April 2017
Highlights
- Chimes - NEW
- Holy Week at St. John's
- Rector's Message
- Nicaragua
- Scholarship Recipient
- Progressive Dinner
- Voyagers-Food Pantry
- Stewardship
- Jr. Choir
- Shrove Tuesday
- Good News
- Reflection by the Rev. Curtis Kennington
Chimes Gets A Makeover
Spring 2017 brings an all new Chimes, St. John's parish newsletter. We are delighted to launch this new interactive digital edition of Chimes which will now be offered on a bi-monthly basis. This new format also us to showcase the richness of St. John's by offering more photos, videos, features, resource links and registration for events.
Holy Week at St. John's
Palm Sunday, April 9, 8:00AMand 10:00AMPalm Sunday, April 9, 2017 (usual services at 8:00 am and 10:00 am) NEW this year--10:00 AM Liturgy: all parishioners (children and adults) will gather at 9:45 am outside in front of the church to join in the procession of the palms. Children will be directed to Sunday School. There is no coffee hour on Palm Sunday.
Wednesday, April 12, 12:00Noon, Holy Eucharist
Maundy Thursday, April 13, 7:00PM This is the observance of the Last Supper, where Jesus gathered with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion and instituted the Holy Eucharist. The service ends with the stripping of the altar in preparation for the observance of Good Friday.
Good Friday, April 14, 12:00Noon
Good Friday, April 14, 10:00AM Special Family Observance especially appropriate for children will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck. This is the third year of partnering with St. Thomas for the observance of Good Friday. Families are invited to a short service in the chapel (entrance is through Heathcote Hall building). Following the service, children have the opportunity to create a paschal candle and enjoy other activities.
Easter Vigil – Saturday, April 15, 7:30PM Celebrate one of the oldest and most dramatic liturgies of the church, as we celebrate Easter by gathering first outside to light the New Fire of Easter, a reminder of the light of Christ that burns within each of us. This year we will be celebrating at our neighboring church, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Mamaroneck.
Easter Sunday, April 16, 9:00AM and 11:00AM Please note the special times for services.
Easter Egg Hunt April 16, 10:30AM Join us in the rectory garden for our annual Easter Egg Hunt for toddlers through 3rd graders. Please bring your Easter basket.
Father Joe Greene
Rector
Spring Mud
The excitement of spring is the excitement of warmer weather, blooming flowers, baseball, and Easter baskets. I love living in a place that has a true four seasons (we have two seasons where I grew up in Georgia: Summer and Football season). After a long and relatively mild winter, I am grateful to return to a more outdoor oriented lifestyle – walking around town, playing in the yard with the boys, getting the best view in the world from Manor Park. There’s only one little problem with spring: mud.
Between the rain, the snow melt, and the water table, March and April are pretty soggy months. I don’t like for that to keep me from running or from taking every opportunity to get the boys out of the house to play catch or ride bikes. This past Sunday after church, several of our parish kids were gathering around the playground gardens, digging in the dirt, looking for worms, being kids. It was great until it was time to go inside for lunch. We had to make ours take off their shoes outside and clomp the wet sod and dirt off before letting them track any of it in. Of course, I’m usually the one guilty of tracking mud in the house!
In this transitional season in the church, we go from Lent to Easter. The word “Lent” comes from an old English word which means “Spring”. It’s a time when we get to look within and see the places that may need to be cleaned up a bit in order to make our relationships with God and each other a little healthier. And that’s appropriate because we get to Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from death’s dominion, the Feast of Feasts which draws us into the holiness of God’s redeeming love. The events leading up to and through the Crucifixion were pretty bleak: anger, betrayal, violence, chaos, and grief all left their mark on Jesus and his disciples as He was laid in the tomb. And yet, on that Easter morning, Jesus rose victoriously from the grave, all of the pain and darkness of his death transformed into a living hope for each of us.
That’s what this season is for – to remind us that no matter how muddy things can be in our lives, it’s only a symbol of the possibilities of hope and love inherent in the Easter moment. We come together in prayer and worship to join in this story; that God creates in us clean hearts, cleanses us from our sins and failures, restores us to newness, and promises us eternal life. I look forward to seeing you all throughout Holy Week, at Easter, and beyond.
Peace and blessings,
Fr. Joe Greene+
Join Our Mission: Trip #11 to Nicaragua
by Carla Berry
We are happy to report that St. John's is returning to Nicaragua for the eleventh time. Father Joe Greene will be the leader of the pack as we work in Nindiri, not far from Managua. Our group will work side by side with a beneficiary family and community members to construct an earthquake resistant cinder block home in an area where secure housing is scarce. It's an amazing week of learning about the issues facing a developing country, making new friends in Nicaragua, and getting to know your fellow parishioners better. the landscape is beautiful, the people are wonderful, and the food is fresh and delicious. There is still time for adults and youth (rising 9th graders and up) to join our St. John's team. Dates are Saturday, June 24-Saturday, July 1. Please contact Fr. Joe ASAP if you want to travel to Nicaragua with him: jgreene@stjohnslarchmont.org
ECW Supports First Generation College Student
by Linnet Tse
It’s grant season for the Episcopal Church Women (ECW)! The mission of the ECW is to offer assistance to individuals in our community experiencing a time of impoverishment. This support is provided through the ECW Outreach grants program. Last year, one of the ECW grant recipients was the Mamaroneck-Larchmont Student Aid Fund, an organization that provides need-based scholarships to Mamaroneck High School graduates. In June 2016, the Episcopal Church Women of St. John’s Church Scholarship was awarded to Majessa Pedrozo, who is the first generation in her family to attend college. She is finishing up her freshman year at SUNY New Paltz, and aspires to a career in psychology. The amount of grants awarded each year depends on how much is raised by the ECW’s annual Christmas Bazaar and wreath sale. The past three years have been very successful and ECW has been able to award about $20,000 worth of grants each year to local organizations that help under-served women and children in our region. Grant applications for 2017, which were due April 1, are currently being reviewed by the ECW’s Outreach Committee, Jill Brennick and Polly VanderWoude.
Progressive Dinner
Saturday, April 29 at 6:30PM This favorite St. John's event takes place every two years, and is organized by the St. John’s Church Women. Parishioners gather in one location for a cocktail party, then "progress" to dine at a parishioner's home, in assigned tables of 8-12 people. This is a wonderful opportunity to mix and mingle with new and old friends!
Please RSVP to the Paperless Post email invitation that you should have received last week. The cost is $45 per person, payable to St. John's ECW, and mail to: Diane Goodman, 14 Emerson Point, New Rochelle, NY 10801.
St. John’s Womens’ Dinner
Wednesday, June 7 Check upcoming Weekly Parish Enews for details.
Voyagers Volunteer At Food Pantry
Stewardship at St. John's
by Robin Ingram, Stewardship Co-Chair, 2017
Recently I was speaking with a college president. She said that she viewed her role as a steward of the school – making sure it would be a better place long after she was gone. As we talked she said that, of course, one aspect of that stewardship is financial responsibility, but there are other considerations that are important components in being a "good steward."
That conversation got me thinking about stewardship at St. John’s. When we choose to become part of the St. John’s community, we, too, are stewards of the current and future health of our parish. That stewardship can take many forms:
We can take a moment to pray for our clergy and staff.
We can make a commitment to regularly attend worship services.
We can volunteer to serve in ever so many ways – from gardening to ushering, to becoming an active participant in the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) or Men’s Group, singing in the choir, helping with Midnight Run, teaching in church school, becoming a reader or Eucharistic Minister, or serving on the Vestry.
We can think about what we can do well, and share that, or we can take a risk and try something that stretches us spiritually.
It can be something small or something significant. What matters is our own understanding that St. John's needs our involvement.
We will have plenty of time in the fall to talk about stewardship and the financial health of our parish, but for now, let’s take a few moments in the coming Easter season to prayerfully contemplate the broader meaning of being a steward.
Robin Ingram, for Liza Sheker, Stewardship Co-Chairs, 2017
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
Children's Choirs
Jr. Choir
The sweet spiritual voices of the Jr. Choir filled the church during the monthly Family Liturgy services and at a recent Evensong service. Join the fun. Rehearsals are held each Wednesday at 4:15PM-5:00PM. For more information, please contact Trisha Patterson at patterson10538@gmail.com
St. Cecilia's Choir
All children ages four through eight are invited to participate in St. Cecilia’s Choir. This choristers group learns one hymn in preparation for a one-time performance at the 10:00AM liturgy on June 4. St. Cecilia's Choir is especially appropriate for those young children who love to sing but desire an easier commitment than Jr. Choir. Rehearsals are held immediately after the 10:00AM service beginning April 30 and continue May 7, 14, 21, 28. For more information, please contact Jmel Wilson at jjmelwilson@gmail.com
Good News
by Amy Jaswal
Celebrating the individual good news of St. John's parishioners.
Reverend Dorothy Greene’s daughter, Hilary, is in the ordination process in Massachusetts to become a deacon and will be ordained in June 2019. She will be the third generation in Dorothy’s family to become clergy; her paternal grandfather was a Methodist minister. Congratulations to both Hilary and Dorothy!
Elise Caroline Sjostedt was recognized by Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson for her dedication in bringing Relay for Life to the Mamaroneck-Larchmont community. Relay for Life is the signature fund-raising movement of the American Cancer Society. Elise received the prestigious Juliette Gordon Lowe Leadership Award for her outstanding community work. Elise has shown what a member of our community can accomplish to help fight back against cancer, honor those we have lost, and celebrate all our cancer survivor. Anyone interested in more information on this great fundraiser, please go to www.relayforlife.org/Mamaroneckny.
Congratulations to Adam and Dayna Reist, whose documentary, Dare to Be, a film about the sport of women’s rowing will be shown at the Sarasota Film Festival (March 31-April 9)! It features many current and past athletes, and tells the story of their remarkable rowing journey. You don't have to go all the way to Sarasota to see the film. There is a showing at the Pelham Picture House, Thursday, April 20 at 8PM. Watch the trailer and you might recognize a couple of St. John's parishioners.
From Marilyn "Mouse" Liebenguth: I can never thank all of my St. John's family for their prayers, their loving thoughts, lovely cards and precious notes from the children. Each and every one made me realize more than ever what a truly WONDERFUL and blessed church St. John's is. My love and thanks to each and every one. Hope to see you all soon!!!!
The McArdle family welcomed newest member, Emery Frances, to their clan on March 2. Congratulations to Steve and Erin and big brothers, Harrison and Brooks!
The Leone family welcomed Andrew Paul, born to Amanda and Paul on February 15.
The Aprile family welcomed Ryan on January 24. Congratulations to parents Dianna and John and big brothers Andrew and Benjamin.
Lenten reflection from the Rev. Curtis Kennington, Wisdom Year Student
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to raft and kayak a western North Carolina white-water river. Up and down still water and rapids. White caps and hazards. Rocks and drops and debris. It was a challenge. It was white-knuckle. It was cold and crisp and penetrating. When each trip ended, I felt a fatigue and force I called “off-the-river tired.” It is a sensation I crave in my life. It is a gift from our Creator.
In this section of John’s Gospel, Jesus is not suggesting a trickle or a stream; he promises a river. Is it possible to wrap our brains around this? God’s Spirit is a mighty rushing river…a river of life. Further, He promises we can tap into this river and its power anytime. The singular prerequisite to receive this is that we believe in Him. Despite this, so many of us remain dry, wounded and brokenhearted. Many of us practice other ways to assuage pain or negative emotions. So, where is this river He promises? The promise lies in our choice – the choice to turn in His direction, to put our things down, and to follow – to believe. We have the opportunity to dive into this river, and be moved – animated – by the Spirit of God, and therefore be alive to God.
Stay connected by checking St. John's website for the latest news, photos from our many events, Sunday sermons, schedules and calendar. You can make donations, submit a stewardship pledge, and even honor a relative or friend by donating for altar flowers in their name, by clicking the "giving" tab.
Credits:
Created with images by Pexels - "baby baby feet child" • Simon - "torrent white water force"