News from the Congregation December 16, 2022

Dec 16

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘Congregation Gaining Momentum’ ; ‘Wardens on Leave’ ” | Vestry Meeting on By-Law Changes, Dates to Remember| Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online, 11:30am All Are Welcome Coffee Hour, 6:15pm Blue Christmas, 7:00pm Compline | Weekday Programs: Wed Bible Study on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

If you have been in church this Advent season, you will know that the Congregation has started to regain some momentum. Two weeks ago, ten young adults met in the Chapel of St. James after the morning service to plan programs for the Young Adults of Saint Saviour in the new year. About a week ago, several people in the Divine Fellowship, the Congregation's LGBTQIA+ group, met to create holiday cards for the clients of SAGE. We also brought the cards to the service, and many of you signed them on Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, we had a wonderful celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with a procession, veneration of the icon with roses, special music and prayers, in addition to tamales and Mexican hot chocolate for coffee hour. In an abundance of riches, members of the Stewardship and Communications Committee also brought homemade cookies for coffee hour.

This renewed connection isn't just happening in the Congregation. In the Cathedral, we are seeing more people engage with our programs and find meaning and belonging in the different communities that call the Cathedral their spiritual home. A concrete way to measure this new engagement is that, in the past two years, giving to the Cathedral has more than tripled. As you can see from the chart below, the Development department is on pace to raise a record amount this fiscal year.

This post-pandemic period has been difficult for many churches, in terms of in-person attendance and finances. For the Cathedral, our services have been full, and our donors have been generous. We are blessed to belong to this loving and committed community at our great Cathedral.

A Message from the Wardens

Prayers for Marsha Ra as she continues to recover from her successful surgery.

NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS
To give Christmas flowers in honor or in memory of someone, please use this link by December 16 and select "Christmas Flower Fund" as the designation, so that the gift will appear in the Christmas service bulletin.

Appointment of Rev. Eva Suarez as Canon for Community Engagement at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

Eva currently serves as Associate Rector at St. James' Church on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side. where she came as the 2017-2019 Rockwell Fellow. Becoming Associate Rector at the conclusion of her fellowship, she has been responsible for coordinating St. James' pastoral care ministries, and has oversight of St. James’ outreach ministries and parish life activities. Eva is passionate about the ways people can grow in faith through acts of service and opportunities for fellowship, and enjoys helping people discover and nurture their unique spiritual gifts. After studying philosophy and religion at Columbia University, she earned her M.Div from Union Theological Seminary and a Masters in Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at CUNY Hunter. Originally from Washington, D.C., she lives on the West Side with her husband Robert, a photographer.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Dec 18 - Early Music New York concert
Dec 20 - Vestry Meeting
Dec 21 - Performance of El Nino, an opera-oratorio by John Adams, at the Cathedral
Dec 24 - Lessons and Carols; Christmas Eve service
Dec 25 - Christmas Day service; Early Music New York concert
Dec 31 - New Year's Eve Concert for Peace

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOR UKRAINE

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) as it provides critical assistance to support people affected by violence in Ukraine. Working through ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) and other local organizations, ACT Alliance is providing emergency assistance such as food, shelter, water and basic supplies to refugees and people displaced within Ukraine. Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response Fund will help the organization and its partners continue to provide assistance to people displaced by the crisis in Ukraine.

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE Home - Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org)

NEWS FROM THE CONGREGATION

The Weekly Sunday Hospitality continues.

Research shows that the more you give the more you get. The more you help, the more invested you become in your church and the more it feeds you. Isn’t that amazing? Do you enjoy the coffee and the treats--the time together every week for conversation and welcoming of visitors? To keep this ministry going we need to expand the number of people involved. If you are on the list of helpers and providers of snacks, THANK YOU! If you haven’t volunteered yet— why not join the team? There is nothing exclusive about it. All are welcome to help out. If you can come once a month or every 6 -8 weeks to set up before the service and clean-up after the coffee hour, please contact Marsha Ra or Sue Sobolewski. Or talk to us on any Sunday. We will get you started on this ministry.

NEWS FROM THE VESTRY

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS

At the December vestry meeting, the vestry will vote to adopt the following change to the bylaws. This change was discussed and proposed at the November meeting.

ORIGINAL: "Nominations for any office will be accepted from the floor at the Annual Meeting if seconded by ten per cent (10%) of the voting members present."

PROPOSED CHANGE: "The Nominations Committee shall also post as nominees the names of any other qualified lay voters who have been proposed in writing by not less than ten qualified voters; any such names must be received not less than two Sundays prior to the Annual Meeting and shall be promptly posted. No other nominees shall be considered at the Annual Meeting."

If you have any comments about this change, please contact the wardens, Marsha Ra or Joan Adams, or come to the vestry meeting on December 20, 2022, which will take place on Zoom.

GIVE/SERVE

Questions about Realm, the Congregation’s Online Hub for Giving, Volunteering, and Reaching Out to One Another
The Admin team would love to hear from you. Whether you need help making the shift to online donations, setting up your account, or just want to know what Realm can do for you, please contact Laura and Bob at this email address: info@saintsaviour.org

THIS SUNDAY

In-Person Worship at the Cathedral
10:00 am - Doors to Cathedral open.
10:30 am - Eucharist Service
11:30 am - All Are Welcome Coffee Hour
6:15 PM - Blue Christmas Gathering
7:00 PM - Compline

You can also watch a Livestream of the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org