St. John's Episcopal Church

Newlsetter for Epiphany and Lent

2012-02-08T14:52:00.003-05:00

Read news and some prayers and thoughts on prayer in our latest newsletter.

Yossi concert a real treat

2012-01-11T23:00:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday Yossi Khorman-Glaser played a concert at the church. It was a real treat; this young man has some spectacular talent. Thanks to all who attended and especially to those who donated to the FAITH Food Pantry.

Vestry Slate

2012-01-08T10:48:00.000-05:00

The slate for the Vestry has been published and is below.

Officers
Warden: Bruce Moulthrop
Co-Clerkship: Stephen Zakur and JoAnn Hornack
Treasurer: Cheryl Moulthrop

Vestry Members
Ann Astarita
John Conk
Carl Dalzell
Cecilia Dalzell
Mary Fellows

The Annual Meeting of the Vestry will be on Sunday, January 15th.

Classical Guitar Concert, Sunday, January 8th, 2 pm

2012-01-02T10:13:00.002-05:00

Yossi Khorman-Glaser will be playing a concert of classical guitar music on Sunday, January 8th at 2 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook, CT. A reception in the church hall will immediately follow the concert.

Yossi Kohrman-Glaser has been studying classical guitar for ten years. He is a student of Andrew LaFreniere at the Suzuki Talent Education School in Newtown. Yossi took first place in 2009 in the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America’s International Youth Competition. In June 2007 he was a soloist with the Danbury Symphony Orchestra at their annual POPS concert, performing the Vivaldi Lute Concerto in C. Yossi is also accomplished on the piano, which he began playing at age four. Yossi has been composing his own music since kindergarten and has composed for piano, classical guitar, recorder, string quartet and symphonic orchestra.

Yossi is a four time national winner of a youth competition in musical composition, placing at the state level in CT for eight years in a row. Yossi is a sophmore honors student at Newtown High School He lives with his parents, two sisters and a cat that always comes running to listen when he sits down to practice. In his free time, Yossi plays soccer, tennis, and table tennis, runs track, and loves to ski.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Service

2011-12-11T15:48:00.001-05:00

We'll be celebrating both a Christmas Eve and a Christmas Day Service. The Christmas Eve service will start at 7:00 p.m. and is our traditional service with candlelight and all the greenery that you've come to expect. I hope you'll join us.

Christmas Day is a Sunday, so you'll also be able to join us on Christmas Day too! The service will start at 9:30 a.m.

Merry Christmas!

Tree Lighting Bake Sale

2011-12-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

We held a bake sale last weekend during the Sandy Hook Tree Lighting. A few photos from the event are below. The cotton candy was VERY popular.

Thanks to everyone who helped out, especially Cleo Conk with her candy spinning skills, and to all who stopped by for some goodies!

December - January Newsletter

2011-12-03T09:12:00.001-05:00

Read it here!

Come join us at the Sandy Hook Tree Lighting!

2011-11-29T08:26:00.001-05:00

The Sandy Hook Tree Lighting will be this Saturday, December 3rd at 6:30 p.m. Local festivities will begin around 4 p.m. At the church we'll be serving hot cider and cotton candy and, of course, our parking is a convenient walk to the tree. We look forward to seeing you all.

9/11 Service

2011-09-06T20:12:00.000-04:00

We at St. John's Episcopal Church would like to invite youto a special Sunday, September 11, 2011 service at 9:30 a.m. in gratitude forall of Newtown's emergency responders. Fire, police, ambulance,underwater rescue, animal control, and the many good samaritans who on a dailybasis put their lives on hold and often at risk to help their fellow humanbeings in need. Please join us in thanking them for their service.

September Newsletter

2011-09-06T20:11:00.000-04:00

Here's our September newsletter. http://goo.gl/kE7wL We have a brief one for September, and hope to have some good things planned for October and November. Enjoy!

Organ Concert sunday August 14 3pm

2011-08-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

Come hear Dan Brownell play a selection of Lost and Forgotten Treasures on Sunday 8/14 at 3pm in the church.

July 24 Nancy Springer, Guest Organist

2011-07-21T19:23:00.000-04:00

Come hear Nancy Springer's beautiful accompaniment to our worship this Sunday at 9:30.

May-June Newsletter

2011-05-03T07:46:00.003-04:00

Please read our latest newsletter. You'll find meditations for the Easter and Pentecost seasons, a calendar of events, and the Sunday readings for May and June.

Holy Week Services

2011-04-21T06:38:00.000-04:00

Maundy Thursday April 21 7:00pm
Good Friday April 22 7:00pm
Easter Sunday April 24 9:30am

Pancake Supper

2011-03-06T13:58:00.005-05:00

New Newsletter

2011-03-06T13:50:00.002-05:00

Lots of good stuff in here http://snipurl.com/26hr2z (pdf)

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 7pm

2010-12-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

The people of St. John's invite you to our celebration of Jesus' birth this Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24, at 7:00pm. Please join with us in a candlelit service of Holy Eucharist (prayers, Bible readings, sermon, communion). Our singing of traditional, well-loved Christmas songs will again be accompanied by Todd Gorski on the organ.

Come share in our joy and awe as we celebrate God coming to earth as the human baby Jesus out of love for us all.

November - December Newsletter

2010-10-30T18:44:00.002-04:00

Here's the St. John's Newsletter for November and December. We hope you enjoy the news, schedules of Scripture readings and events, and meditations brought to you by the community of St. John's.

Newsletter, Mid-Pentecost (July-August)

2010-06-27T18:41:00.001-04:00

http://snipurl.com/y4wfy

Organ Concert "Bits & Pieces" July 18, 3pm at St. John's

2010-06-25T15:49:00.000-04:00

Our next parish event is an organ concert by Daniel Brownell on Sunday, July 18 at 3:00pm in the church. The program, "Bits & Pieces" includes selections from Bach, Mendelssohn, and others. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served afterward. There will be a free-will offering to benefit Episcopal Relief & Development's efforts to sustainably alleviate hunger in the world. http://www.er-d.org/Alleviate_Hunger/

May-June Newsletter

2010-04-30T16:42:00.001-04:00

Read all about what's going on at St. John's, including bishop Ahrens' visit on April 18.
http://snipurl.com/vth2g

Upcoming Events

2010-03-23T08:58:00.000-04:00

Please join us and participate in our special worship for Holy Week. During Holy Week, Christians all over the world give special attention, prayer, and thanksgiving for Jesus' death and resurrection. St. John's parishioners are blessed to be a part of this tradition and happy to share it with you.

Palm/Passion Sunday, March 25, 9:30 am
Maundy Thursday service, our first in quite a while, April 1, 7:30 pm
Good Friday service April 2, 7:30 pm
Easter Sunday service April 4, 9:30 am (our usual time)
Bishop-Elect Ian Douglas ordination & consecration, Saturday, April 17 at Trinity College in Hartford. We're arranging to carpool to Hartford.
Bishop Laura Ahrens visit to St. John's Sunday April 18. After the service we meet with Bishop Ahrens and have refreshments together.

Lent-Easter 2010 Newsletter

2010-03-23T08:57:00.000-04:00

http://snipurl.com/v0kkd

Ash Wednesday Service

2010-02-14T14:01:00.002-05:00

St John's welcomes all to our Ash Wednesday service on February 17 at 7:00 pm. This beautiful service from the Book of Common Prayer marks the beginning of the season of Lent.

Come and Enjoy!

2010-02-12T13:41:00.000-05:00

Epiphany Newsletter

2010-01-17T14:52:00.001-05:00

The Epiphany (and the start of Lent) newsletter is available at http://bit.ly/7BswmC

Christmas Eve Eucharist, Dec. 24, 7pm

2009-12-13T13:52:00.000-05:00

We welcome all people to celebrate the coming of Christ on Christmas Eve, December 24, at 7:00 pm. We offer a candlelight service of Bible readings, prayers, traditional Christmas songs, and Communion. At St. John's (as in all Episcopal churches) any baptized Christian is invited to receive Communion.

Organist Todd Gorski and choir members from Church of the Epiphany, Southbury, will lead the Christmas music.

We're looking forward to sharing our celebration of Jesus' birth with you!

Dec. 6 Study with Fr. Mark-The Liturgy of the Word

2009-11-29T18:17:00.002-05:00

Father Mark gave a little more detail on the next two study sessions. They will be based on the Holy Eucharist. The December 6 session will be about the first part of our worship, the Word of God, with a special focus on the Creed. The following session will be on the Holy Communion.

So plan to stay after church on the first Sunday of the month for some enlightening and engaging learning about the Christian faith as expressed in the Episcopal Church.

Newsletter Advent & Christmas (December) 2009

2009-11-29T15:44:00.002-05:00

At last, the current issue, still in pdf format. http://budurl.com/cl22

Newsletter Late Pentecost (October - November) 2009

2009-11-29T15:42:00.001-05:00

Read it in pdf format. http://budurl.com/zkqe

Newsletter Mid-Pentecost (August - September) 2009

2009-11-29T15:40:00.000-05:00

Read it in pdf format. http://budurl.com/jsmg

Pentecost Newsletter (May-June-July) 2009

2009-11-29T15:28:00.001-05:00

Read it in pdf format. http://budurl.com/nbqc

Newsletter Holy Week & Easter 2009

2009-11-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

Read it in pdf format. http://budurl.com/ywmv

Newsletter Lent 2009

2009-11-29T15:25:00.001-05:00

Read it in pdf format. http://budurl.com/9rnm

This is the first of a series of newsletter posts to catch us up to the current issue.

Identity of the Episcopal Church, Dec. 6

2009-11-15T15:01:00.001-05:00

Following the service, the second adult study groups will take place, led by Father Mark Moore. The overall study is "The Identity of the Episcopal Church." This next meeting will focus on the Creed. Three more study groups will follow in January, February, and March. All are welcome!

Bishop-Elect Ian T. Douglas

2009-10-27T18:01:00.000-04:00

Learn more about our new bishop-elect here. http://www.ctbishopelection.com/cand_douglas.php
And read about the election and diocesan convention here. http://www.ctdiocese.org/News/newsView.asp?NewsId=4096840&NewsCategoryID=1

Learn about the Episcopal Church

2009-10-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

Starting Sunday, November 1, All Saints Day, Father Mark Moore will be leading an educational series about the Identity of the Episcopal Church. The first session will be devoted to the history of the church. These classes are for anyone new, experienced in the church, or just curious about what we believe and do. Father Moore is an interesting and engaging speaker; he guarantees that everyone will learn something they didn't know before. Meet downstairs at 11:00 am, after church.

Follow Diocesan Convention

2009-10-23T09:57:00.000-04:00

There's a "twub" - Twitter hub - where you can follow live updates from the Connecticut Diocesan Convention today and tomorrow. http://twubs.com/epct
#epct is the hashtag to follow Convention in social media.

St. John's on YouTube

2009-10-21T09:52:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Eliza Hallabeck of the Newtown Bee, there is now a video of our donut stop on YouTube, which accompanies her excellent article that can be found at http://newtownbee.com/Features/2009-10-08__15-19-15/Stopping+For+Donuts+At+St+John%e2%80%99s.

Donut Stop a Success

2009-10-13T19:06:00.001-04:00

St. John's parishioners served over 500 donuts last Saturday. Threatening weather forced the event indoors, where we had a warm, dry place with the delicious scent of Cheryl and Bruce's apple-flavored donuts. Steve created a beautiful poster to welcome guests to St. John's and briefly describe our worship and community activities. Thanks not only to those who worked at the event, but especially to all our guests who enjoyed donuts and beverages, plus waited so patiently and graciously on line.

Donut Stop Oct. 3

2009-09-22T20:04:00.002-04:00

St. John’s Church will celebrate the Fall season by holding a Donut Stop at the church on Washington Ave. on Sat. Oct. 3, from 9AM-Noon. We will offer our famous freshly made cake style donuts with a seasonal twist. Apple Cider Donuts. Coffee, Hot Chocolate and Orange Juice will be served. Our Donut Stop will be walk-up style on the church grounds with plenty of parking behind the church. Café tables will be available if you wish to sit and enjoy your selection. The Donut Stop will be held rain or shine.

Return of the Farmers' Market

2009-07-10T15:23:00.001-04:00

The Sandy Hook Organic Farmers' Market is back at St. John's, Tuesdays from 2pm until 6pm. Stop by and get some delicious produce, baked goods, and other organic products.

Organic Farmers' Market Starts Tuesday 6/23, NEW LOCATION

2009-06-18T08:42:00.002-04:00

The Sandy Hook Organic Farmers' Market will start this Tuesday, June 23, and be open from 2pm - 6 pm. This year the market is moving to a larger location closer to Newtown's shopping area. It will be on the grounds of Lexington Gardens on Church Hill Road.

Here's a map, courtesy of Google Maps.

St Johns Donut Day 2009 - street view

2009-05-29T19:50:00.003-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

St Johns Donut Day 2009 - adding sugar

2009-05-29T19:49:00.003-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

St Johns Donut Day 2009 - making the donuts

2009-05-29T19:47:00.003-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Bruce, Ann, and JoAnn at the fryer

Donuts!

2009-05-29T19:38:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all who came to our donut booth at last weekend's Duck Race. There was no more dough left by 11:15, and American Artisan Bakery was doing a great business with Andy's delicious scones and desserts (including the parish blogger's favorite, Chocolate Hockey Pucks). Thanks also to Bruce, Cheryl, JoAnn, Ann, Steve, Christopher, and Sam for all their good work on the donut booth. Having an active booth, the banner, and the new sign let the larger community know what an active place St. John's really is.

Holy Week & Easter 2009 Newsletter

2009-05-27T08:29:00.002-04:00

Read our print newsletter. There will be a new one published soon. If you'd prefer to have our newsletters mailed to you, please e-mail or write to the church with your mailing address.

Signs of Life

2009-05-27T07:01:00.002-04:00

Spring is finally here and the plant life around St. John's is showing the change in seasons. Starting with snowdrops, then hyacinths and daffodils, now azaleas and irises, there is color amid the greening of the churchyard.

Another new color is blue - the new blue sign welcoming all to St. John's. Unfortunately, our previous white hand-painted sign that we all loved was no longer repairable. Bruce did the legwork to find a replacement and the vestry agreed on a design in keeping with the original. We especially like the additional sign for "Home of F.A.I.T.H. Food Pantry." The sign was installed sometime last week. It's good to have growing, flowering plants and a shiny new sign to reflect the renewal of life that's happening in our parish.

Welcome, Teagan Rose!

2009-05-27T06:57:00.002-04:00

The newest Christian in the St. John's community, Teagan Rose, was baptized on April 26. We welcome Teagan, her big brother and parents, and their extended family and friends. Thank you all for making St. John's part of this important time.

2009-04-14T14:12:00.003-04:00

Palm Crosses

2009-04-09T19:32:00.006-04:00

Cleo was kind enough to make palm crosses for anyone who wanted one last Sunday.

Holy Week

2009-04-09T15:50:00.002-04:00

A blog post that I discovered. http://thomasasbury.missionaltribe.org/2009/04/07/holy-week-the-long-view/ Oscar Romero's prayer is especially encouraging as we in our small church celebrate the great events of Holy Week.

February 2009 Newsletter

2009-02-22T08:16:00.001-05:00

Read our print newsletter. Just figured out how to post it online, so backdated the post to keep it below the current news.

Lent and Easter Worship

2009-02-13T15:35:00.001-05:00

Please join us for special worship services to mark the seasons of Lent and Easter:

Ash Wednesday service on Feb. 25^th at 7:00 PM
Good Friday service, April 10^th at 7:00 PM
Easter Sunday Eucharist April 12^th at 9:30 AM

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

2009-02-13T15:25:00.003-05:00

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Sandy Hook, CT will hold our 52^nd Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, on Tuesday, February 24^th from 5:00 to 7:30 PM in the church hall at 5 Washington Ave. Our Traditional meal of pancakes with Homestyle Corned Beef Hash, Country Sausage, Applesauce & Beverage will be served. Father Mark Moore will be in attendance to meet the public. Ample parking is available behind the church. Take-out orders are available. Donation is $8.00 Adult, $4.00 Children 3-10, and Children 2 and under are served free. For additional information you may contact Bruce or Cheryl Moulthrop at 426-3112.

Christmas Thanks

2009-01-02T17:39:00.000-05:00

There are lots of people to thank for our beautiful Christmas Eve service. Thanks to:

· Todd Gorski for plating organ for us, in between the two Christmas Eve services at his regular church
· Mary and Anne and Steve for decorating the church so beautifully
· JoAnn, Bruce, and Cheryl for so much of the coordination that goes into a service like this
· Mary for the ad in the Bee that stood out on the page and looked so great
· Father Mark for his excellent leadership, preaching, and kind, friendly presence
· All the readers of the gospel reading
· Everyone who came and celebrated Christ’s birth with us at St. John’s

And the parish blogger’s apologies to anyone left out.

St. John's Feast Day

2008-12-27T13:59:00.002-05:00

Today is the feast day of St. John, who our church is named after. He is the saint who wrote the Gospel according to John (which we will read from on Sunday), the epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation. Read more about him here.

The Christmas Celebration Continues...

2008-12-27T13:55:00.003-05:00

In churches such as ours, the centuries-old Christian calendar has the Christmas season *starting* with the birth of Christ (December 25 in the modern calendar) and continuing until The Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. So come to church at St. John's tomorrow and next Sunday for the continuing celebration of Christmas in songs, Scriptures, and prayers.

Christmas Eve Eucharist 8:00 pm

2008-12-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

We welcome all people to celebrate the coming of Christ on Christmas Eve, December 24, at 8:00 pm. We offer a service of Bible readings, prayers, traditional Christmas songs, and Communion. At St. John's (as in all Episcopal churches) any baptized Christian is invited to receive Communion. We're looking forward to sharing our celebration of Jesus' birth with you!

The weather forecast shows rain tonight, nothing frozen, so you can come worship with us and get home safely.

From the people of St. John's, have a blessed Christmas!

Father Mark Moore Interviewed in the Bee

2008-12-16T10:35:00.002-05:00

There's a great interview with Father Mark in the December 11 issue of the Newtown Bee. It's not online yet as of December 16, maybe next week.

New Flooring

2008-12-16T10:32:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the generosity of some parishioners, we have new nonslip flooring in the side hallway and stairs and new tile in the bathroom. Both look great and are much appreciated!

Organic Fair & Cafe Sat. Dec. 6

2008-12-02T17:59:00.003-05:00

The Organic Fair & Cafe will take place on Saturday, December 6 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm downstairs (the Undercroft) at St. John's. Vendors from the Organic Farmers' Market will have crafts, preserves, and some winter veggies for sale. Soup and donuts are on the menu.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

2008-11-19T14:30:00.002-05:00

An anonymous volunteer has done both our spring and fall yard cleanups at St. John's. We parishioners have been pleasantly surprised and really appreciate the helping hand during these high workload seasons. If this kind person or someone who knows them reads this blog, please pass along our thanks.

Anglican Hit Parade

2008-09-12T16:41:00.002-04:00

Results of a communion-wide online poll from 2002 on the one hymn you'd take to a desert island.

Holy Eucharist this Fall!

2008-08-29T17:20:00.003-04:00

Father Mark Moore of Monroe will be joining us and leading us in the service of Holy Eucharist on Sundays. Our last regularly scheduled Morning Prayer is Sunday, August 31. Come worshop with us on September 7 and helps us give Father Moore a great welcome!

Farmers' Market Starts Tuesday

2008-06-20T16:18:00.002-04:00

The Sandy Hook Organic Farmers' Market will begin its season Tuesday, June 24. Hours are 2-6 pm. The market will be in the area above the St. John's parking lots.

No Service June 15, but an Alternative

2008-06-14T12:27:00.002-04:00

Due to a divergence of schedules, we had to cancel Sunday worship at St. John's for June 15. We will be back together next week, June 22. There looks to be a good possibility of having a priest lead us in Holy Eucharist next week.

For June 15, The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer and the Rev. Dr. Catharine Randall, who have been wonderful leaders of our worship since Palm Sunday, have invited us to their first services at St. John's in Washington, CT on June 15. Services there are Holy Eucharist at 8 and 10.

Two Kinds of Worship at St. John's

2008-05-30T11:29:00.001-04:00

Holy Eucharist is our communion service, and must be led by a priest or bishop. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion at St. John's. For the Biblical basis and more information on the Holy Eucharist service, please read this article in An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church.

Morning Prayer is a service consisting of prayers, Bible readings, and psalms. It may be led by a lay person, the usual practice at St. John's. The practice of morning worship traces its origins to Jewish sunrise worship that became part of the daily cycle of prayer in Christian monasteries. You can find out more from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church; scroll down almost to the bottom of the page for three Morning Prayer links.

Music at St. John's

2008-05-23T16:34:00.002-04:00

Yes, we have it. Our excellent organist, Marilyn Thompson, retired to Florida over a year ago. After some experiments with silence and a cappella singing, we settled on recorded music. The backbone of our music is the 1982 Hymnal, with other music as a supplement. We rely mainly on the CD Hymnal (organ, piano and orchestrations of traditional hymns), Forty Anglican/Episcopal Hymns, and Music Resources for Smaller Churches. The other music is from personal collections and ranges from folk to classical to rock to new age to techno to gospel. Singing and listening to music enhances worship, and we aren’t shy about mixing styles in our one Sunday service.

After a Long Absence

2008-04-14T16:42:00.002-04:00

In spite of the parish blogger missing quite a bit of time (music for Sunday trumps blogging), things are going along well at St. John's. The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer led our worship as we observed Palm/Passion Sunday and celebrated Christ’s Resurrection on Easter. The Rev. Dr. Catherine Randall celebrated Holy Eucharist with us on the second Sunday of Easter. The past two weeks have been Morning Prayer, led by parishioners. Starting this Sunday, we will be blessed to have either Rev. Dr. Balmer or the Rev. Dr. Randall leading our celebration of Holy Eucharist on Sundays into the summer. It’s been great to welcome both priests and numerous visitors to St. John’s over the Easter season.

St. John's in the Bee

2008-03-03T17:26:00.002-05:00

The Newtown Bee ran a wonderful front page, over the fold story on how we've been keeping St. John's alive, thriving,and active in the community. There may be copies still available in town, or you can read it online. Look for the headline, "Onward, Christian Soldiers - St. John's Marches On." Our thanks to Nancy K. Crevier and the staff of the Bee for this excellent story.

Holy Eucharist this Sunday

2008-02-29T17:04:00.001-05:00

The Rev. Michelle Hansen will be celebrating Holy Eucharist at St. John's this Sunday at 9:30. Please come worship with us!

Bishop Curry to Visit

2008-02-16T19:10:00.002-05:00

Bishop James Curry will visit St. John's on Sunday, Feb. 17. He will lead our celebration of Holy Eucharist. Please worship with us at the usual time, 9:30 am.

Pancakes Coming Soon!

2008-01-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

Photo by Margi Levine

Everyone is invited to our 51^st Annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, on Tuesday February 5th from 5:00 to 7:30 PM in the church hall, downstairs. Our Traditional meal of pancakes with Homemade Corned Beef Hash, Country Sausage, Applesauce, & Beverage will be served. Ample parking is available behind the church and in the community parking lot above. Take out orders are available. Donation is $8.00 Adult, $4.00 Children 3-10 and Children 2 and under served free. For additional information you may contact Bruce or Cheryl Moulthrop at 426-3112.

Holy Eucharist on Sundays!

2008-01-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

Father Leo McIlrath will be leading services of Holy Eucharist every Sunday at St. John's.

Holy Eucharist January 13

2008-01-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

Please come celebrate the Baptism of Jesus this Sunday at 9:30. The Rev. Leo McIlrath will lead out worship.

Thanks to F.A.I.T.H.

2008-01-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

Our special thanks go to F.A.I.T.H. Food Pantry for their generous donation to help out with the expenses from the heating oil cleanup.

Epiphany

2008-01-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

Also known as Three Kings Day or Little Christmas. We'll be celebrating the visit of the three kings/astrologers/wise men/sages to the baby Jesus. Please come to Holy Eucharist on Sunday at 9:30. The Rev. Leo McIlrath will lead our worship.

Clipart is from http://www.dn.anglican.org.nz/resources/liturgical/arts/clipart/christmas/

Christmas Eve

2007-12-29T19:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Christmas Eve Eucharist at St. John's. That includes the Rev. Jim Spears, visitors, parishioners who set up and decorated. We especially wish to thank organist Todd Gorski and the two women from the choir at Church of the Epiphany, Southbury, for leading the music.

We wish everyone a blessed Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God becoming a human out of love for all.

Play a game and feed some people

2007-12-17T16:21:00.000-05:00

Found on the Shifted Librarian. Very addictive - you can get the rice to add up fast! Helps with Millennium Development Goals 1, 4, 5 and maybe 8.
Free Rice

Concert and Organic Fair

2007-12-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

Both the Newtown Choral Society concert and the Organic Cafe and Fair were well attended despite the dreadful weather that weekend. All were treated to delicious food, beautiful and unique crafts, and wonderful music. Thanks to all who worked, participated, performed, and attended.

Christmas Eve Eucharist EARLIER

2007-12-08T19:24:00.000-05:00

Our service of Holy Eucharist on Christmas Eve has been moved up an hour, to 8:00 pm. This is so that the logistics can work out for Father Jim Spear, who will officiate, and for the organist and choir of Church of the Epiphany, Southbury, who have generously offered to lead our music that night.

Organic Fair & Concert December 2

2007-11-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

The Organic Fair, featuring artisans, many from the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers’ Market, will take place from 11 AM-3 PM at St. John’s.

The Newtown Choral Society will offer a concert in the church from 4-5:30 PM. Admission is $9 adults, $7 seniors and children ages 12 and under. The program will include Pinkham's Christmas Cantata,with the Newtown High Brass Quintet, Mozart's Gloria in Excelsis, and a selection of gospel songs. And they can SING! Here’s their rendition of Aretha Franklin’s Respect

These events are part of the Winter Festival that benefits Newtown Youth & Family Services, Inc. For more information on the festival, check out the Newtown Bee Calendar tab or the Danbury News-Times.

December Worship

2007-11-27T08:16:00.000-05:00

We start a new church year by observing Advent, a season of waiting and preparation. This is not only a way of remembering the world's waiting for Jesus' historical birth, but also out waiting and preparation for his coming again.

This Advent we're blessed to have two services of Holy Eucharist, on December 2 and 9. The Rev. Judith Toffey will officiate on December 2, and the Rev. James Spear on December 9.

It's Still Pentecost

2007-09-07T13:08:00.000-04:00

Pentecost is the longest season of the church year. A couple of months ago, JoAnn found this Pentecost message from our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori. "This season at Pentecost, I would encourage you to discover one new place where good news is being proclaimed and one place where you have the ability to share good news in a new way."

Farmers' Market Fall Hours

2007-09-07T12:50:00.000-04:00

The Sandy Hook Organic Farmers' Market has switched to its fall hours of 9am - 1pm. Come enjoy wonderful organic produce, delicious baked goods, and beautiful and functional crafts, all from area vendors. The market is located in the parking lot behind the church and is accessible from either Route 34 or Riverside Road.

Google Map for St. John's

2007-09-06T13:28:00.002-04:00

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August Worship Schedule, Revised

2007-07-20T19:23:00.000-04:00

The people of St. John's invite you to worship with us this summer:

August 5 -- 9:30 am Morning Prayer

August 12 -- 9:30 am Morning Prayer

August 19 -- 9:30 am Holy Eucharist

August 26 -- 9:30 am Holy Eucharist

Morning Prayer is a service consisting of prayers, Bible readings, and psalms. It may be led by a lay person, the usual practice at St. John's. The practice of morning worship traces its origins to Jewish sunrise worship that became part of the daily cycle of prayer in Christian monasteries. You can find out more from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church; scroll down almost to the bottom of the page for three Morning Prayer links.

Holy Eucharist is our communion service, and must be led by a priest or bishop. The Rev. Judith Toffey will be officiating at our summer Holy Eucharist services. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion at St. John's. For the Biblical basis and more information on the Holy Eucharist service, please read this article in An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church.

Summer Worship Schedule

2007-06-14T12:19:00.001-04:00

The people of St. John's invite you to worship with us this summer:

June 17 9:30 am Morning Prayer

June 24 9:30 am Morning Prayer

July 1 9:30 am Holy Eucharist

July 8 9:30 am Holy Eucharist

July 15 9:30 am Morning Prayer

July 22 9:30 am Morning Prayer

July 29 9:30 am Morning Prayer

August 5 9:30 am Morning Prayer

August 12 9:30 am Holy Eucharist

August 19 9:30 am Morning Prayer

August 26 9:30 am Holy Eucharist

Morning Prayer is a service consisting of prayers, Bible readings, and psalms. It may be led by a lay person, the usual practice at St. John's. The practice of morning worship traces its origins to Jewish sunrise worship that became part of the daily cycle of prayer in Christian monasteries. You can find out more from An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church; scroll down almost to the bottom of the page for three Morning Prayer links.

Holy Eucharist is our communion service, and must be led by a priest or bishop. The Rev. Judith Toffey will be officiating at our summer Holy Eucharist services. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive communion at St. John's. For the Biblical basis and more information on the Holy Eucharist service, please read this article in An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church.

Trinity Sunday

2007-06-08T10:40:00.000-04:00

It was wonderful to have the Rev. Judith Toffey lead our worship last Sunday, Trinity Sunday. She shared how difficult it can be to preach on the Trinity without oversimplifying or getting to theological technicalities that the listeners may not follow. She pointed out how the Nicene Creed is one of the four things that the Episcopal Church considers too basic to our faith to ever give up, as stated in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. The Rev. Toffey also pointed out the structure of the Nicene Creed where the largest section of text deals with Jesus, since as God and Human he is the most describable. The Father and the Holy Spirit are much harder for us humans to describe or attempt to explain.

The Rev. Toffey brought an icon that she got in Jerusalem. The image is of the three angels who visited Abraham, but the three figures are meant to represent the three Persons of God. She explained how icon writers fast and pray for 30 days on the subject of the icon before creating it. And then when you pray with an icon, the intent is to carry you beyond the picture that you see into the spiritual truth that it represents.

Icons and Prayer: Notes from an online exhibition of icons on The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts site

Writing (creating) icons: From a PBS interview with a modern iconographer

Holy Eucharist June 3

2007-05-30T16:29:00.000-04:00

Please worship with us during a service of Holy Eucharist on June 3 at our usual 9:30 start time. The Rev. Judith Toffey will lead the service that day. This is the service of prayers, scripture readings, a homily, and communion.

On Sundays when there is no specific worship service mentioned in this blog, the parishioners of St. John's offer Morning Prayer. It is a peaceful service of prayers, praise, and Scripture in contemporary language.

All are welcome at all services, Sundays at 9:30.

Farmer's Market Coming Soon

2007-05-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

Come enjoy excellent organic produce and crafts at the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers Market, Tuesdays starting on June 26 from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The market is WIC certified so that all can have access to locally grown organic food. This is the 5th year that St. John's has hosted this wonderful market. The market is accessible to disabled people.
Photo from The Newtown Bee, 7/24/2003

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-18T11:57:00.000-04:00

"To all who have held a little hand, comforted a fear, inspired courage and nurtured a young soul - to all who have loved a child."

Thank you, JoAnn, for writing this in our Order of Service and reminding us that we all have a role in nurturing and loving children.

Interview with God

2007-05-08T20:22:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, JoAnn shared one of her her best finds among the many results on Googling "God" - The Interview with God. http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/presentation.html gets you to a link for the "Presentation" and the text of the interview. While the idea of interviewing God and then posting "the answers" on the Web may sound presumptuous, JoAnn found that the interview idea was a good way to prayerfully ask a question, then listen for what God might say to your heart.

Good Friday

2007-03-25T18:32:00.000-04:00

St. John's will be open for quiet prayer between noon and 3:00 pm on Good Friday, April 6. No formal service is planned. Please stop by for as long as you can during that time to honor Christ's crucifixion.

Congratulations!

2007-03-25T18:28:00.000-04:00

We'd like to congratulate the Rev. Dr. Laura Ahrens on her election as Suffragan Bishop. Our prayers and best wishes for you as you transition into your new ministry!

Palm Sunday and Easter EUCHARIST

2007-03-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

St. John's will be observing both Palm Sunday (April 1) and Easter Morning (April 8) with services of Holy Eucharist at our usual time of 9:30 am. The Rev. Robert Ross will lead our worship. Please join us on these Sundays as we commemorate Christ's wonderful acts of love and salvation.

Thanks for Supporting the 50th Annual Pancake Supper!

2007-03-12T14:10:00.000-04:00

Our thanks to everyone who supported the St. John's Pancake Supper this year. Our 50th was wonderfully attended. The parishioners of St. John's appreciate everyone who attended, ordered a take-out meal, placed an ad on the commemorative placemat, and worked so hard in the kitchen and dining areas.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

2007-01-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

Our 50th annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will take place on Tuesday, February 20. Please save the date - more details to follow.