A Message from Deacon Rose

Dear Friends in Christ,This morning, the clergy of the diocese received a pastoral directive from our Bishop. It reads, in part: "Effective March 20, all in-person worship and parish meetings, studies and gatherings of any kind are suspended until further notice. All should prepare for this suspension to last through the end of May. I reserve the right to revise or extend this directive as this health emergency and a myriad of other issues unfold in the commonwealth, nation and world......Once it is determined that we can gather again for in-person worship, I will grant permission for the liturgical calendar to be set aside in order to celebrate Easter Day."We will, at St. John's, continue with our live-steamed worship on Sundays (Morning Prayer), Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (Evening Prayer) and Fridays (Stations of the Cross during Lent; Evening Prayer after Lent ends). These services will be available on Facebook and our website. Please join us, from your home, in praying these services. If you need a paper copy of the Sunday service leaflet, readings of the day and hymns, please email or phone the office and let Janie know by the Tuesday before the service and she will mail a copy to you. IF YOU COME TO CHURCH AND ARE NOT IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE SERVICE, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE. We need to keep you safe, but we also need to keep our worship team safe.We also need to keep Janie Green, our parish administrator, safe. If you need anything from her, please call the office rather than just dropping in. If you need to drop off something, please slide it through the slit in the front door of the office building.All of us are being impacted by Coronavirus. Some of you are being impacted financially. If that is the case, please let me know and I will see what I can cover with my discretionary fund. If, on the other hand, you are financially secure, please consider making a donation to the Deacon's Discretionary Fund.In order to keep our volunteers and clients safe, we have cancelled Laundry Love this month. The Blessing Box is an even greater blessing to the community at this time. Janie and Andrew made up over 300 bags and they are quickly disappearing, If you would like to help to keep this ministry going, please consider a donation to St. John's for the Blessing Box ministry.These are difficult times, but this too shall pass. I look forward to the day that all of us can be together again, and please know that all of you are in my prayers.God's peace,Rose