Church School Returns Sept. 10

We want our kids to be part of the Bishop's Visit as well! We'll gather for Church School, preschool to 6th grade, at 9:30am on Sunday, September 10, 2023, and will learn together what a bishop is and why we have them in the Episcopal Church. Fall registration and our full Church School curriculum will begin the following week on September 17. Please feel free to contact Sharon Mcglaughlin if you have any questions at sharon.mcglaughlin1692@gmail.com.

Bishop's Visitation, September 10 - Update

We are delighted to announce that on Sunday, September 10, The Rt. Reverend Eugene T. Sutton, the Bishop of Maryland, and the Rev. Canon Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, the Diocese of Maryland's Bishop-Elect, will be joining us for worship. We will be holding a combined 10am service at St. James' Church for this visit - no 8am service at St. Mark's this day! We will also have a reception and meet-and-greet following the service with both our Bishop and our Bishop-Elect. This will be the last Sunday before Canon Schofield-Broadbent's consecration at the National Cathedral, and it will be a great honor for St. James' to host her and Bishop Sutton.

SCAN Volunteers Needed

The SCAN food pantry, located at St. James' Parish, is looking for a volunteer to serve on the 4th Thursday of each month. You would be working with two other volunteers, providing food to our community in need. Please contact scan.volcord@gmail.com if you are available to help.

Carpool to Bishop-elect Carrie's Consecration

Beginning August 13, we'll have a sign-up sheet at church where you can express your interest in carpooling to Bishop-Elect Carrie's consecration at the National Cathedral on September 16. Please sign up there, or if you're unable to be at church for the next couple of Sundays, please contact our Senior Warden Edlu Thom-Harper at edlu.th@comcast.net — we need to gauge interest now, so we can determine whether we'll be carpooling in our vehicles, or whether we should hire a bus! Thanks for your help.

Bishop's Visitation, September 10

We are delighted to announce that on Sunday, September 10, The Rt. Reverend Eugene T. Sutton, the Bishop of Maryland, and the Rev. Canon Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, the Diocese of Maryland's Bishop-Elect, will be joining us for worship. This will be the last Sunday before Canon Schofield-Broadbent's consecration at the National Cathedral, and it will be a great honor for St. James' to host her and Bishop Sutton. More details to follow!

Reading Camp Report

Reading Camp for 2023 was a great success. We helped thirty-three young students gain confidence as readers and writers, and had a lot of fun in the process! We couldn't have done it without the support of so many at St. James' and our surrounding community. Thanks especially to all who volunteered their time, all who donated to fund the program, and all who sustained us with your prayers. We're grateful for your participation in this important ministry!

Reading Camp South County 2023, July 31 - August 4

  

Reading Camp, lead by Paula Davis, will take place July 31 - August 4. We are expecting 30 children who will visit honey bees and learn about working in unity. We thank all who have volunteered to make this year's camp a success. If you are able to donate anything to this worthwhile cause, please make your check out to St. James' Parish and give it to Janet Bruce in the church office. If you have questions please contact Paula Davis at pkay621@aol.com.

Musical Coffee Hour, June 18

The choir is thrilled to announce that our first “Musical Coffee Hour” will take place this Sunday, June 18, directly after worship in Ticknor Hall! The format will be a normal coffee hour... but with music provided by the choir! We will sing a song to open and close our time together with time for requests in between! Come ready to sing along and submit your favorite songs for us to sing from the Renew hymnal. Please consider attending and participating in this event to support our music ministries here at St. James'.

Required Training - Safeguarding God's Children

The course "Safeguarding God's Children" is a required course for all Vestry Members/Officers, Staff Members, Reading Camp volunteers, Adults who work with youth, and Church School teachers who have not taken it in the last three years. The class takes place on Sunday, July 9 in the afternoon via zoom. If you last took the class in 2020 or before, you will need to take it again this year in order to continue serving. Please contact the church office if you will be taking the course. Thanks for your service and for helping to keep our children safe!

Annual Parish Picnic, June 4th

     Our Parish Picnic will be held on Sunday, June 4 following the 10:00am service. Please come and celebrate with your church family as we mark the completion of another school year and enjoy the beginning of the summer season. Lunch will include Italian sausages, generously donated by the Encore Sausage Company, as well as hamburgers and other picnic fare.
     Please bring a side dish or dessert to be shared with the Parish, if you are able! Food will be served from the Ticknor Parish Hall, and everyone is encouraged to bring lawn chairs as well as corn hole or other games so that we can enjoy the outdoors and have some friendly competition. Please join us and bring a friend!

Celebrating Our Graduates, June 4th

On Sunday, June 4 at the 10:00am service, we will be honoring graduating seniors from High School, college, and trade schools. Any parent that has a student graduating, please notify Sharon McGlaughlin at sharon.mcglaughlin1692@gmail.com. We will also acknowledge the teachers who served our youth and are now retired. Please join us.

Pentecost Sunday - Church Birthday Party!

Our Pentecost celebration on Sunday, May 28 will include the reading of the Pentecost Story for children. At the conclusion of the service, the children will lead us to Ticknor Hall for a birthday party. Cake, ice cream, and beverages will be served. There will be a special pinata for the children. Please wear red and join us for this special celebration of the formation of the Christian Church. For further information contact Sharon McGlaughlin. Please join us! There will be no Church School on Pentecost Sunday, but please bring your children for this special party

Coffee Hour Volunteers Needed!

     Please consider contributing a simple food item for our weekly Coffee Hour after our 10:00 am Sunday worship service. Just leave it on the counter in the kitchen, and please be sure to put your name on any dish you’d like returned (and remember to pick it up!).
     We also need volunteers to host each week by setting the food items out on a table, making the coffee, and cleaning up after everyone has enjoyed the fellowship. The sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board outside of the Parish Office, or you can call the Parish Office at 410-867-2838 and ask to have your name(s) added to the list for a specific date.
     Thank you for enabling our fellowship to continue by providing your participation and support!

Stain Glass Window Update

One of the altar windows is almost completed and the second altar window is about ¼ completed. The bottom panel of the Lily window is completed. They are looking to install all three in June.

St. James' Parish Spring Dinner, May 20

     The St. James' Parish Spring Dinner will be held on Saturday, May 20 from 1:00PM until 5:00PM. This year we are happy to announce crabcakes will be returning to the menu along with two types of ham, cheesy potatoes, country green beans, coleslaw, and rolls. Because of the high price of blue crabs these days, the individual meal cost will be $30.00. As always, it takes the whole Parish to make this dinner a success. We need volunteers to help with preparation, set-up, table service, and clean-up.
     We are also seeking donations from Parishioners to help offset the cost of the event. This can be a simple donation to the Women of St. James’ or a sponsorship of a particular part of the meal such as the cost of the ham, rolls, or crab. An alternative donation could be sponsoring tickets for our neighbors in need to enjoy this special meal. We plan to give up to 60 tickets to the people who seek help from our Community Assistance Program or SCAN food bank.
     We greatly appreciate the Parish’ participation in this important community fellowship event and look forward to working with you and seeing you there. Please contact Lillie Barrett at garylillie502@gmail.com or Edlu Thom at edlu.th@comcast.net, if you have any questions.