| | Weekly Dispatch, December 2nd, 2020 |
|
|
| |  | | St. John's Schedule | | A Message from Fr. Bryan | I always love the first real snow, so the fresh, white blanket all around is most welcomed. I hope you are all enjoying the change as I am. I've spoken with the Mission Council this week, and we've decided to remain online this coming Sunday (12/6) and to simply take it one week at a time after that. The virus is spreading very rapidly and is projected to increase in the next few weeks. This decision helps us in several ways.
|
- First, we are able to keep all of our more high-risk members out of harm's way.
- Second, this enables all of our members to worship together as one body even if we are meeting virtually. In no way does Zoom church offer a long-term substitute, but it is encouraging to meet with all of you every week even if only online. Zoom gives us the chance to check-in and connect with all of our members on Sunday morning.
- Third, the 30-year-old, healthy brother-in-law of one of our members developed COVID this week and was rushed to the hospital because of numerous severe problems. He never made it past the emergency room because the hospital had no room at all. Fortunately, he is back home now and doing better. The point is that our health system is genuinely stressed, and we can serve our community, our first responders, and those people who may not be able to get adequate care by doing our part to slow the spread of the disease. Christians have adopted this strategy during pandemics in the past for the same reasons.
This Sunday, we will practice Spiritual Communion as we did last week, and if online church stretches into further weeks, we will celebrate the Eucharist in the same way that we did last Spring. I'll send more information next week if necessary. Once again, you will be able to log in at this link and use the following passcode: 064707. I will also be sure to send the link and passcode via text using Breeze on Sunday morning before the service.
|
You may also be interested to know that I did not have the music configured correctly Sunday, so the music in our service was simply my computer speakers sounding through my microphone. I won't make this mistake again, so our service next week should have much better sound quality, and we shouldn't have to look at the Spotify app as we worship.
|
Despite the ongoing nature of this current saga, I am beginning to think quite a bit about our church's life after the pandemic, and I am excited about the future. We are planning a business meeting for Sunday, January 31st, and that meeting will take place even if we must meet online. Our mission council will become a formal "vestry," and we will have an election to add several spots. Also, I will outline some plans for moving forward with worship, outreach, catechesis, fellowship, and more, so please mark your calendars.
|
Finally, we've had a great response to our initiative with the Salvation Army, but we have a few remaining needs. You can still sign-up to participate at this link.
|
I look forward to worshipping with you on this Second Sunday of Advent and hope you have a blessed week. Don't ever hesitate to call or text me at 330-685-5510 if you have a need or just want to talk.
|
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
|
| | |
|
| "Christ, the Light in Darkness" by Fr. Bryan |  | A message from the series "Sermons from Lectionary Texts." Fr. Bryan Hollon preached through Zoom this weekend on the perennial Advent theme of Christ arriving as a light in a dark world at St. John’s Anglican Church in North Canton, Ohio.
|
| |
|
| 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 morning, noon, and evening prayer. The site is hosted by our friend, Fr. Michael Jarrett. |
|
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. Bryan. |
|
|
| | | Connect with Us on Social Media |    | |
|
|
|
|
