News from the Congregation November 8, 2019
Tasks and Titles; Sunday Programs (10 am Pathfinders, 12:45 Second Sunday Brunch) LGBTQ+ Fellowship Lunch and Meeting Celebration in Honor of Tim Dwyer, Newcomers Brunch, Christianity in the Vineyard Wine Tasting, Pledge Online
From Canon Lee
Last Sunday, your Vicar was made a Canon of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Ecclesiastical preferment of this kind, in our secular age, may seem bewildering and a bit recherché.
But this recognition has an easy-to-understand significance: it is a tangible symbol of the increasing importance of the Cathedral Congregation in the life of the Cathedral itself.
As a Residentiary Canon, your Vicar will now be a formal member of the Cathedral's Chapter. It is worth explaining this in a little detail.
The Board of Trustees, in their role as the governing body of the Cathedral, elect a Dean, Sub-Dean, and up to three Residentiary Canons, who form the Chapter. As our Senior Warden Marsha Ra mentioned last week, the Cathedral's constitution entrusts the Dean and Chapter with overseeing the "spiritual and temporal interests of the Cathedral."
Through my new position, the Congregation, once again, has a seat at the decision-making table. What we do with this privilege is the really important question.
Last Sunday, our Bishop gave a powerful sermon on the cruciform and sacrificial character of Christian life, which throughout history has drawn the attention and respect of the secular world. Our Dean often speaks about the powerful evangelistic effect the Cathedral's Christian witness has in New York City and in the world.
Remember that the root of evangelism is a word that we can also translate as Gospel, or Good News.
It is for the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that our Cathedral is being built. When we live into this truth, we have the courage to die to our old selves and to be reborn into a new life with Christ. Thus transformed, we are then inspired to go out and to proclaim, in both word and deed, the transforming and liberating message of the Good News to those around us. We are inspired to engage in evangelism and in mission.
Through these efforts, we bring a measure of grace, love, and mercy to a world that is desperate for Good News.
Is it any wonder that as we have started to live into our vocation as evangelists and missionaries for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that people are responding? That an increasing number of people are joining our Cathedral Congregation to participate with us in this life-giving and joyful work?
The Rev. Canon Steven Lee
Canon Pastor and Vicar
CONNECT
Cathedral Congregation
2nd Sunday Brunch
Sunday, November 10 at 12:30 PM
Cathedral House Conference and Dining Rooms
This coming Sunday we will enjoy our lovely Second Sunday fellowship lunch. The Second Sunday team is planning a pre-thanksgiving meal which will be delicious and healthy. There will of course be desserts. While the food is being consumed and conversations continue, as many as are able are invited to step into the dining room area and help stick labels and postage on 1600 publicity cards for our Crafts Fair. While there you can also learn about other volunteer opportunities to make this the best fair we’ve ever had. Susan Stair is coordinating the volunteers. Talk to her during Second Sunday about what you might be able to help with.
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Cathedral Young Adults
3rd Sunday Brunch
Sunday, November 17 at 12:30 PM
Meet after the 11 AM service by the coffee hour station then head out to brunch sponsored by the Congregation.
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LGBTQ+ Fellowship
Lunch and Meeting
Sunday, November 17 at 12:30 PM
Cathedral House Conference Room
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Newcomers Brunch
Sunday, November 24 at 10:00 AM
Cathedral Nave
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Celebration in Honor of Tim Dwyer
On His Retirement as Head Usher
Sunday, November 24 at 12:30 PM
Cathedral Nave
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Cathedral Young Adults
Christianity in the Vineyard Wine Tasting
Saturday, December 7, 2019
2:30 pm - 4:00 pmLe Grande Triage1657 1st Ave
New York, NY 10028
Join other Cathedral Young Adults to taste and learn about the fascinating intersection between wine-making and the Church that forever marked the French winescape. The class will be led by a certified sommelier and includes 6 glasses of wine, plus a small antipasti plate to snack on during the tasting. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions in advance in the memo section, and we will be happy to accommodate.
EXPLORE
Pathfinders: A Program of Spiritual Exploration for Children at the Cathedral
This Sunday, Donna Devlin will teach Little Pilgrims (3 - 7) and Jennifer Allen will teach the Next Step (8 - 12). Both classes will meet at 10:00 AM in the Cathedral.
For more information and to register, please contact Donna Devlin, Director of Christian Education.
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Radical Love Live
Save the Date!
First Live Show
Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Cathedral Nave
GIVE
STEP 1: Pledge Online to the 2020 Campaign
http://www.saintsaviour.org/giving
STEP 2: Four ways to Fulfill Your Pledge
Method 1 - Give through Realm (preferred)
Method 2 - Give through Paypal
Method 3 - Give by check
Method 4 - Give with giving envelope
Contact pastoralcare@stjohndivine.org for help.
SERVE
Thanksgiving at the Cathedral
Cathedral Community Cares will be offering its Thanksgiving meal on Sunday, November 24 and is asking us to help by providing much of the food. Here is the list of what they need.
15 cooked chicken
4 cooked hams
Assorted (15- 20) cakes, pies and cookies to feed 230 people
Coffee for the coffee urn
You can let us know what you plan to bring by signing up at the Congregation table over the next two weeks.
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World AIDS Day Commemoration
Sunday, December 1 at 1:00 PM
Cathedral Nave
Join with us as the Cathedral Congregation commemorates World AIDS Day with an event in the Cathedral Nave following the 11am service.
From Marsha and Tim
What can we say about November and December? Although the days have grown shorter and darker, these are also the months of grand celebrations, of eating and of giving. Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, New Years-- have another piece of pie! The requests for donations fill our mailboxes (the post office kind and the virtual kind). This is certainly true of our life in the church.
Our stewardship program started just a few weeks ago and it is on-going. If you haven’t yet made a pledge for 2020, please take some time to do it. There will be pledge cards at the Welcome Table for the next several weeks, and there is a form on our website that can also be filled out once you have determined what you will be able to do. Many factors inform our decision on giving, but the most important one is certainly gratitude for our lives and for our church.
If you were present last Sunday for Bishop Dietsche’s official visitation to the Congregation of Saint Saviour, you know that our Vicar is now the Canon Pastor and a member of the Cathedral’s chapter. The ceremony was very moving. After a full service including the baptism of three babies and the installation of new choristers, the Bishop met with the Vestry to discuss how we are doing. He had some interesting suggestions for things that we might undertake to make the Cathedral even more vital for the diocese and the neighborhood. I’m sure the vestry will be chewing on these ideas for some time. In the meanwhile, there are many ministries just getting started. Belonging to a congregation led by a priest who doesn’t believe in saying anything but “yes” is quite wonderful, isn’t it? It’s been stimulating and challenging. The amount of talent and caring out there in the pews is being launched as never before. At Holy Cross Monastery there is a wonderful quote from the founder of the order: “Love must act as fire must burn.” We are being given more opportunities to act in love than ever before.
Thank you all for being part of this loving community.
Blessings to all!
Marsha & Tim
NOVEMBER 7, 2019