From the Rector
Setting Aside a Space for Prayer, Creating Holy Ground
This Sunday we will bless a new prayer space in our sanctuary. We have created a prayer altar in the front corner where you will find a votive candle stand, an icon of Jesus, Anglican prayer beads, prayer stones, and a basket with prayers. It is surrounded by chairs and a prayer kneeling desk.
It has been a hope for a good while now to turn this space into a dedicated “side chapel” – a place for personal prayer and small groups to gather when needed. I am thankful for the generosity of a family in the parish who purchased the table and commissioned the votive stand.
The prayer altar will be available on Sundays and during the week during regular business hours. Stop and sit a spell. Light a candle as you remember someone in your prayers. Offer up the thoughts of your heart sitting face to face with an image of Christ. Grab a set of Anglican prayer beads, and the sample prayer card set out, to busy your hands while you quiet your mind. Hold a prayer stone to ground yourself. Sift through the prayer basket to find something that speaks to you – use it, and then leave it or take it with you – and feel free to bring your favorite prayers to leave in the basket to share with others.
We will bless the altar and votive stand this Sunday, but it is by our use of this sacred space that it will become something more – a space set as holy ground.
Yours in God’s peace,
Kristin+
Formation
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS
9:30 – 10:15 a.m. Lower Level
Preschool through High School
Alleluia! The sun shown beautifully on Easter morning and all the children had a grand time during the egg hunt. Thank you all for filling the many colorful eggs with special treats.
When all the coins are counted in our Lenten mite boxes, we will let you know the amount to be presented to the A is for Africa school children in Tanzania. If you did not have an opportunity to turn in your mite box, your child may bring it to class or place it in the collection plate during worship. Thank you for your support in this outreach project.
During our last “4th Sunday Fun” group activity, our students made spring decorations for the local nursing home. The residents and staff are always very appreciative of our art crafts.
It’s hard to believe that we are winding down another Sunday School year….only one month left! Please make note of the following schedule:
May 5th, 12th, 19th – Regular class schedule at 9:30 a.m.
May 26th – Memorial Day weekend: No Sunday School, One outdoor worship service at 9:30 a.m.
June 2nd – Summer worship: one service at 9:30 a.m. Sunday School Closing Ceremony
Our dedicated St. James’ Teaching Team
Yvette Allen – Preschool Bible Stories
Betsy Davis and Jessica Bahorich – Kindergarten-2nd Grades
Natalie DelRegno – 3rd-5th Grades
Joan Fader and Peter Sabonis – Middle-High School
Nancy Nanavaty – 4th Sunday Group Activities
Mara Snyder – Children’s Music
May Book Group
Gather with friends to reflect on Presiding Bishop Curry’s book The Power of Love. We will meet on Tuesday, May 7th and Thursday, May 30th from 7:00-8:30 at the Mt. Airy Tavern. Bring a friend!
Youth
As Youth Group continued exploring the “Big Questions” – a list over >40 questions compiled at the start of the year – we tackled 2 more groups of questions focused around Church History/Denominations/World Religions and Theodicy.
The 2nd Sunday meeting in March Focused on Church History, Denominations, and World Religions where we looked at the early church history (0 CE to 400 CE) using traditional teaching tools. We then took a very hands-on, interactive approach to discuss the rest of church history: Action Figures!! Youth Group was able to get a general sense of how the church has grown, changed, and handled conflict over the course of almost 2,000 years. Everyone played an active role in this discussion, just as each one of us plays an active role in church history today!
The 2nd Sunday meeting in April was an exciting meeting for lots of reasons: palm sundaes, tornado warnings, and tackling our “Big Questions” dealing with sin/theodicy. Unfortunately, the tornado warnings kept us from doing actual “palm” sundaes outside so we settled for eating our sundaes out of bowls indoors. We read the book “The Seven Lonely Places and the Seven Warm Places” and used it as a jumping off point to discuss sin: what it is and what it looks like in the world. We also spent time discussing theodicy – which is just a fancy word for the theoretical justification of the goodness of God in the face of presence of evil in the world – and how there really is no one magical answer that all Christians can agree upon. There was a lot of really great discussion!
Youth Group 4th Sunday fellowship activities included pizza and a movie – Avengers: Infinity Wars! We were just in time for Avengers: Endgame – no spoilers please!
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Office Schedule for the week of May 5.
Monday, 10-2; Tuesday through Thursday, 10-4.
American Red Cross Blood Drive at St. James’
Please make your appointment for our upcoming blood drive to be held on Thursday, May 9 from 1:00 to 6:30 p.m. Please contact Bryant Dulany at 410-596-4227 or at wbdulany@hotmail.com to schedule your appointment.
Quartermania! Save the Date!
Our next Quartermania fundraiser will be held on Friday, June 7. Doors open at 6 pm, games start at 7 pm, refreshments available.
Spring is here!—THINK St. James’ 13th Annual Basket Raffle & Silent Auction DONATIONS!!
Our big event will be held on both September 21st and 28th, but in the meantime, there is much to do to prepare and make this fundraiser a success.
As you begin your Spring cleaning, downsizing or even if you would like to “re-gift” holiday items you would like someone else to enjoy, please consider donating any items in good condition that may be suitable for men, women, or children of all ages. Some of our previous basket themes have been for babies, teens, teachers, pets, game/movie night, spa, jewelry, tea time, taco night, crab feast, sports memorabilia, fishing, golf, car wash/auto supplies, cooking, gardening, birding, crafts, tools, healthcare, exercise and inspirational. If you have questions about Basket items, please contact Joan Fader at 301-703-8787 or faderj1@juno.com.
Items for the Silent Auction would be those that would generate higher bids by themselves rather than as a part of a basket. Such items could include paintings, quilts, unopened perfume, fine jewelry or high-value gift certificates, and the like. If you have questions about the Silent Auction, please contact Mary Hutchins-Danna at 443-277-0505 or mhdslp@hotmail.com.
Marked BR containers will be in the narthex to receive your donations. Thank you, in advance, for your generosity.
Resiliency and Adverse Childhood Experiences
The Church of the Transfiguration located at 6909 Maryland Ave, Frederick, MD 21703 is pleased to present Resiliency and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) on Wednesday, May 15th from 6:00 – 7:30 PM in Memorial Hall. The powerful documentary, Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope, explores the profound long-term effects of toxic stress, a condition that, sadly, affects many of the young children in our community and has a direct correlation to adult health problems such as mental health problems, heart disease, cancer and obesity. Discussion after screening the film will center on the scientific data of ACES and how that impacts us throughout our lives.
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:
Lida Gordon
Sam and Jennifer Grimes (Elliot, Charlotte, Benjamin)
Kenneth and Kathryn Grumbach
A member of the Daughters of the King will be contacting you this week for special prayer requests.
| This week’s Commemorations (A Great Cloud of Witnesses, 2019, Church Publishing Group)
May 7 Harriet Starr Cannon, Religious, 1896 |
| Lectionary readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, April 28, 2019 (Year C, RCL) Acts 9:1-6Psalm 30 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19 |
