Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Uh oh! Miscellaneous is the category for articles that someone forgot to catagorize properly!

Weariness, Wisdom, and Witness

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Dear Friends,

As I know some of you do, I wake up in the morning to the radio.  While it may not be the best way to greet the day, I am accustomed to hearing the latest news of the day and having it work its way into my growing consciousness. This morning, the voice that I first heard was of a woman speaking quietly but clearly. I was catching snippets of what she said as I was awakening. It became clear to me that she was reflecting on the shootings in the Washington Navy Yard. She went on to mention her visceral reaction to the children who had died in Newtown. And by the wisdom and weariness in her voice, I knew before she said anything more that she had all too much knowledge of the pain caused by such tragedies.

Which was the case. She went on to talk about the tragedy of losing her own daughter in the Aurora, Colorado shootings  a year ago. There was weariness in her voice, but wisdom and determination as well. For since her daughter’s death she, a gun owner herself, has been working tirelessly for legislation which would regulate gun and ammunition sales. She has become a witness for peace.

Even if these tragedies have not touched us personally, we may grow weary of hearing about these events. A kind of numbness can set in, or a sense of resignation that there is not much that can be done. But if we know weariness, then we also know wisdom – the wisdom of Jesus Christ. At the center of our life together is Christ’s wisdom and presence. We have the wisdom of watching his nonviolent responses to the evil he encountered. And we  have his presence in our midst, the most powerful sign that evil can never have the ultimate final word.

This Sunday, Julia McMahon, the Lead Organizer for the B-PEACE for Jorge Campaign, will be with us at our Sunday Forum to talk about ways in which our diocese is responding to gun violence in our own area. She will share with us some specific ways in which we can overcome any sense of weariness and numbness to engage our hearts and minds in addressing the reality of violence in our lives.  She will also share more information about the upcoming congregational resource day on September 28th at Roxbury Community College. The keynote speaker for that day is the Rev. Kathleen Adams-Shepherd, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Newtown, Connecticut, who will speak of how her parish responded to the horrific events in that town.

I encourage you to make the commitment to attend one or both of these events. And I pray that God will waken us when we grow weary, granting us wisdom, so that we will be witnesses of Christ’s peace in the world.

Faithfully,

Tom

 

 

Come with ECW to the Museum of Russian Icons

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St. John’s Episcopal Church Women (ECW) is planning a trip to the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Mass. on Saturday October 5th. The trip is not just for ECW members but is open to all.  For information about the museum click here: www.museumofrussianicons.org.

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Eastern icons are stylized spiritual paintings with Christian themes. An icon is a window through which we glimpse the beauty of the Christian faith and its heroes. Images are created by an iconographer according to strict standards by the church. Icons have, in most cases, been sanctified and blessed inside the church by a priest.

Those interested ought to plan on leaving the Boston area by 9 a.m. as museum Saturday hours are 11-3. Travel to Clinton by car could take an hour. There is of course a shop and a Russian tea room.

Please contact Jane Struss at 617-491-7970 or janestruss@gmail.com and let her know if you’re planning to go, and also if you need a ride.

Invite friends!!!

Upcoming Sunday Forums

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Our Sunday Forums provide us with an opportunity to gather after Coffee Hour on Sundays for conversation, learning, and exploring our life together in Christ. Please join us when you can.

Sunday September 29th: Sing a New Song – Join Music Director Douglas Witte for a conversation about music at St. John’s. What is music for in worship and how can we do it better?  Even if you have never thought of joining the choir, come learn about the history of the music program here and what the future holds. There will even be a chance to do a little singing.

Gathering Sunday

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Dear Friends,

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of presiding at a family wedding. Allison, my niece, and Bill, her husband, were surrounded by family and friends as they made their vows at a beautiful spot in the Hudson Valley. Like many weddings, it was an occasion for family members to gather, and to meet members of another family with whom we will now be connected. There was, inevitably, much laughter, much love, and much joy.

We are not gathering for a wedding this Sunday at church, but these first Sundays in September also have aspects of a reunion. Many of us are returning to more regular schedules, and there is always delight in seeing both familiar faces and meeting new folks who are visiting St. John’s for the first time.

This is a gathering time. Just consider the many ways you can greet friends old and new in the week to come (and you can learn more about these elsewhere in this News and Notes)

Welcome Back Cookout in the Garden – Thursday, September 12th, 5:30 to 7:30 pm

First Choir Rehearsal of the Season – Thursday September 12th, 7:30 pm

First Children’s Choir Rehearsal – Sunday, September 15th at 9:30 am

First Full Day of Godly Play – Sunday September 15 at 10 am

Ministry Forum – Sunday, September 15th, after Coffee Hour, upstairs in the Parish House

Of course, most importantly, there will be the gathering that occurs Sunday after Sunday, as we join together our hearts, our minds, and our voices, praising God and encountering Christ’s presence in the bread and wine and the Word proclaimed.  After my own time away, I cannot wait to see you all. And I can assure you, that in all these gatherings, like at any wonderful wedding,  there will be much laughter, much love, and much joy.

Faithfully,

Tom

 

From Bishop Shaw

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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Yesterday I had a meeting with the medical team that has been caring for me at the  Dana Farber Cancer Center.  Earlier in the morning I had had an MRI so they could evaluate the effectiveness of the summer months of chemotherapy and radiation.  The team couldn’t have been more pleased with the results of the treatment so far, and so my treatment will continue according to plan.  I will resume chemotherapy next week but it will be limited to five consecutive days of chemotherapy each month for about a year.
As you can imagine, I was deeply relieved with this report and incredibly grateful to God, the medical team, those who have given me pastoral care and help over the past few months in my community and in the diocese, my family and to all of you for your prayers, your letters, notes, phone calls and gifts.  The support I have received from all of you has opened me to the power of the Holy Spirit during these difficult months of treatment and uncertainty.
This is an exciting year we have ahead of us in our diocese:  our B-PEACE antiviolence campaign; the election of a new bishop; having the resources, because of everyone’s participation in our Together Now campaign, to initiate projects that will strengthen the witness of our church; and time for all of you to think and pray, to listen to one another, about how God might be calling our diocese to continue to build the kingdom of God in eastern Massachusetts with our new bishop and Bishop Gayle.
And I so look forward to having this next year to thank all of you for all you have taught me and all you have done for the witness of Christ in the almost 20 years we have worked together. Last Sunday I went to St. Luke’s Church in Fall River to baptize Wyatt Branco, the child of one of our first Youth Leadership Academy members, Brian Branco.  One of the godparents, Il Cheng, was also an early member of the YLA.  Those young people, in those early years, taught me so much.  It was an opportunity for me to thank them for all they have done to widen my vision of God and the work of the diocese.
In many, many ways, you have all done as Brian and Il have done for me and for our church.  I look forward to these next months to thank you for all you have given me in my life with God and for all you have done to proclaim God’s word to the larger world.  We begin this new program year with Bishop Gayle and with me in strengthening health and full of gratitude and hope for the church.  Know of our prayers and please continue to offer yours.
Faithfully,
Tom
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