| | Weekly Dispatch, June 1st, 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
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, June 2nd at 7:00 PM at the Semelsberger's home
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | Pentecost is upon us! This Sunday we recognize the day the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles, filled them, and gave them the miraculous ability to proclaim the Gospel in all different languages. As we will hear from the account in Acts, people from all over the world heard the mighty acts of God in their own language for the first time. God was breaking into all the nations of the world fulfilling Jesus’ promise that the Spirit would come in power for the apostles to be witnesses for all people groups. Pentecost is the beginning of the Church.
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Jesus also promised that greater things would happen after His ascension, and after the Spirit fell with the preaching of Gospel from Peter, thousands of people believed and were baptized. The centrality of the Gospel in all things is the catalyst of the Holy Spirit for the life and mission of the Church. As we are studying through the book of Acts with our Wednesday group, we are noticing a pattern within the early stages of the Church. The growing ministry of the apostles through the power of the Holy Spirit is getting matched by the persecution from various groups of people. Each group attempts to “one up” the other. In one instance, a leader from the synagogue admits that if the ministry of the apostles is from God, then no man can stop what they are doing. And he was right. There will always be opposition to the Gospel because the powers of darkness are threatened by it.
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Yet the Church prevails not because of her winsomeness, her giftedness, or even authentic faith. She prevails because her hope is not in herself but the message of Christ’s saving grace for all people and new life birthed by the Spirit. St. John’s seeks to remain grounded in Jesus Christ through the Word and Sacrament. We believe Christ primarily makes Himself known to us in the preaching of the Word and the giving of the Sacrament. Both are means of grace towards sinners who need the same old song again and again.
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Pentecost is the beginning of new creation and new mission in God’s world. For us, it leads us to the season of Ordinary Time where we rely upon the same Spirit to grow within us and around us the ministry of the Gospel. As we worship, serve, and fellowship, we are learning what it means to be Ordinary Christians dependent on the work of the Spirit in our families, friendships, Church, vocation/work, and in all areas where He seeks to make new. Let us come together, keep the feast, and journey deeper in the life of the Spirit.
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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 Sunday After The Ascension by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." The Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father reveals that He is our only Mediator and Advocate. Last Sunday we heard a portion of Jesus’ prayer to the Father, His present and future disciples, but also for the sake of the world. His prayer revealed the divine will for oneness. What does this oneness look like and how might we catch it for ourselves today?
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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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| | Big News!!!| It is with both sadness and joy to announce that Fr. Bryan Hollon was recently called to be the next President and Dean of Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. We are so excited for Bryan and Suzanne, and they will be sincerely missed. We are currently planning a celebration and thanksgiving to God for the life and ministry of the Hollons at St. John’s. More details will follow. Here is a sweet article on his calling to the position. |
| | Summer Catechesis We are starting a whole new summer catechetical focus for adults and children. Adults will prayerfully and thoughtfully engage the Canticles of the Prayer Book. Each week we will study specific canticles in their place for prayer and their context in Holy Scripture. We also hope to learn how to sing some of them.
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| Our children will hit the pause button on Gospel Play and begin a new summer curriculum called Storymakers. Each child will have their own booklet of activities and engagement with a biblical narrative. This summer we will focus on the Exodus. If you miss a week, you can totally bring your booklet home with you and engage at home or on vacation. |
| | Volunteers Needed| As baptized members of Christ’s Church, we are called with the responsibility of passing down the faith to each other, but especially our children. We are in need of volunteers who can teach children’s catechesis throughout the summer. We will provide everything you need and you will be surprised how rewarding and fun it can be. Please contact Fr. Joe or Maggie if you have interest or any questions. Thank you. |
| | Evening Prayer and Bible Study Since many people are traveling throughout the summer, we will discontinue our weekly Wednesday Evening Prayer and Bible Study. However, throughout the summer we will have opportunities to pray and read the Scriptures together more sporadically in each other’s homes. If you are interested, please see Fr. Joe.
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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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