This Week at St. John’s
November 26, 2023
Sunday School for Kids & Youth – All offerings are led by two Safe Church trained adults.
For the first half of the 9 am service, kids are invited to join us for children’s church upstairs, with a children’s sermon and time for prayer. Kids return to the nave in time for communion.
Godly Play and Youth Roundtable will not meet today because of the Thanksgiving holiday. They will resume on Sunday, December 3.
It’s Not Too Late for Stewardship – Our sincere gratitude to everyone who has already pledged their financial support to St. John’s for 2024! If you haven’t made a pledge yet, it’s not too late to estimate your giving to our community for next year. You can complete a paper pledge form and return it to the church office (forms can be found on the table in the atrium), or you can make a pledge online. Every pledge is important, and hearing from you soon will help us plan St. John’s budget for 2024.
Sunday Afternoon Youth Group – 6th-12th graders are welcome to join us for youth group on Sunday afternoons! This Sunday, November 26, we’ll gather at St. John’s in the carriage house from 2:00-3:30 pm. There will be snacks! Questions? Contact David Burman at davidb@stjohnsworthington.org
The Annual Christmas Giving Tree Project – We are so excited to be able to continue this valuable outreach service to our neighbors at Worthington Kilbourne Middle School! See the display of tags in the atrium to pick up a gift request for some of the KMS students and their siblings. If you prefer not to shop, we can shop for you if you send in a check/online donation or donate gift cards to places like Walmart, Target, or Kohl’s, early enough for us to do that shopping. Contributions of large gift bags, gift boxes or tissue paper are greatly appreciated for wrapping up the gifts as well. Please bring gifts to St. John’s no later than Sunday, December 10, so that everything can be delivered in time for Christmas. ~The Outreach and Social Justice Committee
St. John’s Chair Yoga – will be offered in the atrium on Tuesday, November 28 at 12 noon. Certified instructor Melanie Miller will lead us. Donate $5 or $10 if you wish. Bring a blanket to put under your feet. Contact Cynthia Woodbeck at 614-638-5054 or cwoodbeck235@gmail.com with questions.
Arts and Crafts Ministry – Our ministry is a group of artists and craftspeople who enjoy creating a variety of visual arts including quilts, paintings, lace making, books, needlework, woodwork, photographs and everything else. We get together to share and affirm our God given talents. We invite any new parishioners who might like to join our ministry. We will have our first meeting since last Spring on Tuesday, November 28 in the Atrium at 6:30 pm. Please bring any old or new projects to share. Any questions call or text Sue Sheets at 614-266-0972.
Give Blood, Get Noodles! – St. John’s will host a blood drive on Wednesday, November 29, 12:30-5:30 pm, in Kilbourne Hall, with Versiti Blood Center, the main supplier of blood to the Ohio State University Wexner Center. Someone needs blood every 2 seconds, and your donation may help a NICU baby, cancer fighter, sickle cell warrior, transplant patient, trauma survivor, or someone else. Receive a coupon for a buy one, get one half off an entrée from Noodles & Company, while supplies last. You can sign up for a time to donate at https://donate.ohio.versiti.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/219883. If you would like to be a greeter to help welcome our donors on November 29, please contact Mary Bailey at 614-619-1803 or mphbailey.3@gmail.com.
Advent Formation Series – Are you ready to immerse yourself in Advent Formation as we prepare for the coming of Christ? Beginning on Wednesday, November 29 (before the first Sunday of Advent), Catherine Duffy will lead a four-part book study of Amy-Jill Levine’s text Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent. It’s not too late to sign up, but please acquire the book yourself; it is available from booksellers and as an e-book. If you asked St. John’s to order a book for you, you can pick it up in the Atrium. We will begin with Holden Evening Prayer at 7:00pm and then discuss one chapter of the book each week for four consecutive Wednesdays, concluding on December 20.
Youth Lock-In – 6th-12th graders are invited to join us for an overnight lock-in at the church on the evening of Saturday, December 2, alongside youth from St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church! We’ll gather at the church around 6 pm, have dinner, talk faith, and play games, and then divide up to sleep in a few different spaces throughout the church building. Then we’ll worship on Sunday! If you are a teen or are related to one, talk to David Burman to RSVP at davidb@stjohnsworthington.org.
Advent Wreath Workshop – All are invited to make Advent wreaths and learn about this beloved custom at our intergenerational workshop on Sunday, December 3, at 10:15 am in Kilbourne Hall. St. John’s will provide materials, so please RSVP by Wednesday, November 29, on the signup sheet in the Atrium or via email to bellao@stjohnsworthington.org so we can have enough for everyone. You may wish to bring a box large enough to hold a dinner plate to transport your wreath home.
Blue Christmas – In a season of Christmas lights and Santa hats, our culture expects us to be happy and jolly – but what if we’re not? For those who are struggling with mental health, who have suffered a personal loss, or who are just feeling blue, this season’s expectations can be difficult. You’re invited to join us for our annual Blue Christmas service on Wednesday, December 6 at 7 pm, as we invite God to be with us even at those times when we’re feeling blue. We hold this service in conjunction with Worthington Presbyterian Church – this year the service will be held at St. John’s, and Pastor Betsy Rice from Worthington Presbyterian will preach!
Catherine’s Ordination on December 9 – God willing and the people of God consenting, our seminarian, Catherine Duffy, will be ordained a transitional deacon on Saturday, December 9, at 11:00 am at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati. All are invited to attend this next-to-final step in Catherine’s formation as a priest. She will continue to learn and serve at St. John’s until her seminary graduation in May. For an informal carpool to the ordination, meet in St. John’s parking lot at 8:30 am on December 9th.
Christmas Pageant – Do you have a kiddo who’d like to be cast in our Christmas Pageant? Please bring them to our rehearsal on Sunday, December 10th at 10:15 am between the services in the sanctuary. If you’d like your kid to be in the pageant but can’t make it on Dec 10th, please let David Burman know at davidb@stjohnsworthington.org. The pageant itself will be part of the 4:00 pm service on Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec. 24th.
Suggested Grocery Items for Food Pantry Donations – for next week: rice, toothpaste and a Christmas dinner item. You can place your food, toiletry, and baby donations in the food baskets in the atrium. You can also give online at www.worthingtonresourcepantry.org/donate/ or www.gladdenhouse.org/food-pantry.
Flowers for this week are given by Don and Miriam Utter in thanksgiving for their 55th wedding anniversary.
Centering Prayer – Mondays, 1:00 pm. Click this Zoom link (Meeting ID: 876 4837 0994; Passcode: 408290; One tap mobile +13126266799,,87648370994#,,,,*408290#). If you are interested, contact Teri Foley-Nelson, at foleynelson1@sbcglobal.net.
Readings for Next Sunday – Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24, Psalm 95:1-7a, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46
Do You Have Family or Friends Who You Want Included on the Weekly Prayer List? If so, please contact the office at Bellao@stjohnsworthington.org or 614-846-5180, with their first names. Names will remain on the list for three weeks unless there are additional instructions. If you want longer term prayer by the intercessory prayer group, please contact Jo Pascoe at 614-306-7983 and leave a message or send email to twopas@aol.com.
Pastoral Care Concerns – If you have a pastoral care concern, please contact one of the clergy. Gia may be reached at 614-846-5180, ext. 302, 220-219-1880, or GiaHM@StJohnsWorthington.org. David may be reached at 614-846-5180, ext. 308, 220-219-1880 or, or DavidB@stjohnsworthington.org. 220 area code is a local number.
If you are seeing this as a paper copy, the links are available on: https://www.stjohnsworthington.org/news/announcements/
Stay Connected!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StJohnsWorthington/
Instagram: @stjohnsworthington
People for whom prayers have been asked
And we pray for:
Deb & family
Mary
Jim
Maureen
Mara
Erica
Frank
Carol
Edwinna and family
Duane, Jonathan, and family
Dana
Those affected by the bus crash in Licking County
Bill
Marvin
Nico
Marc
Karl
For our service men and women and all first responders
(Allow time for
others to pray)
For all those affected by the Coronavirus pandemic, here and throughout the world
For those who are
unemployed or
underemployed(Allow time for
others to pray)
For all who experience fear or exclusion
(Allow time for
others to pray)
For those in prison or bondage – in body or spirit
(Allow time for
others to pray)
For peace and for all those who suffer from war, including the people of Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Israel, Palestine, and all places of conflict in the world.
Parish Cycle of Prayer
Craig Hackman and Diane Marsicano-Hackman
Dick Martin
Patrick Maynard and Karen Muse
Bill McCarthy
Rebecca McCauley
Ruth McCauley
We Give Thanks
For the 55th wedding anniversary of Don and Miriam Utter
For the people of St. John’s and for their ministries
The Departed
Notes:
St. John’s has two separate prayer lists.
To add names to the “public” prayer list as seen above, please call the church office at 614-846-5180, or send an email to Bellao@stjohnsworthington.org. Names added to that sheet will remain on the prayer list for three weeks, or shorter if requested. Last names are not used. If you wish prayers to be continued, simply list the name on the prayer list again. Of course, you may always add names aloud during the prayers of the people.
There is also a “private” intercessory prayer group staffed by several volunteers from within the parish. To have your prayer request included on the prayer chain, please contact Jo Pascoe at 614-306-7983 or send email to twopas@aol.com
The post This Week at St. John’s – November 26, 2023 appeared first on St. John’s Episcopal Church | Worthington, OH.