Christmas at St. John's

Christmas Eve
4:00 p.m., The Children's Service
9:00 p.m., Choral Festival Eucharist
Christmas Day
10:00 a.m., Communion and Carols
First Sunday after Christmas
8:00 a.m and 10:00 a.m., Holy Eucharist

Christmas Pageant - Sunday, Dec 19

St. John's Childrens' Christmas Pageant

Sunday, Dec. 19 - 4:15 pm

Presented by the children of St. John's.

Carols led by the Youth Band.

Instrumental prelude by the children.

This short program is a great way to introduce

St. John's to friends and neighbors!

Vespers this Wednesday

Join us for vespers

on the eve of the feast of St. Hilda.

Wednesday, Nov. 18 5:15 p.m.

This 20-minute service will include scripture, time for reflection, prayers, and music.

In the evening of life, I shall be judged by love.

- John of the Cross

November Singing Supper tonight!

TONIGHT - Fri,.Nov. 12

5:30 - 6:45 in the Upper Room

Our Singing Suppers bring together all our
generations, as all of us like to eat, and many of
us like to sing (or at least enjoy hearing the results).
After enjoying our meal, we sing a mixture of hymns
old and new: chestnuts from the hymnal, rounds,
and songs from Worship Outside the Box.

Members of the Affinknitties group will speak briefly about their ministry of crafts and fellowship.

We are ask those who attend to bring an entree, salad, bread, beverage, or dessert, to share.

Vespers this Wednesday at 5:15

Join us Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 5:15 pm
for Vespers (Evening Prayer)
on the eve of the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.

This 20-minute service will include scripture, time for reflection, prayers, and music.

In the evening of life, I shall be judged by love.
- John of the Cross

Sunday @ 9: Seeing the Holy Land

Bethlehem Security Fence

Seeing the Holy Land:
Religous Tradition & Political Reality

Our summer "Sundays at 9" series continues this Sunday, August 29, at 9:00 AM, when The Reverend Susan Crampton and Stuart Crampton will present "Seeing the Holy Land: Religious Tradition and Political Reality," an illustrated presentation of their experience. The public is invited to attend.

The "Sundays at 9" series features speakers whose life's work has brought them to a moment of challenge. Last March Susan and Stuart Crampton visited the Holy Land on a ten-day tour that was very rewarding and sometimes surprising.

Their presentation will take place in the parish library, at the red doors entrance, 35 Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Concert photos from Monday, August 23, 2010

Alicia Choi, violin; Amanda Verner, viola; Aleisha Verner, cello

From today's concert...

If you missed, it, check in at www.willinet.org in a few days - this concert, and others from the season are posted - you can view them anytime!

String Trio Concert - Monday, August 23 at Noon

Aleisha Verner, cello

Alicia Choi, violin

Amanda Verner, viola

Beethoven: Trio in c minor, Op. 9, No. 3

Dohnanyi: Serenade in C, Op. 10

FREE

Sundays @ 9: Wootters in Rwanda

Our summer "Sundays at 9" series continues this Sunday, August 22, at 9:00 AM, when Adrienne and Bill Wootters will present "Teaching and Learning in Rwanda," an illustrated talk about their recent sabbatical experiences in Africa.

The "Sundays at 9" series features speakers whose life's work has brought them to a moment of challenge. Both Bill and Adrienne Wootters teach college physics, Bill at Williams and Adrienne at MCLA. They spent the first six months of 2010 in Kigali, Rwanda, teaching college-level physics at the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, where Adrienne was a Fulbright Scholar. Her responsibilities included teaching two courses, supervising senior projects, and leading the physics department in a curricular review. Bill initially had no formal appointment, but was recruited to supervise several senior projects and to help a few students prepare for the Graduate Record Exam in physics, a prerequisite for graduate study in the US.

Their presentation will take place in the parish library, at the red doors entrance, 35 Park Street. Information: 413-458-8144.

Violin Recital - Monday, Aug 16 at NOON

On Monday, August 16, Williamstown violinist Sassok Eybiyan will be the featured artist on the Summer Noontime Concert series held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Williamstown. The free concert will begin at 12:00, and will include works by Massenet, Bartok and Beethoven.

Bring your lunch to enjoy during the concert; St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome.

The concert series will continue on Mondays through August 30, and will feature musicians from Williamstown, New York, and Boston. Violinist Alicia Choi, violist Amanda Verner, and cellist Aleisha Verner perform trios of Ysaye and Dohnanyi on August 23. The series will conclude onAugust 30 with a performance by the Williamstown-based Trio Café Budpest.

Updated information may be found at www.saintjohnswilliamstown.org. under the “News and Events” tab.

St. John’s is located at 45 Park St and is wheelchair-accessible.

Sundays at 9: Medical Mission to Ecuador

For the eighth time, St. John's Episcopal Church in Williamstown has sent a medical mission team to work in a developing nation. This summer, Laurie Glover, Adrienne Wootters, Jim Mahon, and Bart Saxbe traveled to Ecuador under the auspices of Medical Ministries International.

On Sunday, August 15th, they will give an illustrated presentation of their experience at 9:00 a.m. in the parish library (reached by the red-doors entrance on Park Street). The public is invited.

Scott Bailey at the St. John's organ

Scott's concert on Monday, August 9 will soon be showing on Willinet, the Williamstown local cable access company (channels 16/17). We'll post the schedule here when it's available. The concert will also be available anytime on the Willinet website www.willinet.org for viewing on your computer!

Sundays at 9: "Our Newest Americans"

Hilary Greene, Director of the Berkshire Immigrant Center, will speak on the subject "Our Newest Americans: Immigration in Berkshire County and Beyond" at 9:00 AM on Sunday, August 8, at St. John's Episcopal Church of Williamstown. Each Sunday through the end of August, speakers will share how their life's work has brought them to a moment of challenge.

Hilary Greene graduated from Mt. Greylock Regional High School and earned her BA in Soviet and Russian Studies from Colby College. Her interest in immigration began in the early '90s when she spent four years living and working as an expatriate in St. Petersburg, Russia. After returning to the United States, Hilary worked as the Refugee Resettlement Coordinator at the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and helped to establish the Berkshire Immigrant Center, where she is currently the director.

Griffin/Bailey recital DVD link

Willinet (Williamstown local cable access company) has posted a video of the concert given by baritone Avery Griffin and pianist Scott Bailey on July 19, 2010, part of the Summer Noontime Concert series at St. John's. Click on this link to view anytime!

www.willinet.org.

Folks can also turn on channel 17 in Willimstown and watch it on:

WEDs - 4 pm & 8 pm

THUs- 9 am & 5 pm

SATs - 6 am

SUNs- 2 pm & 7 pm & 10:30 pm

Sundays at 9: Approaching Death: A Geriatrician's View

Mary B. King, M.D., F.A.C.P., will speak on the subject "Approaching Death: A Geriatrician's View" on Sunday, August 1, at 9:00 a.m. in the upper room (ramp entrance). This program continues the parish's summer series "Sundays at 9." Each Sunday through the end of August, speakers will share how their life's work has brought them to a moment of challenge.

Dr. King will speak about how she came to practice in the field of geriatric medicine, what is distinctive about that field, and how by its nature she is often engaged in supporting people as they die.

Dr. King is a geriatrician with Williamstown Medical Associates, where she practices primary and consultative care for people ages 55 and over. She is also the Medical Director at Williamstown Commons.

Summer Noontime Concert Series - August 2

New York violinist Emily Kalish will perform works for solo violin by J.S. Bach on Monday, August 2 on the Summer Noontime Concert series. The concert will last 45 minutes and will feature the Partita in D minor (including the Chaconne) and selected movements from the Partita in E.

Bring your lunch to enjoy during the concert. St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies.

Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome.

Emily Kalish grew up in Great Barrington and studied violin with Alla Zernitskaya of Pittsfield. She holds an Associate of Arts from Simon’s Rock College, a Bachelor of Music from the Hartt School, where she studied with Katie Lansdale, and a Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, where her teacher was Burton Kaplan. She has participated in numerous summer programs, and last summer was a fellow with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckinridge, CO. Emily now lives in New York, where she teaches violin and performs as an orchestral player, chamber musician, and soloist.

Gwen Tunnicliffe & Patrick Madden - July 26

Sundays at 9: Achieving Food Security - July 25

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Williamstown, will host Kim McMann, Coordinator of Target Hunger in the North Berkshires, as guest speaker on Sunday, July 25, at 9:00 a.m. in the parish’s upper room (reached by the ramp entrance). Her subject will be “Achieving Food Security.”

St. John’s summer series “Sundays at 9” features speakers whose life’s work has brought them to a moment of challenge. Kim McMann reports that in this present economy Americans are challenged to just keep up with hunger and food security, let alone reduce these strong but often hidden needs in our society. In her work of finding resources for people and connecting them to those resources, Kim McMann feels that challenge daily.

Her program, Target Hunger, is one of two pilot projects of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, which serves four hundred agencies in the four western counties of the Commonwealth. The North Berkshire project is the Food Bank’s rural location, while its urban counterpart is located in the Mason Square section of Springfield.

In the work of Target Hunger, it’s understood that addressing hunger means more than giving people food. People need to learn about their food options, and gain what they need to prepare and cook nourishing food.

One of Target Hunger’s goals is to increase low-income households’ access to fresh produce. Kim will talk about Square Roots Farm, a C.S.A. (community-supported agriculture) farm in Clarksburg, MA, which allocates a number of shares for low-income households.

The upper room of St. John’s is reached by the ramp entrance on Park Street.

Information: 413-458-8144.

Gwen Tunnicliffe, soprano - Monday, July 26 at noon

Come hear soprano Gwendolyn Tunnicliffe and pianist Robin Kibler perform works by Mozart, Copland, Faure, Menotti, and Sondheim on Monday, July 23. The concert will begin at noon and last 45 minutes.

Bring your lunch to enjoy during the concert. St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies.

Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome.

Gwendolyn Tunnicliffe is a recent graduate of Mount Greylock Regional High School in Williamstown, where she sang in the chorus and took part in all the drama productions. Gwen has also been in many productions through the youth programs at Shakespeare & Company. She has studied voice with Keith Kibler at Williams College for two years. Her recent appearances include the Spirit in the opera Dido & Aeneas with the New Opera Company, Bastienna in Mozart's Bastien & Bastienna, Lina Lamont in Singin' In the Rain, and Fiona McLaren in Brigadoon. She is the 2010 Grand Prize Winner in the Vocal Category of the Berkshire Lyric Theatre's Young Artists Competition, the recipient of The Louise Noble Guild Recognition in Dramatic Arts Award, and the Berkshire Heptones Betty Von Mosch Memorial Scholarship.

Robin Kibler is Organist/Choir Director at the First United Methodist Church of Williamstown, and she frequently accompanies vocalists who are students of her husband, bass-baritone Keith Kibler. Robin studied piano with Alfred Mouledous at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She is a librarian at Williams College where she manages collection development and oversees the Acquisitions and Cataloging Departments.

Singing Supper - Thursday, July 22

Summer Singing Supper on the lawn this Thursday, July 22 at 5:30 pm Petrunos are grilling burgers and veggie burgers - bring a dish or a dessert to share!
We'll sing favorite hymns (your choice!) from the hymnal and Worship Outside the Box!

Don't miss it!

Noon concert - Monday, July 19

Avery Griffin, baritone (and pianist)

Scott Bailey, piano

perfoming selections from Schumann: Liederkreis, Op. 39

Avery Griffin: Piano Sonata

&

J.S. Bach: Cantata 82, "Ich habe genug"

Sundays at 9:00 - Haiti after the Earthquake

Sunday, July 18, at 9:00 a.m.

Dr. Craig Clemow will present an illustrated talk, "Haiti after the Earthquake," on in the parish library (at the red doors entrance on Park Street). This program opens the parish's summer series "Sundays at 9." Each Sunday through the end of August, speakers will share how their life's work has brought them to a moment of challenge.

Dr. Clemow is a psychotherapist on the staff of The Counseling Center in the Berkshires. In the weeks following the earthquake in Haiti, he was one of many healthcare professionals who volunteered to serve there.

Avery Griffin in Recital - Monday, July 19 at Noon

The Summer Noontime Concert Series continues on Monday, July 19 with performance by baritone & composer Avery Griffin and pianist Scott Bailey. The free, 45-minute concert will begin at 12:00 and will include J.S. Bach: Cantata 82 "Ich habe genug" and selections from Robert Schumann's "Liederkreis".

Bring your lunch to enjoy during the concert - St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome.

The series will continue on Mondays through August 23, with musicians from Williamstown, New York and Boston. The schedule is as follows:

July 26: Gwendolyn Tunnicliffe, soprano; Robin Kibler, piano

August 2: Emily Kalish, violin

August 9: JungHee Park and EunHee Seok, duo-pianists

August 16: Sassok Eybiyan, violin; Scott Bailey, piano

August 23: Alicia Choi, violin; Amanda Verner, viola; Aleisha Verner, cello

Avery Griffin is a baritone and teacher of music theory who is active in New York, New Jersey, and New England. He is a member of the Trinity Choir, a professional ensemble under the direction of Steven Fox at Manhattan's historic Trinity Wall Street Church, which is responsible for providing music for Sunday services and other holy days, and presents a full concert series running from October through May. The 2009-2010 season included concerts featuring the Howells Requiem, the Musikalische Exequien of Schütz (conducted by Jane Glover), and a concert of twentieth and twenty-first century choral music featuring Veljo Tormis's Curse upon Iron (conducted by Stefan Parkman), in which Avery was featured as a soloist.

Avery is also a charter member of two new music ensembles: NotaRiotous and Roomful of Teeth.With NotaRiotous, a Boston-based chamber group affiliated with the Boston Microtonal Society dedicated exclusively to the performance of microtonal compositions, Avery has performed works by Pascale Criton, Jason Eckhardt, James Bergin, and Ezra Sims. Roomful of Teeth is an octet of classically trained singers dedicated to building a new vocal repertoire by incorporating non-classical techniques including Tuvan throat singing and yodeling into new works commissioned by the group.

During the summer months Avery is the music history and theory coordinator of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, a high school program in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where he teaches vocalists, pianists, and harpists. He also lectures to young composers on writing for the voice and then performs the pieces that they compose for him.

Pianist Scott Bailey is staff accompanist/coach at Westfield State College where he serves the accompanying needs of student and faculty vocalists and instrumentalists. He has served as accompanist at UMass Amherst, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and as Director of Choral Activities at Bay Path College. He was the choir director for the Bay Path College Festival Choir trip to Prague, Czech Republic for a weeklong Advent Festival. He is the music director at the First Congregational Church of North Adams, UCC, where he also coordinates the North County Music Series and directs the North County Ecumenical Choir.

Scott has been certified as a Colleague of the American Guild of Organists and is a member of the Berkshire and Springfield Chapters. He accompanies the Hampshire Choral Society in Northampton, MA and is a freelance pianist, organist, and music director throughout western Massachusetts. Scott has recently been featured on the Albany Records recording Connections by saxophonist Lynn Klock.

Photos from today's free concert!

Alicia Choi performing Brahms Sonata in G, Op 78 with pianist Scott Bailey.

Augusta Caso and Scott Bailey performing songs of Brahms, Debussy, Faure and Ives.

Next Monday at noon: Avery Griffin, baritone, performs works by J.S. Bach, Poulenc, Argento and Rihm.

Noontime Summer Concert Series Begins

The Noontime Summer Concert series begins on Monday, July 12

with a joint recital by violinist Alica Choi and soprano Augusta Caso, accompanied by pianist Scott Bailey. The program is entitled "Romantic Notions of the Rain and Sunlight”. The free, 45-minute concert will begin at 12:00, and will include works by Brahms, Debussy, Faure, and Ives.

Children are welcome!

Bring your lunch to enjoy during the concert - St. John’s will provide drinks and cookies. Admission is free; voluntary contributions to help defray expenses are welcome.

The series will continue on Mondays through August 23, with musicians from Williamstown, New York and Boston. The schedule is as follows:

July 19: Avery Griffin, baritone; Scott Bailey piano

July 26: Gwendolyn Tunnicliffe, soprano; Scott Bailey, piano

August 2: Emily Kalish, violin

August 9: JungHee Park and EunHee Seok

August 16: String Quartet led by Alicia Choi

August 23: Sassok Eybiyan, violin

Packing and Pizza Event

Join us for a Packing and Pizza Event!

Wednesday, July 7th,

5:30 pm

Upper Room

Kids of all ages welcome!

On Saturday, July 10th, we'll be departing for our medical mission trip to Latacunga, Ecuador. We look forward to distributing all of the toiletries, toys, over-the-counter medications, and other donations from the Saint John's and Saint Stan's School communities. But we need your help sorting, bagging, organizing, and packing.

If you can't make it to the packing event but would like to contribute items from the list below, please drop them off in the boxes located on the church porch between the sanctuary and the Upper Room before 5:30 on Wednesday, July 7th.

Here's the list of items that are needed for the trip:

Over-the counter medications, particularly:

· Pain-killers (ibuprofen and acetaminophen)

· Anti-fungal creams

· Anti-diarrhea medications

· Children's vitamins

Basic toiletries, especially:

· Soap

· Small shampoo (hotel-size)

· Toothbrushes

· Toothpaste

· Washcloths

· Combs

· Nail clippers

Small toys for children, particularly:

· Pens, pencils, crayons

· Note pads

· Inflatable beach balls

· Small stuffed animals for children

undergoing surgery

Other miscellaneous items:

· Duct tape

· Batteries (AA, D, and 9V)

· Zip-Loc bags, all sizes (snack and gallon

sizes are most useful)

· Large trash bags

· Old greeting cards and post cards

(we cut the fronts off the greeting

cards and paste health information

on the backs of them.)

Compline this Thursday, June 10

Compline Service

Night-time prayer in the comfort of chant and candlelight.

Join us this Thursday, June 10, 8:30 pm, for this 20-minute meditative service.

(please note new time)

Singing Supper - Friday, May 21 - 5:30 pm

The Vestry is sponsoring a Singing Supper for all ages in the Upper Room. We'll provide soup and drinks if you bring yourself, either bread or dessert, and a willingness to sing. Barbara and the Youth Band will lead our music.

We hope to see (and hear!) you there!

Compline on Ascension Day (this Thursday)

Be present for
the candle-lit chanting.

Listen for
the comfort of night prayers.

Come to Compline.

Join us for this 20-minute
meditative service.

Thursday, May 13 - 8:30 pm

Join us on Ascension Day
Thursday, May 13th
8:30 pm
for this 20-minute
meditative service.

Come to Compline.
Come early.
Settle into the presence of the darkened church.
Be present for the candlelit chanting.
Listen for the comfort of night-prayers.
Come to Compline.

Join us on Thursday, April 22nd at 9:00 pm

for this brief 20-minute meditative service.

Starry Mountain Singers

The Starry Mountain Singers, a world music vocal ensemble specializing in sacred and secular singing traditions from Georgia, Bulgaria, Corisca, and the United States will present a concert Tuesday, April 13 (tonight!) at 7:30 pm in the sanctuary at St. John's. The group's members are all lifelong musicians who share a deep love of traditional vocal styles and a dedication to studying and performing them.

The Starry Mountain Singers have toured extensively with the Vermont-based world-music ensembles Northern Harmony and Village Harmony, where they received an introduction to traditional songs and singing styles from around the world. Members of the ensemble have worked with Meredith Monk and the Revels International; have performed on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion and Mountain Stage; and include three members of the Brooklyn-based country band The Sweetback Sisters.

The American repertoire on tonights's concert includes shape-note songs (a traditional new England song style), powerful gospel numbers, and haunting folk tunes from Appalachia.

The Georgian, Corsican, and Bulgarian songs are a mixture of sacred and secular pieces that deomonstrate the incredible range of unique singing traditions from those countries. Each member has contributed songs from his or her particular area of musical knowledge and expertise, resulting in a dynamic and eclectic program that will delight world-music fans and lovers of choral performance.

Suggested donation, $12 general or $5 for students.

For more information, call (917) 862-9106.

Easter Sunday

He is risen!

8:00 am Festival Holy Eucharist

10:00 am Festival Holy Eucharist

Followed by refreshments, Easter egg hunt,

the Great Easter Challenge for Children.

Easter Vigil - Saturday 7:00 PM

The Great Vigil of Easter

Lighting of the Paschal Fire
Sacrament of Holy Baptism
First Eucharist of Easter

7:00 PM
refreshments follow

Good Friday, April 2 services

Noon - 3:00 pm
the Preaching of the Passion
A service shared with the
First United Methodist Church, Williamstown
(35-minute segments, come and go as you wish)

5:30 pm Stations of the Cross for Children
(all ages welcome!)

7:00 pm Good Friday liturgy

Maundy Thursday, April 1

7:00 p.m.

This service commemorates the Last Supper

and Jesus's washing of his disciples' feet,

and prepares us for the events

of Good Friday and Easter.

Join us.

Parish Meeting on Sunday!

Sunday, Mar. 21 - 11:30

We're at an important juncture in refitting our buildings. The Facilities Committee has been working with Gary Corey of Centerline Architects in Bennington to envision better ways of utilizing our spaces. A new concept is emerging that brings our longed-for new kitchen tantalizingly within reach rather than a distant dream.

The Committee has reported to Vestry, and together with Vestry invites all parishioners to attend a meeting Sunday, March 21 at 11:30 in order to:

- Review the goals and status of the Campaign for St. John's - Revisit the Preservation Project and hear the latest about the structural repair and refinishing of the Lower Room - Learn about a possible new plan for reconfiguring the spaces adjacent to the Lower Room, including a new kitchen. The Facilities Committee and Vestry members are eager to hear from you as we discern our best options in realizing the goals of the Campaign for St. John's.