Acolyte and Lay Eucharistic Minister Training, August 29

After our 10am service on August 29, we'll be having an Acolyte Training Session for both old and new acolytes—adults, teens, and children! Maybe you've been an acolyte or LEM for years; maybe you're brand new, and interested in trying out this really important ministry. Either way, this session is for you! We'll walk through the service top to bottom, so you'll always know exactly where you should be. Bring your friends, and come for some PIZZA! We'd really like to have all people involved in these ministries turn out on the 29th, but if you're unable to make it that day, get in touch with us and we can arrange a make-up session. If you have any questions, contact Fr. Joe at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com or Greg Davis at arkhamaslm@aol.com.

Paint & Prayer Group, August 25th

The Paint & Prayer Group will meet Wednesday, August 25 at 7 pm in Ticknor Hall. Materials will be provided. For more information contact Laura Miller at LMBirdwatcher@live.com.

New Sunday Study, Starting August 16

We'll be starting a new book study on August 16th on Zoom: Rachel Held Evans' Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church (available here). This book is perfect for anyone wondering what the Episcopal Church has to offer in our modern world. Look for the link to the Zoom study in the weekly parish email update.

Regathering Update: Congregational Singing

The new Covid case rate in our area continues to climb upward. We have received guidance that congregational singing should temporarily be discontinued in our worship services. As a result, there will be no Summer Choir rehearsal before the 10am service until further notice. We hope this will be a short intermission in our singing, and that the new case rate will soon begin falling. The best thing you can do to contribute to that outcome is to wear a mask whenever you're in a public place, and to get vaccinated if you haven't done so already. We make these decisions, and observe these precautions not out of fear, but out of love for our neighbors. Please keep our parish and our community in your prayers.

Paint and Prayer Group, August 11

The Paint and Prayer Group will meet again August 11 at 7 pm in Ticknor Hall. Materials will be provided. For more information contact Laura Miller at LMBirdwatcher@live.com.

Regathering Update: Masks Required in Worship

New Covid cases continue to spike upwards, and there is increasing evidence that our present vaccines are less effective in stopping the spread of the delta variant (seen especially in the Provincetown, MA outbreak, where 74% of those infected had been vaccinated). For this reason, the entirety of the Diocese of Maryland has returned to REQUIRING MASKS in worship. Please remember to wear yours this Sunday! Also, if there are any who have not yet been vaccinated, please remember also that the vaccines ARE incredibly effective at preventing serious death and illness.