The Announcements

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Today at St. James’

· Adult Forum: “What the Bible Does Tell You about Christmas, but Christmas Pageants Don’t” — a new two-part series. Adult Forum runs from 10:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Old School Building at the corner of Wirt and North Streets.

· Sunday School: 3-Year-Olds — Rittenhouse Room R1; 4-Year-Olds — Janney House Room J2; Kindergarten — Janney House Room J1;

· 1st Grade — Rittenhouse Room R3; 2nd & 4th Grades — Parish Hall; 3rd Grade — Parish Library; 5th Grade & Middle School — Old School Building; Senior High — Catacombs

· “Discovering St. James’”: The third and last session meets from 10:15 .am. to 12:45 p.m. in the Old School Building at the corner of Wirt and North Streets.

· Youth Groups: Middle School (6th-8th): 4:30–6:00 p.m. at St. James’. Senior High (9th-12th): 6:00–7:30 p.m. at the Shankles’ house. Youth can either go straight to the Shankles’, or meet at St. James’ at 6:00 for a ride. Senior High will be planning our trip to New York City, February 15-17!

Winter Warming Tree: St. James’ will sponsor a winter Warming Tree benefiting The Good Shepherd Alliance and the homeless in Loudoun County. Please help us decorate the Christmas tree in the Parish Hall from December 2-16 with new mittens, hats and scarves for men, women and children of all ages. Homemade warming items are appreciated as well. Feel free to safety pin a note of warmth to the recipient of your gift.

Alternative Gift Market: Save the date: St. James’ will host the annual Alternative Gift Market on December 9 after each service in the Parish Hall. This is an opportunity to do two great things at once: to purchase gifts for people on your Christmas list and to help the less fortunate. You make donations to worthy organizations in the name of your gift recipient at the market and in exchange are given a token gift and honor card to explain the donation you made. Consider alternative gifts for everyone on your list who really doesn’t need any other tangible gifts this Christmas.

Holiday Toy Drive — St. James’ Kids with Purpose (KWP) will sponsor its toy and clothing drive benefiting the Holiday Coalition. Collections will take place in the Narthex beginning today through the Alternative Gift Market on Sunday, December 9. New toys and outfits for children of every age from infant through teen are needed. Donations should not be wrapped as they will be utilized for the Holiday Store where parents will shop for items on their children’s wish lists. Contact Kids with Purpose at kwp@aol.com with any questions.

The St. James’ Children’s Choir is beginning Christmas preparations. If your child is interested in joining us for the holiday season, feel free to come to our rehearsals on December 5, 12, and 19. The children rehearse from 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. in the Nave. The Children’s Choir will be singing at the 3:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service this year.

It’s time to update our Church Directory! We have arranged to have Lifetouch take our family portraits for the directory on December 6, 7, 8, and 11 in the Parish Hall. Spaces are limited, so be sure and make your reservation soon to have your picture taken. (Pictures ordered by December 11 will be delivered in time for Christmas—they make great presents!) You may reserve your picture date and time by accessing the link through www.stjamesleesburg.org. There is also a sign-up table available in the Narthex after each service. Additional dates will be available in January if needed, but we encourage everyone to sign up in December so that they may have pictures back in time for the holiday.

Advent Storytime for 4- to 8-year-olds: Kids, hear your favorite Christmas stories! Parents, enjoy an extra hour for holiday preparations! Children aged 4 through 8 years old are invited to the Janney Parlor for stories, hot chocolate and popcorn Fridays, December 7, 14, and 21, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Contact Mary Pellicano through the Church Office at (703)777-1124.

The last 20s/30s Dinner had to be rescheduled for Tuesday, December 11. We’ll meet at 7:00 p.m. at Mary and Chris Davila’s house. Please call to RSVP, or call Pastor Mary to be added to our e-vite list. The cost of admission is a can/cans of food to be donated to Interfaith Relief.

Loudoun County Holiday Coalition: Volunteers who are 14 years old or above are needed for hands-on help for the Holiday Coalition on Wednesday, December 12, from 6:00 -9:00 p.m. Volunteers will be sorting items and assisting in the “shopping” process. Spanish is valuable, but certainly not necessary. For more information on this enriching experience, please contact Kimberly Haeringer through the Church Office at (703)777-1124.

Join the St. James’ Book Club as we discuss A Christmas Memory, the classic memoir of Truman Capote’s childhood in rural Alabama. We will reminisce our own Christmases past through the poignant prose of Capote’s autobiographical story. Check out a copy of the book in the Parish Library (located on the second floor of the Janney House) and join us at 7:00 p.m. in the Janney Parlor on Thursday, December 13. All are welcome! Please bring a snack or beverage to share. For more information contact Mary Pellicano through the Church Office at (703)777-1124.

Children’s Christmas Services: This year, we are changing our Christmas services a bit, beginning with a children’s play on Sunday, December 16, at the 9:00 service, and — in lieu of a pageant — a service of Carols and Eucharist on Christmas Eve at 3:30 and 5:30. The service on Christmas Eve will feature a children’s choir and a children’s homily. The children’s play on December 16 is based on Tomie dePaola’s classic, The Friendly Beasts. Dr. Pat will teach each Sunday school class a part of Friendly Beasts Carol, and each class will sing on December 16. This gives every child a chance to participate in a Christmas pageant, with no extra rehearsals. Children will dress as the animal which they play (not a seamstress? That’s ok! The costumes are simple, and instructions will be provided in Sunday school.) Contact Pastor Mary for more information.

St. James’ Preschool currently has openings for children in their 2 1/2- and 3-year-old programs. Contact the Preschool office at (703) 777-8439 for more information.

Saturday Night Service Begins: St. Gabriel’s Saturday Night service begins with two “pre-launch” services December 15 and January 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the St. James’ Nave. Weekly services will begin February 2. Each week, you will experience God in a service of Holy Eucharist with a casual, upbeat, and multisensory style. Kids welcome; nursery provided. In order to make this service a success, we are looking for 50 adults to commit to seeding the worship service for the prelaunch worship and for the first 6-8 weeks. By “seeding” you commit to being regular in worship, and agree to respond to a short feedback form each week you attend, so that we can improve the worship experience before we advertise it to the community. Please contact Faye Wenger through the St. Gabriel’s church office at (703)779-3616 if you are interested, or fill out the interest card found in the Narthex.

St. James’ Youth Groups

Every Wednesday: Pizza with a Purpose: 6:30-8:00 p.m. Come for pizza, fun, fellowship, and Bible Study. Senior High meets in the Catacombs and Middle School in the Parish Hall.

Sunday, December 2

· Middle School (6th-8th): 4:30–6:00 p.m. at St. James’

· Senior High (9th-12th): 6:00–7:30 p.m. at the Shankles’ house. Youth can either go straight to the Shankles’, or meet at St. James’ at 6:00 for a ride. Senior High will be planning our trip to New York City, February 15-17!

Sunday, December 9

Middle School and Senior High: 5:00-7:00 p.m.; meet at St. James’; Christmas Caroling and Hot Chocolate! Senior High and Middle School we will tour the neighborhood, providing Christmas cheer to all who answer their doors! Kate and Fred Williams will host us for hot chocolate and cookies along the way.

Sunday, December 16:

· Middle School Youth Group Christmas Party Dinner and a Movie at the Young’s house! 4:30-6:30!

· Senior High will go to the Holiday Coalition from 2:30-7:00 p.m. to serve as personal shoppers at their warehouse, which serves families who do not have the resources to buy Christmas gifts.

Last week’s attendance:

7:45 55

9:00 196

11:15 158

Total: 409

Altar Guild: Sheila Brooks, Mary Brecht, Kathy Brown, Patty Costantino, Janis Hatch, Beth Johnson, Martha Lynch, Mollie Shorter, Sallie Vaaler

Acolyte: Graham Ohmer Lectors & Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Jack Cook, Alex Lunsford, Jack Davison Ushers: Bob Stanley, Chris Scharrer Fellowship Hosts: Bill & Sheila Brooks

Children’s Choir Director: Dr. Pat Avery Corner Chorale Director: Dr. Stephan Knobloch Acolytes: Megan White, Megan Marcellin, Delaney Cosgrove, Elizabeth Ohmer Lectors & Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Elaine Nunnally, Jeff Brannock, Susan Moffett, Terry Young, Julie Sisson Ushers: Anne Stevens, Mike Hughes, Scott lips, Tom Smith, Carol & Rob Chapman Fellowship Host: Jennifer Ramirez

Minister of Music: Dr. Steven Cooksey Acolytes: Phil Cangelosi, Arrianna Hamrah, Andrew Cangelosi, Eliza Stribling Lectors & Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Lloyd Hill, Ron Kunz, Karen Jackson, Connie Myers, Marnie Montgomery Healing Team: Ushers: Steve & Carol Cunningham, James & Inez Peebles Fellowship Hosts: Freddie & Bill Martin

Vestry: vestry@stjamesleesburg.org Senior Warden Mary Frances Forcier (‘05-’07), Junior Warden Ken Getty (‘06-’08), Clerk Clayton Cameron (‘06-’08), Jon Aycock (‘07-’09), Jan Joseph (‘06-’08), Sandra Moody (’07-’09), Barbara Poell (‘07-’09), Ken Robinson (‘07-09), Tom Smith (‘05-’07), Chuck Womack (‘06-’08)

St. James’ Episcopal Church

14 Cornwall Street, NW

Leesburg, Virginia 20176-2801

703-777-1124

Website: http://www.stjamesleesburg.org

General Information: info@stjamesleesburg.org

Rector: The Rev. John Ohmer: john@stjamesleesburg.org

Assistant to the Rector for Adult Ministries:

The Rev. Kate Bryant: kate@stjamesleesburg.org

Assistant to the Rector for Children & Youth Ministries:

The Rev. Mary Davila: mary@stjamesleesburg.org

Priest Associate: The Rev. Donald Goodness: drglrg97@comcast.net

Registrar/Wedding Coordinator: Kay Gregg: kay@stjamesleesburg.org

Financial Administrator: Sheri Nelson: sheri@stjamesleesburg.org

Parish Administrator: Janine Carmichael: janine@stjamesleesburg.org

Administrative Assistant: Courtney Patterson: courtney@stjamesleesburg.org

Newcomers Committee: Ruth Blakeslee: ruthart@earthlink.net