April 2019 The Strong, Gentle, Loving Arms of Christ Maintain and increase outreach opportunities so that the Good News is put into action beyond our buildings One of the goals set by the vestry for the parish is to disabled during Christmas and Easter and into the both maintain and increase our outreach opportunities. lives of children with stories and crafts into the St. James’ has long known that our purpose is not to classroom and shelter. serve ourselves, but to serve others. Through our acts of generosity and love, done together as a community, We do a lot, but we have not reached the capacity we literally make Christ known to others. Whether it of our hearts or our resources. There is room for is a new backpack to accompany a child to school, a greater involvement. In the upcoming months, we hot meal so that a person does not go to bed hungry, will launch new outreach opportunities for you to or household goods that helps a family create a sense get involved in or contribute to. We will be looking of home, the presence of Christ is revealed through at our local school districts to see how we can help physical comfort and personal dignity. the children in our communities and we will be looking at other local initiatives that support The suffering in our communities and our wider homeless children and adults. world is great and it would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the need. To reserve our resources One major opportunity we will introduce is a home and to be most effective, St. James’ has identified two building project for our neighbors in Mexico. From specific areas to focus on: homelessness and children. May 31 through June 2, the Episcopal Churches Sadly, the two issues are often one. When we collect in our county will travel south to build a house for school supplies for a child, that child is living in the a homeless family desperately in need of shelter. shelter. When we rehome a family after being on the The program is called Corazon (www.corazon.org), street, that family has children. When we hand over a an organization that focuses on education, plate of hot food, the hands taking that plate are often sustainability and housing to break the cycle of the hands of a child. poverty and to create relationships across borders. This is an amazing opportunity to make a difference The list of what we are currently doing to try to and to work together with fellow Episcopalians and alleviate some of the suffering in our world is the people who will eventually call the house their impressive. We provide meals through Sunrise home. There will be a presentation Sunday, April 7 Village Shelter, Sacred Space Outdoor Ministry, and at 9:15am in the Education Room on how to be Centerville Free Dining. We provide tangible goods involved physically and monetarily. In the such as socks, coats, toothbrushes, school supplies, meantime, please check out the Corazon website and backpacks. We make it possible for two children and pray for the effort and for those in our to go to school in Kenya and we make it possible for community and beyond that are in such need. Pray families in the Tri-City area to move into new homes. for our ability to make a difference. We bring the light of Christ to the elderly and Lori+ WWW.SAINTJ.COM Lilies for Easter We celebrate Easter Sunday on April 21st this year. St. James' will have Why I Choose St. James’ lovely Easter Lilies decorating the church for our Easter Sunday service. I first came to St. James’ because it was the closest Episcopal Church to where I lived. I came here Please help with the decorating by and felt very welcomed. I continued to go there providing a plant or plants in memory because I was comfortable. It was and is a place of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a loved one. where I could come and continue on my faith The names of the donors and reason for the donation journey at my own pace. will be placed in the Easter bulletin. A sign-up sheet is posted in the Parish Hall. The cutoff date I’m a creature of habit and attending church on for donations and names is April 17, 2019. Sunday mornings where I know the order of the service is comforting and renewing. I set aside that The suggested donation for each Easter Lily plant time during the service to listen and learn from the is $10.00. Envelopes are located by the Sign-Up readings, and Lori and Anna’s excellent sermons. sheets in the Parish Hall. You may also use your I also have always loved the words in the service, pledge envelopes. Please write “Lily Fund” on the and always find it so powerful to say them memo line when writing a check. If putting cash in together. I also need that weekly reminder to envelopes please indicate “Lily Fund” on front of the listen to God, and through his love to try and be a envelope with your name. Envelopes may be placed better person. in the pledge plates or in the office. Katie Porter Thank you for supporting St. James' Easter Lily Junior Warden fund. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Cunningham or Ruth Poole. Photo by: Bruce Roberts Katie Cunningham 2 The Window - April 2019 3 The Window - April 2019 Photo by: Penny Trant The Sunday School youth decorated Alleluia banners in February to bury before the start of Lent. They joined in a final resounding Alleluia at the end of the morning service before putting their banners in a box to bury them away for Lent, a season when we don’t use the word of praise and celebration. Look out on Easter Sunday for the artwork to reappear! 4 The Window - April 2019 Methods of Electronic Communication A large part of the ministry of Church is to communicate within our membership and to those not yet formally members what is happening on a weekly basis. Today, the most effect means of communication is through a weekly electronic transmission such as email. To that end, we have two distinct email communications that you can be a part of. The Saint James’ Parish Group: by being part of the parish group ([email protected]), you will receive informal notices regarding prayer re- quests, notices of potential happenings outside of church, parishioner news, etcetera. This email group al- lows you to stay connected on a more personal level, and also gives you the ability to email relevant infor- mation to the group yourself. If you are not already a part of this group and wish to be, please drop an email to Janet Fischer: [email protected] or sign-up in the Parish Hall. The Saint James’ Weekly Email: by being subscribed to the weekly email, you will receive a once-a-week email directly from St. James’ letting you know what is happening in the upcoming weeks and months. This email will include the Sunday lections, special events, and important news. It is meant for both parishioners and those interested in our church. This email is “read-only”. No replies will be posted to the list. To subscribe to this email, send Alice Harrison an email: [email protected] or sign-up in the Parish Hall. For all that is going on at Saint James’ we want to make sure we Get the Word Out! Please Note these Instructions and Deadlines: To make sure your announcements are included in the WEEKLY EMAIL and in the SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENT SHEET email your text (preferably no more than 6 lines) to [email protected] (by Wednesday Morning) Any prayer requests can be noted on the pew cards or by sending and email to [email protected] by Wednesday morning as well. Thank you 5 The Window - April 2019 Update on Hope Hope is one of two girls St. James’ support through Maisha Bora. They send updates on their family and school life and we are so proud of their achievements. We ask for prayers for both Hope and Miriam as they continue to grow into wonderful young women. For more about this ministry please visit: https://saintj.com/wp/ ministries/ maisha-bora/ 6 The Window - April 2019 Adult Faith Formation Offerings Coming Your Way Women’s Retreat: Our popular annual Women’s Retreat will take place from 9:00am - 3:00pm on Saturday, May 11, 2019. We will meet in the Education Room. This year, the theme will be “The Feminine Face of God.” Details forthcoming as we flesh out the day. Preparation for Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation. Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation are sacramental rites in which adults affirm their Christian faith as mature adults. Confirmation is intended for baptized adults, Reception is intended for baptized and confirmed adults who desire to be received into the Episcopal Church, and Reaffirmation, for adult Episcopalians who wish to reaffirm their faith after an absence from church community, or as an intentional act of recommitting their lives to Christ. The next celebration of these rites will be June 1st, at Grace Cathedral. If you are interested, contact Rev. Anna at [email protected] or Rev. Lori at [email protected]. Claiming Our Heritage: An Exploration of The Book of Common Prayer. An education class led by Seminarian Andrea Arsene. Look for more information soon. The next issue of The Window is in May.