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Congregational
Development News!
The
congregation of St. John's is participating in an congregational
development program based on the work of Robert Schnase, The Five
Practices of Fruitful Congregations. The five practices capture
the means by which God uses congregations to yield followers. These
ideas aren't secret or new, however they are the practices that
will lead to growth in the life of our church.
- Radical Hospitality
- Passionate
Worship
- Intentional
Faith Development
- Risk-Taking
Mission and Service
- Extravagant
Generosity
For
more information on the practices, visit http://www.fivepractices.org.
Mother
DuBose incorporated a vision of the practices into her sermons and
the congregation, led by Katie Gaulding, has participated in several
exicitng work sessions.
Link
to Last Meeting Minutes
A
Letter from the Sr. Warden
Dear
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our
2008-9 Congregational Development meetings have resulted in some
very positive approaches to the future of St. John’s Episcopal
Church, Harpers Ferry. We are very excited about the possibilities
of offering different things to our congregation. We hope that everyone
will become involved, for it is in sharing that we gain inspiration,
love and growth.
We are especially excited about having a “Family Reunion”,
inviting back previous church members from near and far, and having
a big welcome picnic to honor their return. We want to combine this
with a 161st Anniversary celebration by conducting services in the
first Episcopal Church in Harpers Ferry, e.g. at the old Episcopal
Church ruins downtown. A weekend event is planned for June 19 and
20, 2010, almost one year from now. This date allows for us to make
plans and organize the event without being rushed. We need your
help and are requesting volunteers to serve on various committees.
Please review the attached sheet and let us know your interest in
any of the committees.
In addition to the anniversary and reunion, we have identified several
other activities.
During one Sunday of every month, we will begin having a service
conducted by our children. They will plan the service, do the readings
and be actively involved in its presentation. This will be headed
by Kathy Williams with the help of Cheryl Bennett.
We invite you to bring your children, grandchildren, neighbor’s
children, friend’s children, and the like. Our children are
the future of our church.
We are especially proud of the additional Sunday evening service
of Contemplative Eucharist at St. John’s and remind everyone
that if the 9:00 a.m. service is too early, the 5:00 p.m. service
is just as spiritual and available to anyone interested in attending.
It includes music and Holy Eucharist, along with prayer.
We plan to continue our Water Ministry which we have begun again
mid-April and will continue until this Fall. We welcome donations
of water, or cash to purchase water, and also assistance in keeping
our water supply available for the hikers. If you want to help out,
you can volunteer for a day, a week, two weeks, a month (or whatever
time you have) to come fill the container with ice and water. It
requires attention every other day to keep it filled. While Georgia
and Bob have been diligent about keeping supplies available, they
will not have as much spare time this year to keep it going.
St. John’s also plans to incorporate greeters at our front
door for the Morning Service to ensure all are welcomed to our dear
little church. If you want to serve as greeter, we welcome your
participation. We gladly share our tips on being a friendly greeter
should you sign up for this ministry. We are also having Bible Study
classes after church, the first to begin on May 3, right after services,
and if you haven’t gotten your materials and want to attend,
please see Georgia.
It is also our plan to begin visiting a “shut in” once
a quarter to help with basic cleaning of their home and doing odds
and ends that we can. We have already selected our neighbor, Anna
Philips, across the street from our church. Linda B. and Georgia
have also volunteered to take meals to her on occasion. We welcome
others participation and believe this activity gets to real purpose
of our mission---serving God and spreading the good news. A posting
of our Congregational Development results can be found on our website:
www:stjohnsharpersferry.org and a copy is enclosed for your information.
In conclusion, we are especially interested in your thoughts on
an added “identification” for St. John’s. We are
currently called “St. John’s Episcopal Church”….and
we have learned that at times we are confused with other “St.
John’s” in the local and surrounding area, for example,
St. John’s Lutheran Church just two doors down, and St. John’s
Episcopal Church in Rippon, WV, as well as others. We believe an
“identifier” might help to distinguish us from other St.
John churches and are holding a contest (beginning today and ending
on June 30) to add an identifier to our church name. One that has
been suggested in “St. John’s Between the Rivers”….We
hope that you will put on your thinking caps and get your creative
juices flowing to help us come up with a new identifier that everyone
can use.
Please join us by signing up for one or more of the committees shown
on the attached sheet and let us know your suggestions on our church
name as well as any other suggestions you may have.
For it is in giving, that we receive. And it is in loving, that
we are loved. Thanks for all you give to St. John’s.
Sincerely,
Shirley H. Caniford
Senior Warden
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