Dear St. James’ family, Last night the Vestry and I met via Zoom and worked on setting a vision for our community for the coming weeks as we all live into the reality of this pandemic. Three areas emerged: we stay connected, we stay church, we take care of each other.* We stay connected. We…
Dear St. James’ family, As you have likely heard by now, our Bishop, in response to Governor Hogan’s executive order to close all Maryland public schools from March 16-27, has instructed all churches in the diocese to cancel worship and meetings during this two-week period. Please read his full statement below. This is what this…
From the Rector – Live Streaming Worship Begins this Sunday There’s a lot going on right now in the world and in our church. We are taking seriously the CDC recommendations around healthy practices (wash your hands!) and the need for vulnerable populations (those over 60 or with compromised immune systems) to practice “social distancing”…
Dear St. James Family, Today I write with a few updates for our communal life as it is affected by the coronavirus COVID-19. In addition, I share with you below the latest guidance from our Bishop. I have been fielding calls and emails about news that Episcopal churches are closing for the next 2 weeks. …
As news about the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 changes daily, parish leaders and I have been monitoring the situation closely and seeking guidance from our Bishop, the wider church, and public health officials. For the latest on COVID-19 from the CDC please click here and consider signing up for daily email updates from the…
From the Rector Compline in Lent – The Daily Office in Practice Last fall our parish intern Tommy Turbyville led some conversations exploring praying the Daily Office, which then led into weekly Compline services during Advent. It was a meaningful practice for those who were able to come, and a group spearheaded by Jeannie Pellicier…
Vestry Our Vestry Retreat last weekend was filled with laughter, scripture, moments of silence and good discussion. The following were lifted up to be an Officer/Liaison of the Vestry: Ty Conlon – Jr. Warden Dave Rak – Clerk Andrew Gobien – Thrift Store Liaison Vivian Carden – Nursery School Liaison Jeannie Pellicier – Outreach Liaison…
Sabbatical & Renewal Plans – Upcoming Q&A Sessions The Renewal Team has had much fruitful conversation imagining and planning for the time Kristin+ will be away on sabbatical for 12 weeks in 2021. We’ve covered things large and small – from thinking about what clergy coverage will look like, to details about the timeline, to…
From the Rector – Sources of Transformation A few weeks ago at our Annual Meeting I taught one of the core models from the College for Congregational Development – Sources of Transformation. This model seeks to illustrate the various ways in which our faith and lives are transformed when we gather together as the body…
The Renewal Team – Sabbatical & Congregational Renewal As I shared at the Annual Meeting, I am planning to take a sabbatical next year. I began talking with the Vestry two years ago about my hopes for taking a sabbatical, and identified 2021 as the right time. I will be completing my sixth full year…