A Letter from Father Humphrey Dear People, Neighbors, and Friends of St

The Evangelist May 26, 2019 We are ready for you at St. John's!

Sunday: Low Mass at 8 a.m. & High Mass at 10 a.m.

Monday through Friday: Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m. & Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m.

Feast Days & Special Services as announced.

Confessions by appointment.

A Letter from Father Humphrey Dear People, Neighbors, and Friends of St. John's

Those of you who follow the church on Facebook may have already seen this letter, in which case you can continue scrolling. But I thought it important enough to repeat it here:

With the announcement last Sunday of the call of Mother Anita Schell of Emmanuel, Newport to St. Anne's, Old Lyme, CT, two of the three Newport parishes (Trinity and Emmanuel) are now in transition. Added to that is the recent retirement of Fr. Erik Larsen from St. Columba's, Middletown, and the departure at the end of this month of Fr. John Alexander from our Anglo-Catholic sister parish, St. Stephen's, Providence.

Since the news of these four significant vacancies has become known, several people have asked me whether I'm going anywhere. I can tell you that, God-willing, I am not.

We are embarking on a new roof project in four (!) days, and we hope to raise the remaining $300,000 in funding (not just pledges) necessary within 2019 to repoint the exterior stonework of the church so that we don't need to remove the scaffolding and can proceed directly to that phase later in 2019 or early 2020. Beyond this project, the Vestry has identified capital improvement priorities that will keep us occupied at least through 2025, when we will celebrate 150 years as the Episcopal presence on the Point.

In the first season of "Downton Abbey," Matthew Crawley, a distant cousin of the Earl of Grantham, suddenly finds himself the heir apparent of the earldom when the previous heir and his son die in the sinking of the Titanic. The Earl invites Matthew to Downton and gives him a tour of the estate. Overlooking the grand house, this dialogue ensues:

Lord Grantham: You do not love the place yet.

Matthew Crawley: Well, obviously, it's...

Lord Grantham: No, you don't love it. You see a million bricks that may crumble, a thousand gutters and pipes that may block and leak, and stone that will crack in the frost.

Matthew Crawley: But you don't?

Lord Grantham: I see my life's work.

I am merely a parish priest and not an English aristocrat. But in reality I feel towards St. John's and its people what the fictional earl feels toward his house and the people who live and work on his estate. St. John's is my life's work.

Of course, God can decide to knock me off at any time or send me a new mission that I cannot deny without being unfaithful to my calling to follow Christ whithersoever he leads me. I am not an aristocrat. I am a servant of my divine master. But as long as I have any say in the matter, and for as long as you see fit to support me in the mission and vision that I believe God had called us to fulfill in faith together, I intend with God's help to remain in Newport. I want to see this great work come to fruition, to the greater glory of God, the edification of God's people, and as a witness to God's goodness to the neighborhood, this city, and the world.

I invite you to join me in this life's work, as we await in hope the work that God has in store for us in the life of the world to come.

Yours in Christ's service, N.J.A. Humphrey+ XIV Rector

P.S. Please share this email and its associated Facebook post with your friends and consider contributing to the mission and ministry of St. John's today.

Roof Project Begins This Week!

We're THRILLED to announce that the contracts have been signed for the first phase of our roof project, and work is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 28!!! Check back here for further updates!

The blue area above is Phase 1A, Roof Restoration, a $1.2 million dollar project, which has been fully funded thanks to a generous $916,000 grant from the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust and individual donations from parishioners, neighbors, and friends.

The yellow area above is Phase 1B, Exterior Stone Repointing, for which we are still looking to raise at least $300,000 in funding before the end of 2019 from individuals both within the parish and in the wider community in order to keep our five year plan on track. If you are interested in finding out more about the capital campaign for St. John's, or want to volunteer to help, please be in touch with Fr. Humphrey at [email protected] or 401-500-0042. And stay tuned for more exciting announcements! This Weekend

Saturday, May 25, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. The Point Association Annual Plant Sale @ St. John's

Be sure to stop by the St. John's parking lot off Willow Street on Saturday, May 25, from 8 a.m. to noon for the Point Association's Annual Plant Sale. Selling annuals, perennials, herbs and garden items at great prices. Handmade items from Point artists/craftspeople will also be available for purchase. Support the Point Association and beautify your garden and yard! Saturday, May 25, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Newport Architectural Forum Harbor House, 111 Washington St., Newport

Newport is a treasure trove of important architecture from the time of the earliest European settlement of North America to the present day. Particularly through the end of the nineteenth century it is where some of the most ground breaking architecture was being done by the most important architects of the time.

This vast and irreplaceable portfolio is managed not just by the city or by a single institution, but by a large and varied group of organizations, individuals and companies. Together this heritage is both what Newport is best known for worldwide and also a prime attraction that draws visitors as an essential economic driver for the community.

On May 25, 2019, various organizations within the Newport community are coming together to celebrate this vast and rich architectural heritage of The Point neighborhood of Newport, Rhode Island. This one day symposium will include lectures by scholars, lunch and visits to some of these important buildings which play such a central place in the evolution of architecture in America from Colonial Era to the present day.

This daylong series of lectures and tours closes with a cocktail reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Villa Marina. Cost is $65 and space is limited. To reserve your place, please call Ross Cann at Because of space limitations the symposium must be limited to 60 persons on a first come first served basis. To make your reservation, call Ross Cann at (401) 849-5100.

You can download the informational brochure and schedule here.

Requiem Rescheduled

Portrait of Mrs. Sidney Webster (Sarah Morris Fish) painted by Carl A. Weidner (1865-1906)

Tuesday, June 4, 5:45 p.m. Sidney Webster Memorial Requiem

The Sidney Webster Memorial Requiem has been rescheduled from Wednesday, May 29, to Tuesday, June 4, following Evening Prayer. This date change is due to the fact that on the 29th, Fr. Humphrey, as Vice President of Diocesan Council, has been invited with other diocesan leaders to have dinner with the Bishop to meet the first candidate for the position of Canon to the Ordinary to succeed Canon Linda Grenz upon her retirement this summer.

On Tuesday, June 4, at 5:45 p.m., the Sidney Webster Memorial Requiem will be celebrated in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. The chapel, designed by Ralph Adams Cram, was given in Sidney Webster's memory. Sarah Morris Fish Webster gave the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in memory of her beloved husband, Sidney Webster. He was an expert on constitutional law and the sometime private secretary to President Franklin Pierce.

This Week

Thursday, May 30, 6 p.m., Choral Eucharist for Ascension Day Emmanuel Church, Newport

On Thursday, May 30, at 6 p.m. at Emmanuel Church, 42 Dearborn St., Newport, celebrate Choral Eucharist for Ascension Day with the St. John's Adult Choir, Emmanuel Church Choir, and Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County. A supper catered by Becky's BBQ will follow this annual collaborative service. Fr. Humphrey will preside at the Eucharist and Mother Anita Schell, rector of Emmanuel Church, will be the preacher. Free parking is available in the church parking lot across from the church on Dearborn Street.

Friday, May 31, 6:30 p.m. Mass for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On Friday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m., a Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a reception following will be celebrated at St. John's with the people and clergy of our sister parish, Saint Stephen's, Providence, in attendance. Got Opinions?

We have designed a survey on hospitality that recognizes the complexity of meeting the needs of our people, neighbors, friends, visitors, guests, and newcomers on a regular basis and for special events in a growing church.

We are blessed with many community members with gifts for hospitality, but if there's one thing that's true of every church, there can often be different approaches to this ministry that lead to conflict. Rather than ignoring this reality, the survey asks for your confidential, honest feedback on all aspects of this important ministry, including being up front about personality conflicts so that we can put together teams who work smoothly with each other to the glory of God and the edification of all.

It's unrealistic to think that in a community of this size everybody can get along just fine with everyone else. We're a family, after all, and as Fr. Humphrey preached on Easter Day, the church may be a dysfunctional family, but we're the best dysfunctional family in the world!

In this spirit, won't you please take just a few moments to fill out this brief survey about hospitality at St. John's? Many thanks! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HQF8JJ6 Upcoming

Saturday, June 22, 11 a.m. Feast of Corpus Christi Mass & Benediction

St. John's is pleased to be hosting the Annual Meeting and Mass of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday, June 22, at 11 a.m. in observance of the Feast of Corpus Christi. The Mass will feature an outdoor procession (weather permitting) and Benediction, and it will be followed by a luncheon. All are welcome. The service will feature the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County and the St. John's Adult Choir, with exquisite organ music by Peter Berton. Further details will be forthcoming, but to RSVP for the luncheon, please email parish administrator Melanie Ventura at [email protected]. We hope to see you there!

Candle Dedications The Paschal Candle has been given in memory of Alma Mae Dempsey and Margot Morgan

If you would like to dedicate a candle in honor or in memory of a loved one, please be in touch with the Parish Office to make sure the date is free. The suggested donation for a candle dedication is $25, although a donation is any amount is welcome. If you would simply like to dedicate any of the above candles on the next available date, write which candle and its dedication in the memo line of your check and put it in the offering plate. Questions? Contact [email protected].

Supporting St. John's

Would you like to support St. John's?

It's never to late to pledge your support, or to make a donation, in any amount.

If you would like to pledge your support for St. John's, please visit our online pledge card here. For other ways to support St. John's, please visit our website here, or our Facebook page at facebook.com/SaintJohnsNewport.

To give a one-time gift online with or without an account, please click here.

To give by text message:

And always, thank you for your generous support! Stewardship is a year-round commitment, and we thank you for your investment in our present and in our future, but above all, thank you for simply showing up and being who you are, for supporting us in prayer when you are unable to be with us, and for the love that you give in so many ways, of which St. John's is merely one recipient and conduit among many.

To make a pledge: Click here or below: * To give a one-time gift online without an account, click here.

* To set up recurring online payments through our secure parish database, Realm, you can register for a new account here.

* To log in to an account you have already set up in Realm, click here.

* Automated Payments: Check with your local financial institution's billpay services to set up automated payments to St. John's.

* PayPal online gift: To make a donation through PayPal, click here. ______PLEASE NOTE: TO A "T"

We've fixed our Realm link by adding a "t" to it, so the address is now StJohnEvangelist, rather than StJohnEvangelis.

Old link: (no longer working): onrealm.org/StJohnEvangelis/Register

New link: https://onrealm.org/StJohnEvangelist/Register

So please update your web browser bookmarks accordingly! Thank you!

Sunday School Update

Recently, we discussed MOTHERS. Specifically, we thought about 6 mothers in the Bible: Eve, Mary, Jochebed, Rebekah, Sarah, and Elizabeth. We decided that being a mother in Biblical times was especially challenging, and these six women were particularly amazing at facing challenges and raising some mighty impressive children. We talked about what qualities make good mothers, and how we need them to grow and shine. We concluded that we are all very lucky people indeed to have been given the mothers we each have.

All the best, Jenn

Christian Education is open to children of all ages at the 10 o'clock Mass. We look forward to seeing you! A Bible Study Haiku

Bible Study path Stop! A fork is ahead. Wait. Rector is thinking.

For Adults & Older Youth Rector's Tuesday Book Study

The Rector's Book Study will continue Tuesday, May 28, at 9 a.m. in the Rector's Study in the Guild Hall, when we will discuss Our Father by Alexander Schmemann. Please RSVP to [email protected] to join in the conversation.