Snow Shoveling This Winter

Our Boy Scout Troop 840 has once again offered to shovel snow for our Amazing Grays or anyone else who might need their service! We are so grateful for their kind offer. Please contact Marjie Mack at mmack3108@comcast.net to get a name added to the list BEFORE is snows!

Women's Weekend 2022

Come join the Women's Weekend - Reconnecting and Reagthering: God Makes All Things New. January 14 - 16, 2022. Register online at claggettcenter.org

Liturgy of the Longest Night - December 21, 7:00 PM

This service, held on the longest night of the year, recognizes that Christmas isn't always an easy time. Christmas can also mean complicated feelings of loss, or grief, or loneliness, or dissatisfaction. This service is meant to help us sit together with that fact, and is offered for those who—for any reason—find they are feeling the darkness as much as the light this year.

Bishop's Visitation and Celebration of New Ministry

On December 12, we will be holding ONLY ONE worship service at St. James' at 10AM. This service will be a Celebration of Fr. Joe's New Ministry in the parish, with Bishop Ihloff presiding and a reception to follow. Come join this celebration with us!

Church School Returns, November 28!

With the approval of vaccines for younger children, we will be bringing back our Church School program at 9:30 am on November 28. All teachers and children will be masked, and all teachers have been fully vaccinated. We're very excited to be able once again to teach our children the stories of our faith together - we hope you can make it! You can download our Church School registration form here: bit.ly/3cbVH0a.

Choir Is Back!

The St. James' Choir will gather together for its first full meeting since the start of the pandemic on November 18 at 7pm. We can all look forward to having the choir back in worship for the First Sunday of Advent, on November 28! Maybe you've been a key member of our music ministry for years—or maybe you've always thought you'd enjoy it, but the timing wasn't right. This is a spectacular time to get involved!

Salvation Army Stockings

    Our tradition of Salvation Army Stockings has come to an end. Unfortunately, the Annapolis location has ended the stocking collection and donation to focus on fulfilling the requests for gifts. There are many children's items still remaining on their Angel Trees. If you would like to help, the Salvation Army has created a registry with Walmart. The items are in the registry and Walmart delivers to the Annapolis location. Here is the link: www.walmart.com/registry/RR/7018d108-fe32-4571-a063-f5f640297829.
    Thank you for all of your stocking donations over the years. This has been a special Outreach I have enjoyed doing for over a decade. - Nola Meyers

Paint & Prayer Group

The St. James' Paint and Prayer Group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 pm in the Ticknor Hall. Enjoy an artist outlet by creating objects to bless others with, while discussing The Fruit of the Spirit informal Bible study. No reading in advance is required. All materials are provided. For more information about the group, please see the Shell or contact Laura Miller at LMBirdwatcher@live.com. The next meeting will be November 9.

St. James' Parish Leadership Workshop, November 7

A Leadership Workshop will be held on Sunday, November 7th, in the Library, immediately following the 10 a.m. service in order to provide information to those who might be interested in learning more about what it is like to serve in a leadership position on the Vestry and/or as the parish’s delegate to the Diocesan Convention and representative to the Southern Maryland Regional Council. Please give prayerful thought to a call to serve. For additional information, or to register for the workshop, please contact the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lenow at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com.

Flower Workshop, November 7

There will be a flower workshop on Sunday, November 7 at 11:30 am in the Ticknor Hall. If you are interested in being on the flower committee and want to learn how to arrange the altar flowers, please contact Lillie Barrett at garylillie502@gmail.com. There will be a $25.00 fee to cover your supplies.

Noonday Eucharist, October 28

Our next noonday Eucharist will honor Saints Simon and Jude. In November, we will celebrate All Saints, on November 1st and All Souls, on November 2nd. Come join us for these powerful services!

St. James' Trunk or Treat - Please Sign Up

On October 31, St. James' will host a Trunk or Treat event. We need you to decorate your trunk or back of your car for Halloween and pass out candy. You can sign up to participate at the following link: bit.ly/2YEMTMy. We would like about 26 participants. There will be a food truck there so you can buy lunch. Hours - 11:30 to 2:30 pm. Please contact Paula at PKay621@aol.com for more information.

All Saints Sunday - Prayers for the Deceased

On All Saints Sunday (November 7th), we will reaffirm our Baptismal Covenants and offer prayers for those who have died. One prominent feature of the service will be the traditional reading of the Necrology, or remembrance of friends, family members, and those of our extended community who have died since the last Feast of All Saints, November 1, 2020. Please notify the church office at secretary@stjameslothian.com of the full name of your friend or family member whom you would like to be included by Monday, November 1st.

St. James' Trunk or Treat, 10/31

On October 31, we will have a Trunk or Treat event. We need you to decorate your trunk or back of your car for Halloween and pass out candy. Watch for the Sign-up Genius. We would like about 26 participants. There will be a food truck there so you can buy lunch. Hours - 11:30 to 2:30 pm. Please contact Paula at pkay621@aol.com for more information.

Blessing of the Animals, October 10

St. James' will have a Blessing of the Animals service on Sunday, October 10th at 4:30 pm near the labyrinth at St. James' Church. Everyone and their pets (on a leash or in a carrier) are welcome to attend.

SJP Social Club Gathering 9/30 at 7PM

     Attention: from henceforth, the St. James' 20s/30s group shall be known as the SJP Social Club! (We've got a logo and everything!)
     And we'll be meeting once again 9/30 at 7pm at Jesse Jays for conversation, food, and drinks! We've been getting a great turnout for these, so bring your friends—we'll hope to see you there!

Feast of St. Matthew Noonday Eucharist, Sept. 21

Tuesday, Sept. 21, is the Feast of St. Matthew - one of the major feast days of our Church calendar. To mark it, we will gather at St. James' at noon for a brief service of Holy Eucharist. Hope to see you there - and make sure you have on your calendar our last major feast day, St. Michael and All Angels (Sept. 29), when we'll also be having a noonday eucharist!

"Going Deeper" Class Begins September 15th

    On Wednesdays this fall, Fr. Joe and Sharon McGlaughlin will be leading a class that takes us back to the foundations of our faith, starting with the Creation story, moving through the Biblical stories of Israel and Jesus and the Apostles, following through two thousand years of Church history and leading us to our own Anglican tradition in the present day.
    Maybe you're relatively new to our community, and feel like you want to get a little more grounded in the stories of our faith. Maybe you've been part of our parish all your life, but are looking for a chance to see your faith in a new light and live it out in a new way. No book to read or homework to do: this is just a time for us to see God together in the histories that have brought us to the present day.
    We'll begin on Zoom at 7 p.m. on September 15th (look at the Weekly Update email for the link), and assessing throughout the Fall whether the pandemic will permit us to begin meeting in person.
    Please contact Sharon at sharon.mcglaughlin1692@gmail.com or Fr. Joe+ at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com if you have questions or would like more information.

Scout Me In, September 15

There will be a Join Scouting Night for Cub Scout Pack 840, which is chartered by St James' Parish on September 15 at 6:30PM. For information about the event or Pack 840, please contact cubscoutpack840@gmail.com.

Amazing Grays, Helping to Stay Connected!

    The Amazing Grays senior lunch and conversation group continues to serve as a resource for those seniors who are at home and need a little extra help or encouragement. We continue to receive numerous phone calls and notes expressing appreciation for who have taken time to help. In addition to making phone calls and mailing cards to those with birthdays, volunteers continue to deliver goodie bags to the most senior members of the Amazing Grays!
    If you (or a senior you know) is in need of a little help, please let us know! We can always use more volunteers, so if you can help make phone calls, send cards, run errands, or provide some technical help for accessing worship services, please contact us! For more information, or to volunteer, please contact Michelle Doran+ at michellesdoran@gmail.com.

Staying at Home? Let Us Help!

The high school youth in the J2A class provide a ministry of service to parishioners in need of a little help on a project at home. If you are unable to go out or are in need of a little "socially distanced" assistance during this time, please contact us! We would be happy to help you with basic yard work or projects. We'll also be happy to do your grocery shopping and other errands so you won't have go out! Just contact us, and we'll work something out! Kaitlin Wilding kaitlin6@comcast.net or Jacquelin Wilding jacqsmack6@comcast.net.

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.

Family Movie Night, July 31!

 
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT will be held on July 31, at 6:30 pm in Ticknor Hall. The Family Movie Night will be a double feature. The first movie will be, Khumba - good for all ages and the second movie will be, The Greatest Showman for the older kids and adults alike. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Please RSVP to either Sharon McGlaughlin at sharon.mcglaughlin1692@gmail.com or Paula Davis at pk621@aol.com with the number of people attending in your family/group. Thank you and look forward to seeing you!

Music Director Update - Singers Needed!

In a couple of weeks, we'll be giving our final two candidates a chance to show us how they'd lead us in worship. To do that, however, we'll need as many singers as possible to come out and sing with us. Maybe you're a long-time choir member, or maybe you've never sung with the choir before—all are welcome to come and sing (and bring a friend)! The session with our first candidate will be held on Monday, July 26 at 7pm; the session with our second candidate will be on Thursday, July 29 at 7pm in the Sanctuary. See you there!

Regathering Update: Masks Optional

Following state and diocesan guidelines for mask use, starting July 18 our morning services at St. Mark's and St. James' will be MASKS OPTIONAL for those who have been fully vaccinated. We will reassess this practice regularly as we receive data on new infections for our county, and encourage those who do not yet feel safe in a masks-optional setting to join us for our 5:30 pm Zoom service!

Outreach Committee - Children's Breakfast Club

Last year, the Children's Breakfast Club bagged over 10,000 breakfasts! The need did not disappear, and neither have we! This year, even with the lift of most of the pandemic restrictions, we will continue with last year's logistics for packing and delivery a week's worth of breakfasts for the children to ensure they have a morning meal each day - but we'll be delivering them on a weekly instead of a daily basis. You can help by making a financial donation as you are able to help purchase food. For more information, please contact Nola Meyers at noreme@verizon.net.

Lay Visitation Program

The Lay visitation ministry offers the opportunity to be symbols of God's love. Parishioners who are homebound, living in nursing homes or assisted living are visited to offer the Eucharist, fellowship and a connection to the church. If you have someone to add to the visitation list or would like to be a part of this ministry, please contact Charlie Wolfe at cswolf7@comcast.net.

St. James' Audio/Visual Team

We are currently looking at options for streaming our 10 AM Sunday worship service to reach out to new people online, and to help keep home-bound members of our parish connected to our worship—but we won't be able to do that without a team of volunteers who will be trained to operate this new technology! If you'd be willing to be a part of this team, please contact Fr. Joe at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com.

Paint & Prayer Group, Starting June 30

We will be offering a new opportunity for Christian Formation - a Paint and Prayer group will begin meeting every other Wednesday evening at 7:00PM in Ticknor Hall beginning June 30. Materials will be provided. More details will follow. For more information contact Laura Miller at lmbirdwatcher@live.com.

New Bible Study Begins June 27!

Beginning Sunday, June 27 at 7:00PM, we'll be gathering together to study the Book of Judith, one of the Deuterocanonical books of the Bible/books of the Apocrypha (we'll be talking about what that means on June 27!). Check to make sure your Bible has the Book of Judith in it — if not, Fr. Joe recommends the HarperCollins Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Bible, or any Bible that's advertised as including the Apocrypha.

New 20s/30s Group Forming :).

It's summer, and after the year we've all had, it's time for a night out! Are you just starting out a new career, and looking to get to know some folks in the area? Just married, and looking to meet some folks at the same stage of life? Have a kid or three at home, and want a chance to put that new babysitter to work? This is the group for you! On June 24 at 7PM, we'll be meeting up at JessieJay's for some Latin cooking, beverages, and good conversation. All are welcome — bring some friends!

Summer Choir, Starting June 20!

The Summer Choir is regathering for our indoor worship on June 20! Maybe you're a member of the choir of long standing, or maybe you've never sung with the choir before and want to give it a try. The Summer Choir is open to anyone—we're just excited to gather together and lift our voices in worship! Practices are at 9AM, right before our 10AM worship, starting June 20. We hope to see you there!

Regathering Update!

We are preparing to return to indoor worship at both St. Mark's and St. James', targeting a June 20 start date. Though we'll still have to wear masks indoors for now, we'll be able to sing and will not need to pre-register people for services. We will also continue to have a Zoom service for those who are not yet ready to return to in-person worship. We'll send out more information as the situations and diocesan guidance develops, but we're excited to be moving in this direction!

Parish Calendar: Planning Ahead

Good news! We are starting to put events (regularly scheduled and one-time) on the Parish calendar with the hope that we will actually be able to gather to do meetings and other events sometime this summer! As your Committees/Programs begin to plan activities for summer and fall, it is not too soon for Vestry Liaisons, Committee Chairs, or Program Leaders to make sure those requests for parish meeting rooms/grounds get onto the calendar so we can share our spaces and accommodate everyone: call the Parish Office 410-867-2838 (Janet or Maia) or email calendar@stjameslothian.com.

2021 Reading Camp South County - August 2-6

It is time to think about Reading Camp 2021. Our current plan is for the Reading Camp to return to an in-person format this year, which will allow us to reach the widest possible number of kids. To allow the students to participate at no cost, we depend on your donations! Please send your donation to the St. James' Parish office c/o Janet Bruce. To volunteer to help, please contact Paula Davis at southcounty.md.readingcamp@gmail.com.

Calling Acolytes, Readers, and Servers!

As we lay the groundwork for returning to worship at St. Mark's Chapel and St. James' Church in the months ahead, we're looking to add new members to our worship teams! If you're interested in helping on the altar at one of the Sunday Services, we'd love to have you! Acolytes, Readers, and Servers are important to the worship life of the parish, and we invite you to participate in this meaningful service. If you'd like to get on our roster for one of these ministries, please contact Jean Davis at jmd27@comcast.net, and stay tuned for information about future training sessions as our regathering process progresses!

Flowering the Cross on Easter Sunday

All children and adults are invited to bring flowers to "Flower the Cross" that will be located outside near the Labyrinth at the 11am service on Easter morning.

Socially Distanced Easter Egg Hunt!

Join us on Easter Day, April 6th, at 11am in the Churchyard for a socially distanced Annual Easter Egg Hunt! Meet the Bunny! Bring your basket and wear your mask!

New Book Study After Easter

After our Lenten Book Study concludes, we'll begin a new study on April 14 at 7pm. This time, we'll be reading Alexander Schmemann's For the Life of the World, a classic of Christian spirituality and a profound meditation on what we do in worship. If you've ever wondered why we do what we do in church or want to learn to see our worship together from a slightly different angle, this group is for you! Hope to see you there!

Help Feed Our Neighbors In Need!

The St. James' Parish Outreach Committee is prayerfully seeking your donations to help fund holiday meals for our neighbors in need. Your donation will enable the Committee to provide a complete Easter meal for a local family of four. Please consider sponsoring a family this Spring, or join with a friend to co-sponsor a family! A meal for a family of four costs approximately $35.00. Make your check payable to "St. James' Parish" with a notation/memo "Outreach-Holiday Meals", then either drop it off at church or mail it to St. James' Parish, 5757 Old Solomon's Island Road, Lothian, MD 20711. You can also use PayPal to donate. You will need to make a note in the payment to state "Holiday Baskets" to make sure the payment is applied to it directly. This is the link for PayPal: .

Lenten Devotional on Facebook

St. James' is offering a new resource to help you enter into the spirituality of this season of Lent! Together with clergy and scholars from diverse backgrounds, many denominations, and from across the country, Fr. Joe has contributed to and helped organize a Lenten Devotional on "Jesus in the Old Testament." Each entry will look at a different image from the Old Testament that Christians have understood as prefiguring Jesus. For the first few weeks of Lent, entries will be posted on Facebook on Wednesdays and Fridays; beginning March 22, new entries will be posted every day through Easter. Go to Facebook and "like" the St. James' Parish page to follow along, or just go to www.facebook.com/stjameslothian. You don't even need to have a Facebook account!

Hand Painted Wooden Easter Eggs

Barbara Howard's hand-painted Easter Eggs will be for sale for $10 each during Lent to benefit Community Assistance. Due to COVID, please contact Barbara at kbhoward@comcast.net with your order. Barbara will be at St. James' on Sundays from 12-1, starting February 28, so you can drive by and pick up your order. Please wear your mask!!!

New Photo Directory Now Available to the Congregation

Thanks to all who have gotten your great photos to us to help Fr. Joe get to know us during a pandemic! We’ll still collect/add photos anytime, but we'll start printing the new directories this Thursday in batches for the congregation! The directories will be available on mornings when the office is open or by other arrangement. Those who are able are asked to donate $10 to cover the cost of binders and color copies. Questions? Contact Marjie Mack at mmack3108@comcast.net.

Lenten Study, Starting February 24

If you haven't been able to attend our Tuesday 9am Bible study, or are looking to add a weekly group to your Lenten practice, Fr. Joe is beginning a new group at 7pm on Feb. 24th! Throughout the weeks of Lent, we will be reading Samuel Wells' Power and Passion: Six Characters in Search of Resurrection. Each week looks at the story of Holy Week from the perspective of a different character: Pontius Pilate, Barabbas, Joseph of Arimathea, Mrs. Pilate, Peter, and Mary Magdalene. For our first week, we'll be reading the Introduction and Chapter 1. We'll hope to see you as we walk together through Lent, and prepare for Easter! For more information contact Fr. Joe at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com.

St. James' Youth: Staying at Home? Let Us Help!

     The high school youth in the J2A class provide a ministry of service to parishioners in need of a little help on a project at home. If you are unable to go out or are in need of a little "socially distanced" assistance during this time, please contact us! We would be happy to help you with basic yard work or projects. We'll also be happy to do your grocery shopping and other errands so you won't have go out! Just contact us, and we'll work something out!
     For more information contact Kaitlin Wilding kaitlin6@comcast.net or Jacqueline Wilding jacqsmack6@comcast.net.

St. James' Parish Annual Celebration, Sunday, January 31

     Please join us via Zoom on Sunday, January 31, 2021, after the 10 AM service for the 329th St. James' Parish Annual Celebration. This annual event provides everyone an opportunity to enjoy fellowship and celebrate the parish activities and ministries of 2020. The participation of all parishioners, 16 years of age and above, will be important as we plan, along with our new Rector-Elect, the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lenow, for the 2021 year in the life of our parish!
     The 2021 parish budget will be discussed, and three new candidates (Greg Davis, Chandler Keys, and Kaitlin Wilding) who have been called to serve on the Vestry will be presented for ratification. We hope you will make plans to join us for this wonderful opportunity to celebrate our past and plan for our future in each other’s fellowship!
     - St. James' Parish Vestry

Bible Study, Tuesdays at 9am on Zoom!

Join Fr. Joe for a weekly study of some of the greatest, most important, and most challenging stories ever told. We'll be working together through Ellen Davis' book Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament. Each chapter of this modern spiritual classic takes one passage of the Old Testament as its focus, and we'll use this book as a launching point for our discussion this week. Our first meeting will be on January 26, so get your book now! The class will last about an hour, but if this time doesn't work for your schedule, not to worry - we'll be announcing an evening class soon.

St. James' Youth: 11-17 Year Olds Are Zooming!

     The 11-17 Year Olds are continuing to Zoom and even did a craft. Materials were delivered to each participating student. If you would like to be included in these fun activities, please contact Kaitlin Wilding kaitlin6@comcast.net or Jacqueline Wilding jacqsmack6@comcast.net.

Boy Scouts Will Help Shovel Your Snow!

     Our Boy Scouts have offered to shovel driveways and/or walks for any of our Amazing Grays or other Seniors who could use their help. They would like to have your names and addresses ahead of the snow so they can just jump to help as soon as it snows this winter!
     Please contact Marjie Mack mmack3108@comcast.net or Michelle Doran+ at michellesdoran@gmail.com now if you would like to be added to their list. We are very grateful to our scouts for this kind and timely offer!

St. James' Parish Book Club, January 19

The St. James' Parish Book Club will meet online using Zoom on January 19th (and the 3rd Tuesday of every month) to enjoy fellowship and a contemporary book discussion. This month, they will discuss the book, American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. New members are always welcome! For additional information, please contact Edlu Thom-Harper at edlu.th@comcast.net or Nancy Horkan at nhorkan@comcast.net.

Christmas Food Baskets Distributed

Thanks to all who volunteered their time, talent, and money to help distribute approximately 60 Christmas Dinners to needy families in our community on December 19th! This ongoing food ministry is made possible through a partnership between St. James’ Parish and the Friendship United Methodist Church. Information about Easter Dinner distribution will be available soon. For additional information, or to volunteer to help, please contact Cindy Carrier at bccarrier@comcast.net.