| | Weekly Dispatch, December 14th, 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
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, December 15th, 7:00pm at the Bittaker's
- 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 Keys to Artistry Studio
- 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
- Feast of the Epiphany (Dinner and Eucharist) – Friday, January 6th, 6:00pm at Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe |
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| If you want to experience the season of Advent, there is nothing better than Advent Lessons and Carols. The bulk of the Lessons come from the Old Testament, particularly texts from the prophets anticipating the coming of the Messiah. Each Lesson responds with an Advent Carol, Hymn, or special music.
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Since Advent is a season which begins in the dark, the bulk of the service will be candlelight. It signifies the light of Christ breaking into the darkness of the world. As St. John proclaims, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The first Lesson begins at Genesis where God calls forth Light into the world, and we hear the very beginning of the goodness of God’s creation. The building of light in the room reveals the power of light overcoming the darkness, which can only flee and can never snuff out the light that has arrived.
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The rest of the Lessons reveal our need for a Savior to come and rescue us from darkness. The prophetic texts declare both Advents of Christ. We will hear the Advent of His first coming as a Child born into weakness. But we will also hear the promised King and Kingdom He will ultimately bring in the life of the world to come.
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We are grateful to hear once again from our Choristers who will lead us to sing one of the carols and will sing their own piece. We are blessed with highly talented singers and musicians offering their gifts to the LORD in service to His Church. This service will certainly be an annual tradition for St. John’s, and I look forward to watching the LORD grow and develop His Church through such a ministry. It is a wonderful service to invite friends and family. Please bring along as many as you can! We will also have a time of fellowship with delicious “Advent” cookies and refreshments. Hope to see you Friday at 7pm!
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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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| Keeping the Season of Advent by Dcn.David |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." Newly ordained clergy David Beer preached and admonished us towards keeping the season of Advent amidst the heavy Christmas culture around us. He explored all our Lectionary texts with a keen eye towards John the Baptist aka key figure for Advent.
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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 Catechesis| This Sunday we will wrap up our Advent focus on the prophet Habakkuk. We will resume catechesis on Jan. 1st with the adults and youth coming together to discuss and reflect on the various feasts of Christmas looking at their biblical foundations. Our children will have their own Gospel Play exploring the drama of the Nativity and events surrounding it. Join us at 9am with the coffee on! |
| | 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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| | 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 the Keys to Artistry Studio
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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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