May 2014 The Rev. Salin Low, Rector

St. John’s mission is to nurture all people in their spiritual growth, in their Christian education, and in their relationship with God.

of St. John’s in Pine Meadowof St. John’s in Pine Meadow

What’s it all about? Confirmation

Confirmation used to be the way we “joined” the church. It was the ticket to communion and the ticket out of Sunday School. Because we wanted our young people to receive communion, confir-mation generally took place around the age of twelve - echoing Jesus’ trip to the temple in Jeru-salem and today’s bar mitzvah.

Then came new or recovered liturgical under-standings about baptism and membership in the church. We now view baptism as a sacrament which confers full participation in the body of Christ - including receiving communion. While we realize that small children can’t understand what communion is all about, they bring great joy to the altar rail and remind us that none of us fully understands the mystery of Christ’s presence in the bread and the wine.

Because confirmation is now more appropri-ately understood as a “mature affirmation of faith,” it is appropriate to defer it to a time when young people are better able to think about ab-stract concepts and to make decisions for them-selves. We have by custom invited those who are high school freshmen and above to participate. Some parishes defer confirmation to a later age.

So if young people (or older people for that matter) are already members of the church and can receive communion, why should they be con-firmed? Why bother?

The preparation for confirmation should help the prospective confirmands to know more about the mission and ministry of the church and the part they can play in it. This year’s class spent

time considering the biblical story, the history of the church, and the parts of our worship. They al-so learned through the 30-hour famine that they can make a difference in the lives of people near-by and people around the world.

Confirmation is also a time when those who have been active in the parish for a period of time can welcome those are making a new commit-ment. The support and encouragement of the par-ish strengthens the bonds with the newly con-firmed.

For a number of years, confirmation in our di-ocese took place in regional ceremonies. They were lovely, but they didn’t give the parish as great an opportunity to celebrate the confirmands. Now that we can once again honor them in a ser-vice in our parish with Bishop Douglas present, it is truly a cause for joy.

Part of the confirmation service is for each of us to renew our own baptismal vows. I encourage each of you to participate in this occasion as a way of remembering what your own baptism and/or confirmation has meant in your faith journey. It is also a way for us to welcome the bishop and to demonstrate our ties to the diocese.

I look forward to seeing you on May 18.

 

HOW WE’RE DOING SO FAR

March 2014 March 2013

Operating Income: $ 18,725 $ 16,793 Operating Expenses: $ 15,233 $ 13,657

YEAR TO DATE

2014 2013

Operating Income: $ 40,858 $ 36,183 Operating Expenses: $ 49,118 $ 45,970

Larry Espinet, Treasurer

Bits & Pieces 

Shopping Cards An Easy Way to Help

Now Available for Immediate Purchase $100 Stop & Shop Cards

When you buy shopping/gift cards through St. John’s, you are making a contribution that does not cost you financially. It may take a little planning. Or-ders are usually taken the 1st and 3rd Sundays, and cards are delivered on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. Or-der forms are available in the narthex and parish hall and can be placed in the lockbox at any time.

Prayer Requests— Requests are handled confiden-tially through the office or by speaking to the Rec-tor. You may fill out a prayer request form or contact the office. If you would like to be a part of the prayer circle, please speak to the Rector. Prayer is part of our concern for one another. Church Office Hours — Office hours are 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Flower Chart Posted in Narthex—Sign up for the Sunday of your choice. Cost is $50, or you may bring flowers from your garden in the summer. The office will contact you about memorials. Parish Register - This is our way of letting one an-other know about the milestones in our lives. If there is a birth, wedding, graduation, or death in your fam-ily, please let the office know, so it can be included in the next newsletter.

Next Ingathering—May 4th

The total for the year to date is $227.61. Bring coins anytime. We will keep them safe.

Mission Outreach Donations Made

The most recent Outreach “30 Hour Famine Pro-ject” raised $2,246.00 by the Confirmation Class. The Vestry agreed to add an additional $1,500.00 to this amount. Donations were made to World Vi-sion for $1,800.00 and $650.00 each to Open Door Kitchen in Winsted, FoodShare in Bloomfield and Canton Lions Club—”Feeding Children Every-where,” which provides meal packets to various

Walk For Hunger—Saturday, May 10th

Canton Walk for Hunger takes place rain or shine at 1:00-3:00 p.m. - a 2.7 mile walk through scenic Col-linsville, starting at the Community Center, 40 Dyer Avenue (behind the library), Canton. Registration day of walk. A sign up sheet is in the Parish Hall.

Rhythms of Grace

The monthly worship service will be held on the third Sunday of every month at 1p.m. Rhythms of Grace is designed to meet the needs of families with children on the Autism Spectrum and with other special needs. Those who help feel it is a rewarding experience to work with children and families who need the attention and who are new to St. John’s. Contact Linda Snyder at llsnyders4@charter.net for information.

Coffee Hour Hosts Needed

10:00 a.m. Service May 4th & 25th

Special thanks to Ron & Joan Caine, Tom Chap-pell, Bruce Wearne and Bob Osborne for clean-ing the church.

Thank you to Tom Chappell, Ron Caine and Mac Wilson for assisting with the elevator repairs.

Thank you to Bruce Wearne for repairing the Church sign.

Thank you to Carol Wilson for washing the robes.

Thank you to the Altar Guild for polishing and read-ying the church for Holy Week and Easter.

Thank you to Halyna and the Choir for the won-derful music on Palm Sunday and Easter.

Thanks to everyone who helps with the mission and ministry of St. John’s.

This is an important part of our ministry of hospi-tality — to visitors, to children, to one another. Coffee supplies other than cream are available in the kitchen. Baked goods are terrific, whether home baked or purchased - whatever works for you will encourage our hospitality.

A sign-up sheet for the spring is posted in the parish hall. All who attend the 10 a.m. service are asked to host once through June.

PETER’S RETREAT

Thanks to those who help.!

To learn more about participating in this important outreach, please contact the Rector. Members of St. John’s provide and serve a meal on the 4th Saturday of the month—every month but November and De-cember. If you would like to host, please email: salin@reddoors.com. The date of the next meal is May 24, which will be hosted by the Lucie and Louis Martocchio. Special thanks to Laura and Bruce Wearne for hosting the April meal.

Pentecost Bash—Sunday June 8th Awards & Picnic

We will recognize the church school students and those who are graduating from high school, as well as others graduating from college or other programs. Please let us know if anyone in your family is grad-uating this Spring. A picnic will follow the service.

Parish Support of Community Activities We have bought ads and other PR materials to sup-port those activities in which parishioners are in-volved to celebrate their ministry and the other good works taking place in our community. Recent contributions helped the Pleasant Valley Children’s Center, the Regional 7 theatre program, and the Team Extreme Girls’ Softball program. Fly-ers for such activities are posted in the Community section of the bulletin board in the narthex. If your nonprofit organization is having an event which we may appropriately support, please contact the rector to place an ad.

The Episcopal Church We’re Here For You

Sunday Worship 8:00 & 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday

7:30 pm

Address Correction

P. O. Box 27

Pine Meadow, CT 06061 Phone: 860 379-3062 www.reddoors.com

news from 

church school 

Our church school will continue through June 8th as we begin our storytelling: “Seeing Jesus in a Differ-ent Way”. These are the stories of the appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection through his Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit with the gifts that equipped the disciples (and us) to spread Christianity throughout the world. We will end our year on June 8th as we celebrate Pentecost.

Confirmation Graduation & Dinner May 4 - 5:00 p.m.

The Confirmands will recite passages of scripture in a service which honors them and the work they have done in preparation for confirmation. Members of the parish are invited to the service and to the dinner which fol-lows. If you wish to attend the dinner, please notify the office (office@reddoors.com), no later than April 30th.

Bishop Douglas’s Visitation - Confirmation - Luncheon May 18 - 10 a.m.

Bishop Douglas will officiate and preach. A luncheon will follow the service with an opportunity to visit with the bishop. There will be no service at 8:00 a.m.

Garden News Spring Clean Up - May 4th

We’ll gather in the garden following the 10AM ser-vice. Bring your rakes; wear your gardening clothes. Remember many hands make light work. You could help through the summer. We could use a few more volunteers to help with weeding and watering during the summer. Each volunteer will be responsible for one week. Let us know if you are willing to help. Call the office at 379-3062 or email office@reddoors.com.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 8:30 PM AA

3 Confirmation Rehearsal—10 AM

4 8 & 10 AM Holy Eucharist Graduation Service & Dinner 5:00 PM

5

6

7 Holy Eucharist 7:30 PM

8:00 PM AA

8 Polly & Paul Pobuda

9 8:30 PM AA

10 Walk for Hunger Canton—1-3 PM

11 8 & 10 AM Holy Eucharist

12 13 14 Holy Eucharist 7:30 PM

8:00 PM AA

15 16 8:30 PM AA

17 Open Door

18 Bishop Visitation-Confirmation 10:00 AM Service Nancy & Joe Russo

19 20 21 Holy Eucharist 7:30 PM

8:00 PM AA

22 23 8:30 PM AA

24 Peter’s Retreat

25 8 & 10 AM Holy Eucharist

26 Memorial Day Office Closed

27

28 Holy Eucharist 7:30 PM

8:00 PM AA

29

30 Skip & Frank Misiorski 8:30 PM AA

31

May 2014 St. John’s Church - Calendar of Events

Anniversaries in Italics

May Birthdays 4-May Luke Healey 4-May Zachary Phillips 5-May Nancy Russo 6-May Brian Phillips 7-May Maryelen Wielock

8-May Matthew Moraski 8-May Norma Pappalardo 10-May Matthew Russo 10-May Michael Budny 11-May Joseph Russo 12-May Paul Patch

12-May Terry Moscaritolo 16-May Helen Kurau 19-May Sherri Johnson 22-May Brian Hester 23-May Madeleine Toro 25-May Sasha Moraski

26-May Sue Hall 26-May Peter Freigant 27-May Bode Allyn 28-May Howard Truax 29-May Molly Lukiwsky 29-May Guy Hayes

The church is readied for Holy Week and Easter with the cross draped in red, which is later changed to white and black. The Palm Sunday procession began on the green and entered by the addition stairs. The goal of all of this is the glo-ry of Easter. Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!!

With Lucie Martocchio’s guidance the Confirmation Class decorated stoles they will receive at their graduation on May 4, as well as practicing passages of scripture which they will recite. If you take pictures at a parish event, please send the

files to office @reddoors.com.