| | Weekly Dispatch, May 4th, 2023 |
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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
- Choristers/Bible Study/Evening Prayer – Wednesdays at 6:30pm at Church
- Vestry – Thursday, May 11th, 6:00pm at Church
- Feast of the Ascension – Thursday, May 18th, 6:00pm Potluck Dinner and Eucharist at Church
- Acolyte/Altar Guild Training – Sunday, May 21st after church
- Chad Sanner’s Ordination to the Priesthood – Friday, May 26th,at 6:30pm at Zion United Church of Christ
- Bishop Visitation/Confirmations – Sunday, May 28th at Church
- Eagle and Child – Thursday, June 1st, 7:00pm at TBD
| | A Message from Fr. Joe |
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| Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
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As we continue to live through the Church calendar with the season of Easter, the readings from the Gospel will focus more on John with the “I am” statements from Jesus. It began last week with Jesus declaring that He is the gate, which naturally leads us to receive His following words, “I am the good shepherd.”
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These statements are meant to direct us back to Exodus where God reveals Himself in the burning bush as “I am.” When Jesus says, “I am”, He is using the same language used with Moses. It is a marker of Jesus’ divinity where the image of the invisible God is being revealed. Or, in the words of Jesus we will hear this Sunday, if you have seen the Son, you have seen the Father.
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These statements are obviously markers of identification for Jesus, but also revealing how He seeks to relate to us. We are His sheep, we are those who need direction in the way, the truth, and the life, and we are the branches in need of the vine to bear any genuine fruit in our lives. In other words, the Christian life can never be separately lived outside of the revelation of Christ.
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| This sounds fairly simple, and maybe you are thinking, “well duh Fr. Joe.” But what often is the most obvious can be what’s easily forgotten. The many things we assume in Christianity cannot be assumptions anymore. It is also not simply reminders to put us back on the right track, but our constant need for the essentials of the faith to keep us in the faith. This is why the Gospel will always be for Christians too. |
As we hear these various “I am” statements from Jesus, I encourage you to hear His voice against all other voices around you. Even if you think you know these things well enough, humble yourself before Christ, and pray how you might further relate to Christ in how He is revealing Himself to 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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| The Sheep Hear His Voice by Dcn. Chad |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." In the last 8 years or so, due to the internet and widespread ideological indoctrination, the West has grown increasingly loud, with many and varied voices calling for you attention to their causes, their ideas, and their vision of the good life. In a world with so many voices, it can become difficult to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd who alone offers us life, and life to the full. Dcn. Chad, taking up this theme on Sunday endeavored to help us understand just how loud these voices really are, and how we might try to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd calling us to himself amidst all of the noise.
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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 and classical literature 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. |
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 | Cana Vox is a discussion group where those who support a classical understanding of marriage can explore the controversial issues in a calm, deliberative setting that is not subject to the hostilities found in today's public discourse on the topic. We seek to discuss thoughtful responses to the confusion surrounding marriage in our culture. We are not meeting currently, but if you have interest, contact Dcn. Chad about starting up another session.
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| | Acolyte/Altar Guild Training| As we search for some new volunteers to serve in the Acolyte and Altar Guild ministries at St. John's, we wanted to offer an opportunity for those interested to get deep training not just in the "how" of the liturgy, but the "why" also. To this end, we will be hosting an Acolyte/Altar Guild training shortly after church on Sunday, May 21st for anyone interested in these ministries, anyone currenntly serving in these ministries, or just anyone curious about the why and the how of Anglican liturgy. All are welcome! We will try to keep this training to an hour or so. |
| | Wednesday Book Study/Evening Prayer/Choristers| In this season of Easter, our Wednesday group will be reading the book, “Seculosity.” It focuses on how everyday secularism has become our new religion and how the Gospel speaks the delivering word towards us. If you are interested, please contact Fr. Joe for a book. We begin opening discussions this week. |
| | Confirmation| We are looking forward to the Bishop’s visit on Pentecost Sunday (May 28th) where we will celebrate the birth of the Church with those seeking to be confirmed in the Anglican Church of North America. If you are interested in pursuing confirmation or even curious to know what it’s all about, please contact Fr. Joe ASAP to chat over coffee or other beverages. |
| | Chad’s (Lord willing) Ordination to the Priesthood| Mark the date down now! May 26th for Chad’s, Lord willing, Ordination to the Priesthood. This is an exciting day for both Chad, but especially the life of St. John’s Anglican Church. We would love for all of us to come together and celebrate a historic day with him. We are currently working through all the details, but for now, please mark the date, plan to attend, and pray for Chad in this new phase of ministry for him. |
| | Easter Catechesis| We are starting a whole new Eastertide Catechesis on April 16th! The focus will be on Paul’s letter to the Colossians. In keeping the feast, we will continue to offer Morning Prayer for the first half of catechesis, with teaching to follow afterwards. Our youth are encouraged to stay for Morning Prayer, and they will continue their focus upstairs. Our children will continue with Gospel play with special attention on the post-resurrection narratives of Jesus with His disciples, but also special attention on the beginnings of the Church. |
| | Breeze Online Giving and Giving to Chad’s Curacy| Thank you to all who give to St. John’s Anglican Church. We are so grateful for your support to continue the mission of the Church. As an update to online giving through Breeze, you may or may not know that they charge a processing fee whenever you give online. It is a small percentage of your gift. However, there is an option for you to cover the processing fee in your giving if you so choose. This allows St. John’s to keep 100% of what you give online. You should be able to see the option when you choose to give on the website or on Breeze. Also, there is an option on our website to give to Chad’s Curacy. Simply click donate and you should see the option. Thank you again for your generosity! |
| | 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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