Weekly electronic newsletter
From the Rector Diocesan Convention Resolutions Our annual diocesan convention, which usually happens in May, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will now take place mostly virtually on September 12. St. James’ delegate Carla Kaufman and I will both be attending. Pre-Convention hearings on the proposed resolutions will also take place virtually this…
Vestry August at St. James always seems like a sleepy month – many folks are on vacations or focused on preparing their children to start school. But, many parishioners and committees are busy preparing for this fall. The Sunday School teachers recently had discussions with parents to envision what classes could look like this fall.…
From the Rector – A Little Bit of Summer Left As we begin to turn our eyes toward fall and families plan for the start of school, here are a few ideas for some quality family time before everything changes again. Both involve inviting our children into practices that can help to calm and ground…
From the Rector – Supporting St. James’ Thrift Shop Today I have two asks for you – prayer and action. First, please keep our Thrift Shop Manager Sandy Baker in prayer as she faces some serious health issues (not COVID related). Please also keep our dedicated staff (Becki, Sergio, Jeanne, and Ed), and the volunteers who…
Vestry Compassion Camp This week, approximately 16 children from St. James’ and St. Andrews’ Episcopal Churches are attending the first Virtual VBS Compassion Camp. You’re probably asking “How does this work?” Honestly, we weren’t sure either at the beginning of the week!! But, I can say with confidence, it is a huge success! What a joy it…
From the Rector The one where I talk about prayer. Again. Today while sitting for a spell to think and pray in the Memorial Garden, I spied a hawk gliding high in the sky above, circling and probably searching for lunch. It brought to mind a poem by Mary Oliver. As far as poems go,…
From the Rector Prayers when you feel anxious One of good things that came out of the last few months was so many organizations and companies creating free resources. One in particular that I have loved using is the Prayers When You Feel Anxious coloring pages from Illustrated Ministry. I shared it on Facebook earlier…
From the Rector In Person & Online Worship ~ 2 Services Begin This Sunday Beginning this Sunday we transition back to two services. We will gather at 8:30 am outside for Holy Eucharist in the Memorial Garden and field (more details on that below), and at 10:30 am we will gather on Zoom and livestream…
Vestry It has been over three months since St. James’ has held a church service in our church building – there are times it seems like 3 weeks and other times like an eternity! Your Vestry, the Nursery Board and the Thrift Board have continued to hold Zoom meetings each month (and Vestry more often)…
From the Rector – Re-Gathering Update The Re-Gathering Team has been meeting and working on an action plan to re-open our building for office and group use, and for outdoor in-person worship. Our tentative goal is for offices to open back up on June 29, and for outdoor worship to begin in early July –…