Believe it or not, Advent begins in two weeks, on Sunday November 27th! We want to help you get ready. Plan to stay after the 10 am service on Sunday, November 20, for an Advent workshop – we will have greens and candles to make your home Advent wreath (please bring your metal Advent wring if you have it from past years. Tom will have his Advent calendar, with some enlarged copies for the youngest among us to color. We’ll also have other suggestions for how to observe this season on a daily basis at home. 
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Annual Meeting Update
*** One Worship Service at 10 am ***
Childcare Will Be Provided During the Annual Meeting
Our childcare workers will continue to provide care in the Nursery for infants and young children, after Coffee Hour.
2016 Budget
While we sent out the 2016 budget with News and Notes, this version may be a bit easier to read, as it only includes figures from 2015 for comparison.
You can find it here: St. John’s 2016Budget
And an Update on a Pastoral Note:
Gloria Chesebrough will be returning home this afternoon. Cards can be sent to: 100 Ferrin Street, #402 Charlestown, MA 02129.
Beyond the Parish
In the next two months, there is an abundance of opportunities for ministry, learning, and worship. We are blessed to be part of the Episcopal Church, the larger ecumenical community, and communities of other faiths with whom we find common purpose. See if you hear God’s call to you in the descriptions of the following events:
“Forgiveness and the Pursuit of Justice”: St. Stephen’s Church (419 Shawmut Avenue) in Boston will host this B-PEACE conversation program with Richard Moore, Founder of Children in Crossfire, on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.
Blinded by a British soldier’s bullet as a boy in Northern Ireland, Moore sought out the soldier in order to forgive him. Motivated by his experience of violence and forgiveness, Moore has dedicated his life to helping communities move toward justice and reconciliation and has founded Children in the Crossfire, a nonprofit that works to help children suffering the injustices of poverty and to protect their rights around the world. All are welcome. FOR INFORMATION: St. Stephen’s Church, Boston (617-262-9070).
Remembrance Service for Bishop Shaw
Saturday, October 17, 3 pm at Christ Church Quincy
A simple service of prayer and remembrance for the the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, will be held on the one year anniversary of his death, Saturday October 17 at 3 pm at Christ Episcopal Church, Quincy (12 Quincy Ave., Quincy). FOR INFORMATION: Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston (617-482-4826, ext. 221 or elc@diomass.org
Join Bishop Alan M. Gates and Bishop Bud Cederholm
at “Gospel Hope and the Climate Crisis: A Workshop for Preachers,”
an ecumenical, hands-on workshop designed for members of both the clergy and laity who would like to discuss the links between climate, poverty and other justice issues within the context of theology, and learn how to preach vibrant, faith-filled sermons about climate change. The workshop takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 9:30 a.m.-
2 p.m., at St. Andrew’s Church (3 Maple Street) in Framingham. It is organized by New England Regional Environmental Ministries to support “A New Awakening”—an ecumenical season of prophetic climate witness from St. Francis Day (Oct. 4, 2015) through Transfiguration Sunday (Feb. 7, 2016).
FOR INFORMATION: The Rev. Karen Montagno, Congregational Resources and Training (617-482-4826, ext. 413 or kmontagno@ diomass.org).
The Antiracism Ministry Team will offer a training on Friday, Oct. 23, 5-8:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (138 Tremont Street) in Boston. The training offers opportunities to share experiences, reflect on current issues and develop tools for change. Refreshments and Saturday lunch are provided. There is a fee of $50 per person, which includes materials. Participants receive a certificate of completion. Online registration and more information are available here. FOR INFORMATION: The Rev. Karen Montagno, Congregational Resources and Training (617-482-4826, ext. 413 or kmontagno@ diomass.org).
Cathedral Thank-You Open House
Saturday, November 7, 10 am-1 pm at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul,
138 Tremont Street
In gratitude for the the diocesan community’s financial and prayerful support of the cathedral’s renovations, the cathedral community will hold this open house before the official rededication a week later. Everyone is invited to come and make a rubbing of their parish’s engraver floor tile, take photos, walk the new labryinth, and celebrate with one another. FOR INFORMATION: Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston(617-482-4826, ext. 221 or elc@diomass.org
Cathedral Rededication and Seating of Bishop Allan M. Gates
Friday, November 13, 7 pm
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont Street, Boston
The newly renovated Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston will be rededicated and Bishop Alan M. Gates will be officially seated during a service of Holy Eucharist on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. All are welcome. Seating for the congregation will be first come, first served, with some overflow seating available in the church’s lower-level Sproat Hall. A reception will follow.
175th Anniversary Celebratory Concert
Soprano
Nancy Armstrong
American Songbook
Saturday May 16
7:30 pm
St. John’s Church
Come hear our own Nancy Armstrong perform selections from the American Songbook, including music by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and others. A reception follows. It will be a wonderful evening of song and celebration.
Inquiring Minds
We will be postponing our Inquirers’ Class, and will send out information when we reschedule it in the fall or early in 2016. Thank you for your interest.