St. John Episcopal Church email: yorkjohn@aol.com www.stjohnyork.org phone: (717) 848-1862 The Advocate J U L Y 2 0 1 5 MONT H L Y A D V O C A T E This newsletter is intended to update the members of St. John Episcopal Church on all of the things going on in our parish. I N S I D E THIS I S S U E : Independence Day Celebration General Convention of the Episcopal Church Scholarship for Books Building Committee Update Our Daily Bread July St. Zita s Guild Volunteers Pledge Update Family Ministry 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 From the Rector Each year we celebrate the fourth of July with parades, picnics, fireworks, and baseball. We revel in the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. United as Americans, we are of one mind on this particular day as we celebrate independence without considering the struggles involved in the founding of the nation. The fact is, not everyone supported the push for independence. Faith and the meaning of religious freedom played a prominent role as the nation was formed becoming the basis upon which we enjoy freedom of religion today. No religious body in America had a harder time embracing the notion of religious freedom than our own Episcopal Church. In fact, the Rector of St. John at the time of the American Revolution, the Rev. Daniel Batwell, was thrown in the creek three times for his refusal to stop praying for the king during Sunday worship. Loyalist sentiment was strong particularly among the clergy. It was not until the 1928 revision of the Prayer Book that the Episcopal Church included Independence Day among the feasts celebrated by the church. While established churches did exist in the colonies, no one group had widespread support enough to form a strong religious establishment. On the political scene, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine debated bills allowing freedom to worship as one saw fit. These bills were not to diminish religious observance but to protect it from intrusions by the state. James Madison appealed to the nature of Christianity in its purest form arguing that alliance between church and state corrupts Christian witness. The Church witnesses best to society when the Church is free to proclaim the Gospel and to speak its conscience. As we pause to celebrate July 4 th this year, let s be truly thankful to live in a country where rights of conscience are upheld and where we are free to worship God as we see fit whatever our faith tradition. David+
P A G E 2 Independence Day Celebration Spread the word and come yourself to join us on July 4 th at 10 AM when we celebrate Holy Communion at St. John using the 1789 Prayer Book. The First Capital Brass Ensemble will provide music for the service and following the service provide a short concert of patriotic music. Recalling the courage of those who formed our nation, participants will be offered the opportunity to ring the Liberty Bell at the conclusion of the service. Encore invites participants to share a reception on the lawn at the conclusion of the concert. Parking is available in the parking lot across from the church on Beaver Street. Invite your family, friends, and out of town guests to observe Independence Day with us at St. John. General Convention of the Episcopal Church The 78 th General Convention of the Episcopal Church will be held June 23 to July 3 in Salt Lake City, Utah. General Convention is composed of two legislative bodies: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Decisions made by General Convention impact our lives as Episcopalians and give focus to our mission. The next Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church will be elected on June 27 from among four bishops nominated by a Nominating Committee. Those bishops nominated will be: The Rev. Thomas Breidenthal, Diocese of Southern Ohio, The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Diocese of North Carolina, The Rt. Rev. Ian Douglas, Diocese of Connecticut, and The Rt. Rev. Dabney Smith, Diocese of Southwest Florida. General Convention Deputies have received resolutions regarding the structure of the Episcopal Church, marriage equity, church growth, response of environment issues, concern about violence, just to name a few of the resolutions submitted before the Convention convenes. Each day begins with an opening Eucharist before legislative sessions and committee hearings. The deputation from Central Pennsylvania is composed of four ordained and four lay deputies in the House of Deputies. The Rev. Canon David Lovelace will serve as one of the four deputies. You are asked to keep the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in your prayers during the time of the gathering in Salt Lake City. You will find more information and a daily blog on the diocesan website, www.diocesecpa.org. Lemonade on the Lawn Thanks to those who have committed to providing the gift of hospitality this summer by serving as hosts for Lemonade on the Lawn. Lemonade and cookies are provided for this opportunity after the 10 o clock Sunday service to greet one another and welcome our guests. If you choose, we always enjoy homemade treats. Hosts are asked to set up the table and refreshments after the service and return the set up to the Parish Hall before leaving. Please check your calendar and help us extend the gift of hospitality on Sunday mornings by hosting Lemonade on the Lawn. You may sign up on the bulletin board in front of the church or by contacting Alison Vedder at ministrycoord@stjohnyork.org
P A G E 3 Scholarship for Books One of the ways the All Saints fund supports young women and men at St. John is with a scholarship for books for those pursuing education beyond high school. Students in trade schools, community colleges, colleges, and vocational schools are invited to apply for a $500 a year scholarship to purchase books related to their course of study. A simple application is obtained from the parish office or on the St. John website (www.stjohnyork.org) and returned to the Parish Office. Applications will be approved in early fall and checks mailed at the beginning of the school year. Cheer on the York Revolution On Saturday, July 11 you are invited to cheer on the York Revolution as they take on the Lancaster Barnstormers at Santander Stadium. The game begins at 6:30 with the gates opening at 5:30. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 4-10 and free for children 3 and under. Tickets include entry to the game and a catered picnic in the picnic pavilion. (Food service begins at 5:45.) Playground wristbands will be provided for children to enjoy the outfield playground area at the stadium. After the game enjoy a fireworks display. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board at the front of the church to reserve your tickets. Payment is made to the Associate Vestry either by sending a check to the parish office or place a check in the alms basin marked for the Revs game. Tickets will be available in your name at the ticket window on the date of the game. Building Committee Update Thanks to the Building Committee under the leadership of Tom Warman for their continued work to move forward in our desire to provide a more welcoming, safe and accessible space for ministry to continue into the next 200 plus years at St. John. While we may not see any construction equipment on site, the committee has been working with the project team to acquire the necessary permits and approvals. On June 22, leaders from the parish did appear in Orphan s Court to seek the necessary permission to move graves to another location on the church campus. As it stands currently, bids for the project are due toward the middle of this month (June), toward the end of the month the Building Committee will meet for extended periods of time to review all the materials related to the project and prepare a proposal for the Vestry. Following Vestry approval, the project manager can begin to make the necessary arrangements to begin construction. In the meantime, efforts are under way to secure the necessary financing for the project. So, lots of behind the scenes efforts continue as we strive to achieve our goal of serving our parish and the community.
P A G E 4 Do you have a place in your garden for us? The plantings between the two buildings will have to be moved or destroyed once construction begins. Wanda Blakemore and Carolyn Hinton, master gardeners, have agreed to assist anyone interested in the plants to dig them and learn the best means to relocate them in your garden. Wanda and Carolyn will be available on Wednesday, July 15 from 11 AM to 1 PM to assist those who have a home for any of the plants. The majority of the plants were donated and it has been suggested that anyone relocating plants consider making a donation to the Building Fund rather that charge a set amount for each plant. Please bring a shovel or digging fork and plastic bags or pots to take your plants home. FROM THE PARISH REGISTER Death Unto God s gracious mercy we commend Caryl L. Fields A. Shelley Hennessey Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. Charles M. Schulz Our Daily Bread Outreach St. John volunteers served 238 meals Tuesday, June 23 at Our Daily Bread on South George Street. Thanks to the following servers: Sue Krebs, Jerri- Lee McCleary, Eric Smith, Jo Bailey, Peggy Ruth, Michael Jerrard and Milton Leake. Thanks also to our cooks who prepared 24 casseroles for us to serve to the hungry. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, contact Alison Vedder at the church office. July St. Zita s Guild Volunteers Altar Linens Ministry - 1 st Sunday Ann Kordenbrock 2 nd Sunday - Polly Stetler 3 rd Sunday - Jane Linebaugh 4 th Sunday - Ruth Delp Bulletin Board Ministry - Linda Lopez Hospitality Ministry Alison Vedder Kitchen Ministry Sylvia Salerno Always looking for more people to get involved. Please contact me at ministrycoord@stjohnyork.org to find out what will fit your interest and your schedule. Thank you, Alison Vedder Available Ministries: Community Neighborhood, Hospitality, Kitchen, Newcomer and Evangelism, Occasional Service Assistants (weddings, funerals, baptisms, confirmations, etc.), Office, Vestment
P A G E 5 Taking Bold Steps in Faith The Vestry is grateful to those who have responded to our pledge efforts for the July, 2015 to June, 2016 pledge year. As of the date of this report there are still a few who pledged last year and have not responded to our request for this year. As the report stands, we are 88% toward our goal based on the budget for the 2015 fiscal year. The Vestry hopes that those who have not pledged will do so in support of our shared ministries at St. John. You can make a pledge by completing a pledge form available on the table at the front of the church or by calling the parish office at 848-1862 and speaking to Gina Keiser, Financial Administrator. We share an exciting future serving our parishioners and our community. Thank you to those who have indicated their financial support. On vocation? Use GPS! Many vacationers rely on a global positioning system to get them easily to a destination. But in every season of life, God sends us on vocation following his call to both feed our passions and serve others. Our calling, Frederick Buechner said, is where [our] deep gladness and the world s deep hunger meet. But is there a GPS for vocation? It s not as detailed or predictive as we d like. It doesn t name our destination at the outset, and it offers general instructions rather than specific directions. And we may end up recalculating our life route more often than our vehicle GPS recalculates our vacation route. Even so, we travel in safety. This GPS might stand for God s Peace and Strength, or Gospel Promises Sustain, God Provides Salvation or Go! Proclaim! Serve! The GPS guiding our vocation speaks to us through Scripture, worship, trusted Christian friends, life events and the silence of our heart. Listening, we hear our Guide s calm voice and continue on vocation. Heidi Mann Did you know? Speaking of financial support, the parish of St. John is blessed with generous contributors who share of their financial means to provide the many ministries of our parish. Our buildings are in use seven days a week to assist parishioners and others in our community to transform their lives and to support one another. During the week in cooperation with the Literacy Council and Lincoln Intermediate Unit, we provide space for up to 60 people per week to further their education in an effort to improve their lives. Three support groups meet in our facilities providing the opportunity for participants to make decisions that have life changing consequences. During normal office hours, we receive requests almost daily for support to meet particular needs for food, shelter, transportation or medical care. Various groups from our parish engage in ministry throughout the week as we strive to follow the leading of God s Spirit to respond to the needs of others. Next door to the church campus are three housing units that we renovated and rent to deserving persons who need a decent affordable place to live and a hand up. Who knows where or how the Spirit will call us to respond in the future. We do know that parishioners of St. John are generous and supportive of the call to the church to care for the least among us. Bridget Hack graduated from Northern High School on June 5, 2015. She will be attending Susquehanna University in the fall to study Graphic Design.
P A G E 6 Jennifer Morris, Director e-mail: familyministry@stjohnyork.org 717-495-4173 Thank you so much to all of our VBS Volunteers: Alyson Murray, Jess Dellinger, JoAnn Taylor Anne, Grace & Cattie Strayed, Sarah, Jake, Lilly & Max Reeder, Lilly Reeder s friend, Elaina Murray, Riley Ness, Alex & Sarah Gleba, Anne Deisher, Penny Musselman, Milton Leake, Jason Lacey and Corey Miller. (Apologies if anyone was accidentally omitted.) Even though we had fewer participants this year, a fun time was had by all. We learned about Joseph and forgiveness and how Jesus is our Savior and our sins are forgiven when we believe. Due to PA State Law changes, all volunteers must have clearances on file with St. John (within the last 36 months) to work with children in any capacity. If you have current clearances, please submit a copy to the church office. If you need clearances, there are two options; we can do them for you or you may obtain them on your own. The state has waived the fees for volunteers, so getting clearances is free. You may obtain clearances: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/ home Forms are available in the church office. School s out for summer! As a back to school project, we ask your help in collecting school supplies for students in the York City School District. We are looking for the following items to pass on to the school district for the 2015-16 school year: Pencils Crayons, 24 ct. Washable Markers Wide Rule Spiral Notebooks Highlighters Blue, Black & Red Pens Index Cards Post-it notes 2-Pocket Folders Bottled Glue Large Pink Erasers Glue Sticks Inch/Metric Rulers, 12 Blunt Tip Scissors Pencil Sharpeners Pencil Cap Erasers Pencil Cases New Backpacks May all your summer activities and travels be blessed with safety, relaxation and fun! St. John Episcopal Church www.stjohnyork.org (717)848-1862