Vestry Retreat at Camp Mikell

Sunday, January 14

2^nd Sunday Brunch, 11:30 a.m.

Mondays beginning January 22

NEW! Parents’ Support Group, every Monday beginning January 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Parlor

Holy Comforter, 5:30 p.m.

E-mail submissions to parishadmin@stjohnscollegepark.com;

mail to 3480 Main Street, College Park, GA 30337;

deliver to the office door mailbox;

or fax to 404-761-8403.

Come join us for an Art Talk: a slideshow & presentation from Dick Evans, an expert and teacher at the High Museum. He will be showing slides from the Louvre Museum’s Royal collections currently on view in Atlanta, highlighting paintings, drawings, and sculptures acquired by Louis XIV (the Sun King) Louis XVI, and Louis XVI (the last King of France). He will also discuss Morris Louis and post-war American art. Everyone is welcome to join us! This will be a great prelude to our visit to see the exhibitions on January 9th.

Taizé focuses on light, silence, prayer, and music. We hope you will find it a beautiful way to add to your worship experience. Taizé starts at 5 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month. Everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at a local restaurant after the service.

Jim will be at Perk Place in Hapeville on North Central, near Dogwood. Come enjoy a cup of joe and an open mic discussion with the rector.

Parents, gather with the rector in the Parlor on Monday evenings beginning January 22. Parents will take turns attending to childcare duties for the group. See you there!

Join us to visit the High Museum of Art and see works from Louvre in Atlanta: The Royals Collection. If you can attend, please sign up in advance on the bulletin board in Bott Hall! Details:

Enjoy food and fellowship in Bott Hall after the 10:30 service. Bring your favorite dish to share with others!

Holy Comforter parish in East Atlanta serves mentally disabled adults, most of whom live in group homes in the area. Several times a year, St. John’s makes dinner for the parish, visits, and worships together with Holy Comforter. We will meet to carpool in the St. John’s horseshoe parking lot at 5:30 p.m. Worship begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will follow. There will be no Wednesday program that evening. This is always a wonderful trip—please join us!

1 Carolyn Crawford

3 Sarah Clark

4 Carlie Franzman

5 Dorothy Scribner

9 Louise Manza, Gerry O’Connor

11 Jane Hinson

15 Marie Knight

17 Donna Davis

20 Joanne Lindsey

21 Ikechi Okonya

22 Richard Durepo

24 Ward Standridge

25 Daniel Ayiteyfio

27 Ed Pierce

28 Sue Johnson

30 Richard Hamrick

Members

Ministries

Katharine, our Presiding Bishop

Neil, our Bishop

Jim, our Rector

Ruth, our Priest Associate

Liz, our Seminarian

Friends & Relatives

The flowers on the altar last month were dedicated to the glory of God and

In loving memory of Beverly Gordy on her birthday,

from Sue Johnson

In loving memory of William J. Livsey, Sr.,

from Bena Sue Livsey

In gratitude for my birth, life, and family,

from Lisa Henderson

Government

Thanksgiving

It was a wonderful Christmas thanks to St. John’s and all of the other parishes and individuals who thoughtfully gave items for the Emmaus House Christmas programs this year. The elves were very tired at the end of the gift line, and Santa and Mrs. Claus were ready for a nap, but all in all, it was a huge success with many smiles from children and parents! EH touched the lives of around 1,000 children, parents, and seniors. It was a record setting year: over 730 children came for the Christmas Eve distribution; there were about 45 families in the family partnership (197+ individuals); 83 or more seniors at the Grandparents party; and 35 seniors at the senior luncheon. We also provided coats, warm gloves, shirts and other items for the Poverty Rights Office volunteers and clients. EH sends warm thanks to each of you, and wants you to know that it couldn’t have been done without your wonderful support.

The 36th Annual Cathedral Antiques Show & Tour of Homes will offer a variety of activities including a preview gala , a Collectors' Night, an internationally known guest speaker, and a tour of selected Buckhead homes. The five-day event will also feature antique dealers and opportunities for antiques’ appraisals. Sponsored by the Cathedral of St. Philip ECW, the show will benefit the Truancy Intervention Project. Since 1995 alone, the Cathedral Antiques Show has donated nearly $2 million dollars to Atlanta area charities. For more information, visit episcopalatlanta.org.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States for men and the second leading cause of death for women. It is also the number one reason people are admitted to the nursing home. However, up to 75% of strokes could be prevented.

College Park United Methodist Church will be hosting a Life Line Screening for the community on Monday, January 9, 2007. Life Line Screening will perform four different health screenings using Doppler color flow ultrasound:

Have you seen the new stained glass windows during the day with sun streaming through and highlighting the magnificent colors? If not, a special trip by the church for that very purpose would be worth the time and effort. Seven of the windows are now in place. The twenty windows in the nave will, when they are all in place, tell in sequence the story of the life of our Lord. The windows now depict: the Nativity, the boy Christ in the temple, the first miracle at Cana, the Healing of the sick, the calling of St. Peter & St. John, the Ascension and the Pentecost. There is a chart in the Parish Hall made by Mr. Keith Huffstetter showing the windows in sequence. The title of each window is indicated on this chart and shows the event portrayed by the pictures. Small bronze plaques will be placed under each window to indicate those memorialized. After the plaques are in place the dedication date will be announced.

New Year’s is always a time to take stock. Often it becomes a trite time of tired resolutions we know deep in our hearts we won’t keep. But it doesn’t have to be that way. For example, five years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to go on a low carb diet (after my doctor asked me, “So how long were you planning on living?”). It was not something I did impulsively. I had bought and read books during the fall, and I intentionally did not let myself begin until my planned start date of January 1st. I wanted to be sure it was a considered move and that I was really ready to change my motivation, not just to change my behavior.

So, January 1st arrived, and at long last, I went on the diet. That day, I went to a party at the Franzmans’, and there, calling my name, were the most wonderful brownies ever (Jane Holloman’s?), and, you guessed it, I said to myself, “OK, I’ll start tomorrow,” and I ate three brownies! That is a classic story of a New Year’s resolution that failed, right?

Wrong. Because I did start the next day (a bit chagrinned with myself), and, as some of you know all too well, I’m 30 pounds lighter five years later and still on the diet.

New Year’s is a good time to take stock, but in a meaningful way. There is no point in trying to change behavior if you don’t change motivation. And we need to be flexible; if you eat the brownie, all is not lost. Start again.

I want to suggest that we all apply those principles to taking stock of our spiritual lives. Ask yourself: what do I need to change to be closer to God, to act more like God wants me to act, to be the person God created me to be, to rededicate myself to God and God’s people? Don’t act impulsively; pray about it; talk about it; take time so that you can be sure you are changing internally, not just externally.

People who attend church sporadically often tell me that they need to come more. My answer is, “So why don’t you?” But really, I want them to reflect on why they don’t come more. I want them to ask whether making worship a habit would feed their soul. What would their motivation be? Could attending regularly be an agent of inner change, or would they be doing it out of a sense of obligation, guilt, or fear?

The Begin Again Supervised Visitation Program needs help. Would that feed your soul? What would your motivation be? Could that important ministry be an agent of inner change for you?

The Bargain Shop needs help. Would that feed your soul? What would your motivation be? Could that important ministry be an agent of inner change for you?

I could go on, but you get the point. Stop. As we begin a new year, take stock of your spiritual life. Reflect on the changes you need to make and take the time to change your motivation, not just your behavior.

And if you eat the brownie (or three!), it’s not all over. You get second chances. You get an infinite number of chances. But you have to try.

Let God help this be a new year for a new you.

Anyone with a special need (or any need!) is invited to meet in the chapel for prayer after the 10:30 service. Lord, in your Mercy, Hear our prayer.

Please pray for those attending Sr. DYC at Camp Mikell on January 5-7. From St. John’s, Jordan McLeod, Ikechi Okonya, Chika Okonya, Elizabeth Pritchett, and Robbin Iddins will be exploring appearance, insecurity, and fitting in with today’s world as well as how this coincides with our being children of God. (Sr. DYC is grades 10-12.)

It is difficult to express how much your love, prayers and support mean to us during this difficult time. We are lost without Rick, but your caring makes it easier to get through each day. We are blessed to have so many wonderful friends here and blessed to have been loved by such a wonderful man.

My heartfelt thanks for the visits, calls, cards, and flowers sent to me when I was in the hospital.

Deepest thanks for the thoughts, prayers, love, and cards during my illness. It means so much, and still does! I’m still recuperating, and I still feel the prayers you are sending, helping me along.

If you were not able to make it to the first Via Media sessions in December, don’t worry! This will be an entirely new segment, open to everyone. Here’s your chance to attend a fascinating class that explores the faith with friends, fellowship, and food.

Unfortunately, there has been a delay in video production, so the class has been postponed from January until Lent. Once started, it will include dinner & a program, from 6-8 p.m. Please let Ruth Healy know if you plan to attend, so that she can make preparations for dinner. Call Ruth at the church on Tuesdays and Thursdays or e-mail associatepriest@stjohnscollegepark.com.

Via Media Part II is designed around the questions in the Baptismal Covenant. It focuses on what responsibilities come with the answers to these questions, how we are shaped by a Eucharistic community, and how we stay in community even when we disagree. Watch the announcements for further discussion topics.

On December 18^th, Jim Pritchett was informed that his application to participate in Journey of Faith, a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, had been approved. This is “a unique opportunity for renewal offered for mid-career pastors by Columbia Theological Seminary’s Center for Lifelong Learning. Journey of Faith includes an expense-paid two-week pilgrimage to the Holy Land and two short retreats — one before and one after the pilgrimage.”

retreat: Jan. 24-26;

Pilgrimage: Feb. 25-March 10;

retreat: May 8-10.

Lately, the Ten Commandments have become pawns in our nation’s “culture wars.” Displaying their conservative credentials, some argue that the Commandments must be displayed in courthouses and other government buildings, and they have turned them into yard signs to show their support. Responding with liberal fervor, others argue that it is unconstitutional to display the Ten Commandments in public buildings, and they seek court orders preventing it.

I have long wished that we, as a nation, would spend as much time and energy trying to understand and follow the Ten Commandments as we do arguing about where they should be displayed. If you have similar thoughts, I think you will find Losing Moses on the Freeway: The 10 Commandments in America, by Chris Hedges, to be challenging and thought provoking. Hedges discusses the meaning of each of the Commandments and tells powerful stories illuminating how they are relevant (and often ignored) today. The Baltimore Sun said: “Hedges main point is that America is a nation marked by self-satisfaction, false piety, hypocrisy, and covetousness and that its institutions and culture aid and abet these very real failings. . . . If you’re fed up with the sorry state of things in America today and aren’t sure why, Hedges lays it out for you here.”

We have an extra copies of The Rector Recommends books in the church office available for you to borrow.

In thanksgiving for the people of St. John’s, who have been God incarnate in our lives, with love from the Pritchetts.

In loving memory of John T. Sanders and Pauline H. Sanders, my mother and father; and Jan Berlin Chamlee and James J. Berlin, my daughter and son; in thanksgiving for family, Jeff, Mary Lynn, Nicholas, Joel, Rhonda, Keith, Erica, Chad, and Jameson; and especially in appreciation for St. John’s wonderful people, who have made my life worth living because of their love and prayers. God bless us all, with love and gratitude from Jackie Berlin.

In memory of John Marc Rutherford, from Jeanne & Gale Mull.

In thanksgiving for God’s blessings, especially friends, family, St. John’s, and my two fantastic boys, Joe & Grant, and in gratitude for Grant’s wonderful grandmother, Linda Vinal, from Lee Barthelette.

In thanksgiving and praise to God, from Joy Lopez and Caroline Patrick.

In thanksgiving for my children and grandchildren, and for Dock Anderson and the choir, from Sue Johnson.

In loving memory of Bill Johnson, Rick Reeves, and Jon Marc Rutherford, from Sue Johnson.

In loving memory of Mr. & Mrs. G.S. Huffstetter, from Keith Huffstetter.

In thanksgiving for John, Ward, Joshua, Hal, Jane, Troy, Lydia, Jamison, Edward, and Robert E., from Bob & Jane Holloman.

In appreciation of God, family, and loved ones, from Sarah Clark.

In loving memory of Elam R. Gillon, from Julia Paris.

In thanksgiving for my husband, Jim, with love from Charlotte Pritchett.

In thanksgiving for our children, grandchildren, and forthcoming great granddaughter, from Joanne & Claude Lindsey.

In thanksgiving for my wonderful children, Paul, Elizabeth and John, and my granddaughter Mary, from Melissa Brady.

To the glory God and in loving memory of John and Bena Burns and Peggy Burns Moran from Betty B. Hampton.

To the glory God and in loving memory of John and Bena Burns and Peggy Burns Moran, from Bena Sue Livsey.

In loving memory of my husband, Bud Tillman, and my mother and father, Dorothy & F. Earl Davidson, from Marian Tillman.

In memory of my brother, William Abner Holloman, from Melissa Roberts.

To the glory of God, from Lisa, Carlie, and Carl Franzman.

In thanksgiving for God’s many blessings with gratitude from Ray Townsend.

The Revised Common Lectionary, which the Episcopal Church uses as a "schedule" for the readings in our services each Sunday, is set up on a three year cycle. Beginning with Advent 2006, we began a new church year and thus a new cycle of readings, Year "C". This year, most of our Sunday Gospel readings come from Luke. In class, we'll talk about the overall themes of Luke's Gospel, and spend time on the Gospel reading for that particular Sunday.

Class begins in the Parish Hall at 9:15 a.m. The class will be led by our seminarian, Liz Schellingerhoudt.

Don’t forget to pick up an empty Family Life Ministries bag on the last Sunday of the month, and bring it back filled with nonperishable food and donations on the first Sunday!

Jim & Ruth will host a new class on Wednesdays from January 17 until February 21. It will include dinner and last from 6-8 p.m.. Watch the announcements for more details and discussion topics. Until class starts on January 17, join us Wednesdays at 7 p.m. for Holy Communion with Healing and Contemporary Music.