“oo-koo-LEH-leh” = UKULELE Next month, St. John’s Episcopal Church will kick off an inaugural summer arts camp: UKULELE ADVENTURES 2022. From June 20th through the 24th, campers ranging in age from “rising” 2nd graders through Middle School, will have the opportunity to experience a week of music learning and mastery of this fun little instrument. Here are a few facts…
“I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” Prayed during the Ash Wednesday liturgy, these words bid the church enter into Lent’s season. They are both beautiful and…
The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, on March 2. While our staff and other leaders were busy making plans a few weeks ago, someone jokingly asked, “Can’t we just skip Lent this year?! It feels like we’ve been in Lent for two years straight!” To the extent that Lent is about self-denial –…
A message from the Strategic Design Team Since the end of October St. John’s Strategic Design Team (SDT) has been working hard to formulate a Mission and Values statement and 3-Year Goals for our parish that will guide our identity and direction as we move forward as a parish. We have strived be faithful to,…
A strummin’ summer comin’ your way… In Fall 2021, multiple conversations were taking place about the direction ministries might be headed as St. John’s envisions the future. One idea that came from my dialogue with members of the Strategic Design Team, was a three-year goal for the creation of a school of the arts that…
Several years ago, I helped lead a youth group on a pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey. It was a part of a process these young people went through, which included biblical preparation, learning about what pilgrimage means, and fundraising. Traveling to Greece for pilgrimage meant that we had to take a cruise ship to visit…
As I reflect on the last two years of pandemic impacts on our parish life, it’s the impact on our relationships that I most lament. We’ve managed to figure out how to worship online or outdoors when we need to. We’ve come together to serve neighbors in our community, to bless gardens and plant trees,…
The Sounds of Christmas Last year, celebrations of our Savior’s birth included little to no live music due to pandemic restrictions. Holiday conversations lamented the lack of singing, Christmas caroling, bells ringing–the season different from the past. This year, Christmas Eve 2021 will offer all ages—children, youth, adults—the chance to join voices singing as an…
This Sunday we will light two candles on the Advent Wreath and hear a voice crying in the wilderness. That voice is the voice of John the Baptist, the patron saint of St. John’s parish. While we don’t hear John’s exact words in Luke, whatever he said and did clearly remind the gospel-writer of Isaiah’s…
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