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.