August 23, 2007 Volume 31, No. 06
Inside this Issue:
“Through the Strait to the
Great”
The next Loaves
& Fishes deadline is Monday, September 10, 2007, at 9:00 a.m.
Please forward your submissions to Janine Carmichael at janine@
stjamesleesburg.org or drop them off in the Church Office.
Dear friends of St. James’:
As
August comes to a close, and another school year is about to start, you’ll be
able to find me – along with a quarter-billion other parents – standing in the
back-to-school aisle, shopping with one or more of our three kids.
I
don’t like fighting the crowds. But at the risk of sounding like a complete
nerd, I love shopping for school supplies.
Why
is that?
It
could be that fresh school supplies hold so much promise. Empty pocket folders
are crisp and sharp, like Marines in formation, waiting for action. Spiral
notebooks hold the promise of careful, chronological note-taking – the kind
that never misses a class or important point. And three ring binders, with all
their organizational potential! – I can almost hear them reciting the Pledge of
Anal-retentiveness: “a place for everything, and everything in its place.”
Shopping
for school supplies at the start of the school year, I hope, vicariously
through my children, and directly through my own new starts and supplies, that
this new year with be THE year we all. finally. get. organized.
Yes!,
I think, this new academic and program year will be the year, finally, that
coats stay on their hooks, backpacks and boots stay lined up in the mud room.
My exercise routine will start with the school buses. Pencils will stay
sharpened and lined up; milk won’t go bad in the refrigerator; I will call my
mother each and every week.
But
it won’t be long before file folders are overstuffed, frayed at the edges,
resembling couch potatoes more than Marines. It won’t be long before the spines
of spiral bound notebooks flatten into useless oblongs, a step before being
abandoned. It won’t be October before three ring binders become three-ring junk
drawers.
Then
coats, boots, and backpacks will be tossed over the stair rail and at the base.
My exercise will become about as predictable as a winning lottery ticket. We’ll
scrounge around for a pencil, any pencil; milk will turn to cottage cheese; and
when was the last time I called my mother?
And
so the beginning of a school year is a microcosm of “hope” verses “hopes
dashed,” “new beginnings” verses “cold reality settling in.”
Which
pretty much makes it a spiritual issue.
You’ll
recall that over the course of the summer, I kept encouraging you to read a
gospel, any gospel, straight through in one sitting. I ask you to do that
because reading a gospel straight through reveals a Jesus, and a faith, that is
radically different than what we are accustomed to believing.
Christianity
– most of it anyway – has drifted so far away from the gospel (the good news of
Jesus Christ) that it’s hard to see if the two are even related!
And
nowhere is this more clear than in the way Christianity has packaged the faith,
to make us believe being a Christian is as easy as back-to-school shopping: get
five of these, three of these, keep them all organized, and Everything Will Be
Fine.
You
see this tendency to package the gospel mostly in mega-church preaching: “Six Steps
to a Divorce-proof Marriage,” “What the Bible says about Reducing Stress,”
“Seven Keys to Improving Your Life.” But we’re all prone to it.
What’s
wrong with this is that it packages Christianity, faith, and peace. And what’s
wrong with packaging is that God – the life source of Christianity, the giver
of faith, the author of peace, cannot be packaged.
Scripture,
as the ultimate story of God’s quest to help human beings overcome our
alienation against God, one another, and our selves, is nuanced, complex, and
messy.
In
fact, it’s as nuanced, complex, and messy as our lives, which it seeks to make
sense of.
So
let’s go ahead and get organized, make our resolutions, start our new routines.
But let’s do so understanding that we do so as fallible, fickle, feckless human
beings, and therefore any effort to achieve even a shade of perfection is
destined to fall short. And that’s okay, because God expects faithfulness, not
perfection; compassion, not rigidity.
If
you’re like me, that realization won’t take the joy and excitement out of
getting organized this Fall, but it will keep things in perspective, once the
messiness returns.
Faithfully
yours,
Fr. John
by
Mary Frances Forcier
It
has been some time since you have had a message from your Senior Warden! And
there’s a reason for that: the parishioners, clergy and staff who lead our
programs are the incredibly eloquent and engaged spokespersons, and I have been
happy over the past few months to let them speak for themselves. You have had
frequent communication from the Building Committee, from the adult and youth
mission groups that have served our neighbors near and far, and from the many
other ministries that make up the community of St. James’, and it’s amazing to
see all that you have done.
Behind
the scenes, our Vestry has been working hard to coordinate the efforts of all
these hard workers, and to provide them with the infrastructure – physical,
fiscal, human and communications resources – that they need. And, on the
personnel front, several changes are occurring that will enable us to better
serve parishioners and programs:
¨ Members of the
Personnel Committee (chair Barbara Poell, and members Kim Carren, Sharon
Hammett, Norma Womack and I) have finalized the position description for the Director
of Parish Operations, and we are now moving into the recruiting phase of
the hiring process. Clergy, staff and volunteers are getting in touch with
their own networks of contacts, alerting them to our needs and encouraging them
to send qualified candidates our way. Rev. Kate will be coordinating the
logistics of the search and interview process; an interview committee is being
formed, and we hope to begin interviewing in September. We ask you to consider
friends or colleagues – non-parishioners, please! – who might be interested,
and refer them to the description listed on our website.
¨ Our current
Parish Administrator, Janine Carmichael, will be moving into the position of Communications
Coordinator, developing new ways to use our existing print publications,
our website, and other electronic communications to better serve our many
programs and activities. As our parish continues to grow, communications is key
to keeping us all in the loop, and Janine, working with the Communications
Committee, will be a central force in that effort.
¨
With the recent move of our part-time Parish Secretary Laura
Heyer to the Preschool Office, in the next few weeks we will be hiring a
temporary full-time Administrative Assistant, who will provide administrative
assistance to the incoming Director of Parish Operations, clergy, Vestry and
ministry heads, including support for capital campaign. When the Director of
Parish Operations is on board, he or she will hire a permanent full-time person
in this role.
¨ Adan Cortes has
returned to us in the past month as full-time Sexton, providing
essential maintenance, cleaning, and buildings /grounds support.
Why
are we doing this? To strengthen the links between the “9 to 5 p.m., weekday”
world of the church staff and the “5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday” world of so many of
our parishioners, ensuring a rewarding working environment for our staff and
clergy as well as a church program that well serves our parishioners and their
families.
Enjoy
the last few days of Summer! I hope to see you at the Ministry Fair on
September 9 – renewed, revitalized and ready for a new season at St. James’!
In faith,
Mary Frances
Forcier
Senior
Warden
“Through the Strait to the Great”
by The Rev. Kate Bryant
These
words are a translation of Per Angusta ad Augusta, the motto of the
Society of St. Margaret, an Episcopal community of women seeking to find Jesus
present in worship, in common life, and in ministries which concentrate on
responding to the needs of the times.
I
have had an informal relationship with this religious community since my first
year in seminary when I started to visit the Convent in Boston twice each year
for silent, self-directed retreats. But
on Thursday, July 12, I formalized this relationship by being received as a
Priest Associate of the Society.
Just
what is the Society of St. Margaret?
About the Society of St. Margaret
The
order was founded in England in 1855 by the Rev. Dr. John Mason Neale, who took
his inspiration from the life and work of Margaret of Antioch, the daughter of
a pagan priest. She accepted
Christianity because of the influence of a nurse who cared for her. Margaret was subjected to torture and
imprisonment for her firm belief that Jesus was the Son of God, and in 304 A.D.
she was martyred.
Three
Sisters went to Boston in 1873 to establish the work of the Society in America.
Today, more than 134 years later, the Sisters are divided between the Convent
in Boston (where there are 18 Sisters in residence, three of whom are priests)
and three Mission Houses. They live
together in community and their houses serve as centers for prayer and
retreat.
What it Means to Be an Associate of St. Margaret’s
An
Associate is a lay or ordained person, male or female, who desires to share in
the life and work of the Sisters. The
Sisters pray for the Associates daily, and Associates are asked to include
certain prayers in their daily devotions.
Each
Associate works out his or her own Rule of Life in consultation with the
Sister-in-Charge of Associates. This
Rule includes time set aside for personal prayer; attending the Eucharist;
retreats or quiet days; some for of spiritual guidance or sacramental
confession; and, where possible, observing the community festivals of Corpus
Christi, the Holy Name and St. Margaret’s Day.
Reflections on Becoming an Associate
For
me, the true meaning of an Associate is simply to count blessings. First on my list is the blessing of the
Sisters’ prayers for me. They have
prayed for me and my family through times of trouble, times when I feel I could
not have gone through another day without this support. The Sisters prayers give me a feeling of
spiritual buoyancy, of being sustained and lifted up. All of us have times of spiritual dryness when our hearts are
like stones. What a blessing it is to
know that though we may be mute, the praying Sisters are not.
The
second blessing on my list is my prayers for the Sisters. Through these prayers I minister to some of
the least and the lost of God’s people, people whom I will never see.
The
third blessing is a Rule of Life. More
than a personal rule, it keeps me steady.
It’s a source of strength and joy, a bond not only with the Sisters but
with other Associates.
Last
comes a blessing small in size but rich in meaning—my beautiful Associates’
Cross, which I was presented with on July 12.
It is a source of pride and inspiration to me and of information to
others.
God
gives me these blessings through the strength of my spiritual bond with these Sisters
so that I may be helped to be in the world as not to be of it, to be faithful
among the unfaithful, and loving among the unloving. In other words, to take up the cross daily and follow Jesus.
About the St. Margaret’s Cross
Engraved on the
St. Margaret’s Cross is Per Angusta ad Augusta, “through the strait to
the great.” “Strait” is a good
translation of angusta, a word found in the King James Version of the
New Testament: “…strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:14). Augusta is usually translated by the English word
“august,” which means “great, impressive, stately, grand”—the opposite of the
Christian ideal of humility, it would seem.
But the primary meaning of augusta given in the dictionary is
quite different. It is “consecrated,
devoted, holy.”
Perhaps this is
what the St. Margaret’s motto means: that it is through the frustrating
restrictions of our present lives--poor health, traffic jams, not enough money
or space, loss of leisure time, unfulfilling relationships with others--that we
are to come to holiness.
[Author’s
Note: There are an estimated 2,400
religious (nuns and monks) in the Anglican Communion. In North America and the Caribbean, there are an estimated 350
religious among 17 communities, including the Society of St. Margaret. For more information on the Society of St.
Margaret, visit their website at www.ssmbos.com]
by the Rev. Mary Davila
Children’s
Church Leaders Needed: Children’s
Church at St. James is the children’s service which takes place during the
sermon at our 9:00 and 11:15 worship services.
Children’s Church (CC) is growing, and is undergoing changes to
accommodate this wonderful phenomenon.
Beginning in September, we will be splitting the CC services into
smaller groups by age, now including a separate service for 4th -5th
graders. We feel this will better serve
our children and the volunteers who lead this ministry. This means we will need more leaders to keep
it light for everyone involved.
Children’s Church Leadership requires no previous experience, and we
will provide you with an “internship” experience alongside other leaders to get
you started. The lesson materials are
provided for the scheduled leaders each week.
The schedule is prepared at quarterly intervals, at which time leaders
have the opportunity to choose preferred Sundays and how many of which sessions
they wish to lead. If you’re interested
in serving in the Children’s Church ministry please contact Mary Davila
(mary@stjamesleesburg.org) or Bridget Penberthy (bridgetpenberthy@comcast.net)
or Julie Garey (julgarey@verizon.net or 703-443-8389).
Eighth Grade Weekend at Shrine Mont!
Join us for a weekend in the mountains of Virginia, September
28-30. Youth from all over the
Diocese will be there. Shrine Mont is
tons of fun and is not to be missed!
The cost is $100, and as always, scholarships are available. The weekend does tend to fill up, so please
sign up with Pastor Mary early!
New
Acolytes Welcome: Acolytes have
an important role assisting with worship at the 7:45, 9:00, and 11:15 services,
as well as special services during Christmas and Easter.
¨ Jr. Acolytes
begin Grades 4-5 (9:00 service only)
¨ Torchbearers
begin Grades 6-12
¨ Crucifers begin
Grades 9-12
Interested
in training to be an Acolyte or just want information? Contact Dottie Brannock
at the Church Office at (703)777-1124.
Be a shareholder! It's not too late to sign up to hold a share in our
summer youth mission trips. We have a group of 11 people going to Mission on
the Bay, MS, from August 19-24, and you can support them by purchasing a $10
share in the trip. As a shareholder, you will receive a postcard from the youth
while they are in Mississippi, and you will also be invited to our shareholders
dinner on August 29! Please see Pastor Mary for more information.
Mission Trip Shareholders Dinner:
Please remember to RSVP (703-777-1124) to our dinner on Wednesday,
August 29 at 6:30 p.m. The youth will be waiters and waitresses, and they will
tell you about their trips to North Carolina and Mississippi. We'll also have
lots of pictures to show you! Families are welcome to attend the dinner… but
remember, you must be a shareholder in order to attend! It's not to late to
purchase a share!
Middle School Outreach Camp: St. James'
is hosting an outreach camp for middle school aged youth from August 27-30. On
those days, we would love to have some adult sponsors join us. We will travel
to Capitol Hill, learn about homelessness in Arlington, glean crops in
Woodstock, and learn about therapeutic riding in Middleburg. If you have an
interest in joining us, please contact Pastor Mary.
Towel
Mission Trip
by
Elise Moroz
I
have to be honest. When I first signed
up to go on the Towel Ministry mission trip, I wasn’t too excited. Giving up my first week of summer vacation
for a week of working on houses in the hot North Carolina sun wasn’t exactly my
idea of a fair trade. All I wanted to
do was to finally enjoy sleeping in and hang out with my friends, not wake up
at seven every morning and have to hike up a mountain just to get breakfast. In short, I didn’t want to go.
When
we departed from St. James on Friday, July 22, along with St. Mary’s Church
from Arlington, my feelings hadn’t changed.
And after a seven-hour car ride to Valley Crucis, my hopes weren’t too
much higher. But by Saturday, I had
done a complete 180. As we spent our
first day at camp swimming at the waterfall and playing Ultimate Frisbee,
friendships were formed quickly. On
Sunday night there was a huge thunderstorm during which we all had a dance
party in the rain. The rest of the
week, we mostly spent our down time at camp talking on the porches or playing
more games of Ultimate Frisbee. On our
last night at camp, our leaders threw a party for us in the Apple Barn complete
with music, pizzas, and party hats. By
Friday, I wasn’t wanting to go home, even despite catching a stomach bug that
had been going around camp.
On
Saturday night we had been split into our teams, each consisting of five to six
youths and a few adult leaders. That’s when we received the jobs that we were
going to be doing. The work differed from site to site, ranging from cleaning
windows to even building entire decks.
My team was to work for the South family, a husband and wife. Our job was to install shingles to the roof
and to build railings for the front and back porches their home.
Sunday
morning we were prepped for work and headed off for our first day on the
site. During the winding car ride, I
began to feel a bit nervous. I had
never hammered a nail before, let alone done it from the top of a roof. I was beginning to think the job was going
to be too much to handle. But after our
group prayer and the work began, I began to feel more relaxed. By the end of the day I was surprise by how
comfortable I was walking around on the roof and how little difficulty I was
having.
As
the week went on our team was getting more productive each day and was able
spend more time with our host family.
During this time Mr. South, who raises bees and sells their honey,
taught us all about the complicated makeup of the beehive and its community. He
and his wife told us about their family and we all exchanged stories. This time we spent with our family was just
as important, if not more, than the actual labor we did on the site. Spending time with the Souths opened my eyes
to a world I had never seen. I was surprised
to see how happy and content they were with their lives, and this made me
realize how easy it is to get wrapped up in trying to get what you don’t have
instead of enjoy what you already do have.
During
this trip I not only learned how to hammer and saw, but I also learned a lot
about myself and about life. I made
many amazing new friends and had an unbelievable time. In short, this trip was an experience that
that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Reflection
on Annual Adult Mission Trip to West Virginia
[Editor’s Note: Ken Getty, Kirk and Renee Hawn, together with Kirk’s
dad, Larry Hawn, and Rev. Kate, were in Premier, WV for six days last month on
the seventh annual Adult Mission Trip to this area. Kirk and Renee generously
agreed to offer this reflection on their experience.]
Wild and wonderful, thank God for the rekindling of His spirit. “Now
Lord, send us out to do the work you have given us to do.”
Our work in Premier Trailer Park included building a ramp for
handicapped accessibility, rebuilding three front door porches with hand rails,
steps and a roof on a back door porch.
The four of us representing St. James’ and my dad, Larry, the fifth
missioner, were given enough strength and stamina to do as much work as our St.
James’ crew of 24 did seven years ago. Ken Getty kept us equipped with the
right tools, and hydrated as we worked in the summer heat. He led by example
with a strong compassion for the underprivileged and needy in this ex-coal
mining region of West Virginia. One day, Dave, one of the trailer owners, and
his wife, Carol, fed us a delicious casserole lunch. Heartfelt prayers and
conversation flowed over the plywood table set up on two sawhorses in the shade
of the front porch. Dripping with sweat we felt a gentle breeze come up the
hollow between the steep, richly green mountains. God, it doesn't get any
better than this.
The community of Premier Park is served by the Rev. Hilda Kennedy, an
Episcopal priest. Hilda has been working in the area for some time, and for a
number of years she led a worshipping community in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church,
a church in nearby Welch, WV with beautiful stained glass windows. But over
time that church dwindled to two members. Services are no longer held there;
the roof leaks and mold covers the walls.
Now Hilda serves the community of Premier Trailer Park. She lives in a
trailer with her people. The community center (an industrial building) centered
in the trailer park becomes transformed on Sundays to a vibrant, living and
growing church where the congregation applauds each Sunday when the service
concludes.
Hilda’s ministry is growing. About one hour away from Premier, a new
Federal prison is under construction. The 24 construction workers live in trailers
at Premier Park, and Hilda (with the help of two people) prepares a delicious
lunch and dinner every Monday and Wednesday for these folks. One worker told
Rev. Kate: “I’ve built prisons all over this country and no one has ever cared
about me while I’m away from my family like Hilda.” Once the prison is built,
the trailers will be used to houseguests visiting family members who are
inmates.
Hilda expressed concern to us about losing financial assistance from
FEMA as well as from Episcopal parishes. Some parishes have withdrawn their
support because of mission opportunities in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. But
Hilda is a person with a lot of faith. She and her people trust God to provide
their daily bread.
It was heartwarming to see Hilda again. Two years ago she couldn't get
out of her car due to the double scoliosis pain of her back. This year she
bounced out of the car, arms wide and proclaimed to me that she was healed!
"Thank you Jesus," came out of my mouth. No new medication, no
surgery, but lots of prayer and zeal.
One day while we were there, Hilda asked Rev. Kate to celebrate a midday
Eucharist with the laying on of hands for healing because Hilda needed
recharging. Participating with us was Hilda’s Lay Eucharistic Minister, Mac
(who worked with us), who at the age of 65 still can't read; together we
remembered the blood and body of Christ. Morning Prayer and Compline led by
Rev. Kate helped keep us focused on why we were there.
Strange how two days after a vacation we feel we need another or longer
vacation. Two days after this mission trip, however exhausted, we are content
to be back at work, rekindled with smiling memories of Christ's charity.
Thank you for your support!!!
Renee' and Kirk of the body of Christ at St. James’
Editor’s Note: Next year’s mission trip will take place from July
13-July 19, 2008.
St. James’ Outreach Thank Yous
Here is a sampling of thank you letters received by
St. James’ Outreach Committee:
Dear
Friends of St. James’,
Words
cannot begin to express the thanks and gratitude that Loudoun Volunteer
Caregivers has for the St. James’ congregation. As many of you are probably aware, Caregivers’ first “home” was
under the Sacristy at St. James’. The congregation has provided continuing
support for the Caregivers mission with volunteers, financial support and now
the gift of office equipment. . . The donation of a computer monitor and
printer.
As
we continue to grow in our mission of helping frail seniors and adults with
disabilities maintain independent living, it is a blessing to have the support
of the local faith community.
On
behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and those we serve, thank
you once again.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Sutton
Executive
Director of Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers
To the Church of St. James’ Episcopal
I am called
Nakaliri Joan, a Ugandan aged 11 years. I am in primary I thank the church of St. James’ Episcopal
because they have agreed to pay our school fees for the next two years. May the Almighty pay you equally.
Your faithful,
Nakaliri Joan
In
Almighty God, how are you over
there? Let me think that you are all of
you fine in the word of Jesus Christ. The reason why I have written this letter
as “Phiona” is to thank the holy church which have helped our father “Mr.
Herman” to pay our school fees. Thank
you very much. May God give you
blessings and everything you want in life.
Thank you very much. May the
Lord Almighty be with you even me. Let
me pray for you for all good things you want in life.
May God bless you
Thanks, yours sincerely,
Namuli Phinoa
Dear Fr. John,
We have now begun to settle into our new offices and apartment in
Atlanta and have begun to reflect on our time at Shrine Mont and our last
Sunday service with you prior to our move.
We wish to thank the St. James’ clergy, Outreach Committee, and Vestry
for the very thoughtful gift in the establishment of the Hathaway Fund for use
by St. James’ youth for participation in the SLA summer mission program. We were
absolutely humbled on May 20 when we heard the announcement and are grateful
for the encouragement of our St. James’ family as our family kept the
commitment of our African mission.
Please know that we have only been able to continue our ministry in Africa
because St. James’ has fed us spiritually and kept us equipped and encouraged.
We have left with such a spirit of thanksgiving that our St. James’
family has always been a consistent reminder of the Biblical definition of
“CHURCH.”
Please share our thank you with the Outreach Committee and the Vestry.
We want them also to know how truly grateful we are for their critical roles in
the vision and ministry of St. James’. We will miss ya’ll!
Fondly,
The Hathaways
by Pam Mossburg
While
we have had the hazy days of summer, we are pleased to report that they have
not been “lazy days” for the Building Committee. Over the past few months, the
committee has been busy with several activities, and making good progress. Below are some of the key updates:
¨ Schematic Design Phase -
Having reviewed the concept drawings with the Congregation and having received
approval from the Vestry, we have moved from the Concept Phase of the project
to the Schematic Design Phase. This
Phase of the project will continue through the fall and will consist of the
following:
·
The documents shall
establish the conceptual design of the Project illustrating the scale and
relationship of the Project components.
·
The Schematic Design
Documents shall include:
¨
A conceptual site plan
¨
Preliminary building
plans, sections and elevations
¨
Landscaping, parking and
preliminary utilities
¨
Study models,
perspective sketches, electronic modeling or combinations of these media as
necessary for the Architect to clearly explain the design to the Owner
¨
Preliminary selections
of major building systems and construction materials shall be noted on the
drawings or described in writing
¨
Board of Architectural
Review -
Our preliminary communications with the Town of Leesburg Board of Architectural
Review began in August and will continue through the Fall.
¨
Owner’s Representative
-
A key priority has been to source and hire an “Owner’s Representative” AKA a
Construction Manager, whose key responsibility will be to serve as St. James’
day-to-day liaison with the architects and the construction contractor as we
plan and execute the construction phase. We are pleased to report that we have
completed our interviews and now have the selected candidate on board.
¨
Seccombe House Renovations – We have hired
a contractor and the renovations have started with an expected completion by
early second quarter of 2008.
This
is an exciting time in the life of St. James’ Church and the Building Committee
will continue to update the parish with the details of our plans as we move
forward!
History Is Alive: A History
of OuTreach at St. James’
by Stacy Harrison
The
Civil War left many in need. Due to the
burning of the Loudoun Valley by Sheridan, food became scarce and livestock was
hard to come by. However, as the town
and county recovered, St. James’ stepped up again in support of local fairs and
craft shows. The tradition of giving
Christmas gifts to Sunday School children was begun by the Rev. Richard Davis
in the mid 1870s, a practice that the children began to look forward to each
year.
The
ladies of St. James’ began a circle of the King’s Daughters as early as the
1880s. The King’s Daughters were
responsible for gaining the funding for the present lot for St. James’ Church,
and encouraged and assisted the Vestry in procuring the funds for the
building. But their community
involvement did not end there. The
ladies began caring for the orphaned children and widows left behind after the
Civil War and then each successive war that followed. Additional accomplishments include the substantial monetary
contribution made to help start the Leesburg Chapter of the American Red Cross
as well as sending supplies to the boys from home during the Spanish American
War and World War I.
A
founding member of the King’s Daughter’s and its first Vice President, Rachel
Paxton left her home, Carlheim, in the late 1920s for the care and support of
disadvantaged children. The Rector of
St. James’ and three ladies of the church were appointed to oversee the
handling of the administration of her wishes by the Trustees. Enjoying new vitality, Carlheim will one day
serve those in need as Mrs. Paxton had envisioned it to be when she entrusted
the care of her desire to her church.
The
Episcopal Church Women (ECW) has also had a chapter at St. James’. All women members of St. James’ are
automatically members of ECW. Like the
King’s Daughters before them, the ladies of ECW have been active in community
outreach and service. Each year a
Rummage sale and bazaar have been held with the proceeds being donated to a
charity, as voted on by the ECW.
Further, for several years, the ladies collected through Mite Boxes to
contribute to the United Thank Offering.
This was then gathered at the Diocesan ECW meeting. Finally, the ECW ladies created a cookbook The
Groaning Board the proceeds of which were entirely donated.
For
several years during the 1980s and 1990s members of St. James’ went off to the
Sioux settlement in Lakota, South Dakota to serve the Indian tribe there. Through building and bible study,
connections were made that lasted several years. This practice has been reinstated in recent years through the
work done in connection with a group from St. Gabriel’s in West Virginia. Further, several individuals have served on
Towel Ministries, as well as in African Mission Trips and the Solar Light for
Africa which provides solar lighting in hospitals. All who have served in this manner have been changed by the
experience.
In
recent years, the Outreach Committee of St. James’ has been actively involved
in several projects. From Christmas in
April to the Jackson Boys Home, the efforts are countless. At Christmas time, the children participate
through giving toys and gifts to be taken to those in need as well as in making
ornaments to be purchased that will benefit the many in need in Africa as well
as other nations. Our response to the
needs of those affected by the results of Katrina has continued with the help
of Mission Trips and supplies sent.
Finally, for many years now the practice of giving the entire offering
received at Christmas and Easter to two funds chosen by the Outreach Committee
has been the norm. Several years these
offerings have totaled several thousand dollars. The amount has been ample to help fund many needs.
While
St. James’ Episcopal Church has not been called to greatness, one could review
the above and say that this is a great church.
But, that is not what Jesus was asking us to do. Rather, He has asked that we preach good
news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recover sight to the blind,
and set at liberty those who are oppressed.
The parishioners of St. James’ have not remained idle or on the edge of
our faith. Rather, they, we, have been
actively involved in responding, thundering our reply through the ages. History is alive at St. James’ Church. It is a growing place. You can hear the roots digging deeper and
the vine growing taller and stronger in the mobilization of a society that has
been richly blessed by His grace. We
are fulfilling the Scripture read by Jesus two thousand years ago as we
continue to fulfill it into the future.
History is alive.
Celebrating Years of Discipleship at St. James’
We salute the
individuals in our parish who during each month celebrate more than 20 years of
membership at St. James’. Here are the
parishioners with July and August anniversaries:
Frederick Cox 48 years
Marlys Chatel 43 years
Holly Junkin 40 years
Dorothy Want 37 years
Ann Hunt 31
years
Bruce Roberts 28 years
Elizabeth Brecht 27 years
Howard Brecht 27 years
Wright Horton 27 years
Fran Kunz 27
years
Ron Kunz 27
years
Page Moffett 27 years
Susan Moffett 27 years
Billy Moffett 27 years
Jim Quinn 27 years
Linsey Quinn 27 years
Alex Green 26 years
Jacquelin Green 26 years
Elaine Nunnally 26 years
Sylvia Robinson 26 years
Sunday,
September 9
St.
James’ All-Parish Ministry Fair and Sunday School Opening Day
We invite you to
join us for the All Parish Ministry Fair, located at the former School
Administration Building (located across from the church on North Street), after
each service. You are encouraged to visit with the various ministries at your
leisure. Sunday school also “opens” at 10:10 a.m. that day for children through
5th grade. Sixth graders and older are invited to the Ministry Fair.
Sunday,
September 23
Oktoberfest
in the church
parking lot following the 11:15 service
Please
join us for authentic German fare, music, and spirits! Sign up in the Narthex
to bring your German culinary creations.
Volunteer- a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners! Call the Church Office for more information
at (703) 777-1124.
Couples
Bible Study Group Coming Fall
Jim & Nancy Quinn are forming a small group Bible study for couples
which will start up in September. If you’d like more information, please
contact Nancy at the Church Office at (703)777-1124.
Education for Ministry Classes Forming
New EfM classes will be forming soon, and existing classes may have room
for new additions. EfM groups start meeting in September. For more information
or to sign up, contact the EFM Ministry Head Alecia Moroz at the Church
Office at (703)777-1124. Registration forms are also available in the
Church Office.
From the St. James’ Parish Register
Erica
Evelyn Krauss,
daughter of John & Kelli Ann
Taylor
McKenzie & Callie Romaine Keys, daughters of Thomas & Cheryl
Natalie
Jiayin Schoch,
daughter of Joseph & Xuyang
Katia
Elena & Sander Manuel Holguin, daughters of Manuel & Stephanie
Tyler
Jackson Karg,
son of Paul & Lisa
Braydon
James Carlton Johnson,
son of Johnnie & Melanie
James
Cooper Early,
son of James & Christine
Jean
Elaine Corderman & Brian Michael Lisiecki
Mary
Darden Price & Michael Joseph Lentine
Kristen
Noel Layton & Blake Edward Fellows
Jean
Jeschke & Andrew Frances Siler
Ellen
Carrigan Williams & Brendan Robert McCue
NEW
MEMBERS
Shannon
Margaret Casey
Annabelle
Elizabeth Casey
Rick,
Amy & Ethan Johnson
Lisa
Cody-Smith
Heidi Mayo
Abide in My Love: An Autumn Retreat on Anglican
Prayer Beads
Grace Episcopal Church in Casanova, VA (located about 40 miles south of Leesburg, outside of Warrenton) invites you to join them for a quiet day of reflection and contemplation on Saturday, October 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Participants will learn a