| | Weekly Dispatch, July 20th, 2022 |
|
|
| |  | | St. John's Schedule- Catechesis Hour – Sundays at 9:00am before Church
- Holy Eucharist – Sundays at 10:30am at Church and via Facebook
- Men’s Morning Prayer – Tuesdays at Variety’s at 7:30am
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, July 21st at 7:00pm at the Semelsberger's house
- Evening Prayer and Bible Study – Wednesday, July 20th at 6:30pm at the Gasbarre’s
- Bishop Visit/Confirmations/Baptisms – Sunday, July 31st, at 10:30am
- Holy Eucharist and Parish Celebration – Sunday, August 7th, at 10:30am at the Archibald/Weaver Farm
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | This week, and leading into Sunday worship, will be a very prayerful week. The men met together to pray Morning Prayer on Tuesday, lifting up to God our various requests and people in the community. We will have Evening Prayer together at my home (quick location change!) on Wednesday where families come together to pray for one another with various needs and giving thanks to God. The Vestry is committing themselves to prayer around the needs of the church. Specifically, we are praying on a new location for ourselves that will enhance our ministry and mission. As many observed last Sunday, we had a pretty full house. Praise God! It is fitting that this Sunday our Lectionary readings are all oriented around the dynamics of prayer.
|
Anglicans love to pray. Our common identity throughout the world is a book of common prayer. We keep the hours of the day (Morning, Midday, Evening, and Close of Day) to remind ourselves that all of time belongs to God. In praying the hours, we are entrusting our time to Him because He is truly intimately involved in our lives.
|
In my experience, one of the most helpful approaches to prayer is praying alongside the Scriptures, especially the Psalms. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a fascinating little book on the Psalms entitled; “Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. Praying the Psalms uniquely welcomes the human experience to be shaped and formed through the revelation of God among His people. Often when we don’t know what to pray, the Psalms opens our hearts and imaginations giving us permission to pray in ways we perhaps never considered. In the Prayer Book, we provide two ways of reading the Psalms. There is a monthly plan where you can read all the psalms in a month, but also a 60-day plan and in each approach, you are reading the psalms in the morning and evening. I highly encourage you to pick up and pray the Psalms, where the Holy Spirit might even surprise you in your prayers alongside them.
|
Finally, I am struck by the goodness of God in prayer. Even when I am angry, sad, upset, numb, or generally restless in my prayers, the goodness of God is constant. God’s goodness is so constant that He is not removed from whatever we bring to Him. He is not surprised by our prayers, but welcomes us, because if the Incarnate Eternal Son can bear the weight of the sins of the whole world, He can certainly handle whatever shape your prayers take. I am reminded of constancy of His goodness coming from the Psalms appointed this morning, and I close with these words.
|
“This God is our God for ever and ever; * he shall be our guide, even unto death.” (Psalm 48:14)
|
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:
|
PO BOX 36591, CANTON OH 44735
|
| | |
|
| The Gospel For Our Busy and Tired Hearts by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." Busy and tired are probably the most common words ascribed to how we are actually feeling. Also, there is much more beneath the surface of our tiredness and busyness than lack of sleep and cluttered planners. There are three women in our Lectionary texts that help unearth these things, but most importantly how the Gospel can speak into these areas of our lives. May it bring you rest.
|
| |
|
|  | | Join us every first and third (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. We are reading Confessions by St. Augustine. This is a classic work of Christian spirituality and will make for great fellowship and discussion together! |
|
 | | 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. |
|
|
| | Evening Prayer and Bible Study Location Change! On July 20th we are still having Evening Prayer at 6:30pm, but the location has changed to the Gasbarre home. The address is 7801 Chatham Ave NW North Canton. We hope you can make it to pray, share the Scriptures, and fellowship together.
|
| | Bishop's Visit| Mark your calendars for the Bishop’s Visit on July 31st. He will be a part of our catechesis conversation, celebrate, and preach. There will also be confirmations and baptisms. Let us rejoice in the work of God in the life of the church! |
| | Men’s Morning Prayer| Every Tuesday morning, 7:30am at Variety’s, the men are invited to pray Morning Prayer together. The prayers typically last for about 30 minutes, but guys are certainly encouraged to stick around for fellowship, coffee, and even some bacon. |
| | Parish Celebration| So many wonderful things have happened and is happening around St. John’s, and we want to celebrate it all! The birth of children, baptisms, upcoming confirmations, transitions in ministry, and a sense of hope for what’s to come. Alongside the Hollons farewell, we want to celebrate all that God is doing in our midst and we want everyone to be a part of it (and then some more!). As you know, August 7th will be this celebration at the Archibald/Weaver Farm at 10:30am. This will include our worship service and picnic to follow where everything is provided. If you would like to contribute in any way, you can bring a pie for our pie judging contest. The Archibald’s have also graciously opened their property the evening prior for those who would like to camp out and spend the night (tents not provided). |
| | 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.
|
| 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. |
| | 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.
|
| 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 |
| |
|
| Connect with Us on Social Media | |    | |
|
|
| |
|
