ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST NEWSLETTER
October 25, 2019
Dear All:
I was recently rereading Illuminated Life by Joan Chittister, O.S.B. (an American Benedictine nun, theologian, author, and speaker)and came upon this passage that seems to speak so clearly about the beauty and spirituality of the Hudson Valley during the fall season:
“Where is God?” the catechism asked. “God is everywhere,” the catechism answered. The answer is often ignored, but the answer, if God is really God, is certainly true. God is the stuff of the universe. In everything created resides the energy, the life, the image, the nature of the creator.
To know the creator, it is only necessary to study creation. The source of life is Life. The obvious is almost too simple to be believed: Al life contains the secrets of Life. “In this acorn,” the mystic Julian of Norwich said, “is everything there is.” Nature, all of it, is the mirror of the Ultimate, the resting place of the God of life, the presence of the power of God. (p. 84)
May we all take the time to seek God in this magnificent beauty that is surrounding us and may we give thanks for all of our blessings.
Mary Grace+
ANNOUNCEMENTS
THIS SUNDAY:
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost– Morning Prayer
Readings: Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22; Psalm 84:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Happy Birthday: Betsy Hamilton
Please remember to fill in the Anniversary/Birthday Book located on the table next to the kitchen in Aspinwall Hall. We want to remember everyone’s special occasions during our Sunday worship.
Stewardship Season Begins – Each year we are asked to prayerfully consider how we can support our church financially in order to do the important ministry of the church. Over the next few weeks, we will hear from the members of the Board of Trustees as to why they give back to St. John’s.
THE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED THEOLOGY PRE-ADVENT LECTURE SERIES WITH BRUCE CHILTON
Chapel of the Holy Innocents at Bard College
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Five weekly lectures (October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1) on the origins of prophecy deploy the earliest Hebrew Scriptures comparatively, in the context of studies of shamanism and related topics. The aim is to permit the texts to articulate how they envision events that run counter to the prevailing patterns of political and military power, and ultimately to intimate an alternative structure of reality itself.
For more information, call 845-758-7335, or e-mail iatatbard@gmail.com.
RESPONSE TO HURRICANE RELIEF
Sign-up Sheets for Sunday ministries: There are new sign up sheets located on the table next to the kitchen in Aspinwall Hall. Please sign up to read a lesson, lead Prayers of the People, host Coffee Hour, provide treats for Coffee Hour and/or arrange flowers for worship. All are welcome to be part of these important ministries that make our Sunday morning worship a spiritual experience for all.
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CALENDAR
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist/Morning Prayer and Coffee Hour
Mondays @ 8:00 p.m. Men’s AA meeting in Aspinwall Hall
Wednesdays @ 8:00 p.m. Open AA meeting in Aspinwall Hall
CHURCH STAFF
The Rev. Mary Grace Williams, Vicar, magrwi5154@gmail.com, (203) 858 – 8800
The Rev. Virginia Grab, Associate to the Vicar
Mr. Peter Sipperley, Director of Music
Paulina Swierczek, Soloist
Frankie Sitler-Elbel, Student Intern
Max Toth, Student Intern
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD
President Sara Takacs 2021
Vice President Mike Kelley 2020
Treasurer John Ferguson 2020
Clerk Sarah McDonald 2022
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Tom Cathcart 2022 Evie Chanler 2021
John Ferguson 2020 Mike Kelley 2020
Isabel Livingston 2021 Sarah McDonald 2022
Fran Sharpless 2022 Peter Sipperley 2020
Sara Takacs 2021
Nan Eliot, ex officio
Wayne Baden, Trustee Emeritus & Advisor to the Board
1114 River Road, Red Hook, NY 12571-2938
Email: stjohnsbarrytown@gmail.com
Telephone (845) 758-6433
Website: https://stjohnsbarrytown.org
