Blessing of the Animals, October 6th

There will be a Blessing of the Animals service on Sunday, October 6th at 4 PM in the field opposite St. James' Church. Everyone and their pets are welcome to attend! Please remember that all pets should be either on a leash or in a carrier.

Women's Breakfast is back!, starting October 5th

Starting Saturday, October 5 through May 3 from 8 AM-9:30 AM. we will meet in the Parish Hall Library to enjoy discussion on women in the Bible. Each month we will explore a different Biblical woman, beginning with Eve.

We invite you to come with your knitting or crochet project to work on - or if you have a recent project to "show and share" we will all enjoy seeing your accomplishments. Being crafty is not a requirement! Come join us in fellowship, breakfast, and discussion. Please bring a simple breakfast item to share. If you are interested in attending, we encourage an RSVP but it is not required. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email Dawn+ at dawncampbell@stjameslothian.com, or Linda Rines at linda.rines@comast.net.

Mini Craft Workshops, Coming in October & November

The Women of St. James' Parish will be offering four Mini Craft Workshops starting in October. The workshops will range from how to paint glasses, to learning how to do Norwegian embroidery, to creating "Lost Angels", to making Anglican Rosaries. The workshops will be held on Sundays following the 11 AM service. The length of the sessions will vary but will not exceed an hour. A small fee to cover supplies will be charged for people interested in participating in the classes. There is no fee if you are interested in observing the workshops. Reservations must be made the week prior to the workshop for people interested in participating. Workshop locations will be announced.

Flu Shots, October 3rd

Flu Shots will be available in the Parish Hall on Thursday, October 3, beginning at 9:30 AM. We are limited to 40 people. Please call the Parish Office to reserve a time. Please bring your Medicare/Medicaid card.

Messiah Sing-Along Sponsors Needed!

Sponsors are now being sought for our 27th Annual Messiah Sing-Along to be held on Sunday, December 1st. Our sponsors make it possible for all donations collected at the Sing-Along and the December Salvation Army Carol Sing to be added to our parish-wide Thanksgiving Offering, all of which is donated to the Salvation Army in support of their ministries in the community. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, there is no cost to St. James' Parish for these events which include a reception held after the Messiah and the pot-luck supper that follows the Carol Sing. Sponsors will be recognized in the printed program.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact St. James' Parish Music Director, Michael Ryan at mryansings@verizon.net.

St. James' Parish Bell Choir - Calling all Ding-a-Lings!

Are you a ding-a-ling? If so, plan to join with the other ringing ding-a-lings who make up the St. James' Parish Bell Choir! Absolutely no experience is necessary, and you can commit to play for just those events that are convenient for your schedule.

For additional information or to sign up, please contact Marjie Mack at mmack3108@comcast.net. Marjie will be happy to add you to the bell choir roster and make sure you receive information about rehearsals and the holiday and other special events the bell choir supports.

Reminder: Sunday School Registration

Sunday school begins September 8th after the 9:00 AM service! On-line registration is available. If you have children attending Sunday School, please consider taking a few minutes and register them before the 8th; the more children we can register in advance the smoother things will go the first school day. Click here to register on-line. Click here to fill out a digital registration form that can be printed and mailed, or dropped off to Dawn+.

Teacher Appreciation Sunday, September 8th

Please join us at the 9 AM service as we commission our Sunday Church School Teachers and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all of our Christian Formation leaders.

EfM Group Starts in September

EfM will again meet as a wonderful joint group with students and mentors from both St. James’ Parish, Lothian and Christ Church, West River. This year, Education for Ministry (EfM) has new textbooks with color photos and charts that will be a great addition to the program and can be easily replaced as necessary.

EfM enables us to dig deeper into the Christian faith, studying the Bible, Church history, and theological ideas, as well as reflecting on connecting our faith with our life experiences. EfM is a nondenominational program of the School of Theology at The University of the South, Sewanee, TN, and is sponsored by the Diocese of Maryland.

To join the group, or for more information about EfM, please contact Marjie Mack (mmack3108@comcast.net) or Shelly Collinson (nofrenchyvonne@hotmail.com).

College Ministry

If you have a student who is in college or will be starting college this fall, please send their name and address to Taylor Milbradt at tayfm@aol.com.

Adult Forum: Quarks, Chaos & Christianity, September 8th

The Adult Forum meets at 10 AM In the Parish library on Sundays. Starting September 8th, we will begin a study of John Pilkinghorne's , "Quarks, Chaos & Christianity." This book brings together both the leading scientific views of our century together with a reasonable explanation of current Christian thought. It is written with economy and plain language so as illustrate the command that the author has in both science and spiritual thought. This welcoming group offers and open and lively discussion. Hope to see you there; bring your coffee and jump right in! For more information, contact Dean Lewis at deanlewis47@gmail.com.

Join us! Adult Choir Rehearsals Resume

St. James' Parish offers two adult choirs—the Senior Choir and the Celebration Choir - both staffed by volunteer singers. No special musical ability or great singing voice is required to participate in the choirs! Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to come together for fun, fellowship, worship, discipleship and ministry - oh, and they sing, too!

The Senior Choir sings at the 11 AM service and features traditional music. The Celebration Choir sings at the 9 AM service choosing more contemporary praise music. Both choirs enjoy singing spirit-filled music that blesses them and lifts up the congregation!

The adult choirs rehearse on Thursday evenings. The Senior Choir will resume rehearsals on September 5th at 7:30 PM. The Celebration Choir will begin on August 29th with dinner at 7 PM and rehearsal to follow.

For more information about choir activities, please contact St. James' Parish Music Director, Michael Ryan, at mryansings@verizon.net.

Blessing Backpacks - Extended

Backpacks, totes, briefcases, and a few purses were blessed August 18th at the 10:00 AM service. For those of you who were not able to bring your backpack, briefcase, or tote blessings and tags are still available! You can bring your backpacks, briefcases, tote bags, etc. to the 10:00 AM service on 8/25 or 9/1 for a blessing and a laminated tag.

"The Bible for Dummies" Class

"The Bible for Dummies" Class, a discussion group, which will be led by Deacon Kerry Smith and our Assistant Rector Dawn Campbell on Tuesday nights from 7:30 PM until 8:30 PM in the Music Room beginning on Tuesday, September 17th. Signup sheets will be available at St. Mark’s Chapel and in the Parish Hall beginning 8/18. This is a study about the Bible, not a Bible study. We will use the book "The Bible for Dummies" as our reference which is written by two PhD theologians who work as Assistant Professors of Theology at Boston College and Xavier University. We hope to have copies available for purchase at the first session.

Adult Confirmation and Reception Classes

There will be classes for adults, who desire to be Confirmed or Received into The Episcopal Church on Sunday, June 22, 2014. At the same time that the Youth Confirmation Classes are being held beginning Monday, September 30th from 7 p.m. - 8 p.m., adults will be meeting with the Rector and the curriculum will be Your Faith, Your Life: An Invitation to The Episcopal Church. Each adult will receive a copy. The class will follow the format of a book club. Each month we will review and discuss one chapter. Please contact Bill+ at ticknor@stjameslothian.com or 410-867-2838 before September 30th.