| | Weekly Dispatch, October 12th, 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
- Choristers/Bible Study/Evening Prayer – Wednesdays at 6:30pm at Church
- Parent’s Night Out – Friday, October 14th, at 6:00pm-9:00pm at Church
- Latimer/Ridley Feast Day Potluck – Sunday, October 16th after Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, October 20th, at 7:00pm at TBD
- Newcomers and Interested in Membership Lunch – Sunday, October 23rd, at 1:30pm at Fr. Joe’s
- Trunk or Treat – Sunday, October 30th, TBD
| | A Message from Fr. Joe |
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| These next two Sundays we will be experiencing two feast days in our worship. At each service, you will notice the color will change to red. The color red in worship signifies and communicates two bigger ideas inviting us to enter into.
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First, it signifies the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles, Scripture reveals there appeared to be tongues of fire resting upon them. This reference of fire is meant to be the very Spirit and presence of God filling them. In filling them, the Holy Spirit gave them a remarkable gift of speaking the Gospel in all sorts of different languages. The fire of the Spirit filling and empowering the apostles reveals that the Gospel is to go out into all the world, meeting people even in their own languages and cultures, and it will come through the sending ministry of the apostles. And this leads to the second meaning of using this color in worship.
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Secondly, it signifies the blood of those who give their lives proclaiming the Gospel to the nations. They were willing, and many joyfully, to lay down their lives so that more would hear that Jesus came to rescue their persecutors.
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This Sunday we will commemorate Bishops and Martyrs from the English Reformation, Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. The commemoration is uniquely Anglican because of their place in church history, and their martyrdom reveals our calling to stand for the Gospel of God’s justifying grace for sinners. Therefore, let us keep the feast. The following Sunday will be the feast of St. James of Jerusalem. Again, an apostle who gave his life for the mission of the Gospel. More on him will be heard in the coming weeks.
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Considering these feasts, I want to encourage you to prayerfully discern God’s calling of you to pursue confirmation. I have a blurb below detailing confirmation, but whenever the bishop comes to lay hands upon those seeking confirmation, reception, or renewal in the life of the Church, we also use the color red. Confirmation communicates those two ideas and stands as an invitation for the baptized people of God to embrace these areas.
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It is to embrace and open yourself to the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. This isn’t magic or more spiritual hands, but it is a sacramental act communicating the same Spirit who came upon the apostles to come upon you to further draw you towards His mission in the world. And the call of the Spirit is to the mission of the Gospel; a calling where you submit your whole life for the faith. It is not an attachment to your life, but your life being hidden with Christ. Confirmation is a visible way to express such a calling. I pray the Holy Spirit will burn in your heart such a call for the Gospel to consume your life and to see it for your neighbors. If you sense the Spirit directing you towards such a journey or would like guidance, please see me, and would love to walk alongside you.
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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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| Grace, Faith, and Gratitude by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." On His journey to Jerusalem, Jesus makes the bold move approaching ten lepers who cried for mercy. Jesus brought healing to all ten, yet one returned to give praise to God and fell at Jesus’ feet giving thanks. What brought this one back? What can deepen our gratitude in relationship to Jesus and His healing hands? Here we see all the dynamics of grace, faith, and gratitude.
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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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| | Latimer and Ridley Potluck| Latimer and Ridley Potluck In commemoration of these two saints and their martyrdom, we will keep the feast with a potluck lunch after church. Please bring a side dish to share to enjoy fellowship together! |
| | Interested in membership at St. John’s?| Perhaps you have worshiped at St. John’s, and even participated in a variety of events or fellowship opportunities, and you are discerning if you are called to membership in the local church. What would that look like? What is the benefit of membership? What can I expect? If you would like to explore membership and other questions you might have, Fr. Joe is hosting a fellowship lunch at his house on October 23rd after church. There is no pressure, but simply an invitation to ask questions, discern the Lord’s calling for yourself, and learning more about St. John’s. Please RSVP by October 20th by emailing Fr. Joe. |
| | Seeking Confirmation? What’s That About?| Every year we offer a catechetical instruction for those seeking confirmation. What is confirmation, and who is it for? Confirmation is a practice we draw from the book of Acts. We witness the apostles laying their hands upon baptized Christians praying for the Holy Spirit to empower them within the life of the Church. As more infants were being baptized, this practice became more for older children to publicly profess their faith and reaffirming their baptismal identity within the Church. We continue such a practice for our children, but also for those seeking to further confirm their sense of calling to the local and wider Church. We believe confirmation connects us to the broader church and apostolic faith through the laying on of hands by the bishop, but chiefly we trust the Holy Spirit is renewing His people in their commitment to the Church and her mission. If you would like more information on confirmation and would like to discuss further, please contact Fr. Joe. |
| | Fall Cetechesis (Adult, Youth and Children) Sunday Catechesis begins a new series for all ages on Sept. 18th. For the adults, we will focus on praying the biblical narrative of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. It will include sharpening our biblical theology with various texts, and also imagining how the Scriptures can form our prayers with the various collects of the Prayer Book to be our guide.
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Youth (ages 11/12-18) are invited to their own catechesis upstairs in the Vestry room. Similar to the adults, they will engage the biblical narrative giving them a framework for reading the Bible. We hope this can be a ministry we can grow and develop over time.
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| On the same date, our young children will return to their catechetical formation of Gospel Play. This is an interactive approach where we are helping our children catch the Gospel throughout the biblical narrative and experience it through the Church calendar. |
| | Choristers/Adult Bible Study/Evening Prayer| We are very excited to announce the beginning of a new ministry with our children along with a new Wednesday night pattern! Our children will begin their own choir aka choristers. Alyssa and Karen will be the leaders of this ministry. The adults will have an informal book study discussing the classic work Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the night will conclude with Evening Prayer together. This new “rule of life” group will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 21st and continue every Wednesday at 6:30pm at the church. If you have any questions, please contact Alyssa or Karen. |
| | Music in the Community! October 23, 4 pm at St. John’s Anglican in N. Canton
Our fall Keys to Artistry student recital!
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November 6, 3 pm at University of Mount Union’s Presser Recital Hall (in the Giese Center for Performing Arts)
Piano Keys: Maira’s Mount Union university students are joined by our advanced Keys to Artistry students for a fall celebration!
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November 13, 4 pm at St. John’s Anglican in N. Canton
Eric and Claire play an intermediate piano recital. Come hear this talented young sibling duo play music of contemporary composers as well as Haydn, Chopin, and more!
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December 18, 4 pm at St. John’s Anglican in N. Canton
Our Winter Keys to Artistry student recital! Enjoy holiday favorites and other special music. |
| | 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. |
| | 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. |
| | 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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