St. Johns Brownwood TX

Just a reminder that the ice cream social is tonight at 6:30 in the Parish Hall.

The Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ is Tomorrow
There will be a special Eucharist celebrating this feast (a BCP holy day) tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. Please join us as we celebrate this very important event in the earthly life of our Lord and His Church.

Wednesday Evening Eucharist with Holy Unction at 6:00 p.m.
We will be commemorating the feast day of St. Dominic, Priest & Friar (transferred from August 😎 at the Eucharist this Wednesday and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

Ice Cream Social - This Friday
We will celebrate summer and cool off with an ice cream social in the parish hall this Friday, August 9 at 6:30p.m. We are asking for parishioners to bring their favorite ice cream (homemade or store bought), toppings

Dear St. John's Family,

Patricia Doud went to be with the Lord early this morning, August 5. A visitation with her family will be held at Heartland Funeral Home this Friday, August 9, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Her Requiem Mass will be this Saturday, August 10, at St. John's at 10:00 a.m. with burial to follow at Eastlawn Memorial Park in Early.

Please keep the Doud family in your prayers during this difficult time.

"O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered; accept our prayers on behalf of the soul of thy servant departed, Patricia, and grant her an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of the saints, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

The Wednesday night evening prayer service as been cancelled for this week. Will return next week.

Fr. Michael received the following email from Bishop Reed this morning. If you would like to send a card to Louann, her address is: 116 Sagewood Dr. NW, Rome, GA 30165.

The Rev. Russell Fisher, PhD, a retired priest from Fort Worth, residing in Rome, Georgia, has died. He had been struggling with Parkinson's disease, and was sent to the ER this past week, where he was diagnosed with leukemia, and was transferred to hospice care. Fr. Fisher retired as Rector of St. John's in Brownwood in 2003.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

St John’s, Brownwood, TX will take a brief break from live streaming most of our services during the month of July 2024. We plan to return starting August 7th. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Fifth Sunday Pot-Luck Luncheon - This Sunday
Following the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist this Sunday, there will be a pot-luck luncheon. Everyone please join us and bring plenty of your favorite foods to share with your fellow parishioners and a healthy appetite! This is always a great time of fellowship!

Both Eucharists in the Parish Hall this Sunday
Due to problems with the air conditioning in the church, both the 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 Masses will be in the parish hall this Sunday.

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be commemorating the feast day of St. Alban, First Martyr of Britain (transferred from June 22) at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

St. Alban
First Martyr of Britain - June 22

Alban is the earliest Christian in Britain who is known by name and, according to tradition, the first British martyr. He was a soldier in the Roman army stationed at Verulamium, a city about twenty miles northeast of London, now called St. Alban's. He gave shelter to a Christian priest who was fleeing from persecution, and was converted by him. When officers came to Alban's house, he dressed himself in the garments of the priest and gave himself up. Alban was tortured and martyred in place of the priest, on the hilltop where the Cathedral of St. Alban's now stands. The traditional date of his martyrdom is 303 or 304, but recent studies suggest that the year was actually 209, during the persecution under the Emperor Septimius Severus.

The site of Alban's martyrdom soon became a shrine. King Offa of Mercia established a monastery there about the year 793, and in the High Middle Ages St. Alban's ranked as the premier Abbey in England. The great Norman abbey church, begun in 1077, now serves as the cathedral of the diocese of St. Alban's, established in 1877. It is the second longest church in England (Wi******er Cathedral is the longest, by six feet), and it is built on higher ground than any other English cathedral. In a chapel east of the choir and high Altar, there are remains of the fourteenth century marble shrine of St. Alban.

The Venerable Bede gives this account of Alban's trial: "When Alban was brought in, the judge happened to be standing before and altar, offering sacrifices to devils . . . 'What is your family and race?' demanded the judge. 'How does my family concern you?' replied Alban.; 'If you wish to know the truth about my religion, know I am a Christian and am ready to do a Christian's duty.' 'I demand your name,' insisted the judge. 'Tell me at once.' 'My parents named me Alban,' he answered, 'and I worship and adore the living and true God, who created all things.' "

(From The Proper for the Lesser Feasts and Fasts, Third Edition)

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be commemorating the feast day of Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz and Martyr (d. 754), at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

Game Night - Tomorrow Night at 6:30 p.m.
The St. John's Fellowship Committee invites you to our next Game Night in the Parish Hall is tomorrow, June 13, at 6:30 p.m. We had a great time of fellowship at last month's game night and would love to see more parishioners join us for this time of relaxation and fun! You are invited to bring a favorite game to play with others, bring snacks (if you like), and of course, BYOB. Contact Carolyn West (325-456-0400) for questions or suggestions. Don't forget to invite your friends to come! See you tomorrow!!

Third Sunday Brunch - This Sunday
Our next "Third Sunday Brunch" is this Sunday, June 16 from 9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. in place of the Adult Education Class. The purpose of the "Third Sunday Brunch" is to provide a time for Christian fellowship amongst those who regularly attend the 8:00 a.m. Eucharist and those who regularly attend the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist.

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be commemorating the feast day of Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz and Martyr (d. 754), at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

St. John's Prayer Group - Tomorrow
The St. John's Prayer Group meets the first Thursday of every month at 12:15 p.m. in the chapel to offer prayers of adoration/praise, thanksgiving, and supplication/intercession (for those in our parish, in our community, in our state, in our country, and in the world). All are welcome to join us tomorrow!!

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be observing the Wednesday in the Seventh Week of Easter at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

Sunday Morning Bible Study
There will be no Bible study this coming Sunday.

The Day of Pentecost
This Sunday is the Feast Day of Pentecost, the 50th day after Easter, on which we celebrate the birthday of the Church and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The liturgical color of red represents either martyred saints or the Holy Spirit since He is described in Acts 2 as tongues of fire. Based upon this, there is an old tradition in Anglicanism of wearing red on the Day of Pentecost to celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. So, be sure to wear red as we celebrate Pentecost this Sunday.

Pentecost Fund Offering - This Sunday
The Pentecost Fund is an investment fund whose earnings go to support the Office of the Bishop, thus helping to take some of the load off of the annual parish assessments. You will find special envelopes in the bulletin on Sunday if you wish to give an offering to this fund.

The Day of Pentecost Cookout
Following the Eucharist on Sunday, there will be a cookout to celebrate the Day of Pentecost. The parish will provide the burgers and parishioners will bring the fixings, sides, and deserts. This will be a wonderful opportunity for us as a parish family to enjoy Christian fellowship as we celebrate the Birthday of the Church. So, please join us and don't forget to bring a friend!!

REMINDER: Ascension Day Eucharist Tonight
The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord is today (40 days after our Lord's Resurrection). We will have a special Eucharist this evening at 6:00 p.m. Please join us for this important Feast Day in the life of Christ and his Church.

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be observing the Rogation Days at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

Ascension Day Eucharist - Tomorrow Evening
The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord is tomorrow. We will have a special Eucharist tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. Please join us for this important Feast Day in the life of Christ and his Church.

Rogation Sunday and Rogation Days

"Rogation Days are an ancient custom which has been being observed since the 5th century. Rogation—to ask, as in 'interrogate'—we ask God's blessing of the harvest, of the earth and sea. We remind ourselves that we are the stewards of Creation, neither the authors nor the owners of it. Originally an agricultural observance, it has been broadened and made more inclusive—the crops, the catch of the sea, the fruits of our labors in all their aspects.

An ancient pagan custom was 'beating the bounds', with a procession walking out the boundary lines of the village and marking the bounds with stakes. Sticks of willow and birch were used to strike the stakes; hence, 'beating the bounds'. Subsequently the custom became incorporated into Rogation Days celebration, particularly in England, in which the parishes are clearly defined, contiguous with adjacent parishes. Rogation Day was celebrated by walking the boundaries of the parish and acknowledging in this way our tangible stewardship.

As the countries, including our own, became more industrialized and less agrarian, we have seen a lessening of the celebration of Rogation—and we are the worse for it. The Episcopal Book of Common Prayer of 1979 de-emphasized Rogation Days and Rogation Sunday, as they were annotated in the 1928 BCP They are privileged times to celebrate stewardship, to remind ourselves of our roles, not as masters or owners, but as stewards.

Job had to be reminded of that, too. Remember the voice from the whirlwind? 'Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? When the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?'

Rogation Days are to honor God for His creation, and to pray for the land and sea and the gifts of labor, and for the needs of all. The traditional Rogation Days are the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day with Rogation Sunday being the Sunday prior to the Feast of the Ascension.

So Rogation Days are days of celebration during which we are mindful that all we have comes from God who provides for all our needs when we ask. 'Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' "

(Article by Don Palmer from the St. Paul's Episcopal Church Magnolia, Alabama Website)

The Ascension of our Lord

"This day is a triumph for Christ, a festival of victory. He amply deserves this triumph. Leaving His Father's throne, He humbled Himself to be born of the Virgin, lay in the crude stable of Bethlehem, fled to Egypt from His own people, lived in retirement as a mechanic at Nazareth, traveled to exhaustion throughout the Jewish land to lead the lost sheep back to the fold. He experienced much misunderstanding and lovelessness at the hands of His brethren. Finally He suffered the physical and mental anguish of the Passion from Gethsemane to Golgotha.

Why all this? Because He loves us. For what purpose? To purchase our freedom from the power of the devil and to lead us home into the heavenly fatherland. To this work He devoted all His love, His heart's blood, everything. This work is now completed. Today He may look back joyfully upon His finished life's work. He returns to heaven as Victor, appears before the Father as the Son, and gives account of His completed work. We may say that this day is the festival of the human Christ's Ascension to the throne and of His crowning as the King of heaven and earth.

This day is a feast of gladness also for us. Our Brother's glorification by His Ascension is also the elevation of our human nature, our glorification. Our human nature participates in the highest divine honor. Christ entered heaven in His human body, He sits on God's throne in His human nature, and our Brother will occupy this throne to all eternity. This is an overwhelming distinction for us. One of us, our Head, sits upon the throne of God, and thereby we, the members of His mystical body, are deified. The Proper Preface declares: "That He might make us partakers of His divine nature."

A divine nobility is conferred upon us. But there is also a strong imperative, a demand: the Sursum Corda. Sin does not ascend to heaven with Christ but is a bond that attaches to earth. We must break this bond of sin. First we must ascend to heaven with our hearts and wills and desires; then we shall follow our Lord into heaven according to body and soul."

(Source: The Sermon and the Proper, Vol. 2, Fred H. Lindemann)

Who would have thought?? These vinyl renditions of our stained glass windows that are in place while the while the originals are being fixed will fool you!

REMINDER: Game Night Tonight
The St. John's Fellowship Committee invites you to the first series of monthly Game Nights. Our inaugural game night will be in the parish hall this evening at 6:30 PM. The theme this month is "Bring Your Own"- bring a favorite game to play with others, bring friends to join in, bring snacks (if you like), and of course, BYOB

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be celebrating the prayer book feast Day of Ss. Philip and James the Lesser, Apostles at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

St. John's Prayer Group - This Thursday
A new prayer ministry has begun in our parish. The St. John's Prayer Group meets the first Thursday of every month at 12:15 p.m. in the chapel to offer prayers of adoration/praise, thanksgiving, and supplication/intercession (for those in our parish, in our community, in our state, in our country, and in the world). All are welcome to join us this Thursday!!

Game Night - This Thursday
The St. John's Fellowship Committee invites you to the first series of monthly Game Nights. Our inaugural game night will be in the parish hall tomorrow evening at 6:30 PM. The theme this month is "Bring Your Own"- bring a favorite game to play with others, bring friends to join in, bring snacks (if you like), and of course, BYOB.

Game night is this Thursday, 6:30 PM! It is BYOGame, BYOFriends, BYOSnacks, BYOBeverage.

Eucharist with Holy Unction Tonight at 6:00 p.m.
We will be celebrating the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist (transferred from April 25) at the Eucharist this evening and the Sacrament of Holy Unction for Healing will be available.

REMINDER: Third Sunday Brunch Tomorrow
Our "Third Sunday Brunch" is tomorrow from 9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. in place of the Adult Education Class. The purpose of the "Third Sunday Brunch" is to provide a time for Christian fellowship amongst those who regularly attend the 8:00 a.m. Eucharist and those who regularly attend the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist. Bring your appetite and favorite dish to share and enjoy fellowship with us!

Dear parishioners,

Fr. Bradley's Requiem Mass will be held at The Cathedral of St. Vincent in Bedford on Saturday, April 20 at 11:00 a.m.


Fr. Mobley