News from the Congregation April 9, 2021
‘Measures of Greatness’| Covid Testing at the Cathedral, Online Writing Workshop | Sunday Programs (9:30 am Vicar’s Open Space, 10 am Genesis Bible Study, 11 am Worship Service, 11:45 Vicar and Friends, 12 pm Coffee Half-Hour Conversation with Priscilla Bayley on Giving) |Weekday Programs (M-S Morning and Evening Prayer; Wednesday: 6:30 pm YESS Bible Study, 7:30 pm Bible Study - Paul’s Letter to the Romans, 8:30 pm Compline; Thursday: 6:30 pm EfM Class, Friday: Midday Prayer and Meditation, 12:15 pm Vicar’s Open Space).
Canon Lee
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Happy Easter! One of the delights of our tradition is its insistence that Easter is not just a single day, but an entire 50-day season. It is consistent with the hope at the center of our shared Christian faith that the Easter season is longer than the Lenten season. If you kept a 40-day Lenten fast, I hope you will consider how you will keep a 50-day Easter feast. Mine will include the occasional truffle from Lake Champlain Chocolates of Vermont.
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In his monograph, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins notes a primary difference between business and the nonprofit sector:
In business, money is both an input (a resource for achieving greatness) and an output (a measure of greatness). In the social sectors, money is only an input, and not a measure of greatness... For a business, financial returns are a perfectly legitimate measure of performance. For a social sector organization, however, performance must be assessed relative to mission, not financial returns... What if your outputs are inherently not measurable? The basic idea is still the same: separate inputs from outputs, and hold yourself accountable for progress in outputs, even if those outputs defy measurement.
In the case of the church, this means what we care about is ultimately not attendance or pledge units or number of services or programs. What we care about cannot be directly measured, as our mission is to create disciples of Jesus Christ. Thus, to evaluate our ministries means we must become "fruit inspectors." That is, we must measure the effectiveness of our ministries, indirectly, by inspecting what kind of people our ministries are creating:
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these... By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:19-23)
It is helpful to keep this distinction in mind as we welcome Priscilla Bayley, the Cathedral's Director of Development, to this Sunday's coffee hour. Some of you have asked about the difference between giving to the Congregation and to the Cathedral, and I hope this conversation will illuminate that difference.
Here is some information about Priscilla and the Cathedral's Development Department:
Priscilla Bayley is Director of Development for the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Priscilla, a graduate of Bucknell University, joined the Cathedral in 2014 as Director of Individual Giving and has served in her current capacity since 2016. During her 30-plus year career in New York’s non-profit community, she has worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Resources Defense Council, the Coalition for the Homeless and the Global Partnership for Afghanistan.
The Cathedral’s five person development team is responsible for raising all operating, programmatic, capital and endowment funds for the organization. Sources of funding include individuals, Cathedral trustees, foundations, city and state governments, and planned/estate gifts. When the pandemic closed down the Cathedral last March, we launched the COVID Response and Recovery Fund so the Cathedral could continue to provide critical services for the community. We have raised nearly $800,000 to date.
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Please note the changes starting this Easter season. First, there will be a series of Coffee Hour Conversations with the Vicar in the next few weeks.
Second, there will no longer be Open Space with the Vicar on Wednesday evenings. The Wednesday evening Bible Study on Romans will continue, as will all other programs, such as the Sunday morning Open Space and Genesis Bible Study, as well as the Friday noonday Angelus, Silent Prayer service and Open Space.
Finally, you will also note that in an attempt to improve readability, parts of the newsletter are now shortened and simplified.
Happy Easter!
EASTER SEASON: COFFEE HOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE VICAR
Conversations begin approximately 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
Sunday, April 11 - Priscilla Bayley, Director of Development, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Sunday, April 25 - The Rt. Rev. Allen Shin, Suffragan Bishop of New York; and the Rev. Kyrie Kim, Missioner for Asian Ministries at the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Sunday, May 2 - Abby Ring Nathanson, Managing Director, Episcopal Futures Initiative at the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Marsha and Bob
Happy Easter!
NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE
NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL
COVID-19 Testing at the Cathedral
The Cathedral is proud to once again partner with NYC Health + Hospitals for free, confidential, walk-in COVID-19 testing. Testing will be offered in the Cathedral Crossing beginning next Monday, April 12 through Sunday, April 25. The hours for testing are Mondays – Fridays: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm. Saturdays and Sundays: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm.
Fiction Writing Workshop
The Cathedral is pleased to host a 6-week short fiction writing workshop, led by writer and instructor Horatio Potter, MFA, a published short story author. This free 6-week course will provide a clear format to create short stories using in-class exercises, regular individual feedback and group discussion. More information here.
GIVE/SERVE
CCC - Volunteer Opportunity at Sunday Soup Kitchen
Every Sunday from 8:30 am to about 11:00 am, Cathedral Community Cares needs 3 Congregation volunteers to help with preparing and distributing food, and, staffing St Saviour's own CCC table where clients can pick up winter wear, Bibles, and toiletries. Please CLICK HERE to access the new volunteer sign-up page on St Saviour's website. Shifts are open through the end of May. Thank you to all the volunteers from St. Saviour who have generously given of their time week after week!
THIS SUNDAY, April 11, 2021
9:30 AM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!
10:00 AM - In the Beginning: A Study of Genesis
Join the Vicar for a study of the first book of the Bible. Discover Genesis, not as a collection of ancient mythological stories, but as the Word of God addressing our fundamental and deepest needs.
11:00 AM - Watch the Cathedral worship service on Zoom with other members of the Congregation. As a way to maintain a prayerful atmosphere, we will be turning off Zoom chat for the duration of the service.
You can also watch the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
11:45 PM - Vicar and Friends
Join the Vicar and occasional guests right after the service for a brief time to say hello and check in with other members of the congregation.
12:00 PM - Digital Coffee Half-Hour
Join us at this week’s Digital Coffee Hour to meet members of the congregation or hear guest speakers
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Wednesdays | 6:30 PM - YESS Bible Study
Join the Young Episcopalians of Saint Saviour as they read through the book of Exodus. No preparation needed.
Wednesdays | 7:30 PM - Wednesday Bible Study
Join the Vicar for a study of Paul's Letter to the Romans. The source of so many changed lives and pivotal moments throughout Christian history, Paul's greatest epistle invites us to transformation in our own lives and time.
Wednesdays | 8:30 PM - Congregation Compline
Thursdays | 6:30 PM - Education for Ministry
Education for Ministry is designed for lay people who want to delve more deeply but are not necessarily interested in ordination; EfM classes provide a more formal study of scriptures and the history of the faith. Current Topic: “Living into the Journey with God”
Fridays | 12:00 PM - Midday Prayer and Meditation
The Angelus and 10 minutes of silent meditation.
Fridays | 12:15 PM - Open Space with the Vicar
Join Vicar Lee and others for 30 minutes of conversation, community, and pastoral support. Come and go as you please!