner spent some time on this topic on Sunday, illustrating the cross shaped outline of the Church's mission, and even how our faith commitments play a part in it. If you couldn't join us this Sunday, give it a listen here!
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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). |
| | Vestry Update| The Vestry will be meeting next week, and we will further discuss the results of the parish survey. There was much to discuss, and we are grateful for all that you sent us. We want to make sure that you know you were heard and that things are being prayed over and processed together. We hope to have a much fuller report in the coming weeks. Please continue to pray for us and the great things God is doing among His people. If you have any further questions, please connect with Fr. Joe or Bob Archibald our Sr. Warden. |
| | 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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