News & Announcements

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Weekly News
The week of September 24

From the Vicar

Greetings from St. John's Kirk in Perth, Scotland!
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Kate +



​ADULT FORUM

Adult Forum will resume between services on October 8. With the extra time to read, we've decided to discuss David Brooks' article in the September issue of The Atlantic entitled, How America Got Mean. You can read it by clicking HERE. Come with questions and comments!

VESTRY NOMINATIONS FOR 2024

The vestry is the governing board of the church. It consists of 9 elected representatives, as well as an executive committee. We elect members to the vestry at our annual meeting at the end of January and they serve for three years. All vestry members are expected to be active members of St. John's who regularly attend services here, and who make and maintain a financial commitment to the parish.

Vestry members are chosen from a pool of candidates collected by the Nominating Committee. If you would like to be added to the candidate pool, please contact either of our co-wardens, Bob Woodbury or Wendy Waller. We try to maintain a representative vestry, so if you are not chosen as a candidate for 2024, we would keep your name in the pool of candidates in case you would be a good fit in future years. Thanks!
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​SIGN TO READ LESSONS AND LEAD US IN PRAYER

If you would like to be a lector or intercessor for the 10:00 Sunday morning services, please contact Kate at kate@sjcb.org and let her know. Training is available, and all ages are welcome and encouraged.
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NEW PRAYER LIST

If you would like for us to pray for someone on Sundays in Church, please email Hannah HERE or Kate HERE.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!

There are still more opportunities to serve. Please consider any of the following opportunities to serve God and your neighbor!

We are looking for people who are willing to read the lessons (that’s a lector), read the prayers of the people (that’s an intercessor), and administer the chalice (chalice bearer). Currently, there is a sign-up in the church entryway for lectors and intercessors. However, if we get a pool of people who are interested, we may start assigning all the Sundays through the end of the program year. Training is available for all of these volunteer positions, so if you're interested, contact Kate a.s.a.p.

Other Sunday volunteers: If you are interested in being an usher, please speak with Curtis Vouwie. If you are interested in participating in our welcoming ministry, please speak with Robin MacLeod. 

Finally, we need some new people to provide coffee hour snacks. It may seem like a small thing, but hospitality is one of the ways we tangibly show our love for one another. This takes NO training, very little effort, and you'll be about 30 people's hero for a day.  Please consider signing up on the board in Celebration Hall.

Thank you!
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THINKING OF YOU

The Pastoral Care Committee  is putting together small baskets to deliver to people who cannot attend church because of illness or injury. We would love for members of the congregation to contribute items for these baskets. Be creative! What would you like in a basket? Consider donating small bottles of lotion ... a scented votive candle ... a note pad or some note cards ... something sweet - or salty! We will keep these items on hand, and assemble baskets as the need arises. We really do think about, and pray for, those who can't be with us, so why not make "an outward and visible sign" of that? Contributions can be left with Hannah, or on the front desk if she's not available.
We welcome your help. If you or someone you love would like a visit or phone call, please contact any member of the pastoral care committee listed below (or Kate). If you’d like to join this ministry, please speak to Jodie Stevenson or Maida Broudo. 

The committee members are:
Jodie Stevenson
Maida Broudo
Wendy Waller
Tony Mason
Gail Campbell
Ellen Hutchins
Steve McKinnon
Curtis Vouwie
Bob Woodbury
​Joan Lockwood
Becky Roy
Eileen Young
Marla Royle
​Penny Randolph

BEVERLY BOOTSTRAPS

For the month of SEPTEMBER, Beverly Bootstraps, a food pantry for our neediest neighbors, is seeking donations of low-sugar cereal. You can drop these on the table as you walk into church, or outside the front office during the week.

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FALL SERVICE SCHEDULE – 8:00 & 10:00​

We resume our fall service schedule! Join us for coffee hour after the 10 o'clock service!

GLOBAL REFUGEE MISSION OF NEW ENGLAND

The Global Refugee Mission has cancelled its fall donation drive for Syria due to shipping irregularities. We hope and pray that this situation is resolved quickly, since the needs of internally-displaced Syrians remains great.

In peace,
Gail, Terry and Wendy
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ST. JOHN'S COMMUNITY SHOP ART SALE

The Community Shop is displaying paintings in Celebration Hall that will be for sale from now until the end of November. Help us help others!

Pay Cash or make Checks payable to St. John's Community Shop. Leave payment with the office or the Shop.

Questions? Contact Connie Crossan at cwcrossan@comcast.net

COMMUNITY FAIR TABLE OPENINGS

We are planning our November community fair. This event is for the community and put on by this community. We need all hands-on deck! Please email Becky Roy (billsoilservice@verizon.net) for more information.

JUST FOR FUN

A no-audition choir that sings only rock songs is forming now. RockVoices has locations throughout New England, and is starting a new choir that will meet at St. John's in Celebration Hall on Monday evenings. For more information or to register, click HERE.

INTERESTED IN PLAYING PICKLEBALL?

A Church Pickleball League is in the process of forming amongst Episcopal parishes on the North Shore, and we're looking for players for the St. John's team. If that sounds like fun to you, please let Kate know by emailing her HERE.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Future Forward for Haiti will host a pack-a-thon on October 20 and 21 in the parish hall of Christ Church of Wenham/Hamilton. Volunteers of all ages can participate in packing a year's worth of school lunches for students in St. Louis d'Ayiti.

Registering in advance is strongly encouraged. For more information or to sign up, click HERE.