Good Friday At St. John’s

++ Our Good Friday worship will be at 12:00noon on March 29th. This solemn liturgy of the passion and death of our Lord is a continuation of the Maundy Thursday liturgy and begins in silence as the night before ended in silence. In the course of the Good Friday liturgy we will read the longer Passion reading that leads us through the last hours of Jesus’ life on earth. This liturgy will be in the church 

++ At 3:00pm on Friday, Prayers at the Cross will be offered to mark the point of Jesus’ death on the cross. Please note that this brief service will be online only.

++ Finally, on Good Friday, March 29th at 7:00pm, a service entitled Entering the Darkness will be offered. This liturgy has characteristics of a traditional Tenebrae service, the most conspicuous feature of the service being the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights in the church until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains. Entering the Darkness will be in the church.

Cooking Oil Drive

In preparation for our trip to volunteer at Casa Maria on Saturday April 6th, we are holding a cooking oil drive. Cooking oil is a high demand item at Casa Maria, so please consider donating a bottle of vegetable, corn, or canola oil to their food shelf. There will be a box in the entryway where you can place donations. Thanks in advance!

1st Saturday Service

On Saturday April 6th, we are volunteering at Casa Maria for our 1st Saturday Service project! If you'd like to carpool down to Richfield, plan to meet at St. John's at 11:15, otherwise the group will meet at noon at Casa Maria to help with their food program. Casa Maria is located at 7227 Penn Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55423.

TWO upcoming local theater events are planned for SJW Fellowship - choose to participate in ONE or BOTH! RSVPs and payment of tickets for BOTH events is due by Sunday, March 31.

Sunday, April 28 at 2pm

“The Addams Family” A New Musical Comedy at Mahtomedi High School (MHS)

Come see MHS Junior and fellow SJW parishioner, Xavier Knauss, perform as Gomez Addams, the family patriarch, in the MHS musical, “The Addams Family”. Lunch at Donatelli’s preceding the performance. “The Addams Family” details, RSVP and payment information can be found at this link: https://forms.gle/vuPEj9HhnSM7Bzjs7

Thursday, June 13 at 7:30pm

“Come From Away” Musical at the Ordway

Join fellow St. John in the Wilderness parishioners and MHS students, their families, and friends for the Tony Award Winning Broadway Musical Touring production of “Come From Away”. This show is phenomenal, you won’t want to miss it! Dinner at Bear Town Bar & Grill in White Bear Lake preceding the performance. “Come From Away” details, RSVP and payment information can be found at this link: https://forms.gle/GPEwFUfahQjPM3dx5

Direct questions to Chantell Knauss at SJWFellowship@gmail.com or 651.387.8288.

Save the Date for Future Fellowship Events:

• Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 7:30pm - "SIX" Broadway Touring Production at the Ordway
• Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 7:30pm – “Little Shop of Horrors” Musical at The Guthrie
• September 2024 (Exact Date/Time TBD) – “Back to the Future” Broadway Touring Production at the Orpheum
• Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 1pm Curtain; 11am Lunch - "White Christmas" Musical at Chanhassen Dinner Theater
• December 2024 (Exact Date/Time TBD) – “Book of Mormon” Broadway Touring Production at the Orpheum

Rector's Eastertide Book Study

Father Art will be leading a book study this year on Mariann Budde's newest book, How We Learn to Be Brave. From the book jacket: "The decisive moments in life are those pivot points when we're called on to push past our fears and act with strength. 

With How We Learn to Be Brave, Bishop Mariann Budde teaches us to respond with clarity and grace even in the toughest times. Being brave is not a singular occurrence; its a journey that we can choose to undertake every day. ...With Bishop Budde's wisdom, readers will learn to live and to respond according to their true beliefs and in ways that align with their best selves. How We Learn to Be Brave will provide much-needed fortitude and insight to anyone searching for answers in uncertain times." 

If you do not already own the book, you can order it online here.

We will meet at Father Art's home (2304 6th Street, White Bear Lake) on the following Monday nights from 6-8pm: April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20. Dinner will be a part of each evening's gathering! Come join us as we learn to be brave! Sign up on the Grow Board in the hall.

Transformed by the Word:

Join us in person or online here.

During Lent the Transformed by the Word Bible Study will be reading and discussing the following Sunday's lectionary readings:

Mar. 20 - readings for Mar. 24

• Jeremiah 31:31-34
• Hebrews 5:5-10
• John 12:20-33
• Psalm 51:1-13
• or Psalm 119:9-16

Connect with Kathy Smith or Sylvia Lovett to find out more about this great group!

Contact Maggie Howe here for event information and to get on her mailing list!

Wilderness Wednesdays!

From 5:30-6pm, we will share in a light supper, and then from 6-8pm, we will offer a variety of ongoing program options. Some of our offerings will include Heartbeat band practices (for all ages), a maker's space, game nights, Bible studies, CONNECT group gatherings, and more. Childcare will be available in our downstairs nursery throughout the evening.

Rummage Sale News 

Yes, we are planning a Rummage Sale again this year. Please start saving salable items and paper sacks for bagging. Sale week has changed slightly to the last full week of September this year. Plan on helping, too, if you can. More information, such as when we can start bringing in sale items, will follow as the time gets closer. Meanwhile, for your questions, please call Lynn Gadbois at 651-270-8934

Weekly News and a Weekly Message from Bishop Loya

The Episcopal Church in Minnesota also has a weekly e-news, where you can read a message from Bishop Craig Loya, (or sometimes a special guest author), and read about what is happening in the Episcopal Church in MN and beyond! A great way to stay connected and learn about our church outside the walls of St. John's. 

To receive the ECMN news go here, scroll to the very bottom right and sign up.

Parish Family Prayer List

We are in the process of updating our prayer list. Please use the link below to request prayers as we rebuild the list. Please let us know if you would like the request to be publicly listed or private. Unless specifically requested, prayer requests will be kept on the list for a month.

We ask your prayers for:

Angie G, Cindy K, Pat P, Jean T, David G, Larry K, Tony & Amanda, Mary Ann D, Kari D, Carolyn C



Click the button below to fill out the web form, or email prayer@stjohnwilderness to request prayers and to be added to the parish prayer list.

For the Parish

Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven

and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen

the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent.

Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring

us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP p. 817

Morning Prayer & Compline

Join us on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8 AM for morning prayer and

Monday and Friday evenings at 8:30 PM for Compline.

Both prayer services are held via Google Meet. All are welcome.

The word liturgy comes from a Greek term meaning “public work or work done on behalf of the people.” Liturgy always referred to an organized community. A work, then, done by an individual or a group was a liturgy on behalf of the larger community.

If you would like to become part of the many ministries that help make our work, our worship, our liturgies, our community, please talk to one of our clergy.

Connect!

Our parish office is open Monday - Thursday, 9 am - 3 pm. Stop by and say hi!

Financial Coordinator: Maureen Vruno | Office hours M,T, Th, 7:30am - 2:30pm maureen@stjohnwilderness.org 651-429-5351 ext 12

Rising Generations Coordinator: Maggie Howe | maggie@stjohnwilderness.org

Parish Coordinator: Carrie Thomas | carrie@stjohnwilderness.org 651-429-5351

Deacon: The Rev. Margaret Thor | margaret@stjohnwilderness.org

Associate Priest: The Rev. Kate Maxwell, OSB |

kate@stjohnwilderness.org 651-263-3840

Rector: The Rev. Arthur Hancock |

art@stjohnwilderness.org 651-350-8425

Our current Health & Safety Protocols

• St. John’s encourages all of its members to get vaccinated and boosted.
• If you feel sick or have the typical symptoms of Covid-19, we ask you to worship with us online.
• Masks are optional while inside all parish buildings for those who are boosted and vaccinated. If conditions change and we experience another surge of Covid-19, we may alter our protocols.