News from the Congregation November 25, 2022

Nov 28

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘Thanksgiving Wishes’ ; ‘Reflection on Advent’ ” | Dates to Remember| Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online, 11:30am All Are Welcome Coffee Hour, 4:00pm Evensong | Weekday Programs: Wed Bible Study on Paul’s Letter to the Romans, M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. In this season of gratitude, I am thankful for the Congregation of Saint Saviour. This coming April will mark five years that I have been your Vicar, and our work together has meant more to me than I can say. I look forward to seeing you at church this Sunday for the First Sunday of Advent. The Dean will preside and I will preach, as we begin a new church year together.

A Message from the Wardens

November 27 is the first Sunday of Advent, a period of preparation both for the celebration of the Nativity and for when He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead and “all will be all in Christ.” I love Advent. I love the music. I love the blue vestments, the litany in procession and the choice of psalms. I love that as the day gets shorter and colder, we light candles and prepare for Christ. This Sunday will also be my last Sunday at the Cathedral for a while. Most of my Advent will be spent recovering from total knee replacement surgery—something I am not looking forward to but definitely need. From what I’ve read and heard from others who have had this procedure, I will probably not be back to church before the first Sunday in Epiphany, if then. So my Advent will be spent not going to parties, eating too much, caroling, and getting ready for the first real Christmas at the Cathedral in two years. It will be spent instead wallowing in pain and pity and doing Physical Therapy. (I’m an expert in wallowing!} To soften the uncomfortable situation a bit, I’ve already put up a Christmas tree and covered it with ornaments. It’s very cheerful. I’ve also downloaded more books to my Kindle, mostly British crime novels, but also a serious non-fiction book or two.

While recovering, possibly in a narcotic induced haze, I will also be mulling over the state of world that we beg God to save. The state of the world is as terrible as ever. I think about the people of Ukraine this winter without heat, water, electricity-- how will they cope? I think of people all over the world displaced by war and climate change; children growing up in refugee camps; homeless people on the streets of our own city who belong nowhere and are distained by so many of our fellow New Yorkers. Then there is the hatred stoked by many of our leaders. Violence, especially gun violence, gets worse and worse. With every mass shooting the number of people buying guns increases. WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH US? Our Dean spoke last Sunday of the difficulty of following Jesus in being loving people of peace, in the impossibility we find not to fight back. I suggest that we have to work harder at fighting back politically, standing for peace and democracy, and having the will and perseverance to fight politically. Why do we put up with the proliferation of guns? Why do we put up with the haters? Religion without work to save people from violence, hatred, etc., may not be worth very much.

And while I mull over all of this, I pray fervently with you my brothers and sisters at the Cathedral, you filled with good will and love:

Oh come, Oh Come Emmanuel! Come Lord Jesus!

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

Dates to Remember

Dec 3 - Special Convention to Elect Bishop Coadjutor at the Cathedral
Dec 4 - Young Adults of Saint Saviour (free!) lunch
Dec 6 - Episcopal Charities 25th Anniversary Tribute Dinner at the Cathedral
Dec 9 & 10 at 7 pm - Cathedral Christmas Concerts
Dec 11 - Early Music New York concert
Dec 12 - Commemoration of Our Lady of Guadalupe
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

NOMINATIONS FOR VESTRY

Have you ever considered serving on the vestry? 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, land, and staff--our vestry is in the enviable position to deal primarily with issues related to building community and encouraging spiritual growth. The vestry 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 on-going stewardship program and special collections for outreach.

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 in the evening of the third Tuesday of every month.

To run for the vestry, you must fill out and submit this electronic nomination form. Deadline: December 15, 2022. In January, we will distribute information about the candidates. The election takes place at the annual meeting, which is after the 10:30 AM service on February 5, 2023.

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
4:00 pm - Evensong

The Cathedral requires those entering its buildings to wear a mask.

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