Holiday Boutique returns Nov. 22-23

Holiday Boutique 2024! A beloved St. John’s and South Shore tradition, this year’s 24th Annual Holiday Boutique will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23 and as always, the Cocktail Party will be held on the eve of the Boutique on Friday, Nov. 22. As in past years, we need many volunteers to support this annual event and we have opportunities for people of all ages to get involved.

The online volunteer signup link is live! Please sign up here:

If you have any questions about getting involved please reach out to Jenn GaySmith or (617) 548-2434. Thank you so much for kicking off the 2024 holiday season by volunteering at this festive fundraiser and cherished annual tradition!

Cocktail Party Tickets on sale now!

Don’t miss St. John’s biggest social gathering of the year! Purchase your Cocktail Party Tickets here:

From the Rector: Remembrance Tide

Dear friends,

On Thursday evening of this week, we officially marked Halloween, originally known as All Hallows Eve. This is the night where, traditionally within the Church, vigils were kept prior to the following All Hallows Day or All Saints Day. “All Hallows” is the basis for “Halloween.”

According to Germanic traditions from the fifteenth century, people would visit houses throughout their communities, bringing “soul cakes” and other treats as a sign of their preparation for the day when the Church celebrates all the saints in heaven. Thus, on the next day the Church gives thanks for those Christians who have gone before us, who led lives of particular holiness, in making known the Kingdom of God. The vigils kept the night before, as is common with all vigils kept before a major feast, were a sign of excitement, celebration, and prayer to enable Christians to contemplate the significance of the feast prior to its central celebration. Today, although Halloween looks a little different, give or take a few details the sentiment is essentially the same … well, almost.

Following All Saints Day then comes All Souls Day or The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. On this third feast, we celebrate those who are special to us more personally, who have gone before us in the way of faith. Thus, we move liturgically, spiritually, and theologically from vigil to celebratory feast, then to more solemn remembrance, and especially for those closest to us.

In The Church of England, this time of year is often also referred to as “Remembrance Tide.” This is because as we move through this passage of the year, we find ourselves spending a significant portion of time remembering the saints, those who we love, and indeed those aspects of our lives which require healing. Following All Souls Day, we soon reach Veterans Day (in the U.S.) or Remembrance Day (in the U.K. and Canada), where we remember those who have given their lives in service to their country. Furthermore, we find ourselves moving into a time where the seasons are truly changing once more, as autumn leaves finish falling, the dark and the cold begin in earnest, yet we then prepare for Thanksgiving, and then a new liturgical year with Advent. Change, remembrance, and hope are all significant themes which permeate this final part of the calendar year.

Over the next two Sundays, we will be marking these moments: with All Saints Sunday on November 3, and our All Souls Sunday on November 10. We will be celebrating the baptism of one of our youngest parishioners on November 3, and on November 10 we will be reading the names of those who have passed on from this life during the last year. As we frame the next few weeks around both the celebration of new life and of the lives of those who have now gone before us, I hope you will join us in the Parish Church for this special time of worship and contemplation. And if there is a loved one whom wish to remember on November 10, please be sure to send in their names on the form from the bulletin to the Parish Office.

I look forward to worshiping and praying with you as we journey through this time together: remembering, giving thanks, and then contemplatively looking to the future with hope.

The Rev. Edward Thornley

Rector

Youth Group Meetings

The next meeting for Middle School Youth Group is Sunday, Nov. 3 from 6–7:30 p.m. when we will be sorting food for Outreach’s food drive and having dinner. 

High School Youth Group will also be meeting on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 6–7:30 p.m. for a hot dog roast and s’mores

Holiday Boutique Yard Signs

’Tis the season to deck the streets with Holiday Boutique Signs! If you hosted a Holiday Boutique sign in your yard last year, please let Elizabeth Moulds know if you do NOT want one again, or if you moved. If you’d like to host a sign on a street that has good visibility, please contact Elizabeth. Fa la la la la, la la la la! 

Needlepoint Breakfast

Have you ever wondered what the Needlepoint Guild is, what we do, who we are? Are you interested in stitching, would like to learn, or even if you aren’t interested at all, but would enjoy the company? Please join us for Breakfast Saturday, Nov. 2, at 9:30 in Upper Weld Hall. RSVP to Wendy Ellison or Allison Marshall.

From the Rector: Finding the prayerful threads in community

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Over the last few weeks, I have been struck once more at how engaged our community is. We have witnessed the marvel that is The Not-So-Spooky Haunted House, thanks to the gargantuan efforts of Dan and Kaja Fickes, their daughters Elise and Kristi, John Lanza, and our incredible parishioners, and children and youth volunteers. I have also seen our Holiday Boutique appear more noticeably on the horizon, as plans are coming together around another major holiday event. We gathered for coffee hour at the Rectory last Sunday, as well as many of our parishioners engaging in our wider community through the Hingham Historical Society’s Tavern Night. Turns out St. John’s has quite the presence there!

Just when things seemed to calm down, I then found myself in meetings with Sunday School leaders, planning this Sunday’s All-Ages Worship and Stewardship Sermon; as well as our Outreach Committee’s meeting, a planning meeting for the South Africa trip, and of course our Wednesday morning Eucharist. And that’s before you get to our Transition Committee’s Wine and Cheese Evenings, the Men’s Group’s monthly meeting, our monthly Finance Committee meeting, and our community’s participation at the consecration of our new Bishop! A few of these events, I confess, I ultimately couldn’t attend because of clashes and, frankly, exhaustion! Oh, and I’m being instituted here on November 19 …!

When I was discerning, interviewing, and then finally preparing for arriving at St. John’s, I knew there would be a great deal of activity. Everyone in this community leads a busy life, to say the least! This was one of the things that inspired Devon and I the most about coming here. One of the great gifts of parish life is precisely what St. John’s does best, and that is, put simply, gathering. Through this we share our gifts and grow in our relationship with God through each of the particular aspects of parish life that draws us in and speaks to us most immediately. And at the heart of all these gatherings is prayer. Whether it is at a social event, a fundraiser, a committee or ministry meeting, or indeed an act of worship in and of itself; prayer is an essential part of each these. And prayer is part of even those gatherings which one might not immediately anticipate being explicitly spiritual or theological.

The last two weeks have felt like journeying a St. John’s “road map.” It began with the Eucharist on Sunday, from which point we left the parish church, going out into the world to engage in all the usual things that occupy our lives. And, in the midst of this, whether you are a priest, an administrator, a doctor, an accountant, or … fill in the blank … you find yourself back in our parish, sharing the gifts that you bring, and which make who you are with the community around you. There’s an interconnectivity between all these elements: a prayerful thread which ties everything together. Each act of gathering connects to another, from worship to social, from Haunted House to fundraising, from Hingham to South Africa and back, from one generation to another. As we move into a busy time of year, and approach a new liturgical year, how we navigate those specific prayerful threads that underlie our shared life will be an important theme, for “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” And I am excited to walk that journey with you.

The Rev. Edward Thornley

Rector of The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist

Sunday School Update: Sunday School supports Outreach

Dear St. John’s families,

We are participating in Outreach’s food drive for WellSpring! Nearly one in four Americans experience food insecurity. This is a great way to teach children how they can help their neighbors. Please bring one of the following items and drop in the colorful bin downstairs in the Sunday School.

• Cereal

• Dry pasta

• Microwaveable mac and cheese

• Chef Boyardee canned products

• Canned tuna fish

• Peanut butter

• Jelly

• Granola Bars

This week is All Ages Worship! Wear your Halloween costume to church! For those of you not familiar, this is our 10 a.m. worship service that is geared towards children, though all are welcome! Some adults have said this is their favorite type of service. We will be treated to the choristers singing and Fr. Ed demonstrating one of our favorite Godly Play lessons from the gospel of Matthew. We need a few more ushers, greeters, and acolytes: please email me to sign up!

Afterwards, at coffee hour, we will be selling the beautiful birdhouses made by the Sunday School and Youth Group kids. Proceeds will be going towards the South Africa trip next summer.

St. John’s Choir presents Choral Evensong

Join us for the beautiful service of Evensong next Sunday, October 27 at 5 p.m. Evensong provides a time of reflection at the close of day: time for prayer, time to hear the Word of God, and time to listen to and sing beautiful music in response. Come for a brief respite from all the busy-ness of life. St. John’s Choir will sing Charles Stanford’s glorious setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B-flat, and Howells’ ethereal “A Hymn for St. Cecilia.” A reception will follow the service.

From the Rector: Going down a rabbit hole

Dear friends,

A frequent activity of Devon’s and mine is to walk around our town, or even our church campus, notice something, and then “go down a rabbit hole” learning about it. A few weeks ago, Devon and I were beginning to plan what to do with rectory garden, and we were standing in the dip at the bottom of the garden when our feet hit some rocks. We looked further and noticed some old gravel, a wood border buried under the grass, then the granite steps leading down into the space. After speaking with a few other friends, we discovered that there used to be an old English style formal garden in that area. And so, Devon and I started “digging” (online and in books, not in the earth, just yet …) to find out more. After further reading, studying plot plans in the church archive, online searches, and a conversation with one of “those in the know,” it turns out that this was once the formal garden of The Rev. John Gallop, Rector of St. John’s from 1951 to 1979.

Above the little hill in the garden also once stood a Greek style portico, pediment and columns (or pergola), which Fr. John rescued from demolition in the 1960s. The portico was once the entrance to the home of Major Samuel Thaxter (1723-1771), which stood in the center of Hingham until it was demolished and the site became St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church. The portico was rescued by Hingham artist Martin Gay, who kept it in his garden until Fr. John later acquired it and placed it in the rectory garden. Upon his retirement, Fr. John gave it to The Hingham Historical Society, and it now sits in a formal garden not dissimilar to the old rectory garden at the Old Ordinary. Finally, it turns out that Dr. Thomas Thaxter, who built the house in 1788 which became our parish’s rectory, was the son of Major Thaxter, whose home the portico originally adorned. And … upon digging in the archives further, it turns out that the landscaping of the original rectory and church site was designed by the offices of Frederick Law Olmsted when The Rev. George Weld first acquired the site in 1906.

Now, this is a brief version of a lot of history, details may be slightly off, others will know more than me, and there is more to discover. And, of course, one might wonder if Ed and Devon have already lost the plot; no pun intended! (Sorry …) But, as we all know, if you want to learn about how to address the present and future, then you often need to look to the past. Not in a nostalgic way, of course. Indeed, Jesus spends a great deal of time throughout the Gospels telling people not to “go back” but to keep moving onward towards the kingdom of heaven. Yet learning from the past, making connections, and “joining the dots” in a community is part of what it means to make sense of a place; to make sense of where one is, why we’re here, and what we might do in the future. A short blast through a few books and papers yielded all sorts of ideas for possible future connections with different organizations, some gardening, maybe creation care ministry, perhaps even a research project or two. And it all comes back to some of those essential questions that we ask whenever we pray: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? And what does God want for us next?

Devon and I hope that you will join us for coffee hour at the rectory this week following our 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services. And, if you like, do take a little walk in the garden …

With every prayer and blessing,

Fr. Ed.

Sunday School Update: Kids needed for All-Ages Worship

Dear St. John’s families,

Our “work day” was a big hit! The kids really enjoyed making birdhouses during Sunday School. A work day is a component of Godly Play, whereby the kids have an extended time to work on a project. This activity tied in perfectly with lessons we’ve been learning about Creation care and St. Francis. The Pre-K kids made a birdhouse together as a joint project, decorated with their fingerprints. It came out really nice! We hope to use it to enhance one of our pollinator gardens on the church grounds.

With this project, we also introduced the concept of service to the church community. The kids are donating the birdhouses they made for a fundraiser for our youth to go to South Africa next summer.

Please plan on attending coffee hour after All Ages Worship on Oct. 27 for our birdhouse fundraiser!

Speaking of All Ages Worship, we need a few more readers, ushers, greeters, and acolytes. Please email me to sign up! We will be treated to Fr. Ed demonstrating one of our favorite Godly Play lessons, The Parable of the Mustard Seed, from the gospel of Matthew.

Stewardship: Make Your 2025 Pledge Today

Behold, all things have become new! 

Thank you to all who have answered the call and submitted your 2025 Pledge!

Everything we do at St John’s—every service, every program, every church school class, and every bit of outreach—can happen only with financial contributions from our parishioners. We are the ones who are responsible for funding our parish. Our pledges made during the stewardship season will be the most important factor in determining our budget for next year. With broad increases in year-over-year pledged amounts, we can develop a plan that will sustain and grow our activities together.

From the Rector: Loud & quiet healing

Dear friends,

This week, like all of you I have been horrified as I have learned more about the disasters that have been taking place in the southeast regions of our country; in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and indeed in Florida in more recent days. And again, like many of you, I have friends and family being immediately impacted by these events. As is often the case when disaster on such a scale manifests itself in our lives, nothing can prepare you for it, even with all of the best science, knowledge, work, and preparation. Of course, there are feelings of relief as the storms begins to settle. Yet, there is then the inevitable reality of the aftermath and the beginning of making repairs and making sense of everything that has happened.

Amidst all that has passed in recent weeks, however, feelings of relief have often become a substantial warmth as stories of profound generosity and healing have manifested themselves. For me, this became particularly apparent within our own community at our vestry meeting on Tuesday. Kenzie Blackwell, our Outreach Committee Chair, informed our gathering of the great yet behind the scenes work, generosity, and service taking place within our parish to meet the needs of those whose lives have been literally turned around. Friends donating money, reaching out to friends and family, and networking to connect people with resources so desperately needed. Aside from the obvious, these acts of kindness reminded me of the necessary and genuine goodness possible even in the midst of fear and uncertainty. Furthermore, they reminded me of an important aspect of faith.

A friend of mine once said that there are two types of healing in the Bible: loud healing and quiet healing. Loud healing is where we see something obvious, healing comes quickly, and it amazes and inspires us. The miracles of Jesus might be an example of this. Although it is interesting that, often, following a healing miracle in particular, Jesus tells those around him to keep quiet about it, and simply live their lives in the new way that has been granted to them. This brings us to the second type of healing: quiet healing. In this case, healing may come slowly, over time, and not manifest in obvious or explicit ways; yet, it is still there, gradually become more tangible and more truly a reality, until one day it fully makes sense. This may be the case when even a grand gesture is kept quiet and communicated through further acts of giving and healing, or indeed when we pray for something and it doesn’t seem to come, though maybe it’s already there.

In weeks like those of recent, it is important and good, indeed vital, to not only look for those acts of loud and desperately needed healing, but also those which are of a quieter nature. Perhaps it might even be helpful for us to remember that those moments of quiet healing are equally present, and equally impactful. They bring comfort especially when our problems seem to be beyond our capacity for change, and they are working even when we are unaware of them. Perhaps that is yet another way of discerning God’s Spirit working among us.

With every prayer and blessing for the week ahead,

Ed.

Cohasset ASP Pumpkin Patch opens!

The Cohasset ASP Pumpkin Patch opens tomorrow! It will be open every day from 10 a.m.–7 p.m. through Halloween. The patch, a major fundraiser for ASP, is located at Wheelwright Farm on N. Main St. in Cohasset. For more information about the Appalachian Service Project and its upcoming trip in July that serves the poorest families in Appalachia, contact Dave Clinton by email or by phone: 617-650-5813.

Sunday School work day

Dear St. John’s families,

Happy Columbus Day Weekend! On these long weekends, we find that attendance is a little lighter so we combine into two classrooms. Pre-K will meet in their regular classroom. While the remaining classes will meet together in Lower Weld.

This Sunday is a scheduled “work day.” In Godly Play terminology, this is when the kids have an extended time to work on a project. This week, we’ll be painting and decorating wooden birdhouses! This is a really fun activity and ties in perfectly with lessons we’ve been learning about Creation Care and St. Francis.

Some of the kids may like to donate their birdhouse to a fundraiser that we’re organizing for our youth to go to South Africa next summer. If they want to take them home instead that’s great too!

Coming up!

We are less than two weeks away from opening night of the Not-So-Spooky Haunted House! It takes a village of volunteers to make this event a success—please sign up here!

October 27 is our first All Ages Worship of the year! These services are geared towards children but inclusive to everyone. We will be treated to Fr. Ed demonstrating one of our favorite Godly Play lessons, The Parable of the Mustard Seed, from the gospel of Matthew. All other readings are performed by children. If your child would like to do a reading please email me! The choristers will be singing too.

If you have not done so yet, please register here for Sunday School now. We need a new registration every year.

Warmly,

Alexis

From the Rector: The calling of St. Francis

Dear friends,

This Sunday, we will be celebrating The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis is one of the most well-known and beloved saints in the Church. Living in the twelfth century, he is venerated for his compassion and service to the poor and the natural world, as well as his rich prayer life. His example and teaching formed the basis of a Rule of Life which continues in communities across the world to this day. When churches celebrate Francis, congregations often bring animals to be prayed over in honor of Francis’ love for all of God’s creation. On Sunday, there will be two opportunities to celebrate: at the 10 a.m. Eucharist, where Sunday School children may bring stuffed animals for a blessing during the service; and at 5 p.m., where there will be a special service outside in the Memorial Garden, for you to bring your living animal friends for a blessing.

Indeed, it is appropriate that on the day we celebrate St. Francis we also begin our Stewardship season. On this Stewardship Sunday, I and Chris Accettella, who serves on our finance committee, will be preaching together on the importance of stewardship from our respective points of view. Aside from the obvious connections between love, service, care for creation, and building community, St. Francis and stewardship go well together also because Francis’ own calling centered around a particular church building. Legend has it that his calling from God came while sitting in a derelict church, and hearing the voice of another saint, St. Damian, saying “Go and repair my church, which you see is falling down.” At this point, Francis devoted his life to God’s service.

Now, while St. John’s is not exactly sinking into the earth right now, it is certainly true that our church, like all churches, face their own challenges. As we will learn together over the coming months, while St. John’s is a parish which has made tremendous strides, and always has in its life and ministry, we know the pitfalls. We all know how the financial situation of this parish, like many, in a both post-covid and rector transition period has played out. We’ve all seen the parts of the building that need work. We all know that our current budget cannot sustain the ministries and programs that have been the hallmark of St. John’s for decades. It’s hard. But, as we learn from all the saints of the Church, it is often when we perceive the need to address something which initially seems insurmountable that the calling becomes real. And what begins with uncertainty soon becomes compelling, a duty becomes a joy, and a desire becomes an act of generosity.

There will be more about this on Sunday and in the weeks to come. But for the time being, I give thanks for the gifts that all of you already share with this community, and I will look forward to worshipping you this Sunday!

With every blessing,

Ed.

Blessing of the pets

All creatures great and small are invited to a Pet Blessing on Sunday, October 6 at 5 p.m. on the Church front lawn. Bring your pet to be blessed and please consider a donation to Hurricane Helene Relief, through the Scituate Animal Shelter.

Suggested items include:

For humans:

• Water/Gatorade

• Clothing: socks, t-shirts, underwear

• Toiletries

• Baby wipes

• Cleaning supplies

For pets:

• Collars

  Leashes

  Unopened bags of pet food

  Canned pet food

  Cat litter

  Bowls in new condition

Sunday School Update: Blessing of the Animals

Dear St. John’s families,

This week we embrace a few of our beloved traditions at St. John’s—the Blessing of the Pets and the Blessing of the Stuffed Animals—in honor of St. Francis’ Feast Day.

In our Sunday School classrooms we’ll be learning about St. Francis, his life, and love of all creatures great and small.

Children should bring their favorite stuffed animal to be blessed in church by Fr. Ed.

All are invited back to church at 5 p.m. on Sunday with their live pet(s) for the Pet Blessing. It is always interesting to see all the different types of pets—dogs, cats, bunnies, hedgehogs, lizards. I think one time there was even a horse!

Coming up!

We are less than three weeks away from opening night of the Not-So-Spooky Haunted House! It takes a village of volunteers to make this event a success, please sign up here!

If you have not done so yet, please register here for Sunday School now! We need a new registration every year.

Warmly,

Alexis

From the Rector: Buffy Gray to retire

Dear friends,

This week, I write to you to announce that our magnificent and profoundly gifted organist and choirmaster, Elisabeth “Buffy” Gray, has announced her retirement. Buffy will be serving among us until the new year, and her final Sunday in the parish will be The Feast of The Epiphany on January 5th 2025.

Buffy has served our community faithfully since 2015. As organist and choirmaster, she has brought not only a wealth of expertise and skill, but a joy, spirituality and pastoral attentiveness which has made her work here a true ministry. Buffy is a consummate musician, who has developed our choral program for adults and young choristers with exceptional care. She has taught, guided, and performed with meticulous attention to detail and with an authentic adoration for liturgical music and for God. This has indeed made St. John’s a place where congregations can truly worship God in the beauty of holiness. Our adult choir leads weekly worship gloriously, and our choristers are blessed with such a beautiful introduction to the world of church music. Buffy has also, in the process, maintained and cherished our instruments with precision and the highest regard, which will enable our parish to continue sharing in such wonderful, worshipful music for years to come.

At this time, we therefore also find ourselves at the beginning of another period of discernment and prayerful reflection. In conversation and collaboration with Buffy, Jody Jones Turner, our Senior Warden, and Perrie O’Tierney-Ginn, our Junior Warden, I have begun to contemplate and research the pathways we might take as we begin to consider who Buffy’s worthy successor might be. It is my intention to form a search committee, so that we may begin to research all the possible eventualities and soon begin the process which will lead to calling our new organist and choirmaster. I will certainly keep you all posted as this journey develops.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Wardens, Vestry, and our entire congregation and community, let us congratulate Buffy on her upcoming retirement, and give thanks for all her many gifts, with which she will continue to bless us in the coming months. Indeed, plans for more formal thanksgivings and celebrations will be shared in due course.

With every prayer, blessing, and incredible gratitude,

Father Ed.

---

A note from Buffy

Dear Friends in Christ,

After much consideration over the past year, I have decided that the time has come for me to retire from my position as Organist-Choirmaster at St. John’s. It will be very hard to leave after nearly ten years of fulfilling ministry and deep connections with so many of you. I have learned, however, that life is short. I am so ready to spend more time with my family and friends. I look forward to devoting more of my days to my non-musical passions of birding, hiking, and wildlife conservation.

I plan to continue working through Christmas and take my leave in early January. During this time, I will enjoy every minute of working with Fr. Ed (who is a gem) and St. John’s wonderful staff and choirs. No need for goodbyes yet, just many thanks for our time together thus far.

Gratefully,

Buffy

Cohasset ASP meeting

Cohasset ASP is holding an informational meeting on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Cohasset. Please visit our website or email David Clinton for more information.

Giving Statements issued

Year-to-date giving statements were mailed out this week. Please let the office know if you did not receive one or if you have any questions. This is the first statement generated from our new system, Breeze. It is extremely helpful for our record-keeping if your information is entered into Breeze accurately. If you have not received a Breeze invitation or need any help with your account, please contact stjohnsdirectoryhelp@gmail.com or Nancy in the office.

Thank you!