This Week at St. John’s
December 3, 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.
At 10:15 am between the services, 6th -12th graders are invited to join us for Youth Roundtable, where we grab a snack and talk about the readings scheduled for that particular Sunday. Meet in the atrium.
Also at 10:15, kids aged 3-11 are invited to join us for Godly Play, a Montessori-style Sunday school program. Meet in the atrium.
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.
Advent Celtic Service – Please join us for the lay-led Celtic Service in the atrium at 5 pm on Sunday, December 3. This will be a Taize service on the theme of Waiting for the Lord. The Celtic service is a short, contemplative service based on the Iona Abbey Worship Book and including music, meditation, and prayers of concern. We always end with a period of hospitality and fellowship. Your participation is most welcome!
Advent Formation Series – Are you ready to immerse yourself in Advent Formation as we prepare for the coming of Christ? It’s not too late to sign up for the Advent Formation Series! Please acquire the book yourself; it is available from booksellers and as an e-book. The next session will be on December 6 with chapter 2. Feel free to join even if you missed week one. We will begin with Holden Evening Prayer at 7:00 pm and then discuss one chapter of the book each week for four consecutive Wednesdays, concluding on December 20.
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 7:00 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.
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
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, December 24.
Volunteers needed for the December 14 Friendship Dinner: – St. John’s November Friendship Dinner was very successful with 38 guests and volunteers enjoying a meal and hospitality. We also had several guests who got a meal to enjoy at home. The December 14th dinner will celebrate Christmas with our guests. Thanks to the Outreach Committee increasing our budget for December, we will be serving a Roast Beef dinner with fixings. We need a minimum of 3 volunteers for set-up and 3 volunteers for cleanup. The sign-up sheet is on the table in the atrium. Come and help celebrate Christmas with our Worthington neighbors. Please sign up in the Atrium or contact John Ross by text at 847-254-1821 or email jbross53@gmail.com. Due to the large number of spam calls I receive, I do not answer calls for numbers I am not familiar with, so texting or email is the best way to contact me. Thank you for all your support.
Upcoming Baptism Dates – St. John’s will celebrate the sacrament of Baptism at both services on Sunday, January 7, the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. The next scheduled date after that is the Great Vigil of Easter, Saturday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m. Other dates can be arranged. If you are interested in Baptism for yourself or your child, please contact Gia or David B.
Greening the Church for Christmas Season – Greening of the church will take place on Sunday, December 17, after the 11:15 am service. Everyone is invited to help. This event goes very smoothly and quickly with the more help that we have. Come help prepare our church for this Festive season and the Birthday of our Lord and Savior.
Christmas Flowers – The Flower Guild is asking for donations for Christmas flowers. There are envelopes in pews marked “Christmas Flowers” for you to use. Place your donation in offertory plate. If you would like to donate “In Thanksgiving for, In Memory of, or In honor of” a family member or friend, there are forms to fill out on table in Atrium. Place the form and donation in the offertory plate or it can be mailed to the church office. If writing a check, please fill out St. John’s Flower Guild. We ask donations to be made by Sunday, December 17.
Adult Formation – Salem Witch Trials – Sarah Iles Johnston will follow up her lectures earlier this year on the anthropological approach to understanding evil with two historically-focused lectures on the Salem witchcraft trials. The first will be on Sunday, January 14, and the second on Sunday, January 21. She’ll begin by looking at Protestant attitudes towards witchcraft in the decades preceding the trials (spoiler alert: they definitely believed that witches existed), then go through what happened in Salem itself and how ministers were involved. She’ll finish with a quick look at the aftermath.
Facing Loss & Caregivers – The Blue Christmas, Wednesday, December 6, will be our only December event with our shared SJE/WPC Congregations. Rev. Betsy Rice will give the message at St. John’s at 7:00 pm. Our Third Monday Facing Loss meeting will resume January 15 at 1:00 pm in St. John’s Atrium. Louann Shearer, WPC Liaison, will lead a conversation on what has been helpful to your grieving process. Wendy Ciriegio will share excerpts from an amazing book, “Poetry/Your Brain on Art.” Our Fourth Monday Loss Lunch will resume on January 22 at noon at Worthington La Chatelaine. Come to the back room for good food and endorphins. No reservation necessary.
Suggested Grocery Items for Food Pantry Donations – for next week: granola bars, shampoo 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 Ellen Stukenberg in thanksgiving for the life of her brother Russell Whitney.
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 – Isaiah 40:1-11, 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
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.
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People for whom prayers have been asked
And we pray for:
Edwinna and family
Duane, Jonathan, and family
Dana
Those affected by the bus crash in Licking County
Bill
Marvin
Nico
Marc
Karl
Lee and family
Skip
Mac
David & Mary
Paul
Caroline
Marcy
Julie
Christi
Rusty
Vickie
Maureen
Mara
Erica
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
Kathleen McFalls
Robert & Barbara McVicker
Katie Milam
Amanda & Max Miller
Wendy Miller
We Give Thanks
For the life of Russell Whitney
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
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