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.