News from the Congregation December 31, 2021
‘Alive Together Through Christ’; ‘God Is With Us Even in the Unexpected’ | All In-Person Worship Goes Online, Dean’s Letter on 1/12 Zoom Meeting with Reverend Malcolm Byrd, Adult Baptism and Confirmation Class Preparation, Volunteer at CCC’s Sunday Soup Kitchen, Serve on the Vestry | Sunday Programs: 8:30 am Genesis Bible Study - Returns Jan 2 (Zoom), 10:30 am Worship Service - Online |Weekday Programs: M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom), Wednesday: 7:30 pm Romans Bible Study (Zoom) - Returns Jan 5
Canon Lee
With apologies to John Lennon, I have been thinking this week that "life is what happens to you while you're busy awaiting the pandemic's end."
As some of you know, I received a positive test result for COVID on the evening of Christmas Eve. As a result, I spent Christmas Day quarantined in a room while my wife and children opened presents and had Christmas dinner without me. For days, my Christmas holiday has meant wearing a mask and being unable to leave a cramped bedroom. (My family's test results were negative, and I have no symptoms.)
It has not been easy to be alone and isolated in quarantine.
But there has been an unexpected gift in this experience. I have had time to slow down and reflect on all the blessings in my life. I have been continually refreshed and strengthened by the great truth the apostle Paul tells Timothy: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. (1 Timothy 1:15)
It is this one-way, unmerited love of God that has helped me not go stir-crazy or become bitter. It is this love that makes me grateful for all that I do still have. It is this love that brings us new life, even in the midst of what can seem like death:
But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)
A Message from the Wardens
Senior Warden, Marsha Ra, on "Emmanuel—God is with us—The message of these strange Christmas Days."
Do you remember? On the twelfth of September, after a year and a half of exile from in-person worship, we returned rejoicing to the Cathedral. With great ceremony we gathered on the steps; the bronze doors were opened; Paul Winter played; acolytes led us into the nave where we were surrounded by our incredible choir. Welcome home!
By Advent, we had embraced the beautifully redesigned liturgy; the seats were filled again and coffee hour was reinstated. Simply sharing a cookie and conversation with old friends and visitors was delightful. By the third week of Advent I noticed that the coffee hour--that 3rd sacrament of the Episcopal Church-- was lasting as long as the service itself. Parents with newly vaccinated children returned that week. Joy abounded. But then omicron, the most contagious of all the COVID variants to date, came surging through the world. The Cathedral chapter decided that for safety’s sake the Cathedral had to be closed again to in-person worship. Despite this precaution, despite vaccinations, booster shots and rigorous adherence to masking rules, I hear every day of more people I know coming down with this thing. So far, thank God and thanks to the talents and hard work of scientists, those I know with COVID are either asymptomatic or are having a very easy time of it. It is my fervent prayer that this surge will be short lived and we can get back to what was becoming the new normal. In the meantime, I was exposed on Christmas Eve and am hunkered down, isolated again, while I wait to see if I’ve picked up this miserable virus. Ugh.
So what is the hope of Christmas when we are separated once again? What is the hope when the choir has to sing to an empty church? When so many of us have to spend time totally alone with maybe a cat, a book or TV, for days on-end? Where is the hope of God made flesh?
I have a friend, Bruce Barnard, who is a minister in the Church of the Nazarene. This Christmas he was unable to visit his 90 year old father in Texas because of the risk of infection. In his blog Bruce wrote:
“Christmas is always about the UNEXPECTED. There are good UNEXPECTED surprises, and bad ones (like this week). But in all of them I think God is PRESENT and PRESENCE. In that I'm reminded that not everyone does or will have family with them during this season. That saddens me. Loneliness and Aloneness are real, and so many will experience that this year - some for the first time having lost loved ones this year; some seemingly on repeat as hope seems fleeting.
“But I also had this thought this week - when I led Morning Prayers at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC, my mentor pointed out the Christ [Pascal] candle, always lit, and said, "Even if no one shows up for prayer, you are never alone. He is always with you."
“So, no matter where you are and who is (or isn't) with you, Christ is there - PRESENT and PRESENCE. That's the HOPE of Christmas. And my fervent prayer for you!”
As we live through these days of “aloneness,” let us all remember that Christ, Emmanuel, is truly “God with us.”
God will see us through. May we sense His presence in these days.
NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org)
Dean’s Letter on 1/12 Zoom Meeting with Reverend Malcolm Byrd
I hope that you had a joyous and healthy holiday celebration. I’m writing to invite you to a Zoom meeting we are hosting on Wednesday, January 12th at noon. In addition to sharing important updates on the Cathedral’s programs and priorities, I will be joined by Reverend Malcolm Byrd, Pastor, Mother AME Zion Church.
In 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his sermon “The Death of Evil upon the Seashore” at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in an ecumenical program commemorating the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s school desegregation decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Thousands of people attended this event. King’s sermon likened the plight of African-Americans during segregation to that of the Israelites in Egypt until the Supreme Court opened the Red Sea of justice in a landmark decision. Even as we remember racial justice triumphs of the past, we know the work is not finished.
Join the Cathedral in a conversation with the Reverend Malcolm Byrd, Pastor of Mother AME Zion Church in Harlem, NY to learn how we can recommit ourselves today and every day to work for racial justice, foster unity, and champion human dignity.
When? Wednesday, January 12, 12:00-12:45 p.m. (EST)
How? A Zoom link will be shared once you RSVP
RSVP: please RSVP by emailing jlaufer@stjohndivine.org
Cathedral Closings — All GROUP IN-PERSON activities are temporarily suspended or have gone online.
Out of an abundance of caution, and following guidance from New York City and federal health experts, this year’s New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace has been rethought, and will be livestreamed from the Nave without an audience. No tickets will be needed to livestream the performance, which will be posted on our website, Facebook, and YouTube channel.
To further safeguard the health of our wider New York City community, all in-person events are suspended for the month of January, including:
The Cathedral’s weekday 12:15 pm Holy Eucharist services.
The Sunday afternoon 2:00 PM New Community services.
All in-person concerts, events and gatherings, including Great Music in a Great Space, outdoor groups using spaces on the Close, and group tours.
The Sunday morning 10:30 AM services will be a service of Ante-Communion, livestreamed from the Cathedral, but absent a congregation.
ADULT BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION CLASS
Adults who are interested in Baptism or Confirmation at the Easter Vigil 2022 should contact the Vicar. The class will begin in the New Year.
NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE Home - Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org)
NEWS FROM THE VESTRY
* NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING *
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation of Saint Saviour will be held on Sunday, February 6, 2022 after the 10:30 AM service. At the Annual Meeting, vestry elections will be held.
The Congregation’s vestry is made up of twelve people which includes the Vicar. New members are elected each year for up to a three-year term, and two wardens lead the vestry, and each serves a staggered two-year term.
What does the vestry do? Since the Cathedral has a Board of Trustees responsible for many of the things that vestries of parish churches deal with—namely all matters related to the building—our vestry is in the enviable position to deal primarily with issues related to building community and encouraging spiritual growth. The vestry therefore has a special charge to offer welcome to potential new members and visitors alike. The vestry also manages the congregation’s assets—primarily the money collected through our stewardship program. To serve on the vestry:
• You must be a baptized Christian and a member in good standing of the Congregation for at least one year prior to the election.
• To be a warden you must be a confirmed Episcopalian and you must have served as a member of the vestry in the past.
• You must be able to regularly attend vestry meetings. Vestry meetings are held online in the evening of the third Tuesday of every month, unless otherwise noted. The meetings in 2022 will be on January 18th; February 15th; March 15th; April 19th; May 24th; June 21st; September 20th; October 18th; November 15th; and December 20th.
• Each vestry member also serves on at least one subcommittee, and these meetings take place regularly throughout the year.
Four vestry positions (one for a three-year term, two for a two-year term, and one for a one-year term) and one warden position for a two-year term are up for election at the Annual Meeting in February 2022.
If you are interested in serving on the vestry, please contact the chair of the Nominations Committee, Sonia Omulepu by January 7, 2022.
GIVE/SERVE
Questions about Realm
Christopher Clowdus and Neil Reilly invite your questions about Realm, the Congregation's giving database, at this email address: stewardship@saintsaviour.org.
CCC - Volunteer Opportunity at Sunday Soup Kitchen
Join us at CCC's Sunday Soup Kitchen (8:30 am - 11:00 am) to help prepare and distribute food and to staff Saint Saviour's Table. Please CLICK HERE to sign up! Shifts are open through the third week in February. Thank you so much for volunteering!
THIS SUNDAY, December 31, 2021
In-Person Worship at the Cathedral has been canceled. Instead, there will be a livestream, online Ante-Communion “Service of the Word.”
Online Ante-Communion Service - 10:30 am
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org
WEEKLY CATHEDRAL CONGREGATION PROGRAMS
Monday-Saturday | 8:30 AM Morning Prayer | 5:30 PM Evening Prayer
Wednesday 7:30 pm Bible Study | Paul’s Letter to the Romans | Congregation Zoom Link (Returns Jan 5)
Sunday 8:30 am Bible Study | Genesis| Congregation Zoom Link (Returns Jan 2)