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My dear family in Christ,

It is with deep and conflicting emotion that I find myself writing this message to you. We have just navigated through Advent 2024 – a season of expectation and hope. And now, our hope is with us, as we once again celebrate and welcome with joy the ever coming of Christ into our world.

But the moment has now arrived for me to share with you my departure from St. John’s. Bishop Provenzano and I have discerned that it is time for me to move on. The Spirit is stirring in me to grow and serve in new ministries within our vineyard. The diocese is large, the needs are great, and the deacons are few. I will preach my last sermon on December 29th and my last Sunday at St. John’s will be January 12th. I hope to see many of you on those two dates so we can celebrate our time together – 5 years, in fact! While this departure is earlier than planned, it will afford me the opportunity to spend much needed time with my family before venturing into new outreach work.

I am grateful to our Rector, Fr. Duncan for his encouragement and leadership – giving me the latitude to discover my own ministry – which, in fact is not one ministry but many. And no ministry is done in a silo. You, the parishioners have been open and receptive to new ideas and are always ready to hop on board!

I thank God for the work that Coral puts in to keep us all organized as well as to Alex, whose musical gifts are beyond amazing – and always profoundly touching and healing. Thanking God also for all the creative and vibrant ministries at St. John’s!

So, I leave with sadness and joy. Sadness because I love you all – so deeply have you become engrained in my heart. The opportunity to accompany you on your personal journeys has been your gift to me. And I will miss you. But there is joy, because I know that you are a strong church and that you will thrive and continue to grow through the leadership of Fr. Duncan, Fr. Zach, and your Vestry – which has been so generous to me, and so creative in its forward thinking.

May our loving God be with us all as we continue to serve wherever we are being called. God never abandons us, but at the same time, God does not stand still, and neither must we! 

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord!

Thanks be to God! Alleluia!

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‘My soul magnifies the Lord,

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

   and holy is his name.

 His mercy is for those who fear him

   from generation to generation.

 He has shown strength with his arm;

   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

   and lifted up the lowly;

 he has filled the hungry with good things,

   and sent the rich away empty.

 He has helped his servant Israel,

   in remembrance of his mercy,

 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ (The Song of Mary)

Have you ever just had a good feeling about things? A few weeks ago the bishop came to our 10:00 AM service. The place was packed, the music was fantastic, and the bishop left with a very good feeling about our church. He said that the spirit was present. He felt the hospitality and joy of a community filled with the love of Christ. In today’s Gospel Mary greets Elizabeth and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They rejoice because Mary has given of herself so that the whole world might have a savior. This Sunday we will have the Children’s Pageant at the 10:00 service. I hope you will witness the joy of the Holy Spirit in story of Mary and the birth of our Savior. At St. John’s, God comes to us as the incarnate Word of Jesus Christ to lead us to a new way of life.

Be joyful that we may live faithful lives through this incarnate Word. My hope is that each of you will feel a completeness that comes from being in the place where God has called you. God wants to make a broken world whole and comes to ordinary people to do great deeds. Do you remember the first teaching of Jesus in the synagogue? Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Isaiah proclaimed to an oppressed people that soon they would be freed. For generations and generations, people waited for that prophecy to come true. Jesus is the fulfillment of ancient prophecy and Mary and Elizabeth cannot contain their joy that they have been blessed by God to be a part of it. As Advent comes to an end and the ancient promises are about to be fulfilled, we await in expectant joy. Are you excited that Christmas is almost here? God will come yet again us to free the oppressed and bring Good News to the poor.

St. John’s has been blessed for 280 years that people have rejoiced in the power of the living God. God comes again and again to fulfill ancient prophecy. By the Spirit of God, we have done many good things here. I wait in joyful expectation to hear and see what God will do among us.

Christmas Eve Services, Tuesday, December 24th

4 pm - Rite II Choral Family Eucharist

7 pm - Rite II Choral Eucharist

10 pm - Rite I Holy Eucharist

Christmas Day Service, Wednesday December 25th

9 am - Rite II Holy Eucharist

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:22-24).

Last Sunday Fr. Zach spoke about the hope of putting God first in our lives. It is only through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we can become the folks that God calls us to be. We are not heading towards the outcome of a political race, but to the Kingdom of God. In today’s lesson we are asked to encourage one another to pray together, to love each other, and to help those in need. These are three goals that bring us to a place of purpose and meaning in our life. In my experience, bickering with one another brings only heartache. Imagining worst outcomes is not healthy. Put your trust in the Lord! Micah asks, “O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”

Being a Christian is rooted in our relationship with Christ. My biggest goal for next year is that you will strengthen your relationship with Christ. The bishop has requested that every member of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island pray for one hour per day. Maybe you could start with a small prayer for your loved ones. A group of us meets for Morning Prayer at 9 AM every weekday on zoom. We pray for the sick and our loved ones by name. Pray at meals in thanksgiving for all you have received. End your day with a prayer to keep your loved ones safe. My great grandmother taught her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to talk to Jesus in our prayers like Jesus is your closest friend. When troubles and fear come in your life, you will have an advocate to lean your head on.

Please join us in offering our hospitality and community to our guests. In the Episcopal Church, we say that all are welcome. Please reach out to new members and invite them to participate in your small group ministry. On December 3^rd and 10^th we will offer the Alpha Program. We request that you invite someone to deepen their faith through this program. You can also invite non-Christians to learn about our faith.

The bond that we form in groups like EFM, the ECW, the Thrift Shop, the Prayer Shawl Ministry, HIHI, and St. Hilda’s Guild create an atmosphere of faith and love. We grow together in the love of Christ by sharing our love with one another. Join us for HIHI every other week from 3 PM to 5PM starting Friday December 13^th. We will make 30 meals for the homeless and bring them to the Roadway Inn, where they are housed for the winter. Please sign up for a child to support in the Adopt-a-Family program during our coffee hour.

Thank you to all members of our congregation who have already pledged. Your generosity allows us to continue the faith and love that have been shared for the past 280 years. Finally, I ask you to attend this Sunday’s concert, Mass in Blue. Bring family or friends with you to enjoy a spectacular jazz concert featuring the Sound Vocal Jazz Choir and the Alex Pryrodny Quartet.

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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It’s been reported that we are entering into drought conditions across the New York metro area. I’ve been missing a damp fall, but it’s been nice not to have to worry about too much water for now. I know that it’s not going to last and eventually we’ll get some rain.

This weekend’s Old Testament reading takes place in the middle of a drought. Chapter 17 introduces the Prophet Elijah into the Biblical story. Preceding this were the stories of Kings David and Solomon, among other kings. Now we start to hear more about prophets rather than history. “The word of the Lord” came to Elijah and warned him of a drought.

What comes next is this week’s reading. A curious story of a widow and her cake meal. She is about to use up the last of her meal for her and her son and then, frightfully, starve due to famine. Recently, I’ve been watching an older HBO show from the 2000s, Carnivale. Set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, it tells of a travelling carnival show and a young man who is a healer of sorts. It casts a deep, visionary imagery of religious sentiment during that time, one that is sticking with me. Because at the same time, through the other main character, a zealous minister, truly a charismatic Calvinist if I’ve ever seen one, we see the total depravity of man. At times in our lives we are spiritually inept. Blocked. Angsty. Think about times in your life where you feel spiritually dry. Physically you felt fine, in fact maybe life in the eyes of others was seemingly going well for you. But you knew you lacked something.

Who is there to feed us during our spiritual droughts, I wonder? Jesus Christ to be sure. But how does that sound sometimes? Like he’s a sort of technique? The word of the Lord is an ever-living and ever-refreshing source of life. How are we making sure to feed and drink on He who gives us life?

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Zachary

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Have you ever felt the weight of a love so profoundly and so encompassing that it simply makes your heart ache with its sheer beauty? That is the love Christ offers us – a love that sees beyond our flaws, embraces our brokenness and fills us to overflowing. This is a love that surpasses our ability to even find the right words – no words are adequate. It is the love that is always with us, even as we remember with sadness those who no longer walk this earth by our sides.

Our stewardship theme this year is Walk In Love – We walk together in the strength of God’s love for us individually and as a community. We are collectively bound– strong, perhaps like a chain link fence, or even like one of the knit prayer shawls that comfort us in times of loss or illness. When we walk together, we have a tangible experience of God’s love. We feel safe and protected. God’s got us!

This Sunday, we celebrate All Saints Day – a day commemorating all the saints of the church, both known and unknown. When we pray the Apostles’ Creed, we say, “I believe in…the communion of saints.” The communion of saints is made up of men and women who have placed their hope in Jesus Christ and through Baptism, are his adopted children and united in Christ’s love. This is a day where we remember our departed brothers and sisters whom we believe are already with God. For some of us, it can be a day of sadness as we reminisce about those who no longer have a physical presence in our lives.

Yes, we are a communion of saints here at St. John’s – a community of faithful followers of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are knit together in Christ’s love and are stronger because of that love. Knowing that Christ loves us and never abandons us strengthens our trust. It frees us to be generous in our giving – because our God will never abandon us. We will always have enough – we will never be without because our Lord loves us and God will always make a way. In the words of Don Moen:

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

Our Stewardship campaign is coming to an end this Sunday. Please search your heart – how much could ever be enough when we have been loved and cared for by Christ? Trust that our Lord, who loves you beyond your imagination, will always make a way.

Thank you for returning your stewardship promise of support for St. John’s!!

In God’s abundance and love,
Deacon Claire

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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2, NRSV

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

As we are in the midst of our annual Stewardship Campaign, I am writing to invite you into prayer about the journey you make with our St. John’s congregation – our spiritual home. We are companions for each other as we navigate the ups and downs of our shared lives. It is a walk of love that we make with each other.

Throughout this year, I have been inspired by the ways you accompany each other. I have witnessed the way you care for the sick and shut-ins in our congregation through our various ministries including the Prayer Shawl, HANAH, the thrift shop, and the community garden. I have eaten at the table with you at coffee hour, the parish picnic, our community meals, and potlucks. I have watched as you supported each other when you were struggling or needed a hand or a shoulder. You have also helped me when I needed it.

This is what it means to be in community with each other – this is what walking in love looks like. During these next few weeks, you will hear witness testimonials from various parishioners on what ministries give them meaningful purpose and resolve to walk in love as God’s children.

Here at St. John’s Huntington, we have so many gifts to share, gifts of time, talent, and treasure that we freely give to support our ministry and to do the work of mission in our neighborhoods and communities. Our intention is to serve, not be served by others. We do this not out of a sense that we will get back what we give, but because we are motivated by love. When Paul wrote to his friends in the Church at Ephesus, he reminded them that the very spark of love that founded their community of faith was one of giving. God showed God’s love for humanity by giving us a part of the Divine.

Certainly, this is what we do when we place our gifts on the altar – we bring our whole selves and share the best part of our love and labor. Every gift matters this year, and each gift will be accepted, brought to the altar, and blessed before God and our community. Please mail or bring your pledge card to church and place it in the giving basket on October 27^th or November 3^rd. As you to prayerfully consider what you will share with the Church this year, I invite you to give thanks for the many people who have walked with you in love, supported you in your faith, and shared their gifts with you.

Walking with you in Love, 
Sean Butler, Warden

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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2, NRSV

As we begin our annual Stewardship pledge appeal, I am asking you to pray about your annual financial giving. Please consider increasing your pledge this year. As costs rise around us, our church expenses are also rising. I appeal to you to increase your contribution amount to help us sustain this church, our church. When you bring your pledge card to the altar at St. John’s on October 20th, I invite you to Walk in Love.

Generosity is a journey, it’s a practice that we learn and nurture within our hearts. It just isn’t in our nature to give away what we have worked hard to acquire or to donate our precious time without compensation. It takes something as radical as Love to inspire us to share our time, talent, and treasure with others. This is a journey we make together, a Walk in Love.

As we have lived with the Gospel this year, we have been brought into a world turned radically upside down. The laws and customs that had been in place for centuries were challenged, power and dominion have been questioned, and a culture hemmed in from all sides by oppression and subjection desperately seeks a way forward. 

As it turns out, it is not cultural pluralism, political polarization, or social media that causes the change in society, but the simplest concept of Love. Jesus causes a revolution of thought and heart by daring to reach out to the outcast and teach others to do the same. He walks in love with the marginalized, with the poor, with the sick, and brings us along with him on his journey. 

The most miraculous gift of Love is that it was there within us all along, all we had to do was find it, tap into it, and begin growing it. And look what happened? We learned to share, to give, to volunteer, to accompany others, to feed, to pray, to visit, to strive for change. Our Harvest Fair supports many charities in our community that need our love. I ask you to fully support the fair on October 19th. Help us to help others. 

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan

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An old adage goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Recently, I was listening to an interview on a podcast and the person being interviewed decried this phrase. She reminded us listeners that words have meaning and they have power. We also have meaning. We also wield power. Thus, when we use our words wrong, we can have the power to hurt someone else. Surely, we have been on each end of this experience. But on the flip side, we know the words we use can help someone, comfort someone, or make someone laugh or think.

The readings from Hebrews and Mark show us the effect of Jesus’ words on our life. It may seem a bit dramatic that the word of God is “sharper than a two-edged sword”, and yet many times Jesus speaks, people are left confused, angry, and like the rich young man in Mark’s Gospel, he runs away grieving. In Acts 2, when Peter is preaching his first sermon, the listeners, we are told, are “cut to the heart”. We, as Christians, believe in a God who is alive and active in this world. His Word still has power and meaning that is fully realized in the person of Jesus Christ. It is also revealed to us in the Holy Scripture, where we go when we wish to reflect, meditate, and pray on the activity of God in each of our lives.

God’s Word is life. It has the power to create and to revive the soul. It is the power that seeks to comfort, to aid, to strengthen each of us so that our words may be used to His greater glory. Are our words aligned with what God wants for us? It could be as simple as curse words. Perhaps we find ourselves being too cynical or too complacent (meaning we need to speak up!). Words are a powerful tool in which we need God's assistance and guidance in order to use this tool well.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Zach

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Wild Geese (by Mary Oliver)



You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees 

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. 

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

I love to stare out over the blue water near my house in Centerport. There is something about watching bald eagles in the trees and the sky and wild geese on the lawn of Queen of Martyrs church. Wild Geese are even more fun to watch when they are flying home. They often start out in one direction and then get their bearings and all head in another direction. As the summer changes to fall, they are often on the move. Today’s Gospel is about getting salted with fire and then finding peace with one another.

For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another. (Mark 9:49-50)

Jesus is telling the disciples that they need to re-focus and turn in a new direction. After hearing that Jesus was headed for the cross, they argued about who was the greatest among them. Today’s words seem a little harsh, but they remind us to check and make sure we are headed in the right direction. The world is not at peace at this moment. We need to be salted with fire so that we are not at war with ourselves in this country and do not expand the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel to other nations. In the reading from James we are simply asked to pray. Please pray for peace with me at St. John’s, be salted by the words of Jesus, and live in peace with one another.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan