St John's Companion

Our bi-weekly digital newsletter with news and events

Events update - May 5th, 2021

Dear Parishioners,

Saturday, May 8th is the 2nd Saturday of the month and some of us will be weeding at church from 10:00-12:00 on that day.  If that activity works out with your schedule, we would love to have you come. Extra gardening tools and homemade chocolate chip cookies will be available. Any questions, please email us here.  See you then!

~ LayWeeders Ministry

...................................
 

Dear Friends, 

Hope you'll be able to tune in to our spring concert, "Love and Light".  We're singing wonderful music!  Any questions, please email us here.   Please see the info below!


Kirkland Choral Society Concert - Virtual Event "Love and Light"
We now stand at a new door: looking ahead with hope for the end of the darkness and uncertainties we have experienced. We will find a way to heal from the wounds and losses suffered during this past year. With love and gratitude we will move forward as we help to heal our souls and restore our strength through singing and sharing beautiful music together.

Join us in May for our virtual spring concert. Tickets are $10 per household. The concert premieres Saturday, May 8th at 7:30pm and will be available for your enjoyment until May 31st.

To get your household streaming ticket, please click here:  https://kcs.anywhereseat.com/channel.php

Current Edition

April 28th, 2021  |  Volume 2  |  Number 2

St John's Preschool Online Auction ends Thursday, April 29th at 8:30pm
Some great items available, including some without bids yet!  Please also purchase a $50 raffle ticket for a chance to win a $1,000 Suncadia resort Gift Card.  This is our only fundraiser for our non-profit school, so please share this auction link with family and friends.  Thank you all!

https://www.32auctions.com/StJohnsAuction2021

In-Person Worship On Hold as 4th Wave of Infection hits King County
Disappointingly, our plans to begin regular, albeit partial, in-person worship is on hold as all of King County prepares to revert back to Phase 2 of the Covid-19 safety guidelines.  At this point it does not make sense to estimate when it will be deemed safe to worship in person.  For now, we will continue providing online services and we will let you know when other options become available.

Food Drive Saturday May 1st & May 8th
On Saturday May 1st and May 8th, the people of St. John's have an opportunity to help the hungry in Kirkland and beyond. In partnership with the Kirkland Interfaith Network (KIN), the Ismali Community is hosting a food drive in honor of Ramadan. We are encouraged to drop donations off at The Ismali Community Center between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m at  12025 115th Ave NE, Building D, Kirkland 98034 (off of exit 20 A inTotem Lake).

Or, if you prefer, drop your donations at St John's in the labeled collection bins outside the Main door and the Labyrinth door at St John's which can be filled with any dried and canned food items. KIN is especially requesting: Soup, Cereal, Oatmeal, Pasta, Sauce, Rice, Peanut Butter, Granola Bars, Shelf Stable Milk, Canned Goods (Tuna, Chili, etc), Diapers, Wipes, Baby Food, and Household Essentials.  (No toiletries or socks or clothing please.)

The items will be collected and delivered to the food drive on May 1 and May 8.  Questions?  Contact Deacon Missy at 206-910-7321  or email at deaconmissy@gmail.com.

Thank you to all who have helped with our landscaping!

The Lay Weeders were busy Saturday, April 9th tending to our landscaping and grounds. Despite potentially inclement weather, we are so grateful for you showing up and working hard.  The grounds and landscaping look beautifully cared for. Big thank you to:  Debbie Baxter, Janinne Fredlund, Adeline Crinks, Jean Montague, Marylou Sales, Paula Miller, Karen Rongren, Dennis Welch (our pruner), and Diane Perman! 

Thank you to all who have helped with our church lighting and cabling!

Thank you to Jon Vicklund, Doug Pascoe  Dennis Welch, Bob McConnell, , Chris Berger, and Miguel Ortega for all your work in the church.  Thank you all for your work in replacing tubes and lights, and checking ballasts.  We appreciate the night path lights in Marsh Hall as well as in the classrooms and upstairs rooms.  Your work in the Nave to ensure in-person safety despite the addition of speakers, lighting, wires, and power to all the new fixtures allowing us to provide online streamed services in addition to in-person services was fantastic.  Thank you for your hard work unfastening and moving the pews to run cables and for expertly installing moldings to conceal the cords and cables connecting everything together.

More Announcements & Upcoming Events

Grace Rising Extended!
Grace Rising outreach campaign has been extended through May to allow for those who have not yet been able to act.  So far we have raised over $15,000 to help our neighbors who face eviction in the months ahead.  Please find more info on how to help on our website here.
 
 

StJ Book Club
The St. John’s Book Club continues to meet, though via Zoom. All are welcome to join us on Zoom to discuss the book. Please notify us here if you are new to our group and want to attend. We will need to include you in our online Zoom group. 

The books we select are available through the King County Library System.  We select them 3-4 months in advance to allow plenty of time of you to be able to receive them through the library.  It might take a little longer during these COVID-19 times.

Upcoming online meeting date and book is Sunday, June 6th at 12noon:   The Cold Millions by Jess Walter.
 

St John's Church & Preschool is now hosting a Free Little Library

Thank you so much to Girl Scout Troop 41086 for the gift of a Little Free Library!  It is located next to the sidewalk by the preschool doors on 1st Avenue S.  The Little Free Library program is where anyone can take a book or drop off a book; and any  type of book is accepted.  The mission of the Little Free Library is to build community, inspire readers of all ages, and expand book access for all. Please feel free to borrow a book, donate a book, or both!

This St John's Preschool Alumni Girl Scout Troop has worked hard with planning, building, and installing the little library and it has already gotten use by the preschoolers!  Huge thank you to Troop 41086:  Akemi, Ali, Amber, Elyana, Emma, Gyn, Harper, Josephine, Kaya, Ruby, Sarina, Sydney, and Zoey. 

We are so happy to host this community library!
 

Last Edition

April 15th, 2021  |  Volume 2  |  Number 1

St John's Companion
 

Our bi-weekly newsletter has a new name!  Thank you to everyone who submitted suggestions. While there were many good, fun and interesting names offered,  none of them captured more fully the character of this community than the St. John's Companion or simply The Companion.

The term companion comes from the Latin words com = with,  and panis = bread.   A companion then is one with whom we break and share bread.    Our community's patron saint  was  one of Jesus' closest companions, and  "St. John's Companion" refers not only to Jesus, but also refers to the other apostles and to us!   Like the apostles we are a community who gathers  to break and share the holiest of bread - the Body of Christ - week in and week out. 

Throughout my time at St. John's, through some of the grimmest hours of our nation's history, I have witnessed how you have companioned each other, and I have heard countless stories of how you have been good companions to your neighbors and friends.   I have also witnessed how we as a community, against tremendous odds,  have turned more and more to our neighbors to offer  hospitality, solidarity and companionship.   Perhaps you have heard it said that, "Christianity is simply one beggar telling another where she found bread."   May our companionship with Christ grow in us as we share it - like bread - with those who long to know the love of God.

Grace and Peace,

Michael+

Jerry Ann Finstad Funeral is Saturday at 1:00 pm

The funeral of Jerry Ann Finstad will take place this Saturday at 1:00 pm at St. John's.  Though you won't be able to attend in-person, the service will be streamed live on Zoom and YouTube.  Look for an email tomorrow with instructions for watching the funeral service.  An order of worship will be included in the email that goes out.  Thank you! 

Weekly In-Person Sunday Worship will return in May

This Sunday,  April 18, will be solely streamed on Zoom and YouTube.

Our Easter Eve and Easter Day in-person celebrations felt especially resurrecting;  a new hope was born for life after COVID-19, and a new joy rose from our first try at in-person worship. 

Fr. Michael, the Senior and Junior Wardens, and Deacon Missy convened a meeting with St. John's members who planned and carried out everything that needed to happen for us to worship in-person at Easter.   The purpose of meeting was to review what we learned and assess whether we are ready to resume regular in-person worship.  The consensus was reached that we need to improve some of our safety measures before resuming in-person worship.  Mainly it was determined that as we need additional  screeners, greeters, and ushers to make it work.  And, it will take at least two weeks to recruit and train members of the parish to perform these ministries.  

Please consider volunteering as a screener, usher, and/or  greeter so that we can reliably worship weekly again in person in May.  To volunteer, please email us here and we will get you connected to the folks who will be doing the training.  Thank you!

Also a reminder that on Sunday, April 25th, we will be attending a special all-Diocesan  Holy Eucharist hosted by Bishop Rickel and members of the Circles of Color.  This will be followed by a Town Hall webinar  with Bishop Rickel to reflect on the worship experience and go deeper into dialogue around issues of race and culture in our diocese.  

Thank you for a memorable Holy Week

and the glorious celebrations of our Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection!

Thank you for a memorable Holy Week and the glorious celebrations of our Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection!

Thanks to all of you who worked so hard to make this a Glorious Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Celebration.

There is a Gaelic expression of thanks and gratitude that  is both poetic and spiritual, Go méadaí Dia thú - (pronounced: gu may-dee dee-ah hu) meaning “May God increase you.”  I’m drawn to this expression because it speaks to what we experience when we offer ourselves in loving service to each other.  The spirit of love in us - the divine within - increases and creates a spaciousness within us for joy.  

So many of you made Holy Week and Easter special this year and I want to express my gratitude and the thanks and gratitude of the congregation for your loving service to us.  

So, Go méadaí Dia thú  devoted Altar Guild Members Altar Guild, Marilyn Robinson, Chris Berger, Joni Pascoe, Alice Newton, Sarah Thompson, Nancy Heilstedt, Janina Sierakowska, Dana Pitts, Carolyn McConnell and Jan Spangenberg!

Go méadaí Dia thú  Rob Entrekin for sourcing the edifying and moving music.  Your hard work sourcing, recording and mixing music continues to nourish us in worship. Indeed, may God increase you!

Go méadaí Dia thú  Donna Murphy for recruiting and coordinating readers for Palm Sunday’s dramatic presentation of the Passion according to St. Mark.   And, Go méadaí Dia thú to all of you who took part in the reading and recording of it.

Go méadaí Dia thú  Marcia Crewdson and Donna Murphy for figuring out all of the moving parts that make up a working reservation and screening process. And Go méadaí Dia thú  Melody Bane for creating our web-based registration system.  

Go méadaí Dia thú  Alex Entrekin, Bob McConnell, Dennis Welch, and Rick Long for helming the video and sound for each of our five Holy Week services.

Go méadaí Dia thú  Karen Sjöström for heading up SJK’s Regathering Task Force, and all who contributed to its completion.

Go méadaí Dia thú  Connie Lightbody and Ted Ederer for advancing the idea for Easter Worship and for seeing in it the possibility that I did not immediately grasp.

Go méadaí Dia thú  Rick Long, Tonja May, Rod Robinson, Joe Kattenhorn, and Paul Jensen for working so hard to make worshipping as safe and seamless as it was on Easter.

Go méadaí Dia thú  SJK’s Worship Planning Committee especially Canon John Fergueson, Deacon Missy Couch and Debi Laughlin.

Go méadaí Dia thú  SJK’s Flower Guild, Dana Pitts, Janina Sierakowska, Alice Newton, Debbie Baxter, and Marlene Gill for all of your work from Palm Sunday, to Easter into these Great Fifty Days.

Go méadaí Dia thú  Jenn De Shaw for recording and so gracefully introducing our children to the sacred and marvelous stories that recount God’s saving action and sacrificial love as made known through Jesus Christ.

Go méadaí Dia thú devoted Readers and Intercessors, especially Anna Aubry, Doug Pasco, Donna Murphy, John Merrill, Jeanne and Ted Ederer, Chris Berger, Debi Laughlin, Susan Trabucchi, Diane Perman, Clayton, Anna and Allinore Hughes!

Go méadaí Dia thú Susan Trabucchi for help with the creation of worship booklets, for your patient and loving presence and, of course, for keeping me fed!

And a special Go méadaí Dia thú (and a deep bow) to Deacon Missy Couch who embodies servant leadership, is always there to contribute and support the worship, life and work of St. John’s Parish and my own ministry.  

Go méadaí Dia thú for you named, and unnamed holy people of God.

Blessings upon blessings,

Michael+

More Announcements & Upcoming Events

​

Grace Rising Extended!
Grace Rising outreach campaign has been extended through the end of April to allow for those who have not yet been able to act.  So far we have raised over $15,000 to help our neighbors who face eviction in the months ahead.  Please find more info on how to help on our website here.
 

StJ Book Club
The St. John’s Book Club continues to meet, though via Zoom. All are welcome to join us on Zoom to discuss the book. Please notify us here if you are new to our group and want to attend. We will need to include you in our online Zoom group.  The books we select are available through the King County Library System.  We select them 3-4 months in advance to allow plenty of time of you to be able to receive them through the library.  It might take a little longer during these COVID-19 times. Upcoming online meeting date and book is Sunday, May 2nd at 12noon:   The Cold Millions by Jess Walter.

 
NAMI online meeting 4/27 at 7pm
The Kirkland National Alliance on Mental Illness  support group occurs every fourth Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm via Zoom.   To register and get the Zoom link visit their website.