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E-Newsletter for Sunday, June 27, 2021
Haga clic aquí para ver el mensaje de esta semana en español de nuestro misionero latino, Luis Valencia. 

From the Rector
The Rev. Dr. Jared C. Cramer, SCP
 
Dear <<First Name>>

This Sunday is going to be a fabulous celebration. 

A team of over a dozen members have come together over the past several weeks to put together the first Pride Worship Service that Grand Haven has ever seen. At last count, we've taken in nearly $5,500 in donations to sponsor the $7,000 in event costs that will ensure this worship service is of the highest quality, with professional audio and visual, and with professional camera and streaming to our YouTube Channel. Thank you to all the sponsors thus far—and to those who I know will continue to give. 

That's right, even if you cannot celebrate in person, you can watch it online here.

Over the past few weeks, as we continue to observe Pride Month, I have been using my weekly Christian Mythbusters podcast and radio spot on WGHN to talk about the relationship between Christianity and the LGBTQIA+ community. It's sometimes easy to forget, being in an affirming and welcoming church, the other messages that Christians give to LGBTQIA+ persons, messages of condemnation... or even just distancing. No matter what, the messages hurt and wound and leave scars that last.

This Sunday, as we gather at Waterfront Stadium, our congregation will give a very different message to our LGBTQIA+ siblings. We will give a message of love, of celebration, one that honors how God created them and expresses joy in being in relationship with them and celebrating their gifts. 

I hope you'll be able to join us.

The service is at 10am this Sunday, but you might want to come early to ensure you can find a spot to park and have time to walk there. There is a stellar prelude that will kick us off at 9:55am, with Soprano Diane Penning—you won't want to miss it.

And then, after the service, we have two food trucks that will be in the parking lot next to the stadium selling food for lunch! You can eat from either Abeshi Ghanian Cuisine or Whipped, A Brunch Truck. You can even eat from both! We're there to celebrate after all! The Food Trucks will have to start shutting down around 12:30pm in order to vacate the lot by 1pm for the next event at the stadium, so please do head there after the service and support these business who are coming out to support us and our LGBTQIA+ siblings!

If you'd like to help with the event, we could still use people to help setup, to serve as greeters at the welcome tent from 9am-10am, to staff the tent during worship, to serve as greeters at the tent after the event, and to help cleanup and teardown. Contact Cindi to let her know how you'd like to help. 

And dress comfortably! We're hoping the rain will stay away and we'll have a lovely day, with many of you sporting the SJE Pride T-Shirts that arrived in the office today. (If you ordered one already, it is on the pew outside Cindi's office and you can pick it up there or at the event itself. If you didn't order one, you can buy one at the event.) If we wind up with inclement weather or rain, we will post on the event Facebook Page and move the service to the church itself. 

We'll still have an 8:30am service in English and 12:45pm service in Spanish at the church this Sunday, as well, just so you know.

Thanks for everyone who has helped so far—and those who will help this weekend. It will be a great day to celebrate all of God's beloved children!


Warmly,


PS~ Click here to find out more about my summer Rector's Book Club! Tonight at 6:30pm (after the 6pm Eucharist for the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist) we're discussing The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope, by Munther Isaac. Next month, on July 29 at 6pm, we'll be discussing Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by Daniel Carroll. This accessible book provides biblical and ethical guidance for readers who are looking for a Christian perspective on the immigration issue. As both a Guatemalan and an American, the author has immersed himself in this issue and is uniquely qualified to write about it. Drawing on key biblical ideas, he speaks to both the immigrant culture and the host culture, arguing that both sides have much to learn about the debate. Join us!

Help SJE Welcome

As we continue to reopen, there are two ministry positions where we could use some help.
   • We need more ushers at both the 8:30am and 10am liturgy. Your job is pretty simple, get there about 20 minutes early, be super friendly and check people off as they arrive (or ask them to share their name and contact info on the sheet), carry forward the offerings at the Offertory, put the money in a tamper-proof bag and drop it in the safe at the end. More details online here
   • We also need more coffee hour hosts for the 10am liturgy. Once again, pretty simple job. Get there early to make coffee and lemonade. After you take communion, slip out of the service early and use a cart to bring the coffee and lemonade outside. Then, bring everything back in when the fellowship winds down. Currently, there is no food at Coffee Hour, but when that resumes, then the host either buys or makes some kind of snack food (it varies a lot!) to set-out. If the cost of buying coffee hour snacks is difficult for you, hosts can always submit receipts to Cindi for reimbursement from the Hospitality Fund. More details online here.
   If you'd be interested in joining either of these important ministries of welcome, please email Fr. Jared.



April Vestry Minutes

The Minutes from the April Vestry Meeting have been approved and are available online here. Parishioners are always welcome to attend Vestry meetings (virtually, for now). The next meeting of the Vestry will be on the Zoom platform Monday, June 21, at 6:15pm. If you would like to participate as a guest please contact Fr. Jared so he can send you the Zoom link. Archives of past meeting minutes are always available online here.

 

New SJE Website Launched

After several weeks of work and collaboration with Dunewood Technology Solutions, we have now launched a brand new and entirely rebuilt website. You can get it online here: www.sjegh.com. I want to say a special note of gratitude to Finance Commission Member Bob Moorman who suggested we do this work, Nancy Collins for her work on photos for the website and to all our Ministry Leaders and Commission Chairs who submitted content so the new site could be up-to-date, adaptive, and engaging. Take a look and poke around, you might even learn something new about your own church!



VBS 2021 – Abundant Life Garden Project

Having missed in-person Sunday School last year, the SJE Children & Youth Ministry is thrilled to announce a special one-day 2022 Vacation Bible School — The Abundant Life Garden Project. Abundant Life Garden Project is an interactive, Scripture-based children’s program developed by Episcopal Relief & Development. It invites children to participate in our mission by exploring five thematic lessons on Water, Seeds, Soil, Animals and Harvest, using both stories from the field and stories from the faith. You'll learn, sing, play, and come away with a stronger sense of how God calls you to be a steward of God's good creation. We'll start at 2pm with the opening, have classes throughout the church campus, provide a free dinner at 5:30pm and then close with a simple service of Eucharist outdoors at 6:30pm, ending about 7pm. Register your child or teenager to participate online here.
   You can view a video introduction to the event online here (though note that we will be adapting it for a one-day VBS). Want more information? Contact our Coordinator of Children & Youth Ministry, Reyna Masko.



June Parish Page 

The June 2021 Parish Page is now available online here. The deadline for submissions for the July Parish Page is Monday, June 21. Submissions should be sent to Cindi and may be edited for content and/or length. 
 

St. John's
Episcopal Church


 

Access Your Member Account through Realm

 
 
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 8
Year B
June 27, 2021
 
8:30am • Holy Eucharist
Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Sign-up Sheet
 
10:00am Holy Eucharist - Waterfront Stadium
Watch Online Here
11:15am • No Coffee Hour this Sunday
 
 
Readings: 2 Samuel 1:1, 7-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43

Food Pantry: Support our food pantry by giving online here.

8:30am Worship Ministers: Bread Baker – Scott Marshall; Usher – Ed Pippel; Readers – Deb West, Herb Rogers; Preacher & Celebrant – Fr. Jared Cramer; Altar Guild – Nancy Collins, Michelle Sternburgh.

10:00am Worship Ministers at Waterfront Stadium: Bread Baker – Scott Marshall; Readers - Daisy Martinez, Gregory Borgman; Intercessor - Kelly Ortquist; Crucifer – Tess Ortquist; Verger – Nancy Collins; Thurifer - Jane Freedberg; Preacher & Celebrant – Fr. Jared Cramer; Assisting Priest - Fr. Daniel Snyder; Altar Guild – Nancy Collins; Organist – Nick Palmer.

12:45pm Ministros del Culto: Equipo Evangelismo Digital – Andrea Valencia; Predicador – Luis Valencia; Celebrante – Fr. Jared Cramer. 

The worship minister scheduling system can also be accessed online here.
St John's Episcopal
Grand Haven, MI

Upcoming Events

Click here for our full Parish Google Calendar. 

DUE TO CORONAVIRUS, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN PHASE THREE OF OUR PLAN FOR FAITHFUL MINISTRY IN A PANDEMIC. Please always visit our website for the most up-to-date information: www.sjegh.com.  

NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST: The Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is one of the Major Feasts of Our Lord in the calendar of the prayer book. At SJE we'll observe the day this evening, Thursday, June 24, with a simple Eucharist at 6:00pm in the nave. The liturgy will also be streamed live on our YouTube channel. Join us!

RECTOR'S SUMMER BOOK CLUB: Near the end of each month during the summer, Fr. Jared will host a casual discussion on a book he is reading. For our June gathering this evening, Thursday, June 24, at 6:30pm (right after the 6pm Eucharist for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist), we will discuss the book The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope, by Munther Isaac. The discussion will be held outdoors with masks being optional (weather-permitting—if moved indoors, we will follow whatever mask guidelines are in place at that point). Bring a lawn-chair, a non-alcoholic beverage to enjoy, and join in the discussion.

LECTIONARY BIBLE STUDY – IN-PERSON & AT A NEW TIME
 Beginning next week, Father Cramer's lectionary Bible Study group resumes in person gatherings, and at a new time. You can join the group on Wednesday, June 30, at 11am, in the Guild Room or on Zoom. We spend about an hour diving deeply into the Scripture readings for the coming Sunday and new participants are always welcome! Join us!

HOLY EUCHARIST & HEALING: Each Wednesday at Noon you are welcome to our service of Holy Eucharist with prayers for Healing in the Nave. The next offering is Wednesday, June 30. The service is also broadcast on Facebook Live here.

PRIDE EUCHARIST: Join us at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium in Grand Haven, at 10am on this Sunday, June 27, for a special worship service of Holy Eucharist in celebration of the final Sunday in Pride month. There will not be a 10am service that day in the church, but there will still be our 8:30am service in English and our 12:45pm service in Spanish in the church. We have ordered SJE Pride t-shirts you can wear (if you didn't get a chance to order one for $25, we bought extra—just email Cindi with what size you'd like her to set aside for you and she'll make a note. You can find out more about the event, and invite your friends, online here.  And if you want to help offset costs of the event, you can contribute online here or with a check made out to SJE with "Pride Mass" in the subject line.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: In celebration of Independence Day, the Parish Office is closed on Monday, July 5. There is no regularly scheduled Evening Prayer that day. 
 
Click here for our full Parish Google Calendar.
Parish Office
524 Washington Ave • Grand Haven, MI • 616-842-6260 

The Rector is available by appointment.

Our Inclement Weather Policy is online here.

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Sunday Worship
8:30am in English - Sign-Up Attendance Only
10:00am in English - Online Here, Sign-Up Attendance Only 
12:45pm en Español – En Linea Aquí Ministros de adoración que solo asisten

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A parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Michigan, 
led by the Standing Committee of the Diocese and our Assisting Bishop, Skip Adams.
www.edwm.org
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 Following Jesus. Inspired through Worship. Boldly loving ALL.
As followers of Jesus, we believe all people—without exception—are God’s beloved 
and are called together by the Holy Spirit. Inspired through time-honored worship, 
the people of St. John’s Episcopal Church strive to boldly love every person and all creation
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