Summer Note Reading Course

Anyone seriously interested in the annual Note Reading Course should contact St. James' Parish Music Director, Michael Ryan at mryansings@verizon.net by June 30th to register. The class begins in mid July and is held for 5 weeks, 2 evenings per week. All work is done in class and the workbook is available for $10.

Sing with the Summer Choir

Music is an important part of our worship experience and we make every effort to provide it to our congregations during the summer months. Beginning on June 12, just show up in church at 9 AM on any given Sunday and prepare an anthem to sing for the Service at 10 AM. Everyone is invited to participate - either on a regular or a one-time basis. This is a great time to try singing in the choir... and, it's fun! Music is selected depending on the group we have on each Sunday.

REMINDER - Community Yard Sale, June 4

St. James' Parish is having another community yard sale, June 4, 2016 from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Rain or shine.

Children's Breakfast Club and Your Garden

Do you grow a garden during the summer and reap an abundance of produce? If you would like to donate any of your veggies to the Breakfast Club, the residents at the mobile home parks greatly appreciate receiving fresh produce. In the past years, a few folks from other churches have occasionally donated zucchini, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. Anything fresh from the garden would be great. So if you would like to share some of your abundance, we thank you in advance! (You may drop it off at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, 114 Bayard Rd.)

2016 Reading Camp South County - August 1-5

Reading Camp South County will be held once again at St. James' Parish on August 1-5! The camp is a week-long, tuition-free summer program for children who need a "boost" to help them improve their reading skills. Curriculum will include 15 hours of reading instruction alongside fun activities such as arts and crafts, games, and field trips. A nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacks will be served daily.

It is time to start assembling the team for this year's camp! Current or retired teachers are invited to contact Paula Davis, Camp Coordinator, for more information about how they can help to provide the reading instruction from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM each day. The program ends at 4 PM, so teachers (who are able) as well as other adult and youth volunteers will be needed to assist with the afternoon activities. Reading Camp South County also needs your donations to support field trips, supplies, food and snacks, and other special activities. Please make your check out to the Southern Maryland Regional Council, put it in the plate, or drop it by the Parish Office.

For more information about this exciting program, or to volunteer, please contact Bill Ticknor+ (410-867-2838 or ticknor@stjameslothian.com), Paula Davis (southcounty.md.readingcamp@gmail.com), or Nancy Horkan (nhorkan@comcast.net).

Come and take a tour of the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes, July 10

We will be leaving St. James' Church after the 10 AM service to go to the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, MD on the campus of Mount St. Mary's University. If there is time and interest, we will try to end our day at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton just three miles away. We are currently working on acquiring a school bus. The drive to Emmitsburg, MD, is about an hour and a half. Please bring a bag lunch. Everyone under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Please RSVP as soon as possible. To RSVP, or for more information, contact Bill+ 410-867-2838 or email ticknor@stjameslothian.com.

The Great St. James’ Parish Bake-Off, June 11

Open to all age groups, this fun baking competition needs you! Bring your home-made-from-scratch cookies, cakes, pies and bread items to St. James' Parish on Saturday June 11. Items will be judged by area chefs based on originality, appearance, and taste and auctioned at the annual Parish Picnic on June 12. For more information, please contact Lesa Eser at lesaeser@gmail.com.

Children's Breakfast Club

This will be the sixth summer for what has become a ministry of four churches in our community: Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Friendship United Methodist Church, and St. James' Episcopal Church. This year we will again be taking meals to Patuxent Mobile Estates (on Sands Road) and Lyons Creek Mobile Estates (off Route 4 on the way to Dunkirk).

We anticipate feeding 160 children Monday through Friday for 7 weeks June 27 - August 12. This year, in addition to bagged breakfast meals, on Fridays we will also be giving a weekend bag of extra food to families. Our desire is to make sure the families have sufficient food to carry them through the weekend. A breakfast bag will cost an estimated amount of $1.30 each, so that's $208 per day, 5 days a week, equalling $1,040 per week. Funding for the Breakfast Club Ministry comes from special church offerings, personal and business donations, and church monetary donations. A special offering will be taken on Sunday, June 5th for the Breakfast Club.

St. James' Parish volunteers will be packing breakfast bags at 6 PM on the following Wednesdays: June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10. For more information or to volunteer to help, please contact Nola Meyers at noreme@verizon.net.

Senior Recognition Sunday, June 5

On Sunday, June 5, at the 9 AM service, we will be recognizing all graduating High School, Trade School, and College students. If you have a graduating senior, please email Bill+ at ticknor@stjameslothian.com, and state whether the graduate would like to receive a Book of Common Prayer or a Bible as a gift. Please provide to the office the name of the institution, from which the individual is graduating, and a brief paragraph about the individual to secretary@stjameslothian.com, no later than May 20.

All-age Fellowship, May 15

We will be having an "all age fellowship" on May 15. The activity will be bowling at Lord Calvert Bowling following lunch in the Parish Hall. Any questions, please contact Sharon McGlaughlin at sharon.mcglaughlin1692@gmail.com.

Save the Date - St. James' Parish Community Yard Sale June 4th 8 AM -2 PM

Items will range from baby clothes and toys, to household goods, adult clothing and shoes, jewelry and more! Spaces rent for $25 (10 x 10 foot spot with a table). The deadline for renting a space is May 28th (or until they are all rented). All rental space fees will benefit the work of the St. James' Parish Outreach Committee. Volunteers are also needed to run a table on behalf of St. James' Parish. For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Ashley at Artemis914@aol.com.

Clothing Donations & Volunteers Needed!

The St. James' Parish clothing ministry is now accepting clean, gently used spring and summer clothing, shoes and outerwear. Please leave donations under the table in the clothing room downstairs in the Education Building. Volunteers are needed to help sort and fold clothes. Even two hours, one day a month, would be appreciated. For more information, or to sign up to help, please contact Taylor Milbradt at tayfm@aol.com.

Spring Dinner Reminder

St. James' Parish will hold its annual "Crab Cake and Country Ham Spring Dinner" Saturday, May 21st, 1-5pm. Along with the dinner, the event will provide a book shoppe, bake shoppe, garden shoppe, antique car show, and other activities. The dinner is $22 for adults (eat in or carry out), $11 for children 10 years and under. Children under 2 years old eat free. Also, please donate any books/DVD's for the Book Stall. You can place them in a donation box in the Library. For a more detailed notice of the event, please refer to the Shell Newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact Lesa Sipes Eser at lesaeser@gmail.com or Lillie Barrett at garylillie502@gmail.com. We can't wait to see you all there!

Movie Night!

The Women's Bible Study group is joining churches around the country in the days leading up to the National Day of Prayer by hosting a showing of the movie War Room. This movie was released in 2015 and is a compelling faith drama about the power of prayer. All are invited to view the movie in the Parish Hall at 7:00 PM, on Friday, April 29. The National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 5th. If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Horkan at nhorkan@comcast.net.

Community Action Agency Expands South

The Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency has opened a new satellite office in south county through a partnership with St. James' Parish. St. James' Parish is providing space to the agency to offer services in south county, which the agency called an underserved area for social services. The office will be open from 9 AM to noon on Thursdays. Services offered by the agency include assistance with housing, financial management and other needs. The Annapolis Youth Services continues to meet with troubled youth ages 11-18 on Tuesday evenings in our facilities.