Our 5th Lenten Soup and Bread Supper on Wednesday, April 1st

Our fifth Lenten soup and bread supper will be held this Wednesday with fellowship at 6 p.m. and supper at 6:30 p.m. Joe and Donna Kerner from the Bishop Claggett Center will guide us in a Lenten discussion entitled “Where are We Headed?” which will be exploring the paths we are taking and encouraging us to stop to evaluate where we are going. As Executive Director and Program Director of Claggett since 1997, Joe and Donna will also share the directions and growing ministries of our diocesan camp and conference center which is sometimes called, “The Garden of the Diocese.”

St. James' Parish Spring Dinner Invitation!

You are cordially invited to volunteer your time and talents or make a donation to the St. James' Parish Spring Dinner. We are looking forward to sharing a delicious meal, our historic church grounds, specialty shops and children's activities with our parish members and neighbors. This has always proven to be a wonderful day of fellowship, and is a large fundraiser for our Parish. Please let us know if you can volunteer for one of the many duties required to prepare during the week prior to the dinner, and especially the times you will be available to assist on the day of the dinner. As usual, we need many donations: home-baked pies to sell as desserts during the meal; home made treats for our baked goods table; and special crafts, plants and flowers, jewelry and white elephant items for our boutiques. If you have a favorite volunteer position, please send an email to Stjamesdinner@aol.com, and we will be sure your job is saved for you. Also, please indicate the specific times you will be able to assist in your response. We ask that everyone arrive 15 minutes prior to their shift for instructions and to join us in our opening prayer. All volunteers are invited to dress in a colonial period costume. You may find costume ideas at www.buycostumes.com, or by searching for colonial mop cap or apron. This does not have to be elaborate – a long skirt, apron and mop cap will work. Advance tickets are available for $18. The cost for the dinner at the door will be $20, children under 10 - $10. Under 2 are free. To purchase advance tickets just email Stjamesdinner@aol.com. Advance tickets are not available at the parish office. Please remember to encourage your family, friends and neighbors to join us for this wonderful event!

Our 4th Lenten Soup and Bread Supper on Wednesday, March 25th

Our fourth Lenten soup and bread supper will be held this Wednesday with fellowship at 6 p.m. and supper at 6:30 p.m. Our clergy will lead us in “Stations of the Cross.” Jesus stated, “If any want to be my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

The devotion of walking with the Stations of the Cross dates back to the earliest centuries of the church. Immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection many people had the desire to walk the land where Jesus lived and to trace his path as he carried his cross from Pilate’s house to Golgotha and finally ending in the grave. However, as time passed people were unable to get to Jerusalem, therefore a devotion of walking the way of the Cross based on the scriptures was created. Fortunately for us, we too, can walk the path of Christ this Lenten season using prayer, images, and an open heart.

Memorial Garden and POET’s Labyrinth Project Update

We’re happy to report that the Memorial Fund is growing stronger week by week. Our grant proposal was submitted last fall to the TKF Foundation. We should be receiving a response in the next month or two. Take the time to stop by the Library and look at the beautiful artist’s renderings of the proposed labyrinth and gardens! With your help and continued support, the garden will be blooming next spring!! Please make your contribution to St. James, with “Memorial Fund’ in the memo line. Every little bit helps! Thanks for your support.

Library Committee trip to Woodlawn Plantation, April 22nd

A Trip to Woodlawn Plantation and Pope Leighey House, sponsored by the Library Committee, will take place on April 22nd when our weather is wonderful. The Woodlawn Plantation was originally part of Mount Vernon. George Washington set aside 2000 acres for his nephew, Lawrence Lewis when Lewis married Eleanore Parke Custis. The house was completed in 1805. The Pope-Leighey House is on the same property and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1940 originally in Falls Church. In 1964 it was dismantled and moved to its present site. We will be using a chartered bus at a cost of $41. Lunch is not included. Call Lillie Barrett for information and reservations.

Parish-Wide Field Day on Sunday, June 7th

Parish-Wide Field Day! We will be having our first ever Parish-Wide Field Day on June 7th weather permitting! The youth challenges every committee to form a team, create a name, and get ready for a fun-filled day of games, food, and fellowship. Teams should be made up of 8-10 people. If you aren’t already on a committee, this is a perfect opportunity to meet some new folks in the Parish and join a team. Registration fee is $50.00 per team. Registration forms can be found outside of Amanda’s office. Here are a few of the activities that will be offered: kickball, egg toss, corn hole, bingo, shuffle board, waffle ball, sack races, volleyball, and Bible trivia. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

Christian Formation Work Day on Sunday, March 29th

Please join us for a time of fellowship and service for our wonderful Christian Formation Program! - March 29th. The Christian Formation Committee will be holding a work day to make some new materials for the Level 2 Atrium. We will meet in the parish hall beginning around 11:30 and will continue until around 2:30; so there will be time for those worshiping at the 11 o’clock service to participate if they wish. Lunch will be provided. You do not need to stay for the whole time; in fact there will be “ready to go” items that can be taken home to work on and returned to the church within a few weeks. There will be a variety of projects to work on including painting, cutting out printed materials, gluing them on to cardstock, writing out songs and lesson phrases onto paper, calligraphy, and possibly some sewing. We also need a few senior high youth (or adults!) to provide child care during the event. Please call Sharon McGlaughlin or Laura Miller for more information. Thanks in advance for supporting Christian Education!!!

Our 3rd Lenten Soup and Bread Supper on Wednesday, March 18th

Our third Lenten soup and bread supper will be held this Wednesday with fellowship at 6 p.m. and supper at 6:30 p.m. Our speaker will be the Rev. Wes Wubbenhorst, Diocesan Youth Missioner.

STEWARDSHIP 2009

Please consider increasing your pledge!
We need an additional $5,000 in annual support in 2009.
We currently have 183 very generous and committed individual members and family units who have pledged a total of $393,000 in financial support for 2009. We also received a written committment from The Women of St. James' Parish pledging $10,000 in annual support. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has committed their time, talents and treasures to St. James' Parish in this very important and extremely fulfilling act of faith.

If you regularly donate but do not do so in the form of a regular pledge, please prayerfully consider converting your loyal loose offering support into a written annual commitment. If you simply have not yet submitted a written pledge of support for 2009, your Church needs you. There is no such thing as too small of a commitment. We need everyones help and every single dollar adds up to help us meet our budget.

Our budget shortfall requires that we now ask all those who have already pledged to consider increasing your commitment level at this time. After some prayerful consideration you may find it has been some time since you have given your church "a raise", while all the costs to operate our Historic Parish have continued to rise. If it has been some time since you have evaluated your own level of giving, please take a moment and consider increasing your current pledge level in a manner proportionate to which God has shared His Blessings with you.

Your Clergy, Officers, Fellow Parish Members and Vestry Thank You for your consideration.

Our 2nd Lenten Soup and Bread Supper on Wednesday, March 11th

Our second Lenten soup and bread supper will be held Wednesday, March 11, with fellowship at 6 p.m. and supper at 6:30 p.m. Our speaker will be the Rev. Amanda R. Knouse. We have an abstract of her talk, “Amanda’s Journey.”

“It should come as no surprise that the season of Lent is much like a journey. For forty days we prepare, reflect, pray, and ready ourselves knowing the hard path that comes and anticipating the joyous Easter celebration that follows. Each one of us has a unique path that we follow, yet as the Body of Christ we all seek to follow the path that Jesus has laid out for us. The journey to ordination is much like our Lenten journeys. It is an intense ride with many obstacles and hurdles to overcome. It is a journey that many call the “dreaded process,” yet it is a path filled with hope, grace, and love. It is this unique journey that I look forward to sharing with you all during this Lenten season. There will also be plenty of time for discussion and questions during the program. May we journey together through this season of Lent!!”