This Week at St. John’s
December 24, 2023
December 24, Fourth Sunday of Advent
One service at 10:00 a.m.
December 24, Christmas Eve
Children’s Pageant and All-Ages Eucharist, 4:00 p.m.
Festival Eucharist, 7:00 p.m.
Festival Eucharist with choir prelude, 9:00 p.m.
December 25, Christmas Day (office closed)
Holy Eucharist with carols, 10:00 a.m.
December 26 (office closed)
December 31, First Sunday after Christmas Day
Holy Eucharist, 9:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist, 11:15 a.m.
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.
Christmas Decorations – Many thanks to all of you who helped with the “Greening” of the church last Sunday. We will need HELP to take these Christmas decorations down and put away on Saturday, January 6, starting at about 10AM. The more people helping the faster it will go!
Acolyte Training Session – Have you ever wondered what an acolyte is? Or what does an acolyte do? Are you or your child interested in becoming an acolyte? If so, please come to the acolyte training session, which is scheduled for Sunday, January 7. It will be held in the church between the services. The training session is for new acolytes and anyone who is interested in learning more about this rewarding ministry. At St. John’s, both children and adults participate equally in this ministry. Children in fourth grade and above are eligible to serve as an acolyte. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Graupmann at 614-653-1917 or lisa.graupmann@gmail.com.
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 – On Monday, January 15 Facing Loss meeting will resume 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.” 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.
Singles Dining Out – Singles Dining Out will gather at Anna’s Greek Cuisine on Tuesday, January 23, at 6:00 pm. Anna’s is located at 7370 Sawmill Road, Dublin, Ohio 43235. You can find Anna’s varied dinner menu at https://www.annasgreekcuisine.com/dinner. Anna’s menu includes vegetarian and gluten free options. Please RSVP to Karen Kuhr at 614-565-8988 or karenkuhr@gmail.com so she can let Anna’s know the size of our group. We hope you can join us! Singles Dining Out is an informal group of St. John’s parishioners and friends, always happy to welcome new participants. Singles and married individuals who will be attending without their spouse are welcome to participate, and feel free to invite a friend who is not a member of St. John’s.
Thanks to Our Candidates for Vestry and Senior Warden! – Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our 2023-2024 Vestry Nominating Committee and the willingness of several parishioners to serve, we have a terrific slate of 7 candidates for vestry and 2 for senior warden. Many thanks to Carol Newcomb Alutto, Susan Mancini, Keith Redmill, Trudi Snediker, Anna Sylvester, Laura Wallace, and Dana Whitley for their willingness to share their time and talents by agreeing to run for vestry, and additional thanks to Star Blackford and Bob Shelly for their willingness to share their time and talents by agreeing to run for senior warden. God gives different gifts to different people, and our slate of candidates offers a combination of all those varied gifts, which will enable us to do God’s New Thing at St. John’s in 2024. We will all have an opportunity to Meet the Candidates on February 4, and voting will occur on February 11 and 18.
Suggested Grocery Items for Food Pantry Donations – for next week: baby food, formula, and large diapers (3-4-5-6). 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.
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 61:10-62:3, Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7, John 1:1-18, Psalm 147 or 147:13-21
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.
Announcements Deadline – Please make sure all announcements are submitted by Tuesday at 12:00 noon.
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:
Julie
Christi
Rusty
Vickie
Maureen
Mara
Erica
Marcia and family
Margaret
Tiffany and her daughter
Leatrice
CK
Amirah
Margit
Darian
Family of Aaron Dewitte
Glenda
Chris
Charlie and Andrea
Mary Lou
Dean and Christina
Teresa
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 forothers 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
Virginia & Jerry Nussbaum
The O’Donnell family
Stephen Organ
Cathy O’Toole and family
Robert & Mary Palmer
We Give Thanks
For the people of St. John’s and for their ministries
The Departed
Fran Compton
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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