Blog

 Every one of us in Durham region enjoys local fruit and vegetables every summer!  But that would not be the case if we didn’t have many migrant workers who come to Canada to help out on our farms.  

The church season of Lent is a time of year when we focus especially on the needs of others.  So our Lenten project again this year is to support the Migrant Worker ministry of the Anglican Church in our Durham area through our diocesan FaithWorks program.  The Reverend Augusto Nunez, the incumbent of St. Saviour’s, Orono, works hard to support the workers who come mostly from Mexico and Jamaica to work on our farms.  

Our St. John’s goal this year is to raise $2000 towards this ministry.  Look for the special table and poster in the church.  

You can donate cash or a cheque at church

or through e-transfer the “donate now” button on the church website 

or by e-transfer to the office at St. Johns Bowmanville

Please make all donations to “St. John’s” and mark donations “FaithWorks” or “migrant worker ministry”.  

With your help we can reach our goal – and enjoy our local fruits and vegetables – knowing that we are helping those who work on our farms!

We are delighted to announce that Bishop Andrew will be visiting St. John’s on Sunday, June 23rd and will be preaching and presiding at our 10:30 worship service that day!
We will have an Inquirers Class as preparation for anyone who is 13 years old or older and is interested in being Confirmed when Bishop Andrew is here.  
The Inquirers Class is also the preparation for anyone who is interested in baptism for yourself or for your child.  
In addition, we are delighted to have anyone attend the Inquirers Class who is interested in learning about why we worship, what the meaning of our worship is, and how our worship can enrich our faith more deeply.  It is a great opportunity for new folks and long-term folks to get to know each other and explore our faith together.
The classes will be in-person after the church service (with a few minutes in between for coffee and a snack at coffee hour).
Eight Elements of Worship
The way we worship shapes the way we believe and vice versa.  This class is part of “faith seeking understanding” as we learn how and why we worship God, as well as how and why we love our neighbours.  
The class will have plenty of opportunity for group discussion and questions and your own sharing.
 In each class, we will learn more about one of the eight elements of our Sunday worship service. 
Apr 14 Session One: Praise and Music
Apr 21 Session Two: Scripture and Sermon
Apr 28 Session Three: Creeds and Baptismal Covenant
May 5 Session Four: Prayers
May 12 Session Five: Confession and Absolution
May 19 Session Six: Peace and Offering
May 26 Session Seven: Holy Communion
Jun 9 Session Eight: Blessing and Sending Forth

Our Ash Wednesday services will be in person on February 14th at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Please join us as we begin Lent by bringing to God our need for repentance and our recognition of the frailty and uncertainty of human life.  The services include the imposition of ashes, prayers, a sermon, and communion.

Everyone is invited to our annual Pancake Supper on February 13th from 5:00 to 7:00 for Shrove Tuesday, a day for feasting and merriment before the Lenten fasting begins. 

Pancakes, sausages, syrup (regular and sugar free) salad, and more, with friendly folks to socialize with

Free, donations welcome

We encourage you to invite friends and neighbours to attend too.  

St. John’s will participate in the joint ecumenical prayer service during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity along with local churches of a variety of other denominations. It will be on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:00 pm at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church (127 Liberty Street South).   Please mark your calendars to join together with our fellow Christians in prayer and worship. 

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Ecumenical Service
Christians from all faith traditions are invited to St. Joseph Church on Wednesday, January 24th
for an inspiring ecumenical prayer service at 7pm. In the midst of the week of prayer for
Christian Unity, we’ll pray for unity among all God’s followers by reflecting on the theme “You
shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Those of all
Christian denominations are welcome to join in this time of spiritual reflection, harmony, and
prayer. Come share in the blessings of togetherness as we seek peace and understanding.
Simple refreshments follow the service.

 

 

For over a decade St. John’s has supported The Gathering Place, a charitable organization that prepares a dinner for people in our community who often struggle. It’s held the 2nd Friday of every month [except July and August] at St Paul’s United Church in Bowmanville.

 

This January 12th it’s our turn to host this dinner and we need some help from the parishioners of St. John’s; we need twelve servers who’ll deliver the meal from the kitchen to our patrons. If you haven’t done this before you’re in for a treat, it’s a fun atmosphere. And the help get fed too!

 

If you wish to help out it’s 

Friday, January 12th

St. Paul’s United Church

Church and Silver Streets

At 4:00 pm

 

If you would like to volunteer, contact Barry McCabe 

 

 

St. John’s and other local churches of different denominations will join together for an ecumenical prayer service during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.   It will be on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:00 pm at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church (127 Liberty Street South).  Please mark your calendars to join together with our fellow Christians in prayer and worship. 
Week of prayer for Christian Unity – Ecumenical Service
Christians from all faith traditions are invited to St. Joseph Church on Wednesday, January 24th
for an inspiring ecumenical prayer service at 7pm. In the midst of the week of prayer for
Christian Unity, we’ll pray for unity among all God’s followers by reflecting on the theme “You
shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Those of all
Christian denominations are welcome to join in this time of spiritual reflection, harmony, and
prayer. Come share in the blessings of togetherness as we seek peace and understanding.
Simple refreshments follow the service.
Grace and peace,
Lucia
The evening of Friday December 1st St. John’s will once again showcase Nativity scenes from our Parishioners in the Sanctuary, right after the Christmas Tree Lighting downtown. 
We are inviting everyone to bring a family Nativity scene.  They can be brought to church the Sunday before or dropped off during the day on Friday. This will be our seventh year with a 2 year absence due to Covid. 
We are looking forward to a wonderful evening of of Music,  Treats, warm Beverages and sharing our Sanctuary with our Community. 
We are excited about Paige’s ordination to the priesthood!  Everyone is invited.  It will take place at 4:00 on Sunday November 26th at Church of the Redeemer (162 Bloor St. W) in Toronto, where Paige is a curate.  
Paige notes that the Toronto Santa Claus parade is scheduled for Nov 26 and the parade route is very close to Redeemer, so driving and parking downtown that day will be challenging. The GO Train is a good idea. People are invited to take the subway from Union Station to Museum station. Redeemer is a three minute walk north from the Museum subway station.