Tuesday, February 3, 2026
The Chapel St. Chronicle
Welcome to the Chapel Street Chronicle, your weekly St. John’s digest. This is our first Chronicle for 2026, as we have resumed our standard weekly schedule after the break.
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Sermon Series
"Feast of the Presentation"
The Rev. Anne C. Williamson
Yesterday was the Feast of the Presentation, also known as Candlemas. We celebrated the Feast on Sunday with the story of Simeon and Anna, two patiently faithful people who encountered Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus in the Temple. In the troubled times in which they lived, they proclaimed their hope in Jesus as a light to all people. How might we be lamps in our own troubled times?
MUSIC
“When to the temple Mary went,” Johann Eccard; featuring the St. John's Parish Choir, under the direction of Jennifer McPherson Mulhern, Director of Music and Liturgy. Featured Offertory Anthem at the 10:00am Rite II Service of Holy Eucharist on Sunday, February 2, 2026.
BLESSED ARE YOU WHO BEAR THE LIGHT
BY JAN RICHARDSON
from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons, Wanton Gospeller Press, 2015
Blessed are you
who bear the light
in unbearable times,
who testify
to its endurance
amid the unendurable,
who bear witness
to its persistence
when everything seems
in shadow
and grief.
Blessed are you
in whom
the light lives,
in whom
the brightness blazes—
your heart
a chapel,
an altar where
in the deepest night
can be seen
the fire that
shines forth in you
in unaccountable faith,
in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines
every broken thing
it finds.
BISHOP CURRY RETURNS TO PORTSMOUTH
2026 ELINOR WILLIAMS HOOKER TEA TALKS
St. John’s Episcopal Church is honored to be one of the sponsors of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s Tea Talk series.
Please join us on Sunday, February 8 at 4:00 p.m. at Temple Israel for a compelling panel discussion and dialogue featuring Bishop Curry alongside Bishop Rob Hirschfeld. Together, they will explore the role of the Black preacher and the ways the pulpit has evolved into both a sanctuary and a platform for liberation, hope, and prophetic witness.
Registration is required. An online participation option is available.
This promises to be a rich and energizing afternoon of conversation at the intersection of faith, history, and justice. All are welcome, and we warmly encourage the St. John’s community to attend and support this meaningful community partnership.
For information on the entire series, including registration information, please click here.
VOICES OF FAITH WELCOMES
REV. HEIDI CARRINGTON HEATH
On February 15th we will welcome the Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath as our next guest preacher in our VOICES OF FAITH: Seeing God’s Future, Living God’s Hope series. An ordained minister and chaplain, Heidi serves as Executive Director of New Hampshire Outright, supporting LGBTQ+ youth and communities across the state. She has previously served as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Council of Churches and as Transitional Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at Phillips Exeter Academy. Raised Episcopalian and now ordained in the United Church of Christ, Heidi brings an ecumenical voice rooted in justice, pastoral care, and hope.
In her preaching, Heidi will reflect on how faith calls us to courage, accompaniment, and love in this moment, and how the church is invited to bear witness to God’s expansive grace in both personal and public life.
HELP PAINT THE LANDSCAPE FOR OUR NEXT BISHOP
The Bishop Search Committee invites you to participate in a survey called a Landscape for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Your response will help us complete the picture we’ll send when we invite potential applicants to consider becoming our next bishop. Your responses will also tell our Search Committee about what our diocese needs in calling the person who will lead us into our shared vision for the future.
Please complete and send in the survey, even if you already attended one or more of the very informative January listening sessions. The Landscape asks different and more specific questions. YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
The more people who respond to the Landscape, the sharper our picture will be!
ANNUAL MEETING WRAP
Thank you to all who participated in the Annual Meeting last week. It is was a meaningful reflection on the work that is done through our community. Many thanks to our ministry leaders, and the on coming and out going vestry members for all you do throughout the year. One of the highlights was the year in pictures presentation. You can watch it here. OR you can also watch the meeting in its entirety by following this link.
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