www.stjohnsportsmouth.org24 September 2015
Financial Peace University begins 10/5



We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God's ways of handling our finances. Through video teaching, class discussions and interactive small group activities, FPU presents biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you've dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!
 
St. John's own Jason Lowe, who is a trained FPU group leader, will lead this first FPU class at our parish.  The first session will meet on Monday, October 5 from 6:30-8pm in Chisholm Hall.  Classes will meet weekly through November 30.  You can see what will be covered each week here and can get more information here.
 
Cost for the class is $93 for a couple or individual and is open to anyone in the wider Hampton Roads community.  Sign up in advance for the class using this link.  

Ministry Fair & Atria Open House, 10/4
 
St. John's Church will offer a Ministry Fair during the Adult Forum time on Sunday, October 4 to highlight all the ministry opportunities available in our parish.  Everyone currently worshiping at St. John's is encouraged to wander around the Ministry Fair and decide how you will grow the church, inside and outside, during this upcoming school year.  If you have an idea for a new ministry opportunity, now is the time to showcase it!  As long as it reflects our parish's Marks of Mission (Dwell, Feast, Journey, and Shine), you're free to suggest it.  Contact Clifford King Harbin.

Sunday Christian Formation Resumes 10/11
 
There will be no Adult Forum or Catechesis Atria through September as we finish building renovations on the second floor of the Parish House.  Both HVAC roof units have now been replaced and, after a year of work, all water intrusions into the walls and ceilings have finally been eliminated!  Workers will begin repairing the plaster walls and ceilings damaged by water in the next couple of weeks.  After the plaster work is completed, the rooms will be repainted and new cork flooring will be installed.
 
If all goes according to plan, Sunday Christian Formation will resume on Sunday, 10/11 with an open house for the parish to see the renovated Atria on Sunday, October 4.  During this construction process, the Creation Atrium will continue to be open from 10:45-11:30am for children not yet potty trained.  
Discovering the Bible begins 10/14
 
Fr. Derek will once again offer this 26-week introduction to the central text of our faith on Wednesday evenings at 7pm beginning October 14.  This is a great exploration for those who have no prior study of the Bible and also for those who have taken some Bible classes in the past.  The Kerygma curriculum helps participants get familiar with the whole story of the Bible from cover to cover.  We'll look at the different books in chronological order, learning about the origins and themes, stories and characters to help us navigate our own faith in light of the Word.  The minimum class size is five adults (ages 16+).  The $30 fee covers the cost of your participant book.   Contact Fr. Derek to register.

Pilgrims in Christ begins 10/22
 
Pilgrims in Christ is a seven-month process that prepares adults (16 and older) to deepen their faith through baptism, confirmation, or reaffirmation of their baptismal vows.  Every meeting begins with a small evening prayer service, followed by a short teaching, a free hot meal prepared by Pilgrims alumni, in-depth teaching and conversation about Christianity, and small-group Bible study.  In the words of a past participant, "Pilgrims in Christ is amazing because it's learning and relearning aspects of our faith and church, but it is also an opportunity to forge bonds and friendships within the parish and community."
 
Pilgrims in Christ (Journey #6) begins Thursday, October 22 at 5:30pm.  Sign up cards will be in Chisholm Hall and on the piece of furniture (in the back of the church) at the front doors on Washington St.  Contact Clifford King Harbin if you have any questions!

Miscellany
 
Fall is the time for visitors to worship.  Traditionally, the fall months are when St. John's has the largest number of visitors in worship seeking a new faith community.  Please be especially aware and greet those you do not recognize both during worship and in Chisholm Hall before you greet your friends!
 
The Magnificent Obsession is the title of the 10am Thursday morning women's Bible study that begins this week.  With video messages by Anne Graham Lotz, this study explores the life of Abraham as a model for embracing a God-filled life.   Dates for the study will be 9/3, 9/17, 10/1, 10/15, 11/5, 11/19, & 12/5.  For more information contact Patti Devers.   

Join a Small Group.  Small groups at St. John's are called "Scott's Creek," in honor of the first such group that met in a home on the banks of Portsmouth's Scott's Creek.  Small groups are a great way to deepen your faith, build friendships, and become more connected to the St. John's community.  Multiple groups with diverse interests and age groupings are available and we invite you to be a part!  (The Crew at Scott's Creek will be beginning soon and is for young adults who are single or married with no children!)  Email the Parish Office to get connected!
 
Jeremy Filsell, internationally acclaimed organist and artist-in-residence at Washington National Cathedral, will be giving the opening concert on our amazing new instrument at St. John's Church on Friday, November 20 at 7pm.  The organ will be blessed during worship on the Feast of St. John (Sunday, December 27).

Your gift can help make history.  Won't you consider joining with those faithful parishioners, Vestry, and Endowment Committee who have pledged or contributed funds to bring the installation of our new organ to debt-free completion?  Please contact Fr. Derek or Senior Warden Margaret Perkins to make a cash gift or pledge (up to 36 months) to help with the extra costs incurred to install this incredible instrument in our historic worship space.
 
Wednesday Eucharist is not just for summer!  This worship was especially created for those who were traveling during the weekend so that all could still receive Christ's Body and Blood as strength for the journey.  This 30-minute Eucharist begins at 6:30pm and includes hymns, a brief homily, and healing prayers. Miss on Sunday?  Come on Wednesday.

Have someone to honor, remember, or celebrate?  Flowers offered to the Glory of God
and for your special intention are needed on almost all Sunday mornings of the summer.  The sign-up sheet hangs on the bulletin board in Chisholm Hall closest to the London St. Parking Lot entrance.  The cost is $75 per Sunday (and can always be shared with someone else) and is due in the Parish Office two weeks before your requested Sunday.
 
Want a St. John's name badge?  Are you ready to look outward and be welcoming, greeting those you do not know before you greet your friends and offering hospitality to those you meet?  If your answer is "yes," then complete a name badge request form found in the worship space and Chisholm Hall.  These badges have a magnetic back. (which should be kept away from medical devices and credit/debit cards).
 
Need a Priest?  Please call the Parish Office during the weekdays.  While Fr. Derek is away leading the Scotland and England pilgrimage, call Fr. Bob's cell phone on the weekends.  Let us know if you are in the hospital, have a scheduled surgery or an emergency, or desire Last Rites for yourself or a loved one.  The hospitals, due to the HIPAA laws, no longer inform the parish when there is an admission....it is up to you to inform the priest of an emergency so he may offer the healing prayers of the church.  (Need the phone numbers?  You can find them in the Parishioner Corner of our website[(see below]).

The Parishioner Corner of our Website has news you can use.  Here you can access the September 2015 Parish Directory, parish handbook, worship ministry schedules, and read approved minutes of vestry discussions and actions as well parish financial reports.  Need or don't remember the password?  Contact the parish office. 
 
In our Prayers this Week

For the Church
Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Katherine, the Presiding Bishop; Michael, the Presiding Bishop-elect; for Holly, our bishop; Derek, our rector; Heidi, Russ, & Amanda, our missionaries; and our parish staff, wardens and vestry
 
For Justice and Peace    
Peace in the Middle East; healing of racial divides in this nation; for Barack, our president; Terry, our governor; Ken, our mayor; for the city of Portsmouth; for Clint Carlson, Erin Elliott, Carolyn Higgins,  Nate Kingsbury, George Lang, Will Oast, Christopher O'Meara, Jessi Staley, Kristina Starcruiser; Dariana Torres, Shaun Tuttle, and Bill Wolter who are serving our country overseas or away from home; for the Coast Guard Personnel on watch and on patrol from Coast Guard Base Portsmouth
 
For those in any Need or Trouble  
In our Parish: Barbara Bowles; Donald Bowles; Taraleigh Casteen; Mary Colby; Bill Edwards; Ron Fritz; Al Gregg; Mavia Hudgins; Dody Mason; Cody Miller; Arlene Peterson; Carol Phipps; Ann Barbour Schwab; Barbara Stearns; Al Taylor; Sue Taylor;  Peggy Tuthill; Ruth Waldo; Mike Wall; Sonny Wilkinson;  Joy Young.  
 
We pray for the nineteen sisters and brothers in Christ from this parish who are on pilgrimage to Scotland and England.  May God's holy angels protect them on their journey. 

We ask God's Holy Spirit to surround, protect, and move to successful completion the renovation of the second floor Christian Formation rooms and the installation of the new organ.
 
Related to our Parish: Rebecca Jayne (website request); Robbie (friend of the parish); Maribeth (niece of Martha Rush); Sanise (friend of Claudia Tomlin); Judy (mother of Crystal Gower); Tim (son-in-law of the Van Arsdale family); Marcus (husband of Kim Hyde); Delores (grandmother of Eri Brown); Sareana (friend of Barrie Harper); Francis (friend of Deb Soyk); Kenzie (friend of Erin Burke); "Mac" (friend of Raquel Pulido); Patients at the Naval Hospital & EDMARC hospice for children
                                                        
Thanksgivings
Matthew & Juliann Krogh and Matthew & Krissie Wiggins who are each expecting a child.  
This Sunday in Worship
 
18th Sunday after Pentecost, 9/27: Esther 7:1-6,9-10; 9:20-22 & Mark 9:38-50
The flowers at the Altar and Founders' Chapel are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Suzanne Noles.

Herman Hollerith, IV, bishop 

J. Derek Harbin, rector

Keith Byers, bookkeeper

Taraleigh Casteen, bandleader

Bob Gilman, assisting priest

Philip Goodrich, sexton

Ellison Gregg, staff photographer 

Clifford King Harbin, associate to the rector

Rebecca Mina, creation atrium coordinator

Heather Rollins, technology 

Christopher Rusk, organist/choirmaster

Claudia Tomlin, organist emerita

Justin Young, publications

 

Welcome to our Sunday Worship Services

 Contemplative Eucharist, Rite I at 8:00am
 Contemporary Eucharist at 9:00am
 Classic Eucharist, Rite II at 11:00am

Wednesday Healing Eucharist, 6:30pm

Holy Days as Announced

You'll find us at 424 Washington Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704 or by phone at 757.399.4967

Our office hours are 10am - 1pm M-F. We look forward to seeing you!
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