From the Rector- Transformation, Building a Stronger Church
One of the questions the Vestry and I return to over and over, in various forms, is how can we be a vibrant, healthy faith community in a changing world – and specifically a world in which the role of faith communities is rapidly shifting. As with most things, there’s no silver bullet answer. But there are good resources out there and to this end I am excited to share again that I will be attending the College for Congregational Development (The College) in Seattle for a week long training next month.
I first mentioned The College at our Annual Meeting in January. Congregational Development (CD) is a passion of mine, and I’ve been fortunate to become a member of an emerging cohort of CD leaders in our Diocese. The Diocese is sending several people for training at The College in the hopes of bringing that work to Maryland, and I’m honored to be one of them.
But I’ll be honest and say that while I want The College for our Diocese, I also want all it can offer for St. James’. A year before I left All Souls in Berkeley, CA, where I served for eight years, we sent a team to The College. They came back and began to use things learned to build a stronger parish. I saw firsthand how it was transforming for the leadership and the whole community. I want that for us here!
And so it is with great excitement that I can share with you that after the Annual Meeting, two families in the church came forward to donate to cover the cost of sending a St. James’ member to attend The College with me. The Vestry discerned a list of potential people and after prayer Heather Albertson said yes! She is registered and on the waitlist – and we are hopeful she will get to come.
To make that happen, we will need to cover her flight to Seattle. To this end I am hoping that we can collect airline mileage points. Do you have any you can donate? I don’t know what it will take for each airline, but I do know it will take about 50,000 points on Southwest. I have 5,000 to contribute to get a pool started. Please let me know if you can help with this endeavor!
Finally, if you’d like to learn more about The College check out the link below. You can read about the work they do, and if you scroll down you can watch a video about All Souls and how The College has helped them grow and become a stronger faith community.
Yours in God’s peace,
Kristin+
Formation
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS
Classes in Lower Level every Sunday
Preschool through high school
9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
All of our Sunday School students (and others too!) had fun collecting colorful eggs on Easter morning on our church grounds. It was a wonderful sight! Thank you all for your generous egg donations filled with amazing treats.
Spring is in the air (hopefully). During our last 4th Sunday group activity, students made beautiful butterfly crafts (thank you Nancy N.) for our local Pleasant View Nursing Home. We hope you had an opportunity to see our Sunday School artists-in-action.
We have seen several new faces in our preschool Bible Story group….what a joy! Please keep in mind that we depend on volunteers to assist on a rotating schedule to share stories with the children. Please see Yvette Allen during Sunday class time to offer your assistance.
Please remember to give thanks to our dedicated Sunday School teachers and helpers We appreciate the opportunity of working with your amazing children.
Bible Stories for Preschoolers: Yvette Allen, Sarah Brown
Kindergarten-2nd Grades: Betsy Davis, Jessica Bahorich
3rd – 5th Grades: Karen Phillips
6th – 12th Grades: Joan Fader
Group Activities: Nancy Nanavaty
Children’s Music: Jon Fader
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
American Red Cross Blood Drive at St. James’
Please make your appointment for our upcoming blood drive to be held on Thursday, May 10 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. You can sign up by going to www.redcrossblood.org, or by calling Bryant Dulany at 410-596-4227.
A Reminder—R&E Donations
Since many parishioners will begin making monthly donations to the Replenish & Establish Project beginning in May, please remember that it is necessary to write a separate check for any R&E donations and payments. St. James’ will provide a separate statement for R&E so pledge and R&E funds are not mixed together. The finance ‘people’ appreciate your help..,,…..thanks!
Quartermania Volunteers Needed!
It is time to start preparing for our June 1, Quartermania Fundraiser. Most importantly, we need eight people to help post fliers at local businesses in mid-May—you may choose the area of town you prefer; it will only take 30-45 minutes to accomplish this easy task. Many hands will make light work—PLEASE VOLUNTEER! . On Thursday, May 31 at 5:30 pm we need at least 3 people to set up the room. On Friday, June 1 at 5:30 pm we will need the following volunteers: 1 admission cashier; 2 paddle and ball assistants for the registration table; 2 cashiers for the raffle table; 2 cashiers for the refreshment table and 4 kitchen helpers. Please contact Marilyn Hancock at ladyzip2004@yahoo.com or 301-788-0136. There will also be a sign-up sheet in the narthex.
Prayer Rotation
Please join the Daughters of the King in praying for each parishioner in rotation during 2018 by taking this notice home and by posting it where it will remind you to pray on a daily basis for the needs and blessings of:
Maureen Suckling (David)
Scott and Margaret Swetz
Mary Ellen Thompson
A member of the Daughters of the King will be contacting you this week for special prayer requests.
