may portal

This has been an absolutely gorgeous spring — at least for those of us not bothered by pollen. The early warmth has brought forth blossoms of many varieties much earlier than usual. Even on days that return to the expected coolness of April, the colors lift our spirits. It is wonderful.

All this beauty echoes the message of new life that is the special emphasis of the Easter season. We can consider new possibilities with great hope and excitement.

The groundbreaking on Palm Sunday was about possibilities about to become realities. We processed out on a cold, almost blustery, day and put a shovel into the ground and lifted a bit of dirt to testify to our faith in God’s guidance leading us to make our new addition a place of exciting min-istry — of Easter living.

If only the next part of our journey to new space would take a mere week — the time be-tween Palm Sunday and Easter. We would already be done and moving. in. However, getting all the town approvals, even with no real opposition, has taken several months. I expect this part of the process to end with the town meeting next week.

So actual construction will begin in early May. The first step will be to cut down trees on the north side of the church and move some bushes to protect them during construction. Although most of the trees are evergreens, it still may seem like taking away signs of spring. It will look pretty dreary during construction, but rest assured there will be greenery when construction is complete.

The construction period reminds me of the sea-son of Lent. Getting ready for something impor-tant. Watching as the light comes into our hearts and minds. Thinking it will go on forever.

Construction is expected to last 4 1/2 months, which means it should end in early to mid-September. That’s about three times the length of Lent. Since much of the time will be during the summer, it will probably more quickly for many of you than those bleak 40 days of late winter.

Just as you take on disciplines during Lent, the time of construction offer each of you several chances to be of service to the church. The parish house must be packed up. The office must be moved. The new spaces must be arranged to be inviting for fall classes. And in the midst of the construction, the garden will still need to be tended, so that it can be the beautiful courtyard of the parish once we are using the new classrooms and offices of the addition.

When construction is complete, it can be like having a second Easter in one year. If we prepare for that Easter with trust in God’s presence and a willingness to be part of moving into a new time as well as a new space, we will be bringing new vitality into the life of the parish — truly a resur-rection opportunity for all of us. Blessings and Peace,

May 2010 The Rev. Salin Low, Rector

St. John’s purpose is to experience and share with others the good news of faith in Jesus Christ, because we believe Jesus Christ makes lives new.

What season is it, anyway? What season is it, anyway? What season is it, anyway?

of St. John’s in Pine Meadowof St. John’s in Pine Meadow

HOW WE’RE DOING SO FAR

MARCH 2010 RESULTS

Operating Income $ 13,118 Operating Expenses $ 16,942

Year To Date Operating Income $ 34,433 Operating Expenses $ 54,820

Statements are going out for both annual giving and capi-tal campaign. Please keep your pledges up to date. .

Diane Hayes Treasurer

Prayer Requests— Requests are handled confi-dentially through the Rector. Prayers will continue for a month unless other time periods are specified. You may fill out a prayer request form or call the rector at 693-1851. Wednesday Evening Services—Please join us at 7:30 PM for a quiet service offering time for reflec-tion and prayer. Anointing for healing of mind, body & spirit is offered following communion Graduates—If you or a member of your family is graduating from High School or College this Spring, please let the office know. Graduates will be honored during the 10 AM service on June 13. Anniversaries & Birthdays—Please let the office know if we are missing information or have incor-rect data in our records for your birthday or wed-ding anniversary. Want to give flowers for Sunday — There are openings on the flower chart for May 23 & May 30th as well as dates during the summer. Cost is $50 if ordered from a florist. No flowers will be provided unless they are donated. Good Friday Offering Totals $163.00 - This special of-fering will be sent to the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East to support their ministries.

Gill Memorial Garden Enjoy It & Keep It Beautiful

The garden was a wonderful gift to the parish and is a place of beauty as well as a place for the interment of cremation ashes. We hope you will spend time there enjoying its beauty and invite you to consider whether it would be an appropriate final resting place for you or someone in your family. You could help through the summer: We could use a few more volunteers to help with weeding and watering during the summer. Each volunteer will be responsible for one week. Let us know if you are willing to help. Call the office at 379-3062 or email [email protected] to volunteer.

Bits & Pieces

Farmers’ Market on the Green

St. John’s will have a booth once a month at the farmers’ market. Our first date will be June 4th. We are looking for folks to provide baked goods and craft items to sell. If interested, please contact Diane Hayes or Sue Hall.

An Easy Way to Help When you buy shopping/gift cards through St. John’s, you are making a contribution that does not cost you financially. It may take a little planning. Orders are taken the 1st and 3rd Sundays, and cards are delivered on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. Order folds are available in the narthex and can be placed in the lockbox at any time. (We’ve also attached a form to the email of this newsletter to make it even easier.)

PARISH REGISTER (Broadly Defined)

Special thanks to Halyna & the choir for the wonderful music on Palm Sunday and Easter and also to trumpeters Mark Jessen, Sarah Jessen & Chris Jones. Many thanks to the Altar Guild for help during Holy Week and with arranging the Easter flowers. Many thanks to Donna Colavecchio for all her ef-forts as Altar Guild chairperson. Thanks to Andy Riberdy for providing the red banner hanging on the front of the church—Building to Welcome You in the 21st Century! And to Peggy Budny for working on the bumper stick-ers with the same message. And to Brad Bremer for getting the word out to the newspapers. And to Sue Bremer for getting the hard hats. And to Rose Osborne for organizing the reception following the ground breaking ceremony on March 28th. Many thanks to Carol Wilson for helping with name tags on the first Sunday of each month. Thank you to Peter Stull for weather stripping the front doors of the church. Thanks to Ken, Kayte & Ben Krasow for the Seder meal on Palm Sunday. Thanks to Julie Gargiulo for designing the spring bulletin board in the parish hall. We appreciate Mark and Paula Jessen for agreeing to have Duralite as the mailing point for the shopping cards. PETER’S RETREAT

Upcoming Dates May 22nd June 26th

Go with a group to take dinner to an AIDS residence in Hartford. Each month a group from St. John’s coordinates and serves a meal. We generally arrive about 5:00 PM and dine with the residents at 5:30 PM, returning to St. John’s around 7:00 PM. The residents are respon-sible for set-up and clean-up. Special thanks to Mimi Harden and the Youth Group for providing the meal on Saturday, April 24th. The Alibozek family will be taking the meal on May 22nd. We are looking for coordina-tors during the summer months. Call the office if you are willing to help.

The register is broadly defined, because there are often events in the lives of parishioners and their families not recorded in St. Johns’ register. It is good, however, for us to hear about these things. Be sure to let the office know about events in your life and in the lives of other parishioners. We will try to include all such momentous events as we hear about them. We will include baptisms, marriages, deaths, hospitalizations, graduations, and other events as we are notified.

Coffee Hour Hosts 10:00 a.m. Service

Help us welcome visitors and newcomers. Prepa-ration instructions are posted. Coffee supplies other than cream are available in the kitchen. Baked goods are terrific, but not always necessary.

A sign-up sheet is posted in the parish hall. There are open-ings during May & June.

Coffee hour is hosted during July & August by the greeters at the 9:00 a.m. service.

TTHANKSGIVINGHANKSGIVING ININ THETHE S SPRINGPRING Help for the Food BanksHelp for the Food BanksHelp for the Food Banks

Food Lists in NarthexFood Lists in NarthexFood Lists in Narthex

Last year we contributed 60 bags of groceries to the local food banks. Some of the food was brought in by parishioners and some came from asking shoppers at grocery stores to donate one or more items. We’ll have lists in the narthex with suggestions. We’d also like adults to supplement the work of the youth group in asking for help at the grocery stores. Contact the rector or Mimi Harden to help.

The Episcopal Church We’re Here For You

Sunday Worship

8 & 10 a.m. Nursery at 10 a.m.

Wednesday

7:30 pm

Sunday June 6, 2010 May 9th - Mother’s Day activity

May 16th - Rose will return to see our progress on signing the Lord's Prayer. Each class takes a part.

May 23rd - Wear red, orange or yellow to signify the Holy Spirit for Pentecost Sunday.

May 30th - Come and plant flowers outside.

June 6th - Awards ceremony and signing the Lord's Prayer for the congregation.

Children will receive awards for Church School participation. A Picnic will follow. Share hot dogs and help us to recognize the children and thank their teachers for their accomplishments. If you can help provide side dishes for the pic-nic, please contact Debi Althen at 379-9079.

FFUNDRAISINGUNDRAISING C CONCERTONCERT

Jazz, folk, ska, rock! LUKE ALIBOZEK LUKE ALIBOZEK —— BRIA BRIAN PHILLIPS’S GROUPN PHILLIPS’S GROUP

Saturday, May 15, 2010, 3:00-6:00 pm, Pine Meadow Green, rain or shine. Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the concert — Bring blankets or chairs.

Food and beverages, henna tattoos, hand-crafted jewelry, T-shirts, and more!

All proceeds go to ShelterBox to provide a tent and essentials for up to 10 people. Tickets on sale after church May 2 & 9 or contact parish office.

Address Correction Requested

P. O. Box 27

Pine Meadow, CT 06061 Phone: 860 379-3062 www.reddoors.com

news from

church school

On March 28 Bishop Curry officiated at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new addition. The rain held off, and the event was joyous, bringing together pa-rishioners, old friends, and neighbors.

Once again on Palm Sunday the young people experienced the story and food of a Passover Seder. Thanks to Martocchio family mem-bers Ben, Kayte, and Ken Krasow, who led and organized the event. It is an important way for us to realize our Jewish heritage and God’s mighty acts in history.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2 Holy Eucharist 8 & 10 AM

3

4

5 Holy Eucharist 7:30 PM

6

7

8 Polly & Paul Pobuda


10 Garden Ctte. 7:00 PM

11


13

14

15 Haiti Concert 3 –6 PM


17

18 Nancy & Joe Russo


20

21

22 Peter’s Retreat


24 Vestry Meeting 7:00 PM

25


27

28

29

30 Holy Eucharist 8 & 10 AM Skip & Frank Misiorski

31 Memorial Day Office Closed Allison & Ken Kimmerle

May 2010 St. John’s Church - Calendar of Events

Anniversaries in Italics

May Birthdays 4-May Luke Healey 4-May Cheryl Maust 4-May Zachary Phillips 5-May Nancy Russo 6-May Brian Phillips

8-May Matthew Moraski 8-May Norma Pappalardo 9-May Phil Walker 10-May Matthew Russo 10-May Katharine Jessen 10-May Sarah Jessen 10-May Michael Budny

11-May Joseph Russo 12-May Paul Patch 19-May Sherri Johnson 20-May Joshua Penn 22-May Brian Hester 23-May Madeleine Toro 25-May Janet Kenney

25-May Sasha Moraski 26-May Sue Hall 28-May Howard Truax 29-May Molly Lukiwsky 29-May Guy Hayes 31-May Cady Stanton

St. John’s Episcopal Church Gift Card Order Form Column A Column B Vendor (percentage earned) Value

(circle your choice)

Qty Amt Due Vendor (percentage earned) Value (circle your choice)

Qty Amt Due

GROCERIES Brooks Brothers (16%) $25 ShopRite (4%) $25 or $100 Gymboree (13%) $25 Stop and Shop (4%) $25 or $100 J. Crew (13%) $25 J. Jill (11%) $25 PHARMACIES Talbots (13%) $25 CVS (6%) $25 or $100 The Children’s Place (12%) $25 Rite Aid (4%) $25 Walgreens (6%) $25 or $100 DEPARTMENT STORES JC Penney (6%) $25 or $100 GASOLINE K Mart (4%) $25 or $50 Gulf (2%) $25 Kohl’s (4%) $25 or $100 Exxon (2.5%) $50 or $250 Lord & Taylor (8%) $25 Mobil (2.5%) $50 or $250 Macy’s (10%) $25 or $100 Marshall’s (7%) $25 or $100 RESTAURANTS T.J. Maxx (7%) $25 or $100 99 Restaurant (13%) $25 Wal-Mart (2%) $25 or $100 Applebee’s (8%) $25 or $50 Bertucci’s (10%) $25 HARDWARE Burger King (4%) $10 Ace Hardware (4%) $25 or $100 Boston Market (12%) $10 Home Depot (4%) $25 or $100 Chili’s Grill & Bar (11%) $25 Lowe's Home Impr. (4%) $25 or $100 Cold Stone Creamery (8%) $10 Cracker Barrel (9%) $10 MAIL ORDER Dunkin’ Donuts (4%) $10 Harry & David (10%) $25 Olive Garden (9%) $25 L.L. Bean (15%) $25 or $100 P.F. Chang”s (8%) $25 Lands’ End (17%) $25 or $100 Panera Bread (9%) $10 or $25 Shutterfly (9%) $25 Pizza Hut (8%) $10 Zappos.com (8%) $25 Rainforest Café (9%) $25 or $100 Ruby Tuesday’s (8%) $25 SPECIALTY STORES

Ruth’s Chris Steak Hse (10%) $50 Bed, Bath & Beyond (7%) $25 Starbucks (7%) $10 or $25 Best Buy (4%) $25 or $100 TGI Friday’s (9%) $25 Blockbuster (7%) $10 Wendy’s (4%) $10 Cabela’s (11%) $25 or $100 Claire’s (9%) $10 BOOK STORES Dick’s Sporting Goods (8%) $25 Barnes & Noble (9%) $25 or $100 Game Stop (3%) $25 Borders (9%) $10 or $25 iTunes (4%) $15 Waldenbooks (9%) $10 or $25 Michael’s Crafts (4%) $25 Office Depot (4%) $25 or $100 CLOTHING & SHOES Pier 1 Imports (9%) $25 Aeropostale (7%) $25 Radio Shack (4%) $25 American Eagle (9%) $25 Staples (5%) $25 or $100 Ban Rep/GAP/Old Navy (9%) $25 Williams Sonoma (8%) $25

Subtotal Column A:

Subtotal Column B:

Name: ________________________________________________ Phone Number: ________________________________________

Subtotal from Column A:

Total:

(Please include payment with your order form – checks made payable to St. John’s Scrip Account )

Where would you prefer _____ 8:00 Service _____ 10:00 Service to pick up your order? _____Donna Colavecchio, 53 Maillet Lane, New Hartford, 379-4643

_____Krista Warren, 64 Wickett Street, Pine Meadow, 738-4857 _____Sue Bremer, 668 Colebrook Road, Colebrook, 738-4238 ([email protected])