We welcome you to St. John's Episcopal Church in Springfield, Missouri.
We are a traditional Episcopal Church, and we worship in a beautiful, historic, and gothic-style building. We celebrate both Rite I and Rite II Masses. On special Holy Days, we celebrate the Rite I version of the Holy Eucharist, and sometimes use incense. Please check our calendar on our website for details.
It is our hope that as you visit us electronically, you will learn more about our community of faith, the strength of our fellowship family, and our abundant opportunities for ministry.
St. John's is our worship home. We try to welcome all people who come to it. We strive to be a large family gathered to renew its life in Christ and with one another. The coffee hour after each Sunday Eucharist is a time for people to relax and connect with one another.
Our doors and hearts are open to you! If you are looking for a spiritual home, we hope that you will visit us in person. We trust you will experience the warmth of Christian fellowship, the inspiration of worship, and the sense of peace that comes from an awareness of God's presence here at St. John's Episcopal Church.
Outreach Ministry News |
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We did it! ....... we think …… We have gathered $1,578 in gifts from St. John’s parishioners toward the $2,025 goal for Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) to provide seeds, tools and training for a village so they can cultivate a sustainable living from the land and ensure that an entire community has enough food. The $500 grant we applied for from the Diocesan Millennium Goals committee would put us over the top.
This has been an ambitious Lenten and Easter project for our parish, but the Outreach Ministry Group was proven right to think St. John’s could do it. Even though we may be feeling the financial pinch of our current economic times, most of us do not feel the pinch of hunger in our stomachs. Our gifts will help a village have that same security of having enough food to eat. Thank you to all who gave so generously to make this project a success. It is such a blessing to be a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church!
Please continue bringing canned vegetables and fruit on Sundays for Ozarks Food Harvest. There is a large basket at the front door of the church to gather your donations, which the ushers take forward for a blessing at the same time as our monetary gifts.
Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15
Evangelism Corner |
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Loving and Eternal God, you never fail us. Touch your Church with your loving
kindness. May your bishops who bear the vision of your Church lead us in
fulfilling your will. May the clergy minister as faithful pastors to the flock
committed to their care, and may the people of God be continually renewed by
the power of the Holy Spirit so as to give praise and glory to you. Through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Rev. Canon Roger Chung
Decade of Evangelism Coordinator
Province of the Indian Ocean
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The Reverend Jerry L. Miller, Rector
Holy Days & Special Occasions
Services as Announced
See our Calendars page for worship schedule changes.
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Holy Communion by Non-Episcopalians |
Through most of the Episcopal Church’s life, Holy Communion could only be received by people who had been confirmed in the Episcopal Church. In the 1970's, when the implications of the Ecumenical Movement in the USA began to take hold in local churches, the Episcopal Church passed legislation allowing, under certain circumstances, non-Episcopalians to receive Holy Communion in the Episcopal Church.
The following standards were established by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 1979:
(1) The person desiring to receive Holy Communion in the Episcopal Church shall have been baptized with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Sprit, and shall have previously been admitted to the Holy Communion within the Church to which they belong.
(2) That person shall examine their lives, repent of their sins, and be in love and charity with all people, as the Episcopal Church in its catechism says is required of all those who come to the Eucharist.
(3) That person shall approach the Holy Communion as an expression of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ whose sacrifice once upon the cross was sufficient for all humankind.
(4) That person shall find in this Communion the means to strengthen their life within the Christian family through the forgiveness of theirs sins, the strengthening of their union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet.
Preparing for Sunday
St. John's is always looking for ways to enhance our Christian Education Program, and here is an electronic way to enhance your Bible study for the Sunday readings. The "Preparing for Sunday" program is produced as an online service by the Church Publishing Group. Simply click on the icon below, and learn more about the readings before you arrive on Sunday morning.
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Each day, as we say the Daily Office, we recite The Apostles’ Creed, and in it we say that we believe in the communion of saints. Do we really know what that means? Or, are we just reciting the words as they are written on the page?
Communion with the Saints is fellowship or spiritual unity of all God’s faithful people. Scripture tells us that we, as God’s people, are one in Christ, called to be saints, and share in fellowship with one another. We do not share in this communion because we possess more virtue or are better than other people, but solely because God loves us and has chosen us to be partakers of his purpose.
Join us this summer, beginning on Sunday, June 21st for a nine-week journey together with the saints. The class will be held between the services at 9:30am in the Parish Hall, and will be facilitated by Laura Hughes.
During the first week we will cover an introduction to the saints. We will be exploring why we celebrate saints’ days, the history and tradition of the saints, and what it means to be in communion with the saints. For each of the other weeks that follow, we will spend time in the study of the lives and ministry of several Saints from our church calendar. We will reflect on their life experiences, their witness, their writings, and their faith. Each week, we will be challenged to consider how they lead us in our lives today.
During these ordinary times of the Pentecost Season, let us experience together some extraordinary lives. This series is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the saints in our church tradition; what God has shown in them; what we will be like if we follow; and what will happen to our hearts as we live according to faith.
The liturgy proper to July 4th, Independence Day, will be celebrated
at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 3rd. Because the parish is sponsoring a
float in the Midtown 4th of July parade on Saturday, the Mass of Independence
is being celebrated on its eve.
Not only is the parish participating in the parade with an entry, part
of St. John’s choir will be singing in the Midtown Choir at the afterparade
activities in Washington Park. St. John’s Evangelism Committee
is also sponsoring a table in the park, which will feature information
about St. John’s and games for young children.
The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, at Central High
School, and will end at Washington Park. During the after-parade
celebration, free ice cream and beverages will be served. Mark your
calendar now!
Mark your Calendars for the Parish Annual Picnic! |
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Mark your calendars now for the Parish Annual Picnic. It will be held on Sunday, August 16th!
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