News

February 2010

New Service Time Starting in March – 9:00am. Beginning in March, we will be starting our celebration of the Holy Eucharist one-half hour later. Our hope is that the later time will encourage more new people to join with us in worship, prayer, and praise.

Suggestions for Lent: The Church recommends the Three Notable Duties of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving, enjoined by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Prayer: Take one step forward this Lent in this holy habit. A good rule is to pray once more per day than you presently do. If you don’t pray at all, begin now to say at least the Lord’s Prayer each day.

Fasting: Self-denial, tempered by reason, brings growth in character. Most of us live lives of comfort and ease. Sacrifices in food, drink, and bodily comfort will subdue the flesh to the spirit. Deny yourself things you don’t need: trashy reading, unprofitable TV or Internet, junk food, eating between meals. Almsgiving:

Almsgiving is the setting aside of money, goods, or time for the special service of God. The Christian ideal is to give one tenth of our income to God’s purposes. This Lent find some person or cause as a beneficiary, such as an isolated person, a neglected child, or a worthy charity.

December 2009

Christmas Eve Service – 9:00pm: We will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Thursday, December 24, starting at 9:00pm with Christmas Carols and a Festive Holy Communion. Everyone is encouraged to invite a friend, neighbor, or acquaintance to church with them this Christmas Eve.

September 2009

Sermon Series: Our rector (pastor) has been preaching a series of Sunday sermons on the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel.The books of 1 and 2 Samuel deal with the establishment of kingship in Israel and its theological significance. The books begin with Israel still under a decentralized system of the judges (1100 B.C.) and end with the Israelite monarchy firmly in place (970 B.C.). The questions of whether and how the monarchy should be established dominate the first portions of 1 Samuel. These are followed by the question of who should be the king of Israel. The two books revolve around three of the Bible's most famous characters: Samuel, Saul, and David.

Sunday School: Our fall program of Christian education for both young people and adults began on Sept. 13. Our youth are learning about the virtues of chastity and abstinence, based on Mary Beth Bonancci's book Real Love. Our adults are studying the Book of Common Prayer and worship in the Prayer Book tradition.

Remembering 9/11: We pray for the blessed memory and eternal repose of the souls of the innocent victims of the barbaric attack of September 11th, of those who unjustly lost their lives and of those who heroically fell in the line of duty attempting to help these victims. We also pray for the families of the victims, that they may be granted help and strength from above, and for those wounded by this unjust attack, for their salvation and complete restoration to health.

July 2009

Pool Party & Cookout: Members and friends of St. John's gathered for what has become an annual summer tradition in our parish: a pool party and cookout. This year's event was hosted by the Whitakers. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and cold drinks, along with some delicious side dishes, were served. Several people from St. Matthew's, Newport News joined us for a fun-filled day of Christian fellowship.

June 2009

Day of Prayer and Reflection: On June 6 parishioners from St. John’s joined with parishioners from St. Matthew’s, Newport News, at Norfolk Botanical Gardens for a time of prayer, meditation, lunch, and fellowship. Michelle Huiet planned, organized, and led this event, which was a real blessing to all who attended. We look forward to other joint gatherings with St. Matthew’s such as a possible picnic later this summer.

NCD Survey: Natural Church Development (NCD) is about growing the local church using Biblical principles to release the potential that God has already implanted in our lives. Based on research in more than 40,000 churches in all six continents, NCD describes universal principles that are applicable regardless of culture or spiritual style. NCD focuses on increasing the quality of a church rather than on numerical growth goals. The Rector and Vestry of St. John’s have decided to try NCD in our church. The first step is for church members to complete an NCD survey, which will be used to gauge the current health of our church.

New Prayer Books: We have 25 new 1928 Prayer Books for use in church to replace our old hand-me-downs. We welcome donations toward the cost of these new Prayer Books, which was $18 per book. Checks can be made payable to St. John’s with “new Prayer Books” in the memo line.

Diocesan Synod: The 32nd Annual Synod (Convention) of our Diocese was held June 11-13 in Newport News. St. John’s was represented by Michelle Huiet, Brad Holmes, and Fr. Rob. Bishop McClean reported a slight decrease in communicants since last year and emphasized the need for evangelism by all of us, particularly the personal invitation of family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances to church. The Diocesan Evangelism Committee gave a presentation recommending the use of the Internet (including youtube.com and facebook.com) to tell others about our church. A diocesan budget of $181,500 was adopted, $2,100 less than last year. While the business meeting of the Synod was, as usual, very “cut and dried,” our delegates enjoyed the worship and fellowship with others from our diocese.

May 2009

In response to a parishioner's questions, Fr. Rob has been preaching a series of sermons on the atonement, or, what did the death of Jesus Christ on the cross accomplish?

Deepening Our Christian Spirituality: Our Adult Bible Study Group has continued to read and discuss Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth.

Most U.S. Christians Don't Believe Satan, Holy Spirit Exist: According to a recent article in the Christian Post, the majority of American Christians do not believe that Satan is a real being or that the Holy Spirit is a living entity, the latest Barna survey found. Nearly six out of ten Christians either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil,” the survey found. Likewise, most Christians in the United States do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force. Fifty-eight percent strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God's power or presence but is not a living entity.” Trends such as these demonstrate both the confusion rampant among Christians today as well as the critical need for sound, orthodox, Bible-based teaching and preaching in our churches, which is what we strive to do here at St. John’s.

Diocesan Summer Camp for children ages 8-15 will be held this year July 12-18 at Camp Hanover, near Richmond, VA. Registration forms are available on the diocesan website (www.anglicancatholic.org/dmas).

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