Resources

Weekly Announcements

Check here each week for the latest news from around the parish.

Weekly Announcements, March 19, 2023

Nursery Closure: The Nursey will be closed today.

Lent Soup and Faith Conversations: Our Lenten program continues Wednesday with a simple meal of soup, salad and bread, and Bob Harper will share part of his faith story. There will be small table conversation if people are moved to share in a small group. It’s amazing what you can learn from someone else’s experience. This is also an opportunity to get to know people a little better. We will meet from 6pm to 7pm in the parish hall. Betsy Clark will share on March 29th.

Adult Christian Formation: For the next few Sunday’s in Lent we will be discussing a series of brief article excerpts that discuss the theme of faithfulness in the midst of life’s struggles. Materials provided weekly. We meet on the stage at 10AM. All are welcome. This week’s materials here: https://conta.cc/3YUSFDx 

Children and Youth Christian Formation: We have two Christian Formation classes for children and youth ages 3-7 and ages 8 and up on Sunday mornings at 10am. All are welcome!

NEW Bible Study: Our brand new in-person bible study will meet for the first time on 30 March at Noon. We will meet in the parish hall and locate the space that comfortably accommodates the group. We begin and end in prayer for our St. John’s family and those on our hearts. Questions? Email Mark. gro.notpmahsnhojts@kram.

Zoom Bible Study: If you are unable to join us in person, we will continue offering our separate bible study via zoom. We will begin a new study at 3pm on 22 March 2023. We begin and end in prayer for those on our hearts. Questions? Email: gro.notpmahsnhojts@kram. We welcome all visitors!

Gluten Free Communion Options: Sealed communion packets with gluten free wafers are currently unavailable—it is our hope we’ll be able to offer them before the end of March. Gluten free communion wafers are currently available. Communion can be taken in one kind if the common cup makes you nervous!

Healing Prayer: Healing Prayer is being offered weekly in the chapel during Holy Eucharist at both services. If you would like prayer for healing or any request, our prayer team will be in the chapel during Holy Eucharist to pray with you.

Book Club: The St. John’s Book Club will meet Monday, March 27, at 4pm on the stage in the parish house.  For that meeting we will finish reading The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Our next book will be People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.  New members are welcome!  For more information, please contact Susan Edmonson at 757-325-6676 or ten.xoc@4nosnomde.

Blessing Bags: Thank you to everyone for your generous contributions! We’ll continue to collect until after second service, so if you have last-minute donations, don’t delay in getting them to us!

Children’s Bulletins: We have bulletins for children ages 3-6 and 7-12 available at each service. Ask an usher for one or both.

Notes on Today’s Handbells: In 1995 the First Congregational Church of Elyria, Ohio lost one of its handbell choir members Jane Klingman, to cancer. The choir wanted to pay tribute to Jane’s love for God and music through the commissioning of a special arrangement of “Beautiful Savior”, one of her favorite hymns.  This arrangement begins on the F/G 5 position played by Jane Klingman, playing the opening of the hymn as a solo and continuing in a meditative manner. Stanza two is in the minor key implying pain, sadness and grief. A musical  transition from frustration and anger at death and illness takes us to the realization that death is not victorious with large, forward moving chords. The conclusion returns to the F/G 5 position and concludes with slowly ascending notes reminding us of the peace awaiting us in heaven.

Weekly Announcements, May 28, 2021

Church A/C Broken: We encourage you to dress casually in the next month. The air conditioner in the church is broken. Our junior warden has been working with the HVAC technician for months. However, they have to build a part to fix it and then hire a crane. It’s not your average air conditioner! If it is about 80 in the church, we will move the service to the parish hall. We apologize for the inconvenience. It’s a good time to remember that our mission statement includes the words: inspire, aspire and perspire.

Flower Delivery: We are in need of people to deliver altar flowers on Sunday after services. Please contact Shannon gro.notpmahsnhojts@eciffo if you are available to serve this ministry.

Ice Cream after 10:45am service: In lieu of a coffee hour, please join us for ice cream in the parish hall following the 10:45am service!

Juneteenth Faith Walk: Join Faith-Walk Hampton on June 19 at 3:30pm at the Hampton City Hall. We will gather there and walk to Emancipation Oak at Hampton University for a program.

New Compline Schedule: The clergy have met and all agreed that compline on Facebook Live has become important to a small, but dedicated group. We would like to continue at 9am Monday through Thursday. There will be no compline on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays. This schedule will begin on June 7. Thank you all who have joined us over the past year. We hope it has brought comfort and peace and will continue to do so on this new schedule.

Changes to COVID Guidelines: Please note the changes that will go into effect this Sunday and next Sunday: What will remain the same for the time being: · Communion. · Offering plates are at the front of the church but will not be passed out. · Nursery is closed until we have staff to cover it.

Music Camp is happening again! If you were part of our past music camp for kids, you know it was a blast and a wonderful opportunity to make our church known in the community as a place for kids to come and learn. This year it will be held the week of July 19-23 from 9am-12pm each day. We need teachers and helpers for each of the 4 classes and the musical. Now that we can safely come back together, this is to be the event of the summer and WE ARE READY FOR IT! All your class plans and supplies will be prepared for you. Please consider joining us as a teacher, a helper or just helping behind the scenes. We need everyone to make this camp a top notch event at St. John’s. Contact Deborah at moc.liamg@35rracharobed for more information. To register your child online, follow this link.

Monday Night Book Club: We will finish Part II of Hamnet on June 7. Our next book will be While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams, a gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court. If you are interested in joining us, let Linda McMahon know at moc.liamg@nwodhsalps.adnil.

Bible Study on Isaiah: We are currently working on the beginning section of Isaiah. We are still meeting via Zoom on Wednesdays at 3pm and may be moving to a “hybrid” of both in person and via Zoom. Use this link. Questions? Contact gro.notpmahsnhojts@rotcertnatsissa or 757-722-2567. Drop-ins are always welcomed!

Chanco on the James: Summer Jobs and Info about Summer Camp! Chanco on the James Camp and Retreat Center is HIRING SUMMER CAMP STAFF: Positions include counselor, sailing instructor, ropes course staff, and photographer. Benefits include housing, meals, training and compensation. Email gro.ocnahc@smargorp for an application or more information.

St. John’s team to Clean the Bay: We hope you will join our Clean the Bay Day team on Saturday, June 5. By participating in Clean the Bay Day 2021, our team has taken the pledge to get outside, pick up litter, and work to improve the well-being of the 18 million people and 3,000 species of plants and animals that call the watershed home. We will meet in the parking lot across from the Virginia Air & Space Science Center at 9am. Our goal is to clean the public land from the Center to the end of Mill Point Park. If you are unable to join us, please consider donating to Chesapeake Bay Foundation in our team’s name. Cris from the Hampton Clean City Commission is loaning us equipment (bags, gloves, vests, and poles to pick up trash remotely) once again. For those interested, we plan on a “bring your own picnic” afterwards. For more information or to sign up, contact Linda McMahon at moc.liamg@nwodhsalps.adnil.

Plaque and Contextual Marker for the Confederate Memorial: We have ordered the plaque and contextual marker for our Confederate Memorial. The vestry voted unanimously to use the funds from our Memorial Fund to cover the expense. The Memorial Fund is not part of the operating budget. Neither your pledge nor your Sunday offering is part of the Memorial Fund. This fund is made up of undesignated donations from members and nonmembers. The donations are meant to be used for tangible items associated with the church. For instance, we used the Memorial Fund to purchase the torches that the acolytes carry, robes for Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and a repair to one of our cruets (what is used to hold the wine). Most recently we used the Memorial Fund for audio visual equipment. There is plenty of money in this fund to cover the cost of the plaque and contextual marker. If you feel passionately about this project, you may donate to the Memorial Fund.