St. James’ Parish Book Club, October 13th at 7:30pm

The St. James’ Parish Book Club will meet on Wednesday, October 13th at 7:30 p.m. (and the 2nd Wednesday of every month). The selection for October will be Sarah's Key, by Tatiana De Rosnay. Meeting locations rotate and are held in the homes of the members. Please join us - both new members and suggestions for books are welcome! For more information, please contact Adrianne Day - adeday13@comcast.net.

Blessing of the Animals – October 3rd at 2:00pm

There will be a "Blessing of the Animals" service on October 3rd at 2:00 p.m. at the parish. Everyone and their pets are welcome to attend! Please remember that all pets should be either on a leash or in a carrier.

The custom of honoring and blessing animals originated in the Catholic Church to help remember and honor Saint Francis of Assisi on his feast day of October 4th. Saint Francis (Giovanni Francesco Bernadone, 1181 - 1226), was a Catholic deacon and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans. Thought of most often as the patron saint of animals, he is also the patron saint of the environment and of Italy. Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. "All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures."

Atrium Fellowship - October 3rd

All children ages 3 years through 5th grade are invited to our first atrium fellowship of the year! We will meet at the parish hall at 12:30 p.m. Sign up outside of Amanda’s office!

Holy Eucharist with Healing- Every Wednesday at 12:15 at St. James' Church

Who says you can’t go to church on days other than Sunday! This is a small gathering of folks who share prayer requests, support each other as a loving and caring Christian Community, and pray for the needs of the Church, each other, and loved ones. A healing prayer is offered by the clergy following a time of reading, prayer, and an informal and joyful Eucharist. Everyone is welcome!

Outreach Committee Needs Homemade Desserts on 9/21

The Outreach Committee needs homemade desserts for the intermission of the South County Concert Series which takes place on September 21 at 7:30 p.m. We need cake, cookies, cupcakes, brownie squares, pie pieces or anything that is homemade on that date. If you cannot come up to Southern High School, please take the desserts to the church kitchen and we will take them to the concert. All proceeds will go to a good cause in South County.

Safeway Club Card Enrollment

Help to support the Christian Education programs at St. James’ every time you grocery shop! Safeway Stores’ eScrip program will donate up to 3% of all purchases to a designated school or religious organization. This program is free to you, and easy to use: once your are registered, present your Safeway Club Card or enter your phone number on the keypad at checkout when you grocery shop, and a percentage of your purchases will go to support Christian Education programming at St. James’. To designate St. James’ as your Safeway Club Card recipient:

• Go to www.escrip.com
• Click on Sign Up—It’s Free!
• Enter your Safeway club card information
• Enter group ID number 1036858

If you have designated another organization in the past, and would like to change your Safeway Club Card recipient to St. James’ Episcopal Church:

• Go to www.escrip.com
• Click on Sign Up—It’s Free!
• Click on my eScrip
• Enter your club card number and password
• Enter group ID number 1036858
• If you have forgotten your password, or never created one, you can submit the change of designation via the email box provided.

If you have any questions about the program or the registration process, please contact Tricia Hurlbutt - psh21035@yahoo.com.

Our Sunday Fall Schedule will begin on September 12

• 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist – St. Mark's Chapel
• 9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist and Church School – St. James' Church
• 11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist – St. James' Church

Reserve October 23 for Heavenly Trash Sale

Please save all your wonderful treasures and we will sell them. All proceeds will go to the South County residents in need of help. This Outreach Committee sale will be combined with the Women of St. James' Parish which should make this the largest and best sale ever.

Adult Forum - Exploring the Spiritual Life

The Adult Forum will resume meeting on September 12, continuing with its theme Exploring the Spiritual Life. We will begin with discussion of the popular book The Shack, by Wm Paul Young, of which more than seven million copies are in print. The Adult Forum is a seminar, with time allowed for free discussion, so registration will be limited to fourteen people on a first come, first served basis. We will meet in the Library from 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM on Sundays. Discussions will be facilitated by Canon John Huntington and Mr. Dean Lewis. If you wish to attend the Adult Forum, please contact Canon Huntington by e-mail at johnhdr@comcast.net.

Women of St. James' Parish meeting, August 29th

The Women of St. James' Parish will meet on August 29th after the 10:00 a.m. service at approximately 11:30 a.m. The focus of the meeting will be the plans for the Fall Festival which is scheduled for October 2. We will also be taking a look at our calendar for the year. Please plan to attend. We need and appreciate your input and support.

Acolyte Camp, September 18 ** NEW DATE **

Acolyte Camp is scheduled for September 18th! If you are interested in becoming an acolyte or if you are already an acolyte, you should join us! We will meet at 9 on Saturday for training, fellowship, and worship. All acolytes involved in the training will take a trip to Six Flags for even more fellowship that afternoon! Cost is $25.00; sign up outside of Amanda’s office today!

Library Committee Trip to Williamsburg, December 1-3, 2010

The Library Committee is sponsoring a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, on December 1-3, 2010. The travel package includes:

• Motorcoach transportation
• Berkely Plantation
• Admission to Colonial Williamsburg
• 2 nights lodging at the Crown Plaza
• 2 breakfasts and dinners
• Much much more

Cost is $390.00 per person (double occupancy). For more information and reservations please contact Lillie Barrett - GaryLillie@aol.com

New Mission & Vision Statements Approved

After several months of study and deliberation, the Vestry unanimously approved revised Mission and Vision statements for St. James' Parish at the Vestry meeting on July 19, 2010; you can find the statements on the 'About Us' page on the Parish website.

The Vestry would like to express their appreciation to Tricia Hurlbutt who, at their request, reviewed the current statements, made recommendations for revisions, and led the Vestry in discussions that resulted in statements that better reflect the goals and intentions of the St. James' Parish community.

2010 Women of Faith Conference, August 27-28

This year’s Women of Faith Conference will be held at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., August 27-28. The conference is held from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday (with a 3 ½ hour break for dinner) and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

In the past, we have carpooled to and from each day, although somefolks may prefer to stay over in D.C. The cost is $99 total for both days and is reduced to $89 if there is a group of ten or more. This is a wonderful way to express your faith in the fellowship of between 12,000 and 16,000 women who come from near and far away and to share this experience with other women of St. James’ Parish.

If you are interested in attending this year’s conference, please contact Susan Whitehead at swhitehead84@comcast.net for more information.

Youth Group Camping Trip, August 5-7

Our annual Youth Group Camping Trip is scheduled for August 5-7! Mark your calendars now! Anyone in grades 6-12 is invited to join us for a weekend of fun, fellowship, and service. We’ll hike, swim, worship, and help a local community in rural Pennsylvania. Cost is $50 per person. Sign up outside of Amanda’s office today!