Brothers and Sisters,
Christ is Risen!
This coming Sunday, Thomas Sunday, is the final session of Church School before the summer break. It would also be a wonderful time for all of us parents and godparents to do something really nice for the faithful and hard-working folks who staff our Church School program. So, please be sure and send a note to the teachers and assistants—or, better yet, take a few minutes and let them know how much you appreciate their efforts on behalf of our community—or, even better, provide them with a present or a gift card that will express your gratitude
Our Calendar
Fasting Days
There is no fasting during Bright Week. Wha-Hoo!
Daily Services
Tuesday, April 18-Friday, April 21:
Orthros 5am
Vespers 5pm
There will not be any daily services on Monday, April 17; also, please note that the services of Bright Week are much shorter than normal daily services.
Seth Hart and friends will be at the online chanter’s stand offering the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours this week.:
1st hour: 6:45 a.m.
3rd hour: 8:45 a.m.
6th hour: 11:45 a.m.
9th hour: 3:45 p.m.
Join the Daily Hours on Discord.
St. John Trapeza Readings
Fr. Andrew, Seth Hart, and Matthew Groh and many other folks continue to broadcast daily readings from spiritual books online. They are currently reading The Way of The Ascetics by Tito Colliander. The schedule is as follows: M-F at 12pm.
Please see the emailed version of the newsletter for the link to join the Trapeza Readings on Discord.
Tuesday, April 18
Orthodoxy 101 7pm
You can access the group on Discord. Please see the emailed version of the newsletter for the link to join.
Wednesday, April 19
The Pascha Book Study 7pm
You can access the group on Discord using this link in the emailed version of the newsletter.
Thursday, April 20
The Bible Study 7pm
You can access the group on Discord using this link in the emailed version of the newsletter.
Saturday, April 22
St Thomas School 4pm
Great Vespers 6pm
Sunday, April 23 Thomas Sunday
Orthros 8am
Church School 8:15am
Divine Liturgy 10am
Fellowship Hour Noon
Youth Church School 1pm
Membership Update
On Pascha, Barbara E., Nathaniel N., Violet P., and John S. were all made catechumens. Please introduce yourself to these folks and let them know you will be praying for them as they prepare to be fully received into the Church.
st. thomas school
On Saturday, April 22, Father Aidan will lead the discussion on Chapter 30 of Volume I, “The Last Judgement”. Online access is available on Discord; lif you’d ike to participate online, you still need to sign-up ahead of time. Just send an email to remote.meetings@theforerunner.org by Thursday, April 20, to reserve your spot
coming up
The Pascha Book Study begins on Bright Wednesday, April 19, and it will meet each Wednesday night at 7pm through May 17. This year’s study will be structured just like the Fall Theological Seminar; we will have a series of presentations that will focus on our new temple, but we will also be talking about men’s issues and women’s issues and how, as women and men, we will interact with one another in our new temple. Please plan on joining us, either in person or on Discord, for what promises to be a very important time in the life of our community.
One of the really fun features of life at St John’s during the Paschal Season is our Annual Talent Show. This year, the show will be on Sunday, April 30 th , so if you play a musical instrument or do magic tricks or sing or tell stories or jokes or dance—or, really, do anything that brings joy to others—please consider participating in the show. If you have questions or need some specific equipment, please check with Rigel Thurston, but go ahead and sign up for your slot with this link: https://forms.gle/dJ37Trzm5eiCfbLv7
And to keep the fun going all throughout the Paschal Season, on the Sundays following the Talent Show, we’re going to have live music during Fellowship Hour. We want to feature all the musicians in our community, so if you are part of a group or play an instrument or want to put together a group just for this program, talk to Rigel Thurston or use this link to get on the schedule: https://forms.gle/EdcAtJidfBW9nAjT9
For almost three years now, one of the mainstays of our adult education program has been our weekly, online Bible Study. Those folks get together just about every Thursday night, and Father Andrew leads them in a slow reading of St Matthew’s Gospel. Starting this month, though, the group will begin a new schedule:
Father Andrew will continue to work through St Matthew’s Gospel on the first and third Thursdays, but, beginning, April 27, Father Aidan will start a slow study of the Book of Genesis.
So, that’s the New Testament on the first and third Thursdays and the Old Testament on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month—and this would be a great time to join the group. Just click on the Discord link that’s available in the Our Calendar section of this newsletter.
We’ve already started getting ready for the next steps in our Building Program, and the way we’re doing that is through Prayer and Fellowship. When it comes to prayer, we’re asking everyone to purchase a copy of The Temple Akathist and to offer that service at home once a week. Copies are available at Christ the Lightgiver Bookstore. And while you’re picking up your copy of that service, if you don’t already have an icon of St Eanswythe of Folkestone, please get one of those, as well. St Eanswythe has been, for many years, the Patroness of our Building Program, and she’s the focus of our fellowship efforts—because what we want everyone to do is invite some friends over once a month to share a meal and to offer The Temple Akathist and then to post a photo of that fun on Discord.
OUR MOMENT OF GRACE AND COURTESY
On those Sundays when Church School is in session, let’s remember that this is an opportunity for all the parents to participate in Orthros or offer some private prayers or catch up on some spiritual reading. The common room in the parish house is available for those who prefer not to be in Orthros, but, when we are in that room, we need to be as quiet as possible with our personal devotions, and we need to remember that Fellowship Hour does not start until after the Divine Liturgy has ended.
Things That Make Priests Happy
Praying for Christian David P. (CUTE!); baptizing Ben C., Fredrick L., Jude, Shiloh, Eden, and Abel C.; chrismating Cameron and Beth C., Marla and Stella P., Sarah T., Robert H., and Dawyn R.; waiting for Pascha Track Suit Guy to appear; singing with our fabulous choir; watching John J.channel Elton John from the cover of the 1974 Greatest Hits album; discovering that, in high school Arun J. lettered in (wait for it…) bowling (I always thought he looked just a little bit like The Dude); throwing flowers; being thankful that Valerie G. hangs on to old keys; processing with the bier; standing in the altar, looking up at the high windows in the nave at the green leaves and dark branches and the golden light of evening.
an unworthy priest,
aidan
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