Saint John’s Associate Music Director, Jane Struss, will be teaching a course about Advent hymns every Sunday beginning this coming Sunday, November 10th, and continuing through Sunday, December 1st. 

We will sing hymns and delve into the history and meaning of their texts.  The emphasis will be on the special spirituality of the Advent season, and looking at the way preparing for the birth of Christ is represented in hymns. 

Come after coffee hour and join Jane in the church!

All ministries other than those reserved to ordained leadership, (such as deciding liturgy, administering the sacraments, etc.). are understood as mutual ministries of the Laity of the parish and the Interim Priest. The Vestry shall lead the Laity to support and cooperate with the Interim Priest in pursuit of parish goals and in the performance of the focus point during the Interim Period.

The Vestry is legal agent for the parish in all matters concerning its corporate property and in its relationship with the Interim Priest. The Vestry will see that the Interim Priest is properly supported, personally and organizationally, as well as in the Vestry’s financial obligations to the Interim Priest.+

Responsibilities that move from the Rector to the Wardens in the Interim Period.

Canonically, (meaning by Church Law), a Rector has certain responsibilities; when a Rector leaves, some of those responsibilities then move to the Wardens of the Parish. A quick rule of thumb is that the Wardens have decision-making authority over those areas not reserved for ordained persons, and which have consequences which may continue after the Interim Period. When a new Rector is in place, these then become the province of the new Rector. Some examples include:

 1. Permission for use of the building 

 2. Leading and setting the agenda for the Vestry

 3. Hiring and firing of employees

The primary focus of the Interim Period.

The Interim Period is seen as prime time for renewal, re-energizing the parish in its life and mission. Beyond maintaining effective ministry during this period, the Vestry and the Interim Priest shall work together to prepare for healthy transition to the next Rectorship.

Specific tasks to be addressed include:

1) Heritage: Coming to terms with the history of the congregation and its relationships with previous clergy.

2) Mission: Discovering the congregation’s special identity and core values, what it dreams of being, and doing apart from previous clergy leadership; short-term tactical plans can be worked out here.

3) Leadership: Dealing with shifts in leadership roles that naturally evolve in times of transition, allowing new leaders to come to the fore constructively. New leaders might emerge, while seasoned ones may re-commit or decide to refocus their gifts.

4) Connections: Renewing and reworking relationships with the Diocese and the community, so that each may be a more effective resource and support to the other. Time to re-asses old links and to consider new ones.

5) Future: Building commitment to the leadership of the new rector in order to be prepared to move into the future with openness to new possibilities – developing congregational and Pastoral Profiles.+

Next week: The Role of the Search Committee in the Interim Period.

+From “Covenant of Ministry for Interim Priest – Letter of Agreement”

Diocese of Massachusetts, signed by Wardens and Priest, approved by Vestry

by Doug Heim

Family and friends of St. John’s, 

It is difficult to choose just one moment where the light of Christ shone within and through us this past year. As one of your Wardens through a time of uncertainty and earnest trial, I saw how many lanterns were set alight, each illuminating a portion of our collective path out of our modest wilderness, like a trail of torches making sure no one would lose their way.

It began as so many of you found new ways to shine while we navigated our former Priest, Tom Mousin’s, sabbatical. The lights shone perhaps brightest when he, recently returned, was badly injured in an accident, and your love for him and one another was a feeling to behold. But as Tom’s recovery required sustained support in our mission here, even more impressive to me was how many folks continued to burn the oil of their time and talent like a sanctuary candle.

Finally, when we discovered that our transition was not at an end, but a beginning, dozens of you cheerfully said “Here I am, Lord,” to this special place- persevering in long-standing roles, fulfilling new roles and shining your light even as the path required more of you.

I’m proud to have been one lantern among you. It was one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done to serve with and for this Parish as a Warden. Like shining a light on a mirror, I received every lumen I gave. 

So, having indulged me in many metaphors, I hope you will tolerate one further. Join me in giving what oil you can this year to our common sanctuary. We are given the fire from the Lord, but it is up to us to keep, foster, and grow it in his Lighthouse.

Yours with gratitude,

Doug Heim

Note:  Each week during our annual stewardship campaign, a parishioner will offer a reflection that will be printed and handed out on Sunday and reprinted in News and Notes for the following Thursday’s email.

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God

Lesbia Scott, British, 1898-1986 , I Sing a Song of the Saints of God, Composed 1929, Published to the Episcopal Hymnal 1940, John H. Hopkins, American, 1820-1891, Melody, Grand Isle.

1 I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green:
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.


2 They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and God’s love made them strong;
and they followed the right, for Jesus’ sake,
the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast:
and there’s not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn’t be one too.


3 They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still;
the world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea;
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
and I mean to be one too.