St John's Anglican Church

Archive for the ‘MAGAZINE EXTRACTS’ Category

WOW – Doesn’t everything look great!

Can you think of the many times you’ve stepped into the Church building before a service and thought: 

‘Everything really looks so lovely!

Beautiful flowers, shining silver, trimmed candles and whiter than white linen – all lovingly prepared to give glory to God.’

Behind the scenes and at various times  during the week, from after the Sunday services until the next services, teams of people swing into action to ensure that everything is ready – and beautiful! Thank you all for participating in this ‘unseen’ ministry to God’s people. 

The term given to someone who cares for the linen and the silver that you see used on the altar is ‘Sacristan’.  Hebe Usher trains and draws up rosters for the people in this ministry. About the care of the linen and silver, she writes:

“A Sacristan is a person in charge of the small linen and vessels used for the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This means that everything used in the Sanctuary and for Home Communions must be clean and shiny, and the small linen used during Communion must be well washed to get rid of any lipstick traces, and then ironed. At St John’s, a Sacristan prepares for all the Holy Communion services for the week and takes home the soiled linen for washing and ironing.   This is not an onerous task as at present, we have seven Sacristans.  The big linen which covers the Altar is a greater task.  After laundering, it is ironed and rolled onto a cardboard roller. At present Bobby Mackay is seeing to this single handedly, but is very willing to show other volunteers how it is done!  If we had three more in the team then it would mean that you would only be called on once a year.”                          

  Was that a challenge??

Margaret Bezuidenhout with her team of floral artists, use their creative skills to produce inspiring arrangements, so often in keeping with the sentiment of the season or the theme of the Sunday Service.   After the Lenten period of discipline without flowers, what a joy it is to see the Easter arrangements!!  FLORAL ART – TRIMMED CANDLES – SHINING SILVER –  PRISTINE WHITE LINEN – with everything tidy and clean  –  that’s what  preparing the Lord’s House is all about – that in itself is an act of  worship!

Col 3 : 17    And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,    giving thanks to God the Father through

OUTREACH TO EGYPT

By Dorothy Pricilla Adams

I believe I was sent to Egypt according to God’s purposes and that the Lord Himself chose the place, time and  duration of my stay. Moreover, I believe that the Lord determined much more for me than my teaching English or working in the ministry of hospitality. Co-incidences are indeed “God-incidents” so that “all things work  together for good… for those who are called according to His purposes” (Rom.8:28) to let His Kingdom come and to glorify His name.

I spent the month at the Agape Centre at the oasis of Wadi Natrun. The house I lived in is called “Beit El Baraka”. I was told that “Baraka” means “blessings”, but that the word also has connotations of “power”. My interpretation of “Beit El Baraka would then be “House of Powerful blessings” and that is precisely what it proved to be : one of “the thin places” where I experienced the almost tangiblepresence of the Holy Spirit: the blessing of growing in the fruits of the Spirit; the blessings of experiencing the overwhelming love and mercy of the Lord.

God’s timing is always perfect. During the first week I had sufficient time to settle in and to meet new friends. I also acquired valuable, albeit very basic, Arabic expressions which enhanced communication with the friendly folk. It also made the English classes easier to    manage and quite successful because I could code-switch when learners did not understand. For the rest of the month the place was abuzz with activities: the School of Biblical Studies was in full swing, there was a very big Sunday School Convention and vibrant one hour Prayer Watch Sessions twice daily.

It was the high school and university recess and this gave me the opportunity of meeting and interacting with interesting groups of young people in the English classes and in the prayer watch sessions. The institutions of learning opened for the new semester the same week-end that I left Egypt. The feedback I get from them is very encouraging: A Bible Study Group is very active at the university and many fellow students (32 to be exact) have showed an interest in learning more about Jesus.

Opposite my “home away from home” was the Prayer Room and I became deeply involved in the Prayer Watch Ministry. Scripture passages penetrated to the depth of my spirit as the Word revealed to me my true self. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) became a meaningful, experiential conviction in my life. There were tears of  penitence, tears of gratitude, and tears of joy!

There were also times when I was assigned some hospitality tasks at which I baulked. In the end I learnt that the humblest and most menial tasks were orchestrated by the Lord to breakdown my arrogant pride and stubborn self will. I discovered through experience that the most menial and the most elevated tasks are sanctified by the correct motive and manner in which they are done.

Nothing I have been, or done, in Egypt can ever measure up to what Egypt has done or been for me.  Nothing I have accomplished can compare to the overwhelming love, respect and hospitality I received from the “living stones” there. I have received so much more than I could ever have hoped to give.

I thank, praise and glorify the Lord for having sent me to the Agape Centre at the specific time and for that  specific length of stay.

 WATCH THIS SPACE!

Coming up in the long midyear (World Cup!) holidays is an exciting children’s programme running in Central, involving a mini-soccer tournament, a creative arts week and a holiday club. This is a combined project organised and run by St John’s and a number of churches in Central.  All children between Grade 1 and Grade 7 are invited to participate – it costs nothing! Application forms will soon be available from Cherolyn.

 BUT…

we need YOUR help! If you are able to volunteer any time (be it an hour, a day or a whole week!) between June 21 and July 2 (8am-1.30pm), we need as many parishioners as possible to help out with running arts/crafts stations and various other logistical aspects of this big, exciting, interdenominational project, all for the glory of God!

If you can help at all, please chat to Cherolyn (041-581 2162, or 073 2777 542 or cherolyn@stjohnswalmer.org.za).