Weekly Announcements, September 25, 2020

September 25, 2020

Zoom Coffee Hour: Yes, we are still having our Zoom Coffee Hour at 11:15. This week we will have show and tell, where you share something with us in your home. Use this link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83862273842

New time for outdoor service and Blessing of the Animals: Since it is getting dark earlier, our outdoor service will move to 5pm starting Oct. 4th. We will have our Blessing of the Animals at our 5pm outdoor service on Oct. 4th.

Ushers Needed: As a result of the pandemic we have fewer ushers available to help. Obviously, we would never want someone who is uncomfortable coming to church at this time to usher. We are extraordinarily grateful to the ushers who are helping . All that said, we could use a few more. If you are interested in helping, please contact Dan Clark at: moc.loa@iblckd or 810-3620. You are welcome to state a preference for which service you would like to usher for.

Altar Guild Members: Have you ever considered being on the altar guild but didn’t think you had the time? Now is your time, because it will be much less time-consuming right now. Even if you can only join for the duration of the pandemic, we would be grateful for your help. Since communion has been simplified and there is only one morning service, altar guild members would only need to come in on Sundays (as opposed to Saturday morning). You also will not need to bring the elements forward. If you are interested, or just a little curious, please contact Lynn Kirkland at: moc.liamg@3977dnalkrikl or 532-1528.

Home Communion: We are delighted to be celebrating communion again on Sundays. However, we know that some will not feel comfortable attending. If you would like a clergy person to bring you communion, please contact Samantha (gro.notpmahsnhojts@rotcerjs), Mark (gro.notpmahsnhojts@kram), or the church office (722-2567). Our preference will be to share communion with you on a porch, deck, or front stoop if possible. We know that will not work for some and we can come inside if that is the only option. We are just trying to keep everyone as safe as possible!

Book Study:  Samantha will begin an eight-week book study on “Living into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America” on Oct. 1. You can find either paperback or a kindle version on Amazon.  We can also order it for you if that is your preference. The author is the Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, which is a ministry of the Episcopal Church. The study will be done via zoom and will take place on Thursdays at 7pm. We will be reading a chapter a week, so you will only have to read one chapter by Oct. 1. Please let Samantha know if you are interested in participating

Prayers for our Nation: A St. John’s parishioner suggested that we pray for our nation every day at noon. You can do this anywhere with any words that you choose. The idea is that we know somewhere, other members of St. John’s are praying for our country. While you can pray in any way that you would like, the Book of Common Prayer is a treasure trove of prayers. Therefore, we will be providing a different one every week. Here is this week’s: Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Calling all Humans of St. John’s! Given that we haven’t seen much of each other in person, we are launching a social media campaign called “Humans of St. John’s” (based on the popular “Humans of NY” series). The premise is simple: every week, we will feature a few parishioners’ stories of how quarantined life is treating them. If you have a unique story and would like to be featured in a post, please reach out to gro.notpmahsnhojts@snoitacinummoc at your earliest convenience. We will also be randomly contacting people! But your participation is by no means required. Thanks!

“Unlawful for Any Christian”? Slave-owning Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Early Virginia
September 29, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom
: Repairers of the Breach, our diocesan task force for dismantling racism, begins a speaker series on September 29 with a talk by Dr. Jennifer Oast, professor of history at Bloomsburg University. Continuing the work of Becoming Beloved Community, the Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing and justice, this series will build on the learning of our March pilgrimage, “Walking Toward Truth,” which visited sites of memory in Hampton, Jamestown and Williamsburg. Dr. Oast, author of Institutional Slavery: Slaveholding Churches, Schools, Colleges, and Businesses in Virginia, 1680-1860 (Cambridge, 2016), has entitled her talk “Unlawful for Any Christian”? Slave-owning Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Early Virginia.”  Anglican parishes were the first institutions in Virginia to own slaves, which were acquired initially through donations and later through deliberate purchase. The parishes became the masters of slaves with little hesitation; while one eighteenth-century minister declared he thought it was “unlawful for any Christian and in particular for a clergyman” to employ slaves, his view was the minority one in the early eighteenth century, when few Englishmen, either in the colonies or back in England, questioned the existence or morality of slavery. The Anglicans’ success with institutional slaveholding sent Virginians the message that not only was slaveholding not “unlawful” for a Christian, but that it could be of great benefit to them. This talk explores how slavery was used and thought about in Anglican and Episcopal parishes. Italso examines the lives of individual African Americans who were enslaved to the churches. Join us via Zoom for this informative session on September 29th from 6:30-7:30. Click here to register and access the Zoom link. Program will be recorded and will be available on the Repairing the Breach page of the diocesan website after the event.