Sat, 23 Oct, 2021
Six Days of Homecoming—Day Six
Remembering
This is the final installment in our six-part series around the theme of Homecoming. While our sanctuary has been open for our Rite I congregants since early June, our Rite II service has continued to be held in the idyllic gardens of the Goodwin Mansion on the grounds of Strawbery Banke through these early weeks of autumn. It is with deep gratitude, eager anticipation, fervid preparation and prayer, and a whole lot of hard work that we enter this week of Homecoming. We acknowledge that, although not all who worshipped with us previously for Rite II will be returning to our beautiful Church On The Hill, we hope that through the voices of these individuals and teams we amplify this week, we can all feel the joy in returning our Rite II service to the sanctuary, the joy in Coming Home.
Remembering. Re-membering. The idea that “to remember” means literally to put the pieces back together. That we have been all this time without the regular rhythm and churn of our Sunday Rite II traditions within the walls of our own spaces. We pause on this, the eve of our “Homecoming” to St. John’s with our Rite II worship experience and consider what it means to us as members of the St. John’s staff to be coming home.
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“I look forward to the practice of re-membering this Sunday. As we come “Home” we will continue the important work of knitting our community together. Building and maintaining healthy community takes work...sweet work, but work nonetheless. Being able to actually show up physically feels like a privilege that I doubt I will ever take for granted again.
“It’s that vibration, that energy when the room is full. The music, the people, it all feels so good. I’m looking forward to finding the way that our whole wacky SJC family reconnects through the worship experience.”
— The Rev. Rob Stevens
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“I would so love to be with you this weekend for Homecoming, to re-member our 10:00am congregation, to sing and to pray and to break bread together… but I will not be physically present, though certainly present in the Spirit, holding you in my thoughts and prayers as you gather, looking forward to being with you on October 31st.”
— The Rev. Anne Williamson
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“Coming back together this Sunday brings feelings of excitement and nervousness. I have butterflies! Gathering a team and kicking off Sunday school in newly appointed spaces flexes some muscles that have rested for a long time. I sense this Sunday will feel like a ‘first’ in a lot of ways and I hold fast to the grace of ‘perfectly imperfect.’
“Ally Dudas and I went on a walk to chat about the children & youth programs last week, and some of her words have lingered with me, and continue to bring comfort. She said, ‘Before we even had kids, we loved the moment the children re-joined the service at the time of ‘The Peace.’ It was so messy and joyful. When I saw how that happened, I knew this was my church.’
“I expect that through embracing the messiness, the noise, the imperfections, and ultimately the beautiful human-ness and light of coming together in our space, my heart and spirit will be refreshed this Sunday.”
— Ashley Wade, Director of Communications, Youth and Children’s Ministries
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“‘Coming Home’ - it’s such a cozy feeling. Being surrounded by friends and family, knowing that you’re in a place where you are seen and loved… That’s so special. I’m looking forward to returning to our spiritual home with you and feeling that magnetic energy that is unique to St. John’s. I am so grateful for our community.”
— Jennifer McPherson, Director of Music and Liturgy
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“On Friday, we held a celebration of life for one of our parishioners, and as I looked down over the edge of the balcony, it struck me that we had finally removed the blue painters tape that blocked off every other pew in the sanctuary, and the place was full again. People were near to one another (masked, of course), and we sang a few verses of ‘Amazing Grace’ together, accompanied by the organ. It was a really special feeling, being there, looking over the gathered masses and experiencing that old familiar feeling of togetherness. It felt strange at first, but it didn’t take long to feel good. I’m so anxious to see everyone, and be together again, and pick up our traditions again, while also mindfully moving into this new time together.”
— Olin Johannessen, Director of Technology Integration, Associate for Music and Youth
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In closing, thanks to all of you who choose to be part of our SJC family. When I think about it, really, it’s you all that make this place so special to us all, and we wouldn’t get to do what we do for you, without you. It takes every one of us to make this place what it is. In closing, I am reminded of a portion of the text from a choral piece I know, called “Common Threads,” with text by Norma Hudgens and music by Andrea Ramsey. It reads:
Oh, every one of us,
On this big spinning globe,
We all have light to shine
To give somebody hope.
Oh, every one of us,
We have our differences,
But if we look close enough,
We find the common threads.