Quinquagesima

The Sunday next before Lent

Holy Eucharist 8:30am

14 February 2021

Sunday Mornings

8:30 am Eucharist – said with homily. Webcast only. 11:00am Sung Eucharist with homily. Webcast only.

WELCOME to the Church of St. John's in the Village. We are glad you have joined us from your home today for worship. This leaflet will guide you through the service. All liturgies at St John’s at this present time are streamed on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/stjvny,

except our Wednesday evening Eucharist, which is attended in-person and not webcast.

If you would like to be on our parish e-mail or snail-mail list, have a prayer request or would like the priest to call you, please email the Rector ([email protected]) or the Administrator ([email protected])

THE WORD OF GOD

Acclamation:

Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

The Celebrant prays

The Collect for Purity

All say

Gloria in Excelsis

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Collect of the Day

The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The First Reading 2 Kings 2:1-12

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gradual: Psalm 50:1-6

The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God reveals himself in glory.

Our God will come and will not keep silence; before him there is a consuming flame, and round about him a raging storm.

He calls the heavens and the earth from above to witness the judgment of his people.

"Gather before me my loyal followers, those who have made a covenant with me and sealed it with sacrifice."

Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; for God himself is judge.

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The Second Reading 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

The Holy Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Christ

The Homily: The Reverend Graeme Napier, Rector

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The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again, in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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The Prayers of the People Form IV.

The response to Lord, in your mercy is Hear our prayer.

These are the names of those who have asked for our prayers: the sick, the infirm, the departed, general concerns, and thanksgivings. At the appropriate place offer intercessions, petitions, or thanksgivings.

The sick Barbara Davison, Fr Alan Dennis, Linda Filippelli, Carmen Grange, Anne Huggley, Robert Johnston, Kathleen Kelley, Rae Major, Bob Ochiltree, Joel Schlosser, Marsha Serafin, Susan Stinson, Gary Williams. All suffering from COVID-19. The aged, infirm, and vulnerable Beverly Campbell & Gretchen Phillips, Ellen Carollo, Community Paul Reitz, Joanna Johnson and family, Owen and Fernella Lewis, Terry Greiner, Daniel Nieciecki and Mark Gonzalez, Denise Marsa, Jenny Dennis and the Dennis family. Departed Fabián Kreischer (priest) and William Marsa, recently departed. Those who have died recently in disease, fear, or pain. Don Morse, Addie Key, John Wade (priest), Charles Whipple (priest), and Blanche Serafin, whose anniversaries of death fall at this time.

The Confession of Sin and Absolution

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Celebrant pronounces the Absolution.

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.

Welcome and Announcements

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CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY COMMUNION

The Great Thanksgiving: Eucharistic Prayer A

Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give him thanks and praise.

In the course of the Eucharistic Prayer all say

Sanctus and Benedictus:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. +Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

The Eucharistic prayer continues Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again

The Great Amen

The celebrant says: all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever.

The people respond: Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. The Breaking of the Bread:

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

Those who cannot partake of the Blessed Sacrament make

An Act of Spiritual Communion:

God of infinite mercy, we thank you for Jesus our Savior, who feeds us and gives us eternal life. Though I cannot consume the gifts of bread and wine, I thank you that I have received the sacrament of Christ’s presence, the forgiveness of sins, and all other benefits of Christ’s passion. Grant that we may continue for ever in the Risen Life of our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Post-communion Prayer:

Let us pray.

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing and Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Please download this leaflet to keep abreast of activities at St. John’s

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Celebrant & Preacher The Reverend Graeme Napier, Rector

Server Nick Gordon

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Announcements

from Monday 15 February

Participate in most liturgies and concerts via the parish website (www.stjvny.org); except Midday Prayer (which is accessed at Br Andrew’s Facebook page: facebook.com/ap.jones) and Wednesday evening Eucharists (which are in- person in church but not webcast). Sunday’s 8.30am and 11am Eucharists are both presently webcast only. Our 12-step groups are now in-person once more, but limited to 20 persons. Safety measures are in place.

St John’s is open every weekday for private prayer and devotion from 11am to 3pm.

Monday 15 from 7am Morning Prayer Noon Midday Prayer (with Br Andrew SSF) from 5pm Evensong sung to the music of plainsong

Shrove Tuesday 16 from 7am Morning Prayer Noon Midday Prayer (with Br Andrew SSF) from 5pm Evensong with (snow-)Burial of the Alleluia

Ash Wednesday 17 from 7am Morning Prayer Noon Midday Prayer (with Br Andrew SSF) from 5pm Evensong sung to the music of plainsong 6.15pm Eucharist (said: in-person) from 6.15pm Sung Eucharist (webcast) [No Greenwich Village Chamber Singers]

Thursday 18 from 7am Morning Prayer Noon Midday Prayer (with Br Andrew SSF) 1.30 – 2pm Silent prayer (Dignity) in-person from 5pm Evensong sung to the music of plainsong 9pm Crystal Meth Anon (Revelation Gallery)

Friday 19 from 7am Morning Prayer Noon Midday Prayer (with Br Andrew SSF) from 5pm Evensong sung to the music of plainsong 5.30pm Stations of the Cross (in-person) From 5.30pm Poetry & Stations of the Cross (webcast) 7pm AA meeting (Revelation Gallery)

Saturday 20 10am Vestry Meeting (by Zoom) 10.30am Blessed Absalom Jones Celebration Service Noon Concert: Yibin Li, violin

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Save the Date: Retirement Presentation for Gordon King (by Zoom) Following the Sung Eucharist on Sunday 21 February, at the 12.30pm Pre-Prandial Potations, there will be a presentation to Gordon King, who retired at the end of last year as our Organist & Master of the Choristers (but remains among our team of professional musicians presenting high quality sacred music on Sundays and Feast Days). Please join for as long or as short a time as you wish, as we all express out thanks to Gordon. The link to the meeting is: https://zoom.us/meeting/87634128246 The Meeting ID is 87634128246 and there is no password.

Please RSVP for in-person services Please let the church office know if you are planning to attend in-person services. RSVP to [email protected] or call the church office at (212) 243-6192. Reservations for a Wednesday Eucharist (such as Ash Wednesday) should be made by 4pm on the Monday prior. Please include your full name, email or phone number, and which service you wish to attend in your reservations.

Cessation of much (but not all) in-person worship The Bishop of New York has strongly encouraged all parishes of the Diocese to cease in-person worship. The Rector, in consultation with the Wardens, has decided to follow the Bishop’s recommendation, with the exception of our regular Wednesday evening Eucharists. It is important that the Blessed Sacrament be available to any Christian who wishes to partake of it, and we are confident that this weekly Eucharist can be celebrated with full COVID-safety. Please let us know via the parish office, by the Monday prior, if you intend to attend a Wednesday evening Eucharist. The Sung Eucharist of Candlemas can also be attended in-person (6.15pm Tuesday 2 February).

Annual Parish Meeting 2021 At the APM on Sunday 31 January two items of parish administration were enacted. Paul Reitz was elected Church Warden, to serve for a term of two years. He and Margot Shields are presently the two Wardens. The Meeting ratified the Vestry's unanimous decision to down-size the Vestry from 9 to 6 members. Vestry members are: Kyle DeBlasio, Jay Campbell, Gerry Dilley, Nick Gordon, Richard Lipscomb, and Patrick Merry. Sincere thanks are due to John Singler, Parveen Sondhi, and Beulah Williams, whose terms ended on 31 January, for their service on Vestry. At an administrative meeting of the Vestry following the APM on the same day some other items of administration were effected. Jay Campbell was appointed Treasurer. Tim Boos was appointed Clerk to the Vestry. Richard Seeger was appointed a trustee of St John's Colony Trust, to serve alongside the ex officio trustees (The Rector, the Wardens, the Treasurer).

Beware of Email Scam The Bishop of the Diocese, Jay Campbell (our Treasurer), and other Episcopalians have recently had their email security breached. People have received emails purporting to be from the compromised individuals. If you receive an email purporting to be from someone from the Diocese of New York or from St John’s in the Village asking for money or favors, please exercise extreme caution. Ignore anything that looks suspicious. Verify anything with personal (eg telephone) contact.

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Today, Sunday 14 February is Quinquagesima, the Sunday next before Lent. Eucharists at 8.30am (said) and 11am (sung) are webcast (only) on our YouTube channel, best accessed via the parish website.

Tuesday 16 February is Shrove Tuesday. Private auricular confession is discouraged during the pandemic, but corporate Confession & Absolution is part of every Eucharist, including our in-person Eucharists every Wednesday at 6.15pm. Evensong on Shrove Tuesday sees the last utterances of the word Alleluia. Following Evensong the Alleluia is taken to St Benedict’s Courtyard for burial. It will be exhumed on Holy Saturday. You can view that Evensong any time from 5pm onward on Shrove Tuesday at our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/stjvny

Wednesday 17 February is Ash Wednesday. The 6.15pm Sung Eucharist will be both in-person and also webcast that evening. The Bishop has forbidden the imposition of ashes this year, for COVID-19 safety reasons. Self-examination, confession, and absolution remain important parts of this liturgy. Allegri St John - At the Sung Eucharist we collaborate with two other churches dedicated to St John the Evangelist in our singing of Gregorio Allegri’s famous Miserere Mei Deus: St John’s, Staten Island, and St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane, Australia. The webcast liturgy is available at the time of premier but also at any time thereafter.

On Thursday 18 February the church is open for corporate silent prayer from 1.30pm to 2pm with our LGBTQ+ Roman Catholic friends Dignity (dignityny.org). Masks are worn and physical distance is maintained. Also on Thursday 18 February Crystal Meth Anonymous (NYC Unwired CMA Group) meets in Revelation Gallery at 9pm. The meeting is limited to 20 persons. Contact by email ([email protected]) if interested in attending.

Friday 19 February is the first Friday in Lent. Stations of the Cross is both in-person and webcast at 5.30pm. As with all webcasts the online Stations webcast is available at the time of premier but also at any time thereafter. The Stations webcast also contains seasonal poetry. See below for details. The first of our five-minute Friday meditations in Manna For the Wilderness Journey series is presented today, available from 10am. See below for details.

On Friday 19 February AA meets in Revelation Gallery at 7pm. The meeting is limited to 20 persons. If interested in attending contact by email ([email protected]) or look online (nyintergroup.org) for up to date information. This is an LGBT+ friendly AA group but everyone is welcome.

At 10am on Saturday 20 February the Vestry meets by Zoom.

At noon on Saturday 20 February we present a Concert for Violin and Piano, curated by the violinist Yibin Li, who has both performed and curated concerts here at St John’s many times in the past. The concert is live-streamed. Details of the repertoire, performers, and ticketing will soon be available both on the parish website and here: www.musae.me

Sunday 21 February is the First Sunday in Lent. Dr Garwood Anderson, Professor of New Testament at Nashotah House Seminary, is our guest preacher in our Lenses on Lent series at the 8.30am said Eucharist and the 11am Sung Eucharist. Following the Sung Eucharist, at the 12.30pm Pre-Prandial Potations, there will be a presentation to Gordon King, who retired at the end of last year as our Organist & Master of the Choristers (but remains among our team of professional musicians presenting high quality sacred music on Sundays and Feast Days). Please join for as long or as short a time as you wish, as we all express out thanks to Gordon. The link to the meeting is: https://zoom.us/meeting/87634128246

The Meeting ID is 87634128246 and there is no password.

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LENT AT ST JOHN’S The season of Lent offers us an opportunity for spiritual growth. St John’s presents a rich array of Lenten programs to this end: a series of five Sunday guest preachers in Lenses on Lent, newly-commissioned sacred choral music, weekly Stations of the Cross with seasonal poetry, a weekly Bible-study, two presentations from our Anti-Racism Committee, and a guest Holy Week & Easter Preacher. As part of our self-privation and austerity in Lent, we will use neither organ nor congregational hymnody in Lent (but unaccompanied voices instead), so as the better to appreciate these rich joys of liturgical worship when they are restored to us in Eastertide.

Lenses on Lent: Five Lenten Homilies Five internationally known guest preachers, from the USA and beyond, help us to look at the season of Lent from different perspectives, at both the 8.30am Eucharist (said) and 11am Sung Eucharist on the first five Sundays in Lent (Feb 21, 28, and March 7, 14, 21). We commence on the First Sunday of Lent (Sunday 21 February) with: Lent & Scripture: Dr Garwood Anderson, Professor of New Testament and President & Provost, Nashotah House, Wisconsin. Biblical scholar and author.

New Lenten Music St John’s is commissioning new settings of the Ordinary of the Mass to be premiered at the Sung Eucharists in Lent 2021. In keeping with the austerity appropriate both to Lent and to the pandemic, these are mass settings for two unaccompanied voices, sung by St John’s professional singers. It is our hope that such settings, when later published by St John’s, will be of benefit to the wider church. Composers include Leonard Bopp, Huey Waldon, and Crys Armbrust.

Lent Bible Study: Tuesdays in Lent at 5.30pm. Fr Ryan Bennett SSM, Associate Priest, leads this Zoom study/discussion group, limited to just over one hour, on the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of St Matthew. When joining by Zoom feel free to participate passively (no need to say anything), or with video off if you like (no need to look your best!), or with your pre-dinner drinks in hand, or in whatever way you are most comfortable. Casual and informative. You can also join by standard (non-smart) telephone. Each session will be useful as a stand-alone, but attendance at the whole series of five will be very rewarding. If interested, please let the Parish Administrator know by email ([email protected]) or phone (212 243 6192)

Stations of the Cross: Fridays in Lent at 5.30pm. (in-person). A meditation in prayer and Scripture on the Via Dolorosa. Poetry & Stations of the Cross (online): Stations of the Cross is also webcast, available from 5.30pm, which, each Friday, will have a poem on a Lenten theme preceding the Stations. If you would like to offer a poem for a Friday in Lent, please email the Rector with your suggestion. You could record the poem in your own home and send us the sound file, or we could record you here. Poems can be on any theme compatible with the ethos of Lent, and in Modern English (including Early Modern English).

Manna For the Wilderness Journey: five-minute Friday sessions of meditation and prayer by the Reverend Dr Rosalie Richards, Honorary Associate Priest. Each meditation, available from 10am (EST), with guided prayer relates to a short passage of Scripture. Each Friday’s meditation is a stand-alone video presentation on YouTube. If you would like to pray this journey over the six Fridays in Lent (February 19, 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26) contact Rosalie by email ([email protected]) and she will send you the URL for each meditation by 10am (EST) every Friday. The meditation can, of course, be viewed at any time after 10am.

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Lent Anti-Racism Presentations (on-line): Thursday 25 Feb at 7pm: Professor John Singler, New York University African Americans in New York City: The First 150 Years. In order to understand the role of African Americans in shaping New York City, we need to go back to the very beginning. As long as there has been a New York City, there have been African Americans here. The present talk looks at colonial New Amsterdam/New York. In the Dutch era, “half-free” African Americans were allotted farms along Minetta Creek in the Village. In the English era, slaveholding became so widespread that, of all American cities, only Charleston, South Carolina, had a greater percentage of households with at least one enslaved person. This event, the first of two talks curated by our Anti-Racism Committee, is by Zoom (zoom.us) and other channels, with presentation for about 45 minutes, followed by 10 to 15 minutes for questions and discussion. The second talk is:

Monday 22 March at 7pm: Professor Gunja Sengupta, Brooklyn College Details and links to follow.

Holy Week & Easter Preacher. Fr Gordon Reid, who has previously preached at St John’s, will be in residence from Palm Sunday and will be our guest preacher for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Triduum Sacrum, through to the two Eucharists of Easter Day. Fr Gordon is presently Dean of the Philadelphia city group of parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and has formerly served in both the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of England as, variously, Provost of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness, Dean of Gibraltar, and Vicar-General of the (Church of England) Diocese in Europe.

The Daily Office Do consider whether beginning and ending (and punctuating) your daylight hours with corporate prayer may be a Lenten discipline which would benefit you. Morning Prayer and Evensong are prayed by the Rector, clergy, and lay people every weekday. You can participate via our YouTube channel. They are available from 7am (Morning Prayer) and from 5pm (Evensong) Monday through Friday. See below for more information on the Daily Office. Br Andrew Jones SSF leads Midday Prayer on his Facebook channel Monday through Friday.

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On Saturday 20 February at 10.30am the Diocese of New York streams the annual Blessed Absalom Jones Celebration Service. The Officiant is the Rt. Rev. Andrew M. L. Dietsche, Bishop of New York, and the Hon. Byron Rushing, Vice President of the House of Deputies, is the preacher. Also featuring: Diocesan Festival Choir, Jay Hoggard, Tina Fabrique, Poet Gold, Michael James Leslie, and Larry Marshall. All details are found on the Diocesan website.

Concerts at St John’s: Sponsor a Concert

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St John’s Concert Series in the time of COVID-19. Since the pandemic began St John’s has invested in high quality audio-visual equipment and skilled personnel to enable us to continue as a patron of the arts here in the Village. This has enabled musicians (classically trained and of other traditions) to continue to perform, now to on-line audiences (in the USA and beyond). More recently, with all protocols for safe opening in place, these live-streamed concerts have also welcomed a small in-person audience (16 units). It has been a great joy to see Villagers once more enjoying live music in the beautiful acoustic of St John’s. The skilled personnel we engage (three sound/IT engineers per concert) are remunerated appropriately and this outlay is St John’s financial input to every concert. In short, each concert costs St John’s $300 to present. Thus far, a few generous benefactions have enabled us to cover all these fees, but that benefaction is coming to its end. If you would like to sponsor a concert ($300) either anonymously, or with your name associated with it, or perhaps in memoriam a departed loved one, or in celebration of a birthday or other life-event, or as a Christmas present (eg concert in late December and January), or simply to make it free to the public or parishioners or Villagers, we would be glad to hear from you. This will enable our concert series to persist through the time of the pandemic. With all concerts this would allow you to attend the concert gratis in person and with your own invited guests (gratis) in person (up to 14 or 16 units). Enjoy live music in a beautiful setting once more. Contact the Rector ([email protected]) if interested or seeking more information.

St John’s with Invisible Hands In response to the ‘stay-home’ order in NYC St John’s now runs a free grocery service for vulnerable people in Manhattan who have no internet access (and cannot therefore order online) and no non-vulnerable friends or family to shop for them. We work in collaboration with Invisible Hands (invisiblehandsdeliver.com). Our phone-line is staffed daily from Monday through Friday between 11am and 1pm: 929 292 9235 St John’s, using funds accessed from the UK specifically for this purpose (over 20K GBP), and other donations, pays for groceries and arranges delivery with Invisible Hands. Do give this number to seniors in Manhattan with no internet access.

YouTube

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All our streamed liturgies are accessible on our YouTube channel (youtube.com/stjvny). It is worth bookmarking, saving, or subscribing to that channel (subscription is free). The channel presently has just over 2000 subscribers.

Facebook Our Facebook page has some 1200 likers, who find Facebook a useful way of keeping in touch with the many services and events taking place at St John’s. We usually make only one or two posts per day, alerting friends to up-coming events. If you would like to keep in touch that way, please like our Facebook page: facebook.com/stjohnsinthevillge

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E-Bulletin We issue a weekly e-bulletin, usually on Thursdays or Fridays. If you would like to receive information in that way please email our Administrator ([email protected]) and ask to be subscribed.

Recording and Live-Streaming at St John’s Arts events are much affected by the public health precautions now in place. In collaboration with Musae (musae.me) we are now equipped with high quality audio- visual equipment, allowing us to offer a venue for musicians, no longer able to perform to full live audiences, to live-stream or record their performances to a professional standard. Musae helps promote and sell tickets. A small fee is necessary to cover the work of the sound engineer (who accesses the input remotely at sound-check and manages streaming). Many of these concerts are such that it is possible to attend in person and, indeed, sponsor the concert (see above).

Our Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute (PSI) continues to offer psychotherapy services from St. John’s Counseling Center, with offices located in Wade House, accessed through the ‘horse walk’ at 222 West 11th street, though now mostly remotely (eg by Zoom or Skype) rather than in person. PSI has established a strong reputation for spiritually informed psychotherapies and pastorally grounded treatment. PSI therapists are experienced in incorporating clients' spiritual interests and concerns in their work of healing, recovery, and overall well-being. For more information see out PSI website, psinyc.org. To speak to a therapist or make an appointment for a confidential consultation, call 212 285 0043.

• Our therapy sessions are offered on a sliding scale. • All PSI therapists are licensed in the State of New York. • Some of our therapists accept in-network insurance coverage; all are eligible for out-of-network coverage, depending on the client’s plan.

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The Daily Office (Daily Prayer) Clergy and laity pray together the ‘offices’ of Morning Prayer and Evensong every weekday at St John’s. (They are available on our YouTube channel.) From our earliest Anglican beginnings in the mid-16th century a distinctive Anglican spirituality arose in which lay people (rather than monastics only) began to pray these short services of Bible readings, psalms, canticles, prayer, and praise, either in church with the or at home. That spiritual tradition is strengthening once more today after a period of some falling off. The offices allow us to round the day in prayer and praise and also give us a continuous reading of passages from the Bible (two daily, or four each day if we pray both offices) which allow us to hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Scripture much more than we might otherwise. As the pandemic has encouraged us to participate in more and more activities from our own homes, so participation with others in the Daily Office has become easier – as, if the office is webcast, one does not need to travel to church. The offices from St John’s are available at our YouTube page from 7am (Morning Prayer) and 5pm (Evensong or Evening Prayer). They can, of course, be participated in at any time thereafter. This allows Morning Prayer and Evensong to be available to people of very diverse diurnal routines. A good spiritual habit is to choose the time of Morning Prayer and/or Evensong which best suits your particular routine and try to be consistent in that. Morning Prayer should precede the main activities of the day. Evensong is a limen or threshold between the day that is past and the evening that lies before us, where we give thanks for what is past and pray for what is to come. Evensong at St John’s is usually sung simply to the timeless music of plainsong (but you do not need to sing to participate!). In addition to Morning Prayer and Evensong, St John’s offers Midday Prayer with Br Andrew Jones via his Facebook Page (facebook.com/ap.jones), a pause for prayer as ‘time-out’ of the busy-ness of the day, and Compline, the service (invariable in its format and readings) which ends the day, and is best participated in just before retiring for the evening. Compline by Candlelight from St John’s is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=h5a9W3oV9YE

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Church Entrance: Parish Office/Mailing Address: 218 West Eleventh Street 224 Waverly Place Telephone: (212) 243-6192 New York, NY 10014-2405 Our church Website: www.sjvny.org

Follow us on:  Facebook.com/stjohnsinthevillage Clerk of the Vestry:  Instagram: @stjvny Timothy Boos  YouTube: www.youtube.com/stjvny Music Department:

The Clergy: Gordon King The Reverend Graeme Napier, Organist and Master of the Choristers Rector Jonathan DePeri, Randall White, The Reverend Ryan Bennett SSM, Michael Lukin Associate Priest Honorary Assistant Organists

The Reverend Lloyd Prator, Strathmere Ensemble, Rector Emeritus Resident string ensemble

The Reverend Dr Rosalie Richards, The Staff: Honorary Associate Priest A. Hunter Jordan, Administrator Kevin Marquez , Sexton The Reverend Bo Reynolds, Joseph Ponessa , Bookkeeper Honorary Associate Priest Luis Ortiz, Sub-sexton

The Reverend Dr Sabina Alkire, Honorary Associate Priest

Churchwardens: Paul Reitz & Margot Shields (Counsel)

The Vestry: Class of 2022: Kyle DeBlasio, Gerald Dilley, Richard Lipscomb Class of 2023: Jay Campbell (Treasurer), Nick Gordon, Patrick Merry

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