If you’ve ever worked with a team of friends on a Habitat for Humanity project, you know how fun and rewarding it can be. Please consider participating with St. John’s parishioners in the HabiJax “Brush with Kindness” project during the month of March.  Parishioners from several Episcopal churches will work together on homes in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood on the following Fridays and Saturdays: March 16 and 17; March 23 and 24 and March 30 and 31. You can sign up for one day or all six! We will work on exterior improvements such as painting and landscaping. No previous experience required! We also need volunteers to provide lunch at the work site on March 17. If you can help, click on the button below, and we’ll contact you soon with more information. Sign up to join HabiJax team

If you have questions, contact Lori Sinnett, or call Theresa Johnson at 632-9104, ext. 42.

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St. John’s youth ministry had an awesome Christmas party on December 17th. 25 students, and 6 leaders came out for a fun filled night of food, games, presents, and some Christmas movies.

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Our Christmas Pageant was presented by the children of St. John’s at the 9 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. services on December 18th, The Fourth Sunday in Advent.

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Prof. Phyllis Tickle will be keynote speaker at the Institute for Christian Studies conference on Jan. 14, 2012 at St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville.  She is a renowned scholar, compelling speaker and founding editor of the religion department of Publishers Weekly.  Phyllis will speak on “The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why” from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. with lunch served, and then she will repeat that presentation from 6 p.m.- 7:30 p.m., preceded by dinner beginning at 5 p.m.  Cost is $25.00 for either gathering, which includes cost of lunch or dinner.  Reservations with check made out to St. John’s Cathedral and noted for “Phyllis Tickle Event” are a must.  Send a note designating which workshop you’d like to attend, along with payment, to St. John’s Cathedral, 256 E. Church St., Jacksonville, FL 32202.

Phyllis Tickle’s book, “The Great Emergence,” is available at the Cathedral Book Store.  She will be happy to autograph copies of her book for workshop participants.

She will also preach at St. John’s Cathedral at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15.  Her Web site is www.phyllistickle.com.

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From Theresa Johnson,
Cathedral Executive

Yesterday I had a chance to meet with Judge David Gooding, who has worked tirelessly as an advocate for children awaiting adoption. I also met with Lee Kaywork, vice president for research and development for Family Support Services, who runs the department’s Family Preservation Programs and has worked to redesign foster care in Duval County. They have done remarkable work to provide children stable, loving families, in many cases through adoption and in other cases by supporting families of origin to allow families to remain intact in safety and security.

The result of their efforts and those of others in recent years has been a dramatic reduction in the number of children in foster care. This is great news. More children are of all ages are being adopted or are able to stay with their biological parents. We talked yesterday about how research shows that children who live for years in the foster care system are at greatest risk of problems throughout their lives, problems which take a toll on them and on all of us. Keeping children in stable, permanent families is so important. A child without parents is a child with a broken heart.

I encourage anyone interested in these issues to attend our next Jacksonville Leadership Breakfast on Tuesday, Dec. 13, featuring both Judge Gooding and Lee Kaywork. They will be joined by Ken Wilson, chairman of the board of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission. John Burr, editor of the Jacksonville Business Journal, will be our moderator. The breakfast will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at St. John’s Cathedral. This event is free, but please let me know if you can come by RSVP’ing to tjohnson@jaxcathedral.org.

God bless you.

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We ushered in the First Sunday of Advent with lots to do in Taliaferro Hall. We made Advent Wreaths for our homes, created symbols to go on our wreaths, decorated cupcakes, drank hot cider and enjoyed live Christmas music. Our Alternative Gift Market is bustling wtih wonderful opportunities for giving to those less fortunate. The market will be open every Sunday during Advent. Stop by and do all your meaningful Christmas shopping!

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From Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

Make time for a blessed, holy and peaceful Advent this season. Worship fully. Spend less. Give more. Love all.

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October 30, 2011 was a glorious day! The Very Reverend Gustave J. Weltsek, Jr. was named Dean Emeritus by the Vestry of the cathedral. This date marked Dean Weltsek’s 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Dean Kate Moorehead read a letter by Bishop Howard and Susan Corey, Sr. Warden, presented Dean Weltsek with the proclamation. A lovely reception was enjoyed by the congregation and Dean Weltsek’s family.

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The J2A (Journey to Adulthood) group arrived in Orlando last Friday in the afternoon, and went straight to Lake Eola Park where our outdoor activities would commence on Saturday. Everyone had a chance to get familiar with their surroundings, and take a long stroll around the beautiful lake. We stopped to admire the swans and pay tribute to our veterans at a WWII memorial. After our walk we had group devotion from the Book of Common Prayer in a lovely picnic spot in the shade. We then loaded into the van and it was off to the hotel.  Once we arrived the students were told to form 3 teams, each with specific tasks to complete.  Each of the 3 teams them made lists of items that they needed to buy, and were giving a budget to work with. The leaders or “silent shadows” then transported the students to a local Publix for the first teamwork exercise.  Teams were then forced to work together and share their resources to procure all the items they needed.  It was then back to the hotel for a yummy spaghetti dinner that was prepared by the students.  We finished up the night with some games and a reading of compline as a group.

Saturday we had our main activity in downtown Orlando.  Each team was given a map, a list of hard-to-find objects, and a digital camera for a photo scavenger hunt. There was a Veterans Day parade that went through the streets of downtown that provided prime photo opportunities. Each team was also given a budget for lunch and activities during the day. All of the teams finished rather quickly with time for visits to the library, local churches, and a few gondola rides on Lake Eola. Later that night it was back to the hotel for some swimming, tennis, volleyball, card games, and dinner. The students worked together to make tasty tacos for supper. We then shared all the fun photos we took during the day and laughed together.

Sunday we were up, dressed, and checked out of the hotel by 9:30 a.m. for a 10:15am Eucharist service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Orlando. We were met there by Anne Taylor, the Canon for youth and mission at St. Luke’s, who warmly welcomed us to their beautiful cathedral. The service was lovely and we stayed after for a tour and some pictures. We then ate some pitas for lunch before loading up in the van to come home to Jacksonville. We arrived Sunday afternoon tired, but exhilarated by our great adventure.

I personally had a blast on this trip and was very blessed to get to know all of the wonderful students we have at St. John’s a little bit better. They did an amazing job, and the leadership team was super proud of all of the hard work and team building that was accomplished on this trip. I personally cannot wait for Pilgrimage this coming summer!

Blessings,

Aaron Mayeski

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