From the Rector – The Blessing of the Beasts As the expression goes, better late than never. While the first Sunday in October is the traditional time to bless pets, as it is closest to the Feast of St. Francis, this year we transferred the blessing to this Sunday – so get ready to bring…
From the Rector – Will You Serve With Us Next Summer? Summer just ended, but we’re already planning for next years’ service trips! As many of you heard in the reflections offered the Sunday we returned, and saw with our slideshow presentation, we had a very meaningful trip to St. Timothy’s Outreach Center in July.…
Vestry – Transforming Through Generosity Autumn is the time nature prepares the earth for the new season, time for the trees and plantings to prepare for budding in the spring. As we turn the calendar to the month of October, we too must plan for the coming year by conducting our Annual St. James’ Stewardship…
Rector – St. James’ Thrift Shop Celebrates 50th Anniversary This month marks 50 years since the founding of St. James’ Thrift Shop. To celebrate, come shop on Wednesday 9/26 when everything in the store will be 50% off – and the first 50 customers will receive a $5 off coupon to be used on their…
Rector – So Many Choices Anyone else think to themselves last Sunday, “I really like this tune for the Lord’s Prayer, but I’m gonna have to learn to sing it before I love it.”? Something like this happens to me every time we do a seasonal shift in our liturgy. It’s all pretty much the…
Rector – Kick-Off Sunday After a summer of worshipping together and taking rest, this Sunday we’ll return to two services (8:30 am & 10:30 am) and kick off the program year. The highlight of Kick-Off Sunday will be our Ministry Fair at 9:30 am. Come check out all the ministries we have at St. James’,…
Vestry – Responding to the Opioid Crisis The Maryland Diocesan Resolution 2018-2 – Offer Caring, Practical Response to the Opioid Crisis in Our Communities. During one of our recent vestry meetings we were presented with The Maryland Diocesan Resolution 2018-2 to offer practical response to the opioid crisis in our community. As taken from the…
Rector – Calling All Youth It’s that time of year again where we are ready to kick off Youth Group at St. James’! Anyone in grades 6-12 interested in youth programs, meetings, fellowship outings, and retreats…this is for you! Join us on Saturday, September 8th from 5:30-8:00 for a pool party with dinner and swimming. …
Rector – Proclaiming the Gospel Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. That’s a great quote that was not written by Francis of Assisi, even though it’s almost universally attributed to him. Regardless, it’s still a great way to live lives of faith. On Sundays, however, we do use words to proclaim…
Rector – I Need to Breathe Deeply Enjoy this poem, I Need to Breathe Deeply, by Ted Loder, while I’m away for my last bit of summer vacation. Yours in God’s peace, Kristin+ Eternal Friend, grant me an ease to breathe deeply of this moment, this light, this miracle of now. Beneath the din and…