May 1 Newsletter

May 1st 2009

Reminder

Dear St. John's Parishioner,

As we write you today, there are just over two weeks remaining until we vote on the future of our worship space, one of the most critical votes in the long and storied history of St. John's. We hope we have been able to provide you with the material and information you need to assist you in making your decision. Beginning tomorrow and continuing up to the vote on May 17th, there will be a number of opportunities for you to share conversation and ask questions with representatives of each option committee. These include several Town Hall Meetings, an Open House at the Seneca Street property that is being considered for option 4 (Former St. Catherine's Church), and a visit to St. Mary of the Lake Church on Route 5. This church was built with many of the same concepts that are present in option 3, build a new worship space on the Clinton Street property. A complete schedule follows below.

Please make every attempt to attend one or more of these functions. If your schedule doesn't permit you to do so, we strongly encourage you to carefully review the information contained in the packets you recently received, and to view the slide show presentations for option 3 and option 4 on our web site. We ask your prayers in helping to insure our congregation makes a decision that will allow us to serve God's will for our Church both now and in the future.

Events leading up to Congregational Meeting and Vote - 1:15 PM on May 17th

05/02/2009         Open Town Hall meeting from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon to review options 1-4, share conversation and questions.

05/03/2009         Potluck at 12:30 PM following the 11:00 AM Worship Service. An open Town Hall meeting will take place thereafter to review options 1-4, share conversation and questions.

05/06/2009         Potluck meal at 6:00 PM followed by an open Town Hall meeting to review options 1-4, share conversation and questions.

05/07/2009         Congregational Prayer Vigil set for a twelve-hour time from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. to focus on God's will for our future.

05/16/2009         Open house at the Seneca Street property that is being considered for option 4 (former St. Catherine's Church). The open house will take place from 10:30 AM -12:30 PM. We will also be able to tour the house on the property, which is part of what is for sale.
                         On that same day there will be a trip to visit St. Mary of the Lake church on Route 5. This church was built with many of the same concepts that are present in the option 3, build a new worship space on the Clinton Street property. The purpose of the visit would be to see what a building looks like that is similar to the one being proposed for St. John's. Those wishing to share the visit should meet at St. John's at 1:00 PM to car pool to St. Mary's.

05/17/2009         Congregational meeting and vote on options 1-4. There will be no 8:30 AM service that day. At approximately 12:30 PM a potluck meal will be shared in the Parish Hall as final presentations and questions and answers are shared. The meeting will follow the potluck meal and final presentations and final question and answer time at approximately 1:15 PM. The Reverend Ed Sproul, Assistant to the Bishop of the Upstate New York Synod of the ELCA will be present at the meeting to serve as parliamentarian.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q- I will be unable to attend the congregational meeting and vote on May 17th. Can I vote by absentee ballot?

A- The Church Constitution is very specific on this issue. All votes must be made in person during the designated voting period.

Q- Will the option that receives the most votes be declared the winner?

A- The Constitution states that the winning option must obtain a MAJORITY of the vote. If no option receives a majority, voting will continue until one does.

Q- Will there be a secret ballot or a show of hands?

A- Voting will be conducted by secret ballot.

Q- Am I eligible to vote?

A- You must be at least 16 years old and a member in good standing. (Received Holy Communion and made a financial contribution within the last year.)

If you have any specific questions that you need answers, please complete the Contact Form on our web site. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Web Site Updates

There have been some reports of people unable to open the monthly Crossbeams by clicking on the links located on our home page. We have traced this problem to people using browsers other than Internet Explorer (ie. Firefox). Unfortunately, we have yet to find a solution to this issue. While we continue to investigate, we have added links to the Crossbeams to the Crossbeam page, which everyone should be able to utilize.

Scripture of the Day

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

Psalm 18:2

"Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Sincerely,

St. John's Communication Team