St. John's Vestry
St. John's Vestry
"The Little Church On The Hill"
St. John's Episcopal Church
Springfield Gardens, NY, 11413
PRIEST-IN-CHARGE
The Rev. Dr. Joshua Samuel
Fr. Joshua Samuel (Fr. Josh) was ordained priest in the Church of South India, Diocese of Madras in 2008. After moving to the United States, he has been serving as the Priest in Charge of the Church of the Resurrection in Richmond Hill, Queens, since 2015.
He holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the Union Theological Seminary, New York, and currently teaches at the Mercer School of Theology (School of Ministry of the Diocese of Long Island) in Garden City.
He is married to Amirthaseeli Jeyaseelan (Seeli), who is a postulant for priesthood in our diocese. They have two sons, Raphael (9) and Matthew (2). Fr. Josh is interested in social justice activism and wherever/whenever possible gently encouraging the church to work for justice and peace.
St. John’s would like to extend a warm Welcome to Fr. Joshua Samuel!
Church: (718) 525-1444
Rectory: (516) 341-2233
October Newsletter
Priest-in-Charge
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; When you walk through fire you shall not be burned.” (Isaiah 43: 2)
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
I am glad to reach out to you through this email! As I mentioned last month, the purpose of this short e-newsletter is to send you a short message of promise and hope at the beginning of every month. I pray that it will be a blessing for you!
The above verse is from the Book of Isaiah, spoken by God to the children of Israel. The Israelites had gone through a lot of suffering when their land was captured by a foreign (Babylonian) army and several of them were taken as exiles. Having been displaced from their homeland and lost their possessions, we are able to recognize their pain. The metaphors make perfect sense: it was like passing through flood waters and walking through fire. Yet, they are reminded that God has not forgotten them, and neither will he forsake them. As we begin this tenth month of this year, may we also be assured that even though at times it may seem like we are passing through raging waters or walking through fire, God is with us, and he will protect us. Of course, there may be moments when it may seem like we are sinking or feel the heat. We also may not get whatever we like or ask for. But God’s love surely surrounds us, upholds us, and leads us on! May we surrender ourselves in God’s loving hands and seek his guidance every day.
We continue to thank God for his grace and goodness as we serve the Lord. We shall observe Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence awareness during the month of October. Let us take time to learn more about and pray for these important issues in our communities. On the second Sunday, October 8, will be Healing Sunday. Healing prayers will be offered at the end of the service. October 22nd will be the 97th anniversary of our Church. What joy! We praise God for his faithfulness all these years. We thank God for calling us as the St. John’s Church family during this time in history to be his witnesses! On that same day, we will observe the “No Pews Empty” campaign. Please bring your friends and family members to Church. As we know, Sunday school has commenced again. Kindly encourage children to come and learn more about Jesus and our Christian faith. Bible study of the Book of Revelation continues on every Thursday at 7 pm. Do join us for an interesting and a dynamic time of learning together.
Let us continue to pray and work together to serve Christ in our community!
God bless you all! Have a blessed October!
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Josh
Priest-in-Charge