St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Ivy Newsletter. The Power of Prayer

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1 St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Ivy 2017 Newsletter The start of September is almost like another January 1. Whether you have children or not, whether you follow the school calendar or not, the rest of the world changes its rhythm. Calendars fill up, sports and TV programming resumes, and many people make a new batch of resolutions. In that spirit, then, I would like to challenge us all to deepen our prayer practices this fall. The other Sunday I preached about the difference a small thing like prayer can make when the world s problems seem so big. This summer has thrown us challenge after challenge: white supremacy rallies in Charlottesville and other cities, violent protests, extreme natural disasters causing unprecedented destruction. We can find many reasons to despair! Yet Jesus asks us not to retreat when times get hard but to continue to shower others with God s love. We cannot love others well, however, if we have not attended to our own relationship with God. The Power of Prayer The Rev. Emily Rowell Brown Which brings me back to my challenge--specifically, the prayer challenge. You will find 30 suggestions for different ways to pray, (pgs 5 & 6) and I hope some or many of them enrich your spirituality. You may have heard before of vertical and horizontal relationships--the vertical relationship is the one between each of us and God, and the horizontal relationship is the one we have other people here on this earth. Both are fundamental to our walk as Christians. Through prayer, we pour into the vertical relationship so that our horizontal relationships may be strengthened. As Bishop Curry reminded us in his recent visit, we look to Jesus as our guide in all that we do. He is our way going forward. So let s spend some extra time listening and talking to God this fall-- with each other and alone. We can heed those familiar and comforting words uttered so often in the Episcopal Church: Let us pray. Every Blessing, Emily (Continued on page 8) Fall 2017 Page 1

2 Church Leadership 2017 Vestry The Rev. Emily Rowell Brown Bettie Hutcherson, Sr. Warden Jeff Sprouse, Jr. Warden Kevin Hensley Ed Strange June Tate Activities/Altar Guild Nancy Sprouse Secretary, Treasurer Michelle Sprouse Sunday School Tracy Strange Youth Director Bettie Hutcherson Organists Carlton Dickerson Bulletins, June Tate Senior Warden s Report Bettie Hutcherson Over the years and most recently as visitors and friends have crossed my path, I have told them that St. John the Baptist may be small, but we are mighty. All you have to do is look around and you will see our parishioners doing all they can to serve God and our church. God can use you no matter what age you are. Use the gifts you have been given to encourage others you come in contact with. Extend and lend a helping hand to others along their path. We are all humble servants and equipped with various gifts and talents. Sometimes we consider what we do to be so small we don t even know the impact it has on our community. Our church pews are not filled (as we would like them to be) on Sunday morning, however, we have a faithful following of persons that come seeking a greater knowledge of God. Size is not always a measure of success. Bigger is not always better. Be an inspiration to all persons you meet. Lead by your example. You may be small, but you are mighty. Bettie Newsletters, June Tate Cemetery, Jeff Sprouse Flowers, Bettie Hutcherson Hospitality, Bettie Hutcherson Web Site Coordinator The Rev. Emily Rowell Brown Facebook Coordinators The Rev. Emily Rowell Brown June Tate ECW June Tate, President Bettie Hutcherson, Sec./Treas. Episcopal Church Women s Report Bettie Hutcherson, Treasurer The Episcopal Church Women of St. John the Baptist are always working behind the scenes to support our church and community. Most recently we helped with the yard sale to finish paying for our new, beautiful road sign. Our thanks go out to our junior warden, Jeff Sprouse for getting this sign ordered and installed. It is amazing. We are looking forward to our annual Holiday Bazaar. The bazaar will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2017, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you could contribute any homemade or handcrafted items, we would be most appreciative. We invite you to come join us on the day of the bazaar. Come shop with us or just spend the day in fellowship with us. Our thanks for your continued support. Bettie Page 2 Fall 2017

3 Sunday School Report Tracy Strange, Director The Saint John s Sunday school wrapped up the summer with an overnight VBS. This year s theme was Camp Out Getting S more of Jesus. At Camp Out VBS, we trekked through an outdoor adventure celebrating Jesus as the Light of the World! We may have eaten a few S mores too A few very brave folks volunteered to help out to make the event a success. Thank you to Kevin, Ed, and Emily for pitching in. I could not have pulled it off without you. Our fall plans are to focus on prayer and becoming closer to the Lord. I have several activities and crafts lined up to share with the kids. There is also a 500 piece COBI Noah s Ark under construction in the parish hall. Liam is overseeing its construction. Please stop by to check on the progress. As we begin our new year, I invite you to share any questions, concerns, or ideas that you may have with me. Respectfully submitted, Tracy Strange Fall 2017 Page 3

4 October 4 David Wayland 8 Eric & Tracey McFarlane 9 Karen Hutcherson-Douglas 11 Chris Kinney & Kimberley Barker 17 Lauren Sprouse Wood 24 Ethan Williams 29 Sherri Gibson 30 Bill & Faye Williams November 2 Gary Stevens 6 Allen Miller 8 Tamra Harrison-Kirschnick 8 Haley Crawford 8 Hunter Loose 8 Sonny Sprouse 12 Justin Gibson 25 Bettie Hutcherson 26 Robert Harrison Sunday October 1st Please join us for St. John s 127th year celebration! Our Vicar Mother Emily Rowell Brown will celebrate her first anniversary with us. The hymns will be old favorites that everyone knows. Of course, the wonderful food that St. John s is known for will be served for lunch. Please bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share! We are looking forward to seeing as many of our church family as can come, and please bring family and friends with you! December 5 Bill Williams 6 Tracey McFarlane 9 Dale Kingrea 9 Nancy Sprouse 13 Howard Morris 13 Kimberley Barker 14 Lindsay McFarlane Paul Freeman Fisk April 7, 1928 May 15, 2017 Robert Lee (Bobby) Thomas Sr. September 19, 1940 September 2, 2017 Page 4 Fall 2017

5 Invigorate Your Prayer Life! Prayer Challenge: Try each at least once this fall. See what you think! 1. Pray with silence. Say nothing. Listen to God. 2. Read a passage of scripture. Pray the words. 3. Light a candle and be still. 4. Pray with your body: walk, breathe, stretch. 5. Pray while in the car. 6. Pray next time you are waiting in line for the person in front of you. 7. At your next meal, pray for all involved in bringing the food to you: the farmers, the trucker drivers, the grocers, the chefs. 8. Pray with your animal companion. Thank God for the ways creatures enrich your life. 9. When you read the news, pray for all those featured. 10. Pray with someone: a friend, a spouse, a fellow church member. 11. Memorize a meditative phrase or passage of scripture to repeat when you need grounding or recentering. 12.Pray through a family photo album. Use pictures as an opportunity to thank God for the precious people in your life. Ask for God's blessing on them. Ask God to heal relationship rifts, and to help you heal from the grief of loved ones lost. 13.Pray while brushing your teeth. Our words are powerful. Pray that your words today would honor God. 14. Pray to music. Sing or play to make a joyful noise to God, or simply listen to another s music. 15. Find a star a night and pray for the vast universe. Experience awe at God s huge creation and your role in it. 16. Pray out loud. 17. Pray from the Book of Common Prayer. Try praying Morning, Noonday, or Evening Prayer, or Compline (or all!). 18.Pray through journaling. See what God guides you to write. 19.Pray with simple triggers. "Triggers" are memory tools that help direct our minds. We can strategically help our prayer practices by placing triggers in our day to remind us to pray in the middle of our ordinary activity. A Post-It on your bathroom mirror, an hourly alarm on your watch, a small stone carried in your front pocket...it can be anything. Get creative and deliberate to place these hallmarks along the regular paths you walk. God will meet you there. 20.Say a prayer of thanks. Give thanks for one of your blessings. 21.Say a prayer of petition. Ask God for something you long for or desire. 22.Say a prayer of intercession. Pray on someone else s behalf, that God might bless and comfort them. 23.Pray simply. The fewer the words, the better the prayer, said Martin Luther. Isn t that reassuring? We can talk to God in everyday language, just like we talk to a friend. We don t have to pray long. Continued on page 6 Fall 2017 Page 5

6 Invigorate Your Prayer Life (continued) 24. Remember your day. Use the ancient prayer practice of the Examen. Answer what moment in the day made you grateful and what moment made you ungrateful. Give thanks to God for the gift of another. 25.Try praying in images instead of words. Remember that we do not always have to pray with words. Our minds and hearts are not one-dimensional. We live in a colorful world and are gifted with vivid imaginations. 26.Try different prayer postures. If you usually sit when you pray, try kneeling in an attitude of humility and openness. Walking while praying can be meditative, helping to clear your mind and keep the ideas flowing freely. Holding a small cross during prayer can comfort you, give you strength, and anchor you solidly in Christ. 27.Recite the Jesus prayer. The classic form of the Jesus Prayer is Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 28.Read the psalms. The psalms can help us pray when we have no words of our own. As you pray the psalms one by one (try saying one each day), mark the ones you find most meaningful in your own prayer life. Go back to your favorites, the ones that help you express your own struggles, sorrows, joys, and emotions. God has heard these prayers many times. The beautiful thing is that God will know exactly what they mean coming from you. 29.Pray at a different time of day. Perhaps you usually pray during the morning or right before bed. Try praying at a different time of day and see what else you bring to God. 30.Pray for your enemies. The person may not be your enemy in the harshest sense of the word, but pray for those who are difficult for you to like or understand or feel compassion towards. Pray that your own heart might be changed. Pray for God s goodness and blessing to come to them. Help with Hurricane Relief! Episcopal Relief and Development wisely uses its donations (84 percent of donations go directly to programs) and works closely with church partners after disasters, equipping them to meet needs of those most vulnerable in their communities. Your gift will not only benefit people now, but in the weeks and months ahead as we remain for the longer-term recovery. Thank you for your generosity and prayers for all those affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and other storms during this hurricane season. Donate online at episcopalrelief.org (and read the latest updates), or you may mail a checkwith the memo "hurricane relief" to: Episcopal Relief & Development, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA Every dollar and every prayer makes a difference! Page 6 Fall 2017

7 October: Sunday 1 Homecoming November: Sunday 5 Daylight Savings Time Ends Fall Back 1 hour (Get your hour of sleep back from Daylight Savings Time!) Thursday 23 Thanksgiving Day Saturday 2 Sunday 3 Sunday 17 Sunday 24 December: ECW Bazaar & Craft Sale 9 am to 2 pm Annual Parish Meeting following service (1st Sun. in Advent) Christmas Luncheon following 10 am service Christmas Eve Service at 10 am Monday 25 Christmas Day Listen to Bishop Curry s Sermon Presiding Bishop Michael Curry visited Charlottesville on Thursday September 7th and preached a moving and inspiring sermon at the service at St. Paul s Memorial on the corner.the sermon is in audio format on the Diocese of Virginia s web site. It is about 30 minutes long. Listen to it here: MCurryVisit.mp3 (and see a video of the entire service here: news/presiding-bishop-michael-curry-makes-pastoral-visit-to-charlottesville/). You will be glad you took the time! You will notice our own organist Carlton Dickerson is in the picture, and Larry Gibson was in the choir! Carlton > Fall 2017 Page 7

8 Sunday October 1 We hope to see you here! St. John the Baptist, Ivy Mission Statement The purpose of St. John-the-Baptist is to create an environment, through our acceptance of God s love in Christ, wherein we can become a faithful community, committed to sharing that same love by seeking and serving Christ in all persons. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church P. O. Box 351 Ivy, Virginia stjohnthebaptistivy@outlook.com Page 8 Fall 2017