The Announcements

Sunday, December 9, 2007

 

 

St. James’ snow policy is simple—

We never cancel services.

However, you should always use your best judgment,

and never take a weather-related risk to get here.

 

 

 

Today at St. James’

·         Adult Forum will not be held today in order to allow parishioners and their friends and family to shop at the Alternative Gift Market held TODAY 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 by making donations to worthy organizations in the name of your gift recipient and receiving a token gift and honor card to explain the donation you made.

·         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 — remain in Sanctuary today; 3rd Grade — Parish Library; 5th Grade & Middle School — Old School Building; Senior High — assisting with Alternative Gift Market in the Parish Hall

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

Next Sunday

·         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. Parents of 3-year-olds-5th Graders:  Please make sure that you pick up your costume information from your child’s teacher.

·         St. James’ Youth Groups:

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

o   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.

 

Start out the New Year with a new family portrait for the Church Directory! We have arranged to have Lifetouch take our family portraits on January 3, 4, and 5, 2008, in the Parish Hall. You may reserve your picture date and time by accessing the link on our home page www.stjamesleesburg.org. Contact Lollie Shankle through the Church Office at (703)777-1124 for more information.

 

Winter Warming Tree:  St. James’ is sponsoring 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 through December 16 with new mittens, hats and scarves for men, women and children of all ages.  Homemade warming items are appreciated as well.

 

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 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.

 

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 Pastor Mary to RSVP 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 older 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.

 

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 14, and 21, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Contact Mary Pellicano through the Church Office at (703)777-1124.

 

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. Please contact Faye Wenger through the St. Gabriel’s church office at (703)779-3616 for more information.

 

First Night Leesburg:  St. James’ Sanctuary and Parish Hall are two of the many performance sites for First Night in downtown Leesburg. First Night is an annual family-oriented, alcohol-free New Year’s celebration organized by the Bluemont Concert Series. If you are interested in volunteering on December 31 for a one-hour shift between 6:00 p.m. and 11:45 p.m., or for more information, contact Dottie Brannock through the Church Office at (703)777-1124.

 

Interested in getting a new Contemplative Prayer Group going?  Traditionally called contemplative prayer, centering prayer is a method of prayer which prepares us to receive the gift of God’s presence by consenting to God’s presence and action within, furthers the development of contemplative prayer by quieting our faculties to cooperate with the gift of God’s presence, and emphasizes prayer as a personal relationship with God.  Contact Henry Stribling through the Church Office at (703)777-1124 for more information.

 

Now Hiring:  The Nursery is now hiring dependable adults to work in the nursery during the 9:00 and 11:15 Sunday services. Schedule can be flexible and pay is terrific.  Contact Dawn Stejbach through the Church Office at (703)777-1124.

 

St. James’ Preschool currently has openings for children in the 3-year-old program.  Contact the Preschool office at (703) 777-8439 for more information.

 

Pizza with a Purpose:  Every Wednesday from 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.

 

Middle School Youth Group will head to the mountains of West Virginia for its annual ski trip on February 1-3. Cost is $140, and we will stay at the home of Ken & Bonnie Getty (and rent one additional condo). Please contact Pastor Mary to sign up.

 

Senior High Youth Group will take New York City by storm! February 15-17 (President’s Day weekend), we will participate in Nightwatch, a program at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We will tour the cathedral, hear a midnight organ concert, and go to a Broadway play. If you are interested in joining us, contact Pastor Mary by Tuesday, December 11.

 

Parish Meeting, & Vestry Elections:  Our Annual Meeting with Vestry members election will be held on Sunday, January 6, at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave. We will be electing leaders who will serve the parish for the next three years, and we’ll unveil the results of our 2008 Annual Giving Campaign.

 

Burning of the Greens:  “Twelfth Night,” or Epiphany, is the night of our annual Burning of the Greens — bring your Christmas Tree and other greens on Sunday, January 6, to the Hatch Farm for a gigantic bonfire celebrating the Light of Christ coming into the world.

 

Last week’s attendance:

 

7:45     43

9:00     285

11:15   217

Total:   545

 

Ministers of Today’s Liturgy

 

Altar Guild:  Sandra Fulton, Ann Hunt, Lois Krumwiede, Judy Perso, Peggy Rust, Margaret Small

 

7:45 Service:  Acolyte:  Dottie Brannock  Lectors & Lay Eucharistic Ministers:  Jack Davison, Bill Brooks, Kay Gregg  Healing Team:  Christopher & Janis Hatch  Ushers:  Brian & Charlotte Graves  Fellowship Hosts:  Jim & McLean Pumphrey

 

9:00 Service:  Children’s Choir Director:  Dr. Pat Avery  Corner Chorale Director:  Dr. Stephan Knobloch  Acolytes:  Richard Moffett, Jonathan Moroz, Courtney Mulherin, Conner Mulherin  Lectors & Lay Eucharistic Ministers:  Paul White, Alecia Moroz, Barbara Poell, John Forcier, Phil Olivero  Ushers:  Terry Sue & John Bowman, Ara Bagdasarian, Michael Knobloch, Page Moffett  Fellowship Host:  Laura Young

 

11:15 Service:  Minister of Music:  Dr. Steven Cooksey  Acolytes:  Arrianna Hamrah, William Moore, Gabrielle Haeringer, Scott Clark  Lectors & Lay Eucharistic Ministers:  Judy Perso, Jon Butler, Andrew Price, David Ulrich, Molly Kronberg  Healing Team:  Anne Tiffany, Anya Johnson, Mary Pitz, Veronica Jones  Ushers:  Sandra & Howard Moody, Bruce Holland, Anne Tiffany  Fellowship Hosts:  Cindy & Van Black

 

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