News from the Congregation January 13, 2023

Jan 13

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘Credit Union’ ; ‘Returning to the Cathedral’ ” | Dates to Remember | Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online, 11:30am All Are Welcome Coffee Hour | Weekday Programs: Wed Bible Study on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

The Episcopal News Service recently published an article about the newly chartered New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union. Here is the final paragraph:

New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union’s headquarters eventually will be housed at St. James’ in the Bronx in a building adjacent to the church that is being redeveloped as housing and office space. Additional branches will be located in a building on the campus of Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights and at Trinity Church Wall Street in lower Manhattan. The credit union also plans to establish a physical presence in Ulster County, serving the northern part of the diocese.

The Cathedral will offer a branch office of the credit union in Room 118 in Cathedral House. Since the Bronx headquarters will be under construction for at least another year, the Cathedral branch office will be a primary site of the credit union launch day celebrations on May 18, 2023. Please save that date, Ascension Day, on your calendar. Plans are still being finalized, but they will likely include special prayers during the noonday Eucharist for the credit union and a blessing of the branch office location itself.

It is a wonderful coincidence that the Rev. Matt Heyd, the bishop coadjutor-elect, has been a long-time supporter of the credit union and that the Cathedral will have a significant role in this important ministry. The credit union formally launches here at the Cathedral on May 18, which is two days before Fr. Heyd's consecration here at the Cathedral as bishop coadjutor on May 20.

A Message from the Wardens

Marsha Ra on Coming Home

When we were all in lock-down, like you, I very much missed being at the Cathedral. I missed Holy Communion. I missed talking to friends and going out to lunch after the service. I missed all the meetings, the Bible study, the retreats. However we were all in the same boat. We missed each other. We missed the services, the choir, the very space. But we saw each other on-line, we worshipped together on ZOOM. Everyone was pretty much in the same boat.

Recently I had to absent myself from the Cathedral for five weeks as I recovered from knee replacement surgery. I thank everyone who reached out to me with calls and texts, e-mails, cards and even a few gifts including a lovely plant and a lot of chocolate! A mug appeared on which was printed “Never underestimate a woman with a titanium knee!” Watching the streamed services alone at home was very different from what we shared together during lock-down. I could see so many of you, people I love, but I wasn’t there. I wasn’t present singing and praying. I was just watching—looking in on a community at prayer. In some ways, this was more painful than the surgery. Through this experience, I believe that God was showing me two realities: what it feels like to be “shut-in” for sure-- but also that the world will go on very well without me. It reminded me of my own mortality, the fact that these wonderful years at the Cathedral will end, but that, happily, the community will live on, singing and praying, worshipping God, welcoming the stranger.

With these rather heavy thoughts but also with a lot of hope, I came back last Sunday. Still quite tired, but in much less pain than I lived with before the surgery, I climbed eleven steps and entered the sacred space through the 5 door. I went to the front to say “hi” to the team that was putting together coffee hour. I schmoozed a bit with our Vicar, the Dean, Lorraine Simmons and Peter Ennis as well as musicians and production staff. For the next half hour many of you came up to me to welcome me back. It was the first Sunday in Epiphany. There were three baptisms, including the baptism of Evelyn Lee, our vicar’s beautiful daughter. Each of the little girls’ families brought at least 20 relatives to the service and so the place was really full. I confess that I cried tears of joy as the service continued. I wasn’t able to stay very long at the coffee hour, but made my way down the 21 steps at the front of the Cathedral, got a cab and went home very happy. Heavy thoughts were put aside for a while. I hope that I will be able to continue to come to the Cathedral for a long, long time, but I also hope that I don’t forget what it feels like not to be able to come, to be a shut-in and to feel isolated and that this moves me to remember to make phone calls and send cards, to keep connections with others who cannot leave their homes, much as so many of you did for me.

Thank you and Blessings to you all!

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

DATES TO REMEMBER

Jan 6 - Epiphany service at the Cathedral
Jan 14 - Funeral of Kristin Stanton Jones in St. James Chapel
Jan 22 - Religious Life Sunday with Dialogue Sermon at the Cathedral
Jan 28 - Diocesan Chorister Festival at the Cathedral
Feb 1 - Cathedral Planned Giving seminar on Zooml
Feb 5 - Annual Meeting of the Congregation of Saint Saviour at the Cathedral
Feb 14 - Renewal of Vows service at the Cathedral
Feb 15 - Mother Eva Suarez begins at the Cathedral
Feb 19 - St. Martin's Episcopal Church worships at the Cathedral in celebration of its 95th anniversary and its rector, the Rev. Patrick Williams, will preach
Feb 22 - Ash Wednesday

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

The Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following candidates for Warden and Vestry to be elected at the Annual Meeting on February 5. Candidate biographies will be available on the Congregation website in the coming days.

Warden: Robert Deming

Class of 2024: Michael Nixon

Class of 2026: Paula McKenzie, Cecilia Amadi, Gail Felix

From the bylaws: "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."

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

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