July and August attendance - Rector's Rambling for July 30, 2023

     We are now in the warm and muggy part of summer here at St. John’s, and I am grateful for your continuing attendance at weekly worship, even if it means 90 or so minutes in a building that is not climate controlled during this part of the year.  If it is any help, just remember that soon enough it will be cold again and we will have to turn the furnaces back on!

I have now gotten my summer travel out of the way, and God willing will not be out of town again until late October when I will be dashing away to race in some rowing regattas.  A family vacation, then the St. Michael’s Conference for Youth, and finally a few weekdays for a family reunion kept me coming and  going in June/July. 

Others in the parish have shared with me their travel plans that will take them away in July or August (or parts of both) and it is nice to hear about people’s adventures.

A couple of notes about travel - plan on attending Church on Sunday where you are on that day!  In June I attended Sunday worship in an Episcopal Church in Maui that included portions of the service in Hawaiian.  And of course you can bring with you a 1928 Book of Common Prayer and Bible to pray Morning and/or Evening Prayer while away (both books are also available via internet).  Just because you are away from home doesn’t mean we should stop praying regularly.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention keeping current with your contribution in support of the ministry here at St. John’s while away on vacation..  Our offering envelopes can be sealed, a stamp placed on them, and put in any mailbox.

 

Farewell to Organ Scholar Abe Wallace - Rector's Rambling for July 16, 2023

     In 2005 St. John’s received a bequest from the estate of siblings John and Eleanor Edwards,  the children of the former organist of St. John’s, John L. Edwards, from 1905 to 1947.   The gift was given in support of music at St. John’s.  With that gift we endowed the Edwards Organ Scholarship.  Since that time we have had wonderful organists join the staff under the tutelage of Dr. Huw Lewis, where they learn the art and science of a world class Anglican music program.  It is generally a 2 to 3 year appointment while the Organ Scholar is studying for an advanced degree.  The goal of the scholarship is to prepare them for a career in church music at the highest level.

As wonderful as it is to have these talented organists come to us for a period of time, it also means that they also move on after a period of time.  And unfortunately this is the last weekend for our current organ scholar, Abe Wallace.  It has been a joy to have Abe with us as we have transitioned out of the covid-restrictions and back to normal top-notch musical offerings. 

Abe has received a special recognition from the Association of Anglican Musicians, who have awarded him the Gere Hancock Internship Scholarship.  He will be pausing his doctoral studies at the University of Michigan to work at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee.  Abe is the second St. John’s Edward’s Organ Scholar to receive this prestigious award!  David Heinze received it in 2018.

Abe came to us after studying at the University of Oklahoma and Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and was recommend to us by the then current Organ Scholar Jackson Merrell, who studied with Abe at Yale.  The incoming Edwards Organ Scholar, Grace Jackson, is also from Oklahoma and is coming to us by way of Notre Dame’s Masters Degree program.  She will be studying for her doctorate at the University of Michigan and will be joining us later in the summer.

We bid Abe farewell and best wishes as he heads on his way to Nashville, and we hope that when he returns to University of Michigan to complete his doctoral work he will be able to join us occasionally for worship or to play for us.

 

Daily Mass and Offices - Rector's Rambling for July 9, 2023

     Another year of the St. Michael’s Conference for Youth is now in the books.  This year was the 30th Anniversary of the Midwest Conference, and my 25th anniversary of being on staff at this one, plus my two more years on staff at the original one on the east coast.  Another version of the Conference takes place in Texas, and is an off-shoot of our midwestern group.  Once again we were fully subscribed  with Michaelites, the first time since 2019.  Already we are looking for ways that we can expand for next year so that more young people can attend.

This week we are back to the regular, full weekday Service Schedule with Holy Communion and Evening Prayer prayed at St. John’s Monday through Thursday.  The following week I will be away for a family reunion and then after that I am not scheduled to be away again until the end of October.

It is vitally important that we as a church understand that public worship is not just for Sunday morning!  Rather, we are a church that embraces DAILY Prayer and offers the opportunity to worship in community 5 of the 7 days a week most of the year.  We also have the Church open most days of the week as well for people to stop in and pray (or just look around).

Why is this important?  First of all THE CHURCH doesn’t just pray on Sunday.  We pray everyday (and I hope each day we pray often each day).  Of course we should be praying on our own at home or work - the Book of Common Prayer being a great resource since Morning and Evening Prayer, the Daily Office, can be prayed individually as well as in a group.  And just as our wonderful building stands a sign of God’s presence among His people, we open the doors and open worship because worship is the primary purpose of the church! Through it we glorify God and we are pointed toward, and equipped for the journey towards greater and greater holiness.  Prayer and Worship leads the way in this journey toward heaven!