Upcoming Events

Fall Sunday School Schedule Kindergarten thru Fifth Grade

We’re starting a new curriculum in the Bible Quest class – Weaving God’s Promises.  The curriculum was developed and written exclusively for the Episcopal Church.  The program is titled Weaving God’s Promises after the process of faith formation in which we learn how God’s promises of salvation are inextricably woven into our lives.   The program follows a three-year cycle with the following themes: Weaving Our Faith, Weaving Together the Family of God, and Weaving God’s Beloved Community.

Weaving God’s Promises teaches children the way of Christ, not only in the church but also in the world, and gives them a solid grounding for future youth formation programs, which in turn prepares them for Christian adulthood.

Weaving God’s Promises foster the spiritual formation and growth of our children in Christ’s love and mercy, teaches the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, and sends our children out into the world as Christ’s ambassadors.

	Godly Play Kindergarten – Second Grade	Bible Quest Third - Fifth Grade Weaving God’s Promises
August 22	Rally Sunday	Fall and Exile from the Garden of Eden
August 29	Getting Ready to be with God	Cain and Abel
September 5	The Light	The Tower of Babel
September 12	The Good Shepherd	Abraham & His Adventures with God
September 19	Creation	Slaves in Egypt
September 26	Noah	Passover and Exodus from Egypt
October 3	The Exodus	In the Wilderness: Troubles
October 10	Ten Best Ways to Live	Into the Promised Land
October 17	The Ark and the Tent for God	Building Israel and the Temple of God
October 24	The Promised Land	Stories of Elijah
October 31	The Temple, A House for God	God’s People in Exile

 

 

Diocesan Intern to Serve at St. John's

We welcome Dr. Keila Thomas to St. John’s as an intern.  Keila is in the process toward ordination as a priest.  She is a retired professor at Berea College.  She and her husband John are excited about her being with us.  She and I have not yet determined what her roles will be at St. John’s but she will be ministering among us in ways that enhance her formation toward priesthood.  Keila will be with us through early December.

Our intern, Keila Thomas, introduces herself to St. John’s
I was born and raised in Lexington, the first of two daughters.  My family was Southern Baptist and we entered the church every time the doors opened. I went to high school at Cardome Visitation Academy in Georgetown, then attended Georgetown College. My first job after college was in a chemistry lab for Abbott Laboratories in Los Angeles County, California. Four years later I returned to school at the University of KY for a teaching certificate, then Masters in Child and Family Studies and a Doctorate in Education.  I have taught elementary, middle school, high school, and college.  This past June, I retired from Berea College as the Billings Chair in Child and Family Studies and a professor emeritus after 28 years of teaching and 10 years of serving as department chair.  I made the decision to leave Berea College to continue discernment toward ministry.  I have a most wonderful husband, John, who is a professor emeritus at Eastern Kentucky University in the College of Education.  We have a son, Ryan, who is an anesthesiologist and a daughter, Jariah,who is in business administration and the mother of our two grandsons, ages 6 and 19 months.  A very significant part of our lives is that we have lost two children, Taran who was 18 and Evan who was 16.  I live in Lexington in a very hectic household with John; my sister, Karla Isaac; our daughter, and her children. I am very excited about my placement at St. John’s and look forward

Introduction to Holy Conversations - September 12

After the 9:00 service and before the 11:15 service, during breakfast on September 12^th, Dr. Kay Collier McLaughlin and members of the Diocesan Leadership Team will be with us to tell us more about the Holy Conversations and help us prepare ourselves.

Please plan to join us for breakfast on that Sunday for a really informative conversation.

As the Vestry deliberates and appoints the Nominating Committee, we ask everyone in our community of faith to pray for this process.

Appreciation Dinner for Worship Leaders and Servers - Sept 26

Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.  Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.”  John 12:26

 

St. John’s clergy and vestry will host an appreciation dinner for parishioners who have volunteered to serve duringworship as an acolyte, crucifer, chalice bearer, torchbearer, lector, usher, gift bearer, altar guild or breakfast cook.  Your dedication to service greatly enhances the worship at St. John’s.  We want to thank you on September 26^th from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. with dinner and a short program.  So, if you appear on the monthly server schedule, mark your calendars now and watch your e-mail for further information.   Please confirm your attendance to Gayle via email.

If you would like to know more about opportunities to serve during worship, contact Gayle Box at 606-233-3409 or by e-mail at dabox1313@earthlink.net.

 

Wednesday Evening Christian Formation

The Wednesday Bible study will continue until mid October, when the diocesan team comes to lead Holy Conversations.  Fr. David will be leading a discussion of The Epistle of James.  The schedule on Wednesdays is as follows:

5:30 – Service of Healing and Holy Eucharist

6:00 – Covered dish meal

6:30-7:30 – Bible study

Community Garden Update

You may have noticed that a bit of the garden seems to be behind the rest of the garden.  Late in June, parts of the garden were replanted because the mulch that had been used was found to have traces of 2,4,d herbicide.  According to the manufacuterer, the ground needed to be tilled and allowed to sit for a few days to allow the sun to break down the product.  This work was completed and those portions of the garden which had been mulched were replanted.

Community Garden Work Days
Wednesdays at 4 PM and
Saturdays at 10 AM

 

Lutes & Lyres

 

Wednesday Morning Bible Study

Wednesday Morning Bible Study takes up “The Lost Gospel Q: The Original Sayings of Jesus”

Beginning on August 4, the Wednesday Morning Bible Study group will begin reading this book edited by Marcus Borg. 

While Matthew and Luke probably did not know each other, their gospels contain many of the same sayings of Jesus.  Scholars have theorized that perhaps there was a source to which they each referred, designed ‘Q,’ after the German word ‘quelle’ which means ‘source.’  This book investigates this theory.

Each Wednesday begins with Morning Prayer at 10:00 in the chapel followed by Bible Study at 10:30 and concludes at 11:30.  Feel free to come for both or either one!  If you would like a book ordered for you, contact Katherine Harper: 285-9336.  Cost is $9.56

 

Solo Flight Conference September 3-6

Our twentieth anniversary celebration.

A National Episcopal Single Adult Ministry

September 3-6, 2010

Roslyn Conference Center, Richmond, Virginia

Theme – One is a Whole Number

Keynoter – Jane Gentry Vance, former poet laureate of Kentucky.   She is the author of: A Garden in Kentucky (Louisiana State University Press, 1995), A Year in Kentucky (Press Eight Seventeen, 2005), and Portrait of the Artist as a White Pig (Louisiana State University Press, 2006) and a contributor to What Comes Down to Us:  25 Contemporary Kentucky Poets.

Chaplain – The Rev. David W. Perkins, Interim Rector, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Versailles, KY

Worship Leader – The Rev. Bruce Stewart, The Diocese of Virginia

For registration information go to http://www.soloflightministry.net

 

EfM begins in September

Education for Ministry, the four-year theological study program of the School of Theology at Sewanee covering the Bible, church history and theology, will reconvene in mid-September at St. John’s.  The course provides a comprehensive, experiential education in the foundations of Christian mission and faith for laity.  A brief introduction and overview of the course will be held in the large meeting room on the second floor of the parish hall on Tuesday, August 3 at 7:00pm.  Tuition is $350.  Participants do not have to be member of the Episcopal Church.

For more information call Ned Meekins at 873-3991 or talk to any current or former participants of the course. Also the web site at Sewanee has more information - Sewanee Education Programs

 

Friends of Music at St. John’s

A new organization has been formed called the Friends of Music at St. John’s. The purpose of this organization is to join St. John’s to the local arts scene by becoming a venue for special music performances and bringing music artists to Versailles who perform in several styles of music.

In order to support the individual concerts and the series as a whole as well as bring in quality artists, we have several giving categories: Contributor: $50 Benefactor: $100 (includes 2 free tickets) Gaurentor: $250 (includes 4 free tickets) Angel: $500 (includes 6 free tickets). Checks should be made payable to St. John’s Episcopal Church with Friends of Music written on the memo line. Donations for this new program do not support the regular music program of the church, and the Friends of Music series is not supported financially by the parish. This will be a self-supporting program for the community. Please direct any questions about the series, financial support, or how you might become involved to Stephen Leist (338-9361) at the church.