| | Weekly Dispatch, February 8th, 2023 |
|
|
| |  | | St. John's Schedule- Catechesis Hour – Sundays at 9:00am before Church
- Holy Eucharist – Sundays at 10:30am at Church and via Facebook
- Midday Prayer – Tuesdays at 11:00am in Malone University's Cafeteria
- Choristers/Bible Study/Evening Prayer – Wednesdays at 6:30pm at Church
- Annual Meeting – Sunday, February 12th, after Church
- The Burning of Palms/Conclusion of Creeds/Evening Prayer – Wednesday, February 15th at 6:30pm at Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, February 16th, 7:00pm at TBD
- Women’s Gathering – Friday, February 17th, 6:30pm, at the Swank's (RSVP by 16th)
- Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:30pm at Church
| | A Message from Fr. Joe |
|
| As you are well aware, this Sunday is our Annual Meeting! Last week’s dispatch provided an introduction and what you might expect at this meeting. However, this Sunday is also a unique Sunday for our worship. It is called World Mission Sunday.
|
In our Prayer Book, World Mission Sunday can be on any Sunday in Epiphany (except the first and last Sunday), but many churches opt to recognize it the second to last Sunday of the season.
|
In the epistle reading on the Feast of the Epiphany, we hear St. Paul proclaim the revelation of the mystery of the Gospel. This mystery unveiled was the inclusion of the Gentiles within the wider mission of the Gospel. It was hidden throughout the Old Testament, but now that Christ Jesus is revealed we can see God’s redemptive work throughout history. His Plan A was and still is salvation for the whole world.
|
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He came into the world for the sake of sinners. His salvation is cosmic in scope. As I have said before, Christianity is the most inclusive and exclusive religion. It is salvation for all sinners, and yet such salvation is exclusively through Jesus Christ. World Mission Sunday is designed to help us see the wider vision of God’s mission in the world and the need for the Gospel to always move forward in every neighborhood. How fitting for our annual meeting to fall on this Sunday?
|
We are to remind ourselves that the mission of the Church is to be what Jesus already declares us to be, salt and light. This was our Gospel reading last week. We are called salt because we offer what is distinct in the world. The Gospel of grace is distinct because no one else offers it. We are called light because we know and regard real darkness in this world. Such light brings goodness to darkened places and leads people towards the worship and glory of our God.
|
You are salt and light. You are St. John’s Anglican Church. Together, we are on an adventurous mission to know Christ and make Him known in our neighborhoods. I pray our Sunday together will draw us deeper towards such mission and inspire us to imagine what things could be. See you soon!
|
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:
|
PO BOX 36591, CANTON OH 44735
|
| | |
|
| An Epiphany of the Christian Life by Fr. Joe |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." We have heard a variety of Epiphanies of our Lord and His mission in the world. This week we explored how all the appointed texts revealed an epiphany of the Christian life on the ground. These passages of Scripture reveal a life grounded in Christ, His fulfillment, His humility, and His grace that through the Holy Spirit surprisingly become ours.
|
| |
|
|  | | 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 currently reading Chesterton's The Everlasting Man and discussing his interesting case for the uniqueness of humans, and in particular, Jesus Christ. |
|
 | | 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. |
|
|
| | The Burning of Palms – Preparing for Ash Wednesday/Lent| On Wednesday, Feb. 15th, included with our regular time of Evening Prayer we will also burn the palms to prepare ourselves for Ash Wednesday. You may join us at 6:30pm to conclude our discussion on the Apostles’ Creed, and/or evening prayer/the burning of the palms will be begin around 7:15pm. Please bring any palm branches with you to throw in the pile! |
| | Wednesday Choristers/Bible Study/Evening Prayer| Join us every Wednesday where our children are invited to learn to sing unto the LORD and adults gathered to discuss the faith once delivered to the saints. Our focus throughout the season of Epiphany will be on the Apostles’ Creed reflecting on what we believe and why we believe it. Finally, the evening culminates with a time of Evening Prayer together. Everything begins at 6:30pm and hope to see you! |
| | Annual Meeting (2/12/23)| Please mark your calendars for our Annual Meeting on Feb. 12th after church. All are welcome to attend, but only members are allowed to vote. We will be presenting some reflections on the past year and what we are anticipating for the new year, our financials from 2022 and expectations for 2023, and finally giving thanks to God for our outgoing Vestry members and voting for two new Vestry members. Nominating forms will be available soon, and if you have any questions on the process, please see Josiah Spencer or Daniel McWilliams. |
| | Epiphany Catechesis| For all ages every Sunday at 9am. |
In the season of Epiphany, adults will focus on Christ’s King and Kingdom Fulfilled in the Gospel of Matthew. We will unpack various texts from Matthew whose chief goal is to reveal Jesus as the fulfillment of the biblical narrative. |
Our youth will also focus on the Gospel of Matthew, particularly Jesus’ parables and healings throughout His ministry revealing His Kingdom to us. |
Our children continue with Gospel Play exploring various parables of Jesus all revealing Jesus’ identity, why He came into the world, and what His Kingdom is like. |
| | Men’s Morning Prayer Update| We are taking a pause on Men’s Morning Prayer on Tuesdays. However, we will offer Midday Prayer on Tuesdays, 11am, at Malone’s Cafeteria. All are welcome to join. |
| | 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.
|
| 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 |
| |
|
| Connect with Us on Social Media | |    | |
|
|
| |
|
