| | Weekly Dispatch, August 3rd, 2022 |
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| |  | | 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
- Holy Eucharist and Parish Celebration – Sunday, August 7th, at 10:30am at the Archibald/Weaver Farm
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, August 11th at 6:30pm at the Bergdorf's (dinner provided)
- Vestry – Thursday, August 18th, at 6:00pm at the Church
- Evening Prayer and Bible Study – Wednesday, August 24th at 6:30pm, TBD
- Gospel Play and Policy Training – Sunday, August 28th, After Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | Let us keep the feast! This weekend is all about feasting. We will feast over all that the LORD has done in and through St. John’s over this past year, especially with the Hollons, we will recognize the feast day of our Lord’s Transfiguration, and we will of course feast with a pig roast! (Other foods will be provided too).
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I am reminded of the wedding feast where the guests had every excuse in the book not to come, and the host sent out his servants to go into the hedges and the highways and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. I realize that some have various reasons for not being able to attend, but if you are coming, please feel free to bring along a friend for a laid back and festive time together. The worship will be simple and relaxed, Lord willing outside. There will be plenty of food, probably leftovers. And it can be a great way to introduce people to the life of a local church.
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There are also moments in our lives where feasting does not seem appropriate. Various life situations feel like feasting is a slap in the face. One of my favorite movies I watched on VHS (something for you young kids to google), was the Prince of Egypt. Our children have been studying Exodus in their catechesis and I have been listening to the soundtrack feeling nostalgic. In the course of the movie, Moses kills an Egyptian, runs away, and finds himself among some nomadic shepherds and he takes a job. Jethro welcomes and honors their guest, but Moses overwhelmed with guilt, cannot bring himself to join the celebration. Insert musical piece. Jethro sings a wondrous grace-filled song inviting Moses to look at his life through heaven’s eyes.
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He sings, “So how can you see what your life is worth, or where your value lies? You can never see through the eyes of man, you must look at your life, look at your life through heaven’s eyes.” As Jethro sings this new way of seeing your life through heaven, it culminates with him exhorting Moses that though life can be blown about by the winds of change and chance, and though you never know all the steps, you must learn to join the dance! And the song ends with Moses dancing around the fire with his new community, and Jethro officiating the wedding between Moses and Zipporah.
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Look at your life through heaven’s eyes. Whatever cuts through your heart these days, where your tears have become your food, you must learn to join the dance, for Christ Jesus has joined every human pain to Himself where in Him there is life and resurrection. In Christ’s Kingdom, all performance is laid to rest, all righteousness fulfilled, and His grace never runs dry. Despite the weight of your week, you are invitation to join the dance and feast this Sunday, and so is your neighbor. Let us learn to join the dance, and even feast over a delicious pig.
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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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|  | | 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! |
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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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| | A Bishop’s Visit by Bp. Mark Engel |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." We were deeply honored by the visitation of our bishop, The Right Rev. Mark Engle. He reminded us that our church is much bigger than our localized context but also stretches throughout time. He also reminded us that this is the same message of Christ going forward in mission. “We worship to witness, and we witness to bring others into worship.”
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| | 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).
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| | Parish Health Assessment Reminder| As you might already know, we sent out a parish health assessment at the request of the diocese. This is to help the diocese observe the health of the congregations and will certainly continue to guide our mission together. If you did not submit your responses, here is the link again. Please be sure to take the time to fill it out. Thank you very much. |
| | Gospel Play and Policy Training| If you would like to serve in our children’s ministry in any capacity, please attend this training day on Gospel Play (children’s catechesis) and our policy regarding sexual misconduct prevention. This will be immediately following church on Sunday, August 28th, and we are planning to provide lunch. Also, we will provide childcare to give us focused time together. Please let Fr. Joe or Maggie know that you plan to attend. |
| | 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. |
| | 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. |
| | 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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