A Word from the Wardens

Dear fellow parishioners,

As we begin a new year in the life of the church, we reflect on all that we are thankful for in the past year and St. John’s certainly stands out. We are blessed to live in a rich and vibrant community and we are grateful that so many of you offer your time and talent to the church. We have both experienced the rewards of giving to the church and we know that is absolutely true that the more you give to this place, the more you receive in return.

One of the things that we discuss quite a bit in our Vestry meetings is how we can widen the circle to include everyone in our parish in the vital ministries that we offer. Each and every one of us has something significant to offer this community and we all have a baptismal responsibility to do our part. Sometimes, churches that are relatively large like St. John’s have a hard time getting people involved because they think that there are plenty of other people to do the work that needs to be done.  That is not the case. Just because there are a lot of members of St. John’s doesn’t mean that we don’t need you.  Young and old, new and veteran members, we need you all. It takes every single one of us to reach the full potential of the St. John’s community. If you want to join the altar guild or the knitting ministry or become a LEM or an acolyte or a greeter or anything else, all you have to do is say the word. Jump in with both feet and you will find that the rewards you receive are much greater than the time you give. Instead of thinking about all of the reasons that you should not or cannot get more involved, think about all of the reasons that you should and can.  If not now, when?  If not you, who?

One of the greatest gifts we received this year was the opportunity to attend the diocesan convention as representatives of this parish, to take part in making decisions about the future of this diocese and to welcome and hear from our Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori. She gave an address on Saturday and preached at Sunday’s convention Eucharist. The Presiding Bishop had a lot to say to all of us, but the broad message of her address on Saturday had to do with our role as leaders and members of individual congregations and communities. She reminded us that everything we have, our families, friends, jobs, leadership roles, other responsibilities, and, yes, even time and money is given to us by God and that He has entrusted us to be stewards of those gifts. We have made a promise to God that we will use those resources in the service of others. 

This is an especially important message at this time of year as we adopt families through the Salvation Army and make other contributions to similar organizations. We are also in the midst of our own stewardship campaign for this church in which we ask you to consider how you can best use the time, talent, and treasure that God has given you to best benefit this church and the wider community that we serve here. Let us not forget at this or any other time of year our responsibility to do all in our power to sustain and improve the lives of others. The Presiding Bishop reminded all of us to “live into the love poured out in Christ.” Are you living into the love poured out in Christ? Could this new year be the beginning of a new life for you, one in which you live into the love poured out in Christ?

May God’s peace be with you this holiday season,

Pam Talbott and Taryn Chubb, Wardens

Greetings from our Seminarian Lisa Tatusko 

Dear Friends,

I have been remiss in communicating with you, please forgive me. Do know that you all are regularly in my thoughts and prayers. 

Life as a seminarian continues to be challenging, humbling, and very rewarding. This semester’s adventures include studies in New Testament Greek; Christian Ethics; Prayerbook Ministry; The History, Polity and Canons of The Episcopal Church; and a Liturgical Practicum. I continue to be an active voice for the EDS students as co-chair of the Student Executive Committee, Student liaison to the EDS Board of Trustees, and one of the liturgical coordinators on our Chapel Staff. And if that is not enough, I am still very active in the parish where I did my internship last year co-leading the Pastoral Care Ministry team, co-teaching the Confirmation class and working with newcomers. Believe it or not, I do still find family time too!

A few things have become increasingly clear to me over the last couple of years. First and foremost, God is good, always. When I finally decided it was time to jump into these waters of discernment and seek ordination, I anticipated being tested in many ways. I knew that this was not going to be an easy journey. Yet, I could never have been prepared for what life has brought us. Certainly my illness last year brought with it all of its own challenges. Add to that, the difficulties my school endured during the interim year between Presidents, a new partnership with a major Liberal Arts college, economic hardship, and several extended family trials. If anybody had predicted these things for me, I would have walked away before I even started. Yet coming out of the other side of these challenges safely and in “good working order,” I can honestly report to you that God can and will provide, even if you’re not completely sure. Perhaps the greatest blessing in all of this is the new set of lenses that I have been given to reflect on my life and the world around me. Even in the bleakest of hours, there is hope! 

Second, in spite of the difficulties of our world, there are MANY exciting ways in which God’s mission is being carried out every day. As the face of our Church changes, we are being called to reevaluate what church is and how we “do” church.  How do we preserve our traditions while becoming more relevant to our younger folks? Should we continue to pour money into our aging buildings or look at different models of worship space that would enable us to improve funding for programs that enable us to carry the Gospels into our communities?  How are we preparing to care for our aging population of baby boomers? How do we meet the spiritual needs of our communities when so many parishes can no longer afford to pay for full time clergy?

In short, the answers to all of these questions reside with the incredible talents and energy of our laity!  A small sampling of actions include: Clustering of small parishes in some areas for shared worship and programs; Mutual Ministry where the care of the parish is addressed by largely by laity; Programs like “Gospels on Tap” that provide for serious Godly conversation over a “nice frosty beverage”; Youth and young adult mission opportunities, both domestically and abroad, through our own Diocesan office and the Episcopal Church office: growing ecumenical relationships that cross traditional denominational lines working to improve our communities in the name of Christ.  This is good stuff!!

Third, I know that I am EXACTLY where I am supposed to be. As someone who survived as a Type-A, process oriented person for most of my life (OK, some of you can stop laughing now; you know who you are!), I have become surprisingly comfortable trusting that the road and resources necessary to continue this journey with God will present themselves as necessary. Fortunately, Mary and Aidan remain my most ardent and steadfast supporters, still willing to tag along with me knowing that in the end, we have no idea where God will ultimately call us. And we have you. The prayers and financial support of our family at St. John’s cannot be underestimated. Without your support and guidance, I could not have moved forward as I have. I will never be able to properly repay you.  Thank you.

And so, my journey continues. As of September 16, 2009, Bishop Adams has declared me a Candidate for Ordination. I am told that this is the greatest hurdle on the road to ordination. I’m not sure that I am convinced of this, as I know that my Canonical Exams loom large ahead of me! As this fall semester closes, I will be submitting my formal request for ordination to the Deaconate. Questions that remain unanswered for me at this point include: When I will complete my formal studies (next January or May), when I can take my Canonical Exams, when I can be ordained, will there be a position for me in our diocese when I am done? Although I’d love a “sneak peak” at the answers to these questions, I’m not worried. It will work out in God’s time. 

I pray that each and every one of you experience the wonder and joyful expectation of the coming Advent Season and may you be blessed this Christmas season and always!

Peace, 
Lisa

It’s likely that most of you reading this recently received the wonderful Church gift mail with information about the Life of Jesus and the history of Saint Nicholas. I must admit that as I was sorting through the stack of bills and paraphernalia that came to me that day I placed the envelope from St. John’s Church in the pile of things that I could do “tomorrow” instead of right that moment and then carried on with my so-called busy day.

But naturally, as I always do when putting the Church or my faith on the back burner assuming it’ll always be there, I was disappointed with myself the next day after reading such a wonderful and inspiring piece of literature. Before reading the gift mail I was only vaguely aware of the role that St.. Nicholas plays in the celebrations around Christmas time, and I’m so glad to now know the full details. Together with Jesus, St. Nicholas exemplifies focus and dedication and selflessness. I suppose he never would put Church mail in the “tomorrow” pile if he was walking the Earth today and as the patron saint of children, I could learn a thing or two from him in my own endeavors to spread good tidings to young people this holiday season and there forward. 

So with this gentle reminder that we are all servants not only of God and his son, Jesus Christ, but also of each other, I have set out to define the next three months of Youth Group as a time of service, focusing on three key areas.

First, I will encourage all the children in youth group who aren’t already in the choir’s planned performance of Godspell to assist with production or day-of logistics. Second, together with the youth, I will identify a first-quarter activity that is civic-minded and that when complete, will provide everyone with a great sense of accomplishment and community pride and spirit. And third, I will try my best to lead by example, by being more involved and more present in all my Church endeavors. With the aforementioned role models, and those walking beside me in my every-day life, I’m sure I will find the inspiration to meet these first three goals in the coming year. 

—Mindy Oaks, Youth Minister

Musical Notes

Christmas is just around the corner, and the choirs and I are hard at work on our special music. I will present a brief concert of Christmas music at 3:30 on Christmas Eve to greet you as you come to worship at the 4PM service. The children and youth will be singing at this service.

The adults will present Heinrich Schütz’s Die Geburt unsers Herren Jesu Christi, SWV 435 in concert at 10:30 PM. This is a wonderful work from the mid-seventeenth century that alternates solo recitatives with motets to tell the Christmas story. The adults and the bell choir will present other Christmas anthems at the 11 PM service, which begins after the conclusion of the concert. Some of the youth choir plan to sing at this service, too, and are working on a special anthem for the event.

This is a busy time as well as a blessed one. We are looking forward to sharing our music with you.

—Dr. Nancy Radloff
Director of Music

Future Parish Get-Together

Flour your rolling pins and grease your baking pans — St. John’s is prepping for a tasty social event hosted by Brett and Mindy Oakes at their Ithaca home in late January or Early February. If you are familiar with the Jan Karon Mitford book series, then you know that cooking and eating are integral parts of an Episcopal Church’s heart. Using recipes from Karon’s corresponding Mitford Cookbook, parishioners are asked to whip something up – enough to share and sample – and enjoy high tea, games, door prizes, and music. Recipes will be provided by Mindy as R.S.V.P.’s arrive and a date will be forthcoming. Stay tuned for more delicious information.