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Dear Friends,
I’ve said it before, however, in light of the opinion piece from “Gary from Oak Forest” in today’s Southtown Daily I think it needs to be said again. In the last two weeks St. John’s has received overwhelming support from our community after our Black Lives Matter banner was vandalized. I find this so ironic since the intent of the banner was to show this same community OUR support. But when a member of our community stands up and cries afoul claiming that all lives matter, it only highlights the inequities in our society. I was told this week that our position supporting the Black Lives Matter movement paints an unfair picture of the black community that has access to the same opportunities that the white community does. I do not agree with that assessment and, with all due respect to the person who said it, would argue that we are far from being an equal society and even further from being an equitable and just society. As long as unarmed black men continue to die at the hands of trained professionals who have taken oaths to protect them, and as long as these officers continue to be told that they were “good shoots,” we must continue to use the substantial amount of privilege and power our society gives to us as white individuals to stand with our sisters and brothers of color. Jesus commanded us to love one another. When we fail to acknowledge the pain, and fear, and the social stigma that comes with having a black body, we are not loving the other because we are failing to really see the other. And let me be clear, I may understand the rioting that is happening all across our country because of racial disparities, acts of anger and violence that rise out of a lifetime of being marginalized and pushed further and further to the edge, but violence is never the answer. Jesus called us to love one another, and to love our enemies. We are called to speak up and call out injustice when we see it, but we are never called to judge. It is my prayer that we all begin to see Christ present within each other, only then will we begin to see our true humanity as sisters and brothers of different races, and genders, and ethnicities, and sexual orientations, and religions. If we truly believe that we are all made in the image of God as is foundational to our theology of being, then treat other people as something less than is none other than blasphemy. Please join me in praying for our nation, for our community, for our sisters and brothers of color, and for a day when ALL lives really do matter.
Grace & Peace,
Fr. Jeremy
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Worship for Sunday, August 30, 2020
Liturgy of the Word at 9:30 a.m.
Please click here to enter
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All in-person worship is still cancelled until further notice.
If you've been paying attention to the positivity rate of COVID-19 in our are, you will have noticed that the numbers do not look good for us. In fact Region 7 (Will and Kankakee Counties) has already surpassed the 8% threshold to trigger further restrictions, and suburban Cook County is not far behind. Last night, your Vestry met, and we decided to delay our planned reopening for in-person worship. As of today, we will be moving back to Phase 3 restrictions, which limits in-person gathering to ten (10) while continuing to maintain physical distancing and wear a mask. We are looking for creative ways to blend hybrid of in-person and virtual worship together, which more and more looks to be what the foreseeable future of the church holds for us.
We are continuing to follow all guidance from the Bishop's office and from State health officials, and our guidelines for re-entering the building can be found in the link on the homepage of our website.
All group leaders who wish to resume in-person meetings will need to speak with Fr. Jeremy first. Please reach out to him either by email or telephone. As we continue this time of a phased re-opening, please know that we are doing so by working closely with Bishop Lee and our Diocesan Staff to ensure that the health and safety of our people is paramount. Please continue to follow all physical distancing guidelines and recommendations from our state and local authorities.
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Please note our new service times
(These times will go into effect when we resume in-person worship.)
Saturdays @ 5:30 p.m.
Holy Eucharist, Rite 2 (using resources from Enriching our Worship)
Sundays @ 8:30 a.m.
Holy Eucharist, Rite 1
Sundays @ 11:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist, Rite 2 (from the Book of Common Prayer)
Please remember that we will be limited to no more than 50 people gathering together in person. If you have been in the habit of attending our 10:00 am service, please consider attending either Saturday evenings or the 8:30 a.m. service on Sundays.
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We want to pray for you!
At St. John's we are blessed to have a number of faithful prayer warriors that are ready to pray for the health, safety, guidance, and/or well being of anyone in need. If you have URGENT prayer requests we encourage you to to reach out to Ginny McCollum, the Parish Office, and Fr. Jeremy to ensure your prayer request is shared with the congregation in a timely manner. It is especially helpful if you include exactly what you would like said in your urgent prayer request.
For non-urgent prayer requests please continue to contact Sarra in the office, via email or telephone, and she will make sure the request is added to the list.
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This Week's Lessons
Jeremiah 15:15-21
Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28
Visit lectionarypage.net to read this week's lessons.
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Collect for The Thirteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
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The Youth Group will be meeting on Sunday, September 6th at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. All youth of St. John's are welcome and encouraged to attend. Questions may be directed to
Pat Smith-Huntoon.
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Parish Cycle of Prayer
Doris Sheffer
Barbara Sprung
Loving God, this week we lift up in prayer: Doris and Barb. Please bless them with an abundance of peace and an overflowing cup of joy. Help them to seek You in all that they do and shield them from illness, both mental and physical. May the light of the Lord be seen shining through their hearts. All this we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
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Birthdays
August 29: David Trier
September 1: Karen Pedigo
September 2: Alexa Cox
Loving God, we come to you in thanksgiving, asking for birthday blessings for David, Karen, and Alexa. May You lend a guiding hand and lead them to destinations filled with joy and peace. Father please bring them a year of growth and prosperity and keep them on the path that leads to love and life eternal.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen
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Need a little midweek spiritual socialization pick-me-up? Join us for Weekly Bible Study! Thursdays at 5:00 we will gather via Zoom to continue the study of the book of Matthew.
Click here to enter Zoom for Bible Study
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A memorial fund has been established in loving memory of Alison Deniston. If you would like to contribute to the ongoing ministry at St. John the Evangelist in her memory please feel free to do so. You can do this either by mailing a check to the church with her name in the memo line or make an online donation.
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We have resumed ordering physical Scrip cards. If you haven't tried it yet please check out shopwithscrip.com
to see how you can contribute to the church by simply doing your regular shopping. Questions may be directed to sjescrip@gmail.com
The next Scrip order will be submitted at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 30.
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THANK YOU!!!!!
For those of you who have been keeping your pledges current and those who have given extra to support the work of St. John's, THANK YOU!
We understand that the last several weeks have been challenging for many people, so if you have found that you need to adjust your commitment to the budget of St. John's, please let Sarra in the Church Office know.
We are confident that God will see us through the challenges that lie ahead and that we will come out of this being a stronger and more faithful community because of it.
Please continue to share your generosity by mailing a check to:
St. John the Evangelist
P.O. Box 25
Flossmoor, IL 60422
Of by setting up automatic bill pay through your bank (this is a free service of most banks). Or by clicking on the "Online Giving" button below. If you give online, please consider clicking the box that allows you to add 3% to cover the processing fees from the credit card companies.
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In addition to online giving there is also a text option.
Text "SaintJohn" to 73256 to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.
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