January 2012 Newsletter Published

We are going to be publishing a monthly newsletter this year (one each month except the July/August issue will be consolidated.) You can view the newsletter here. There is an Easter Egg in the newsletter and there is a prize for the first person who fulfills the requests. Please tell your friends about the newsletter, and we hope everyone will make a pledge to stay informed. God bless us all.

Three Members talk about Greening the Church

Newspaper scraps

Father John did not write a Christmas letter this year. He simply asked the parish administrator to wrap up the Christmas envelope in a scrap of Newspaper and mail it out. Some have noticed however that the scrap of newspaper was from Bethlehem about the year 1 AD. You can inspect it here.

The picture is of the group who went caroling with two parishioners we visited..

Christmas is Coming!

You can go
CAROLING!

You can
BE IN THE PAGEANT!

You can
HELP GREEN THE CHURCH!

We will leave to go caroling from the church at 5:15 PM on Saturday, December 17. We will be back to the church about 7:15 PM and we will have hot chocolate together.

The Pageant rehearsal will be on Saturday, December 17 at 4 PM and the pageant is on Sunday, December 18 at 10 AM.

We will green the church on Wednesday, December 21st from 2 to 5 PM and from 7 to 9 PM. We are asking you to let us know if you are planning to come so that we can prepare. You may call 914-512-8156 or email parish@stjohnsgs.org or sign up at this link.

Advent Evensong Dec. 11 at 5:00 PM

We are delighted to be having an Advent Evensong at St. John's this year. Our organist Don Lundquist and the assistant organist Wayne McClellan have been working very hard. The service will be sung by a choir drawn from the community as well as the parish. The focus is Advent: Preparing for Christmas as we Await the marvelous things God will do in our life.

This is an ideal service to invite friends to attend. It is music and readings and a short homily. Here are TEN Reasons each and every person in Yonkers should come to this Service!

ONE: God is Good and Jesus is the Reason for the Season
TWO: The music will be beautiful
THREE: It is a way to add a little quiet to the business
FOUR: St. John's is a beautiful space to meditate and worship
FIVE: This is a traditional Service from England which makes Anglophiles Glad
SIX: God is So Very Good and Let's Put Christ in our Christmas
SEVEN: Life is good. It is great to stop and smell the roses
EIGHT: There is a reception afterward and great restaurants in the neighborhood
NINE: So many people have prepared it is great to support them
TEN: I did already say that God is So So So Very Very Good, did I not?

Below is a taste of someone else's evensong for your enjoyment.

Angel Tree Gifts: Christmas for those who may have None

Again this year we are partnering with the Salvation Army to provide Christmas presents for those who might otherwise have none. We have 15 names. We are asked this year to provide a toy, shirt, gloves, hat and socks. If we are also able to provide a coat that would be very helpful. They are asking us to get these gifts in by December 12 which is one week from Monday. If you would like a name right away, you may call Father John and he will able to get one to you. We ask that you do not wrap the gifts and we ask that you label them with the number we will provide for you. Thank you very much for your assistance and your taking on the true spirit of Christmas.

Use Caution if You Come to Church

There will be services today in the Guild Room. Many roads are clear, but we ask you to use caution, and to turn back if you encounter any risky routes. The readings for today are here, and the service for morning prayer which can be read at home begins on page 75 (an online version is here). You may read this weeks announcements here! A copy of my sermon text (which I usually deviate from in the liturgy) is here. God bless - Father John.