Category Archives: Ministries

Here is a list of current articles that pertain to the various Ministries that parishoners at St. John’s Church are carrying out.

Aside

 

The Garden Group will be hosting an enchanting evening party on Thursday, June 28 from 6 to 8 pm in the St. John’s Garden.

 

 

Come and enjoy Tapas and Wine, served among the woodland garden in the rear of the parish house.

Suggested donation: $25.

Extending the Table and Sharing the Feast

Posted on by

On Sunday April 15 at the 10 am service, Maureen Lavely and Catherine Womack were each commissioned as  a Lay Eucharistic Minister (or LEM) for St. John’s. Having attended a day long training session in February  offered by the Diocese of Massachusetts, they are now licensed LEMs. Maureen and Catherine will be able to bring communion to persons in hospitals, nursing homes, or at home. While our clergy have carried out this ministry, the sharing of consecrated bread and wine is a ministry in which the laity can be equally involved.  Communion brought to those who cannot be with us on a Sunday morning reminds us that the table which Christ prepares for us extends far beyond the walls of our church. Thank you, Catherine and Maureen, for hearing the Spirit and responding to this call.

“I was in prison and you visited me.” – Matthew 25:36

Posted on by

From Maureen Lavely:
Last Spring I saw an announcement from the Massachusetts Council of Churches to join them and Refugee Immigration Ministries (RIM) for training to visit those being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).  I applied and was accepted to attend RIM’s training. The instructors did a great job preparing us to visit detainees

Since I live in Boston, I asked to be placed in a facility close to my home.  My CORI passed and my request for permission to visit detainees at Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department (jail) on Bradston Street in Boston was approved.

Just getting there can be difficult but very rewarding.  My only language is English but I’m happy we visit as a team; I “go in” with two or three others and usually with someone that is fluent in Spanish.  Besides Spanish, we’ve encountered men who only speak French, Italian, or Chinese.  We introduce ourselves as being representatives of many people who care about them and their situation.   Our sole function is to be there because we care about them and are willing to listen to what is on their hearts.

Last Saturday I attended a Spiritual Care Giver’s retreat.  It was an opportunity to meet other folks doing this ministry, to share our experiences and ask questions.   Please note some additional information I brought back to share.

Blessings and peace,

Maureen Lavely

If you feel a call to this kind of ministry, please speak to Maureen. Here is the additional information she brought back to share with us:

A Symposium on Traumatic Issues Faced By Asylum Seekers
sponsored by Refugee Immigration Ministry
February 19th, 6:30 pm
At St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 26 Washington St., Malden
Suggested Donation: $20

Spiritual Care Givers Training
sponsored by Refugee Immigration Ministry
This series of training events is for those who are interested in participating in the ministry described above by Maureen. As she wrote, caregivers go in teams to visit persons held in local county jails.
Dates for the training are:  February 19, March 1, 8 and 15th.
There is an information sheet at church, and you can find out more by clicking here.

 

Act In Love: I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food

Posted on by
Rise Against Hunger: Packaging Meals for Those in Need – Saturday February 10
Several of us participated last year in a Boston Harbor Deanery mission event: packaging meals for Rise Against Hunger, an organization that provides food for emergency relief in times of natural disaster and places where there are severe food shortages. The mission of Rise Against Hunger is to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable people and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.
Boston Harbor Deanery churches are invited to send volunteers to Church of the Advent, Beacon Hill, on Saturday, February 10, from 10am to noon. Children are welcome and encouraged to be volunteers!
 Packages of dry food, enough for one meal, are assembled by the volunteers. Forty volunteers are needed to help package 10,000 meals. Monetary donations will also be welcome.  Last year, Bev Anderson, Maureen Lavely, Bridget Nyhan and children, and Whitney Hayden and children were among our volunteers. Speak to them and find out how enjoyable their morning of mission was.
Please let Bridget Nyhan know if you want to register as a volunteer:
bgnyhan@yahoo.com
Monetary donations can be made by making a check out to Church of the Advent, and placing it in the offering plate or sending it to the church office.
Thank you!
Renewing Our Commitment to Harvest On Vine
Harvest on Vine is Charlestown’s Emergency Food Pantry, offering distributions of food twice a month, and on special occasions such as Thanksgiving, to Charlestown families in need. Adrienne Sweetser will be making regular deliveries from St. John’s to the Food Pantry, and we want to encourage everyone in the parish to consider bringing some food items on a weekly basis.
Currently, the needs are:
White Rice
Cans of  soup
Cans of  ravioli
Cans of beef stew
All items can be placed in the Harvest on Vine Basket – on the left as you enter the church. Let’s see if we will need to get a larger basket!