Sunday Services: 10:00am

The last Sunday of every month is our Healing Service. As we ask for God's help, we try to help others. Please bring a non-perishable food donation for Stony Point food pantry. The need is greater than ever.

Sunday School starts at 10am.

– All are welcome.

2012 Easter Week – We welcome you!

Maundy Thursday – April 5
Service of Foot Washing at 7:30pm & Meditation in the Garden at 8:30pm and through the night
St. John's has a special foot washing and meditation service for Maundy Thursday on April 5. Join us at 7:30pm for the foot washing. Foot washing is something Jesus did for the Disciples before his death, burial, and resurrection during "the last supper". It is an act that shows humility. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. The garden meditation begins at 8:30pm and continues through the night.Our garden at St. John's is prepared with plants and candles in our parish hall and it creates a beautiful environment for contemplation and reflection.

Good Friday Service – April 6 at 7:30pm
Good Friday is observed to commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday (John 19:42).[4] The estimated year of Good Friday is AD 33. Accordingly, on the day Jesus Christ was crucified, it is believed that darkness covered the land for hours, an event which later came to be referred to as the "crucifixion eclipse". Although medieval writers treated the darkness as a miracle, various Christian historians have associated it with prophecies and other reports of eclipses or periods of darkness. Using this period of darkness as a marker, and interpreting it as a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse, writers have suggested dates for Jesus' crucifixion. You are invited to join us for this solemn remembrance of Jesus's life and that he died for our sins.

Easter Sunday – April 8
Special musical prelude at 9:45am, service at 10am
On Easter Sunday, Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. We invite you to join us for our Easter Sunday celebration, which begins at 9:45am with a musical prelude arranged by our music director, Chris Bankey, for the musicians who will join us on Sunday. Happy Easter!

Sunday School for children and teens meets each Sunday at 10:00 am – St. John's is where kids are welcome!
Our Sunday School consists of reading the scripture or lessons, talking about it and then turning the readings into a brief play that we perform in church for the congregation. The plays are written by the children and often involve costumes and singing during the performance, which usually lasts for under 2 minutes. All younger children and teenagers are welcome to join us at 10am each Sunday. Please call with any questions. Baptisms are by appointment.

Contact: Sunday School teacher: Frank Vitale at 845-786-3923


Visit our Sunday School children on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/saintjohnschapel

A member parish of the Episcopal Diocese of New York:
The Episcopal Diocese of New York News & information
http://www.dioceseny.org

Epsicopal New Yorker Magazine
http://www.dioceseny.org/new_yorker_editions/archives

Episcopal Life Online
www.dfms.org/ens/

Episcopal Cafe
http://episcopalcafe.com/

Famous Anglicans and Episcopalians
www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_anglican.html

Stony Point History Roundtable:
Iona Island attracts over 50 people
More than 50 people attended the Stony Point History Roundtable program by Doc Bayne titled" Iona Island: A History Not Forgotten," held on Sunday, September 19. 2010. The series is sponsored by the Stony Point Action Committee for the Environment (SPACE) and St. John's has hosted a number of the meetings.

Doc Bayne presents to people from church and community on Sept. 19. Photo: George Potanovic, Jr.

Our Sail on Sloop Clearwater
A wonderful afteroon on the River!
What a wonderful afternoon we had in Sept. 2008.. WITH so many wonderful people on the Clearwater! Thank you, adults, children and Clearwater Staff for making it such a memorable experience for us all! -- especially, Brian Mohan, our Clearwater Educator and the Sloop Captain, who allowed the kids to steer the ship!

View photos from our Clearwater Sail at:
www.potanovic.com/080910STJD-Clearwater/

More photos by George Potanovic, Sr. at:
www.potanovic.com/ClearwaterSail-GeoSR/

If you have any photos that you would like to share on our church website, please
e-mail the photos to me! I will make a special slide show and give you photo credit!

Our church has sponsored this sail on the Sloop Clearwater as part of our commitment to our environment, environmental education and trying to live a more sustainable life.

The Chapel of St. John the Divine is hoping to organize other such programs on the environment and invite guest speakers during the course of the coming year. If you are interested, have an idea for a program or would like to add your address to our e-mail list, please let me know! - George Potanovic.

The traditional Blessing of the Fleet:
Boaters receive blessings as they sail Haverstraw Marina
On Saturday, May 17, 2008, a beautiful sunny day, Fr. William Dearman, the Vicar of The Chapel of St. John the Divine in Tomkins Cove, NY performed a "Blessing of the Fleet" at the Haverstraw Marina, Haverstraw, NY. The "Blessing of the Fleet" is an old tradition relating to the feast of St. Peter, patron Saint of fishermen all over the Christian world. The ceremony basically consists of asking for "Divine protection" for those who risk their lives harvesting the sea. At the Haverstraw Marina on the Hudson River , there are not those who make their living harvesting the sea, but there are 1,000 boats owned by those who also spend countless hours on the river and at sea. They too need a blessing to come back safely. Ann Vitale, warden at The Chapel of St. John the Divine, said, "We were vividly reminded of the dangers a few days ago when a boater was washed up on the rocks along the Hudson just two miles north of the church. He was luckily spotted by a kyacker who called 911."

Some traditions also have a floral wreath laid in the water as a memorial to those who have been lost at sea. Fr. Dearman first laid a wreath out on the river and then blessed a parade of boats that passed by the wharf that leads out to the river. As it was such a windy day, several boats could not make it out to the far wharf, so he also walked to the other wharves, blessing those who were moored.

Krystal Cerna, the office manger at Haverstraw Marina who organized the event wrote a note of thanks to Fr. Dearman and the church that said, "I just wanted to tell everyone at St. John the Divine that I am so thankful you all helped us out on Saturday. I am truly lucky to have found such a wonderful parish and such a fantastic Father for our service!"

It was a touching and meaningful ceremony. It is God's blessing that all boats return safely from the waters and it is God's blessing for a bountiful harvest. – Ann Vitale, Warden

Episcopal Diocese of NY sponsored a Conference
on the Environment in the Hudson Valley
The Episcopal Diocese, Region II Office sponsored a very successful conference on the environment – spirituality in action on Saturday, May 31, 2008 from 9:30am - 3pm at the St. Mathew's Church, 382 Cantitoe Street, Bedford, NY.

The keynote speaker for the conference was John Cronin, formerly the nation's first Riverkeeper and currently, the Director of the Beacon Institute and Director of the Pace Academy for the Environment at Pace University. Workshops were held on "Greening Your Life" - Your buildings and lifestyle, in city and country; "Advocacy"- Affecting your neighborhood, village, or city policy; "What Has Changed, What Needs Changing?" - The negative affects of environmental change, and what to do about it; and "What We Eat" - Farmers markets, community supported agriculture. Bishop Catherine Roskam led us in celebration of the opening Eucharist. (see photo left)

Diocessan Environmental Committe member: George Potanovic, Jr.

See photos from the May 31 Environmental Conference at:
www.potanovic.com/080531-ESNYEnvironment

Photos: © George Potanovic, Jr.