| | Weekly Dispatch, October 13th, 2021 |
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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 Zoom
- Evening Prayer - Wednesdays at 6:30 pm via Zoom
- Next Vestry Meeting - Thursday, October 14th, at 6:00 pm at Church
- Cana Vox Meeting - Friday, October 22nd, at 7:30 pm at Church
- Eagle and Child Meeting - Thursday, October 28th, 7:00 pm at TBD
- Parents’ Night Out - Friday, October 29th, at 6:00 pm at Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe | I want to take the time to savor what we experienced over the weekend. It was a historic day for the life of St. John’s Anglican Church. It was a deeply moving service not only for me, but also for the life of St. John’s. Some of my own personal highlights was Alyssa chanting and us joining her for the Litany of Ordinations. Y’all sounded really good! If you don’t believe me, listen for yourself on the Facebook page. The symbols presented were so heartfelt, especially as the children came forward to present the catechism. Many people were brought to tears and I should say I was holding them back as well. I was also touched, literally, by the laying on of hands from the Vestry. Their prayers felt like a catalyst for me as I prayed the “Rector’s Prayer”, which truly encapsulates my called ministry among you. I encourage you to check it out in the liturgy.
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Where do we go from here?
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The bishop reminded us what an institution of a rector means; it is to establish someone in a position or office to inaugurate and set something in motion for a new thing. As I communicated to the Vestry, much of what I have focused on in my first month was the needed transitions for my family and myself. Some of these are still going on and I continue to ask for your prayers. As the bishop said in his sermon, in life and ministry transitions can be tricky. What followed were three words of exhortation towards me, but also towards us.
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The first exhortation, related to transitions, was to trust in God. As the Psalm was sung, put not your trust in princes or horses, but in the God of Jacob. When we move forward in ministry, we are moving with trust in God looking upon Christ as the author and finisher of our faith.
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The second point was the reality of the heaviness of life and in ministry. He exhorted us to guard our heart. We are to guard our hearts with the Word of God through union to Christ. We heard this in the Gospel lesson to abide in Christ and in His love. I resonate with the bishop about our need to rest, so we should take our vacations!
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Finally, in life and ministry relationships can get strained (ugly). Christians should be the most aware of our sinful nature because we know how much we are in need of the atoning grace of Jesus. This is what ultimately shapes us to walk in love. It is to love despite the unlovely-ness of what we see in each other.
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So what does moving forward look like?
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There are many things we can do and will do together, but whatever we do, let us trust in God, guard our hearts, and walk in love. These are wise admonitions from our bishop and I pray we might keep them in front of us for our future ministries.
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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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| Lessons in Life and Ministry by Bp. Mark |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." What an incredible service! Much was said in my opening words on the Dispatch, but it was truly a rich and powerful service. See for yourself!
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| | This Sunday's Hymns This section of the dispatch contains samples of hymns and other music that we will be singing the this Sunday. If you come across any hymns you are not familiar with, these will be helpful for you to review so that you may sing with greater confidence and attention each Sunday. Happy singing!
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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 The Love of Wisdom by Andrew Davison to discuss the history of philosophy as it relates to Christian theology and practice. |
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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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| | Catechesis: Quick Reminder!| We continue catechesis for all ages every Sunday. For adults, we are continuing our teaching series on the Articles of Religion (foundational theological documents of the Anglican Church). Fr. Joe will focus on the articles pertaining to Justification and Good Works. We will begin at 9am and the coffee will be on! |
| | 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 Us| If you have questions about the content contained in this email or want to learn more about St. John's Anglican Church or, please let us know. You can fill out a form at this link, and you will receive a response from Fr. Joe. |
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