| | Weekly Dispatch, December 7th, 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
- Vestry – Thursday, December 8th, at 6pm at Church
- Caroling in the Neighborhood – Saturday, December 10th, at 6:00om at Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, December 15th, at 7:00pm at TBD
- Advent Lessons and Carols – Friday, December 16th, 7:00pm at Church
- Christmas Pageant – Sunday, December 18th during the 10:30am service
- Music Recital – Sunday, December 18th, 4:00pm at Church
- Christmas Eve Service – Saturday, December 24th, 6:00pm at Church
- Christmas Day Breakfast and Service – Sunday, December 25th, Breakfast at 9:00am/Service at 10:30am at Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe |
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| In this week’s brief dispatch, I want to express my sincere gratitude for those seeking to care for me and my family in my time of illness.
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To keep folks informed on what happened and how you can pray for me, I went to the Emergency Room on Sunday with severe viral and allergic reactions. I was treated with much needed fluids and medicine where I was kept under observation for about four hours. Overall, a very stressful and overwhelming experience. Unfortunately, we do not know what I reacted to. I will be visiting my doctor this week. Right now (writing this on Tuesday), I am feeling 60-70% better but still pretty tired and drinking as much fluids as I can get!
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I am filled with such gratitude for the people of St. John’s. First, I want to acknowledge the clergy of our church and how they stepped up. I am grateful for Deacon Mark to preach and even sharpen my original sermon. I give thanks to Deacon David to officiate Morning Prayer on such late notice. I was deeply encouraged to have Deacon Chad meet me at the hospital, sit with me and Alyssa, and pray and anoint me with oil. We are incredibly blessed to have these three men called to serve, and I am excited to work more closely with them for future ministries.
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Secondly, I want to thank Maggie and Jason for taking care of our kids while we were away much of the day. Finally, we were surprised by the generosity of meals from various parishioners this week to relieve us. This was a huge help to Alyssa who is taking on much more in the wake of my sickness.
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Flock of Christ, I bid your continual prayers for my health and household. Since Thanksgiving, this has been quite challenging for all of us. Where we need your prayers most is for God’s continual provision for us with our unexpected medical situations. As we study The Lord’s Prayer in Advent, I am pressed by our petition to the LORD to give us this day our daily bread. I know many of you can relate.
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As we continue to watch and prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we remember that when He comes again, He will “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Even now, come Lord Jesus, come.
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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 Advent Call to Prepare by Dcn. Mark |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." Due to Fr. Joe’s sickness, it was a unique Sunday of Morning Prayer with Dcn. Mark taking the reins in the pulpit. A key word from Advent and what you will hear is the theme of preparation for the way of the LORD through repentance. What does that look like?
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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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| | Christmas Pageant| Please join us next week in our 10:30am service as we experience the Christmas story from our children! You can connect with Maggie if you would like to be a part of this simple and wonderful gift for your child to participate in. |
| | Free Christmas Breakfast and Worship Service| We are excited to extend invitations to our neighbors to come and enjoy a free breakfast at 9am with a simple Christmas Day service at 10:30am. All are welcome to enjoy and keep the feast together. On this joyful day, you can even come to church with your Christmas pajamas! If you are available to assist with this event whether setting up, cleaning, or cooking, please contact Megan Tennant. |
| | Advent Sunday Catechesis (Adult, Youth, and Children) Adults are exploring and unpacking the minor prophet Habakkuk. This short prophetic book connects us deeper towards Advent enriching our reflection, anticipation, and preparation towards the coming of our Lord.
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The youth are prayerfully engaging what are commonly called the O Antiphons of Advent. These titles given to Christ come forth from the prophets too. We hope our youth will more deeply be drawn towards Christ and reflect upon the words of the prophets.
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Our children are approaching Advent through Gospel Play. They interact with various symbols, objects, and encouraged to further participate in the new season.
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Adults: The Prophet Habakkuk (main worship area)
Youth (ages 11/12-18): The O Antiphons of Advent (Vestry room upstairs)
Children (ages 4-10/11): Advent Gospel Play (Children’s room upstairs)
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| | Caroling in the Neighborhood| One of the first of what we hope to be many opportunities to engage our neighbors around us is singing carols and inviting people to Lessons/Carols and our Christmas offerings including Christmas breakfast. We will gather at the church at 6pm, prepare ourselves, and head out! Wear something warm and bring your singing voices. Please contact Daniel McWilliams to let us know you plan on coming! |
| | Advent Wednesday Gatherings| Choristers will continue to meet throughout Advent preparing their offerings for Advent Lessons and Carols. The adult Bible Study begins a new book study on The Lord’s Prayer by NT Wright. This book uniquely engages the Lord’s Prayer within the context of Advent. It is a rich catechetical resource connecting the content of our faith to the dynamic of worship. As always, we will conclude with Evening Prayer together. Evening Prayer is always a blessing to participate, but especially in Advent where we are called to watch and wait for the coming of our Lord who will come again like a thief in the night. All are welcome beginning Nov. 30th at 6:30pm. |
| | Advent Lessons and Carols| Mark your calendars, Friday Dec. 16th at 7pm, and bring everyone you know to this wonderful and unique service. We will hear Lessons of Holy Scripture preparing us for the coming Messiah coupled with Carols to sing with expectation and hope. We will have special music from various parishioners along with pieces from our Choristers. Afterwards we will enjoy some Christmas cookies. If you would like to bring cookies, please contact Elizabeth Beer. |
| | Music in the Community! December 18th, 4:00pm at St. John’s Anglican Church in North Canton
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- 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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