Dear St. John’s,
​
As I take time to reflect on our busy last few weeks – the iftar dinner, the Black Poster Project and Stations of the Cross, Holy Week and Easter – I’m grateful and amazed at how many people pitched in to help.
A large percentage of our members volunteered their time cooking, cleaning, serving at the altar, welcoming visitors, preparing and printing bulletins, creating art, arranging for flowers and palms, setting up displays, filling candles, publicizing events, rehearsing and singing, making signs, preparing the altar for worship, serving as lectors, adjusting the sound system ... and the list goes on.
It’s a great demonstration of how we all are part of the body of Christ – many individual members, all working together to do God’s work in the world.
Just as we work together within St. John’s, we also work together with other churches in our region to do ministries that are more than one congregation can tackle alone. The SLS and the Afghan Refugee Resettlement program are two prime examples.
On Monday at 7 p.m., members of churches throughout our Constance and Companions region will meet on Zoom for no more than an hour to talk about ways we can work collaboratively as a region to better serve our parishes. Everyone is invited – not just clergy, and not just those in leadership positions. I hope many of you can make it. The Zoom information is below.
Rev. Sharon

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Dear St. John’s,
 
One of the delights of spring is seeing green shoots poke up from the soil, the first crocuses open their flowers and buds swell on leafless branches with the promise of new blossoms and growth. The earth’s yearly awakening after the dormancy of winter is a visual reminder of the spiritual path we trace through the quiet days of Lent and the somber days of Holy Week to the joyful celebration of Resurrection on Easter.
 
Outdoors, the signs of spring seem to accelerate as the days grow warmer. Here at St. John’s, things seem to be speeding up, too, as we prepare for our April 1 Black Poster Project event, the Stations of the Cross exhibit and six worship services from Palm Sunday through Easter.
 
I’d like to highlight two upcoming volunteer needs:
 
1.      St. John’s is hosting the Saturday Luncheon Social next week, on April 1. We anticipate we may have more guests than typical because of the Black Poster Project program that afternoon. Please let Sharon Liparini know if you can help.
 
2.      Volunteers are needed to open the parish hall and greet visitors to the Stations of the Cross. Multiple people are welcome to volunteer at each time, but we need at least one greeter per time slot. You can sign up online here: https://tinyurl.com/thestationsart​tinyurl.com/thestationsart
 
Also, don’t forget to RSVP to me or the parish office if you are interested in participating in the painting workshop at 2:30 on April 1. Debra Cook, a talented artist from Grace Church in Nutley, will provide all supplies and instruction. Cost is $40. (All other activities on that day are free of charge.)

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria this week has killed more than 23,000 people and left millions in need of shelter. Our hearts ache at the scenes of destruction and the lives lost, and the knowledge that time is running out to find any more survivors.
 
How can we help?
 
As our bishop wrote to the clergy of this diocese, “While gathering goods to send to the area feels satisfying, with disasters of this magnitude financial support is critical and more helpful.”
 
One very effective place to donate funds is Episcopal Relief & Development. This agency of our church works with local partners on the ground to get immediate relief where it is needed after a disaster, and then to help with the short- and long-term recovery efforts afterward. You can donate to help the earthquake victims here:
https://support.episcopalrelief.org/syria-turkey-earthquake/
 
We also can pray for all those affected by the earthquake. The bishop has asked our whole diocese to intentionally hold the victims, survivors, and recovery effort in prayer for the next six weeks. 
 
Here is one prayer from the Episcopal Relief & Development website for times of disaster:
 
God, you are in the midst of those who suffer
May all affected by disasters feel your healing presence.
God, you are in the hands of those who reach out
Help responders in their courageous work.
God, you are in the hearts of those compassionate ones
Whose prayers cry out for their families
Whose prayers cry out for their neighbors
Whose prayers cry out even for strangers
Bless and comfort those who mourn.
God, you are in the still small voice,
The gentle whisper that follows
May our ears always hear
May our hearts always cry out for one another
May our hands always reach out to one another
And may we always walk like you walk
In solidarity with those who suffer
And so reflect your presence and comfort.
– Prayer adapted from Catholic Relief Services

Got faith?

Some days we may answer with an enthusiastic “yes,” but other days we feel less certain. Like the father who brings his sick child to Jesus for healing in the Gospel of Mark, we may cry, “I believe; help my unbelief.”
 
Faith development doesn’t just happen in Sunday school or stop after confirmation. It is a lifelong endeavor. As we age and mature, new knowledge and experiences inform, challenge and strengthen our faith.  
 
For the past two years, some members of St. John’s have explored their faith with other Christians and those interested in learning more about Christianity in a program called “Got Faith,” co-sponsored by St. John’s, St. Peter’s in Mountain Lakes and Church of the Saviour in Denville.
 
On Wednesday, December 14, at 7 p.m., St. John’s will host the Got Faith program. We’ll gather for the Liturgy of the Word (the first part of Holy Eucharist) and have an opportunity to offer our personal reflections on the evening’s readings.
 
No preregistration or prerequisites are required, just a desire to gather with others to explore our faith. I hope you will join us!

#SaturdayLuncheonSocial #SLS #MovingForward #Thriving #StJohnsBoonton

St. John's is excited to again offer meals through our Saturday Luncheon Social program. The meals are provided by Faith and Community groups in the area.
We gather around a table or two and share a meal and fellowship with others.
If you or someone you know is in need of a decent meal join us on Saturdays from noon to 1:00 P.M.
Moving forward, we need volunteers to pick up Saturday bread donations, guide volunteers from other churches, and provide food for our scheduled weeks. If you can help, please let Sharon Liparini know at Sharon.Liparini(at)gmail.com.

#BlessingoftheAnimals #BoontonDay #SundayService #Volunteer
Sunday, September 25th
Blessing of the Animals during the 10 a.m. Choral Eucharist. We will have a table at the annual Boonton Day from noon to 4 p.m. Rev. Sharon will be blessing animals at our booth.
Tell your friends to bring their pets, even cuddly stuffed ones to be blessed.
We need volunteers to help set up the booth and to greet visitors at the table. 

Sunday services continue with Choral Eucharist and Morning Prayer. We are grateful for Rev. Sharon who has gone out into Boonton to meet the local community groups, who is guiding us through transitions and getting us back to activities sidelined by Covid restrictions. Robert, our hardworking choir director and organist will be on vacation all of August. 
The vestry is back in session. We are preparing for the fall. Here are some of the things we have on the agenda:

• Finishing the Wilson House-it looks wonderful
• The Welcome Back Picnic
• St. Francis day and the Blessing of the Animals
• Boonton Day
• Saturday Luncheon Social
• Stewardship
• Planning the Worship season with the Altar Guild and all our new members. 

There is so much more going on with maintenance of the building, cleaning and care of the buildings, preparing and planning. If you don't hear from us, we have our heads down getting ready for a thriving, busy fall season. See you in September. 

Wilson House Renewal - Local Mission Trip
June 27-30, 2022

Thank you to the Wilson House Renewal Mission! They did amazing work painting and cleaning the Wilson House and the surrounding property for our next refugee family. Twenty-two young people attended the mission trip from June 27 to June 30th. Twelve from St. Peter's, Mountain Lakes. Five young men from, Fr. Sylvester Ekunwe's new parish, St. Mary's, Staten Island, and five young ladies from Community Church of Mountain Lakes. They were joined by Fr. Sylvester and his youth minister, Ernie Figueroa. Clive Knowles, Deacon Nancy Hansen, Tom George, Doug Sonn, John Garrison, Anna Floreno, Helen Pulitano, Janet Porsche, John Hyde, Michael, and Liz Muller from St. Peter's, Deacon Ken Bocchino, and George Wong from Church of the Saviour. They were joined by Rev. Sharon and Ellen Bomser on Thursday. Thank you to everyone who participated in person and in spirit. The collaboration between churches is amazingly wonderful. We are excited about the efforts of many people to help those in need. Some of the things accomplished. 

• Painting the 1st and 2nd floor of the Wilson House.
• Scraping and painting the wooden front porch.
• Painting the rear metal Bilco doors.
• Power washing the exterior of the building.
• Doing some concrete patching on the foundation.
• Trimming of bushes and removal of a small tree.
• Yard clean-up and removal of debris.

For more information visit these links: Key News - ST PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH (stpetersmountainlakes.org) and for more photos Photos - ST PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH (stpetersmountainlakes.org)