After waking New Year’s Day to the news of a deadly terrorist attack in the city of New Orleans and then a second less “successful” attack on the Trump hotel in Las Vegas later in the day, a sense of dread overtook me for a moment, I won’t lie. But many faithful people have…
Well, my sabbatical time is fast approaching, and I am so grateful that our Episcopal Churches make this a priority for their clergy, and that St. John’s has made it a priority, too, by “saving up” over the last several years and inviting special gifts from all of you. While the church as an institution…
As you likely know by now, starting Oct 1 we have a few big changes coming to our weekly Sunday morning schedule: First, our weekly Sunday School program at St. John’s (using the Godly Play curriculum during the 9:30 am church service) will go on hiatus for a year so we may experiment with a different…
The Rev. Philip Zoutendam, Associate Rector and The Rev. Sarah Phelps, Rector First, a message from Fr. Philip: Dear beloved people of St. John’s, I have some bittersweet news, and I’m sorry that the bitter part will inevitably come as a shock. I’ll be moving to New Jersey this fall to follow my wife,…
We’re moving………..the choir pews 😊 Have you noticed how many individuals are sharing their musical talents with the Cantate Vocal Choir at our 9:30 AM Eucharist? The choir pews are filling up and the time it takes us to gather up by the keyboard and altar rail has increased and the risk of choir members…
I am back at St. John’s after 2 ½ weeks of vacation and I’m feeling exceedingly grateful: Grateful for the extended rest and time with friends and family while on vacation; grateful for our Associate “Rev. Drs.”, Lorraine and Jim, who are always so supportive and willing to serve when asked; grateful for Lois Sauer,…
Now what? We have arrived at Easter. Our Lenten journey is complete, and we have witnessed our annual reliving of the drama of the Last Supper, Passion, and Resurrection again. Finally, the tomb is empty, Angel’s proclamation is heard, and Jesus lives! What a relief, but now what do we do? In my Sunday sermon,…
I wanted to provide an overview of staff transitions coming up this Spring/Summer at St. John’s and what our Vestry and I are doing to address ongoing parish needs in response. I know many are curious as to what options we are considering, and perhaps a little nervous because we’re facing quite a lot of…
Last week Mo. Sarah wrote in her eNews article about the practice of Lent. As she said, our Lenten journey begins this year as it does every year with Ash Wednesday. The practice of having the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads with ashes is a powerful experience. The grittiness of the ashes…
“I want to walk as a child of the light.” This simple song we sing every Sunday as the children of St. John’s process to Godly Play grounds us and reminds us of Isaiah’s vision of the peaceful kingdom, which states, “and a little child shall lead them.” As we have entered the Season of…