Souper Bowl Sunday - February 4

On Sunday, February 4th, millions of Americans will tune in to the Super Bowl football game. There will be parties with abundant food, friendship and fellowship. At the same time, there will be other people worrying about staying warm, finding shelter and a warm meal. Please join young people around the country as they demonstrate God's love by loving their neighbors through the Souper Bowl of Caring. St. James' Parish Youth will be standing at the doors after the service collecting donations in large soup bowls. They will donate the money collected and work at the Soup Kitchen.

Acolyte Training, January 21

Anyone who is currently an acolyte or who is considering becoming an acolyte please join us in St. James' Church on Sunday, January 21 between the 9 AM and 11 AM services! All are welcome!

Safeguarding God's Children, January 20

St. James' Parish will host a Safeguarding God's Children training session on January 20th, from 9:00AM-12:30PM. This training is open to people from other parishes to attend; this training is mandatory for all vestry members, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, and anyone who works with youth. For more information or to RSVP, please contact The Rev. Anne Nicholson at anicholson@stjameslothian.com.

St. Mark's Chapel - Altar Guild Volunteers Needed!

St. Mark's Altar Guild needs additional help setting up the altar for the 8 AM service. Volunteers serve on a rotating schedule, one Sunday per month, doing set up and altar flowers. Duties can be shared with another person. If you would be willing to set up the altar, but would rather not arrange the flowers, that could be arranged as well. For additional information, please contact Linda Britt at parbritalt@aol.com.

Ordination of Transitional Deacons - January 13

Congratulations to Lisa A. Bornt, L. Scott Lipscomb, and Patti L. Sachs who will be ordained Transitional Deacons on Saturday, January 13, at 11 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 East University Parkway, Baltimore, Maryland 21218.

$3,273 Donated to The Salvation Army!

Thanks to the generosity of the sponsors who covered event costs, all of the contributions received from the offerings at the Thanksgiving Day service, the Messiah Sing-Along, and the Salvation Army's Carol Sing-Along, were donated to support the work of the Salvation Army. This is the highest total raised and donated to the Salvation Army from St. James' Parish! Thanks to everyone for their generous support!

Christmas Messiah Sing-Along - Watch on YouTube!

Thanks to Scott Hymes, Severn Media, who videotaped the 31st Annual Messiah Sing-Along held November 26, 2017, and posted it to YouTube. Those unable to attend, can enjoy viewing the event online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFwMOjJAze0.

Greening The Church, December 21

Please join us on Thursday, December 21 at 10 AM and help decorate St. James' Church for Christmas! We need everyone's help, and you’ll have lots of fun! For additional information, please contact Lillie Barrett at garylillie502@gmail.com.

Christmas Food Baskets, December 16

St. James' Parish will once again be partnering with Friendship United Methodist Church to distribute groceries for 75 Christmas dinners to be given to needy families in our community on Saturday, December 16th from 7-10:30 AM. This is a great family service opportunity! Donations of frozen turkeys (10-15 pounds) are needed as well as cash contributions to purchase the other food items for the Christmas food baskets. Frozen turkeys need to be placed in the St. James' Parish freezers no later than Wednesday, December 13th so we will know how many additional will need to be purchased. For additional information, or to volunteer to help, please contact Cindy Carrier at bccarrier@comcast.net.

Parish Christmas Caroling!

The St. James' Parish Chancel & Celebration Choirs invite you to join them for Christmas Caroling at Greenstreet Gardens on Sunday, December 10th at 1 PM. A pizza lunch for carolers will be served in the parish hall following the 11 AM service. For more information, please contact Parish Music Director, Michael Ryan at mryansings@verizon.net.

Lunch with Santa, December 9

Santa will be coming to St. James' Parish on Saturday, December 9th from 12 Noon to 2 PM! Parish children ages 1 – 11 years old, are invited to join us for lunch, games, crafts, and a visit from Santa and his helper who will hand out a surprise to the children attending. This activity is a chance to reach out to our community and those who are less fortunate. Please sign up on the Youth Bulletin Board. For additional information, please contact Sharon McGlaughlin at sharon.mcglaughlin1692@gmail.com.

Salvation Army Carol Sing, December 6

Please bring the children and join with the Salvation Army’s Brass Ensemble Wednesday, December 6th to help less fortunate families and enjoy singing Christmas carols. The Carol Sing at 7:30 p.m. in the church is preceded by fellowship at 6 p.m. and a potluck supper coordinated by The Women of St. James’ Parish at 6:30 p.m. in the parish hall. The carols are accompanied by the Brass Ensemble and Patricia Tyndall on the organ. Two of the highlights of the evening are the three holy kings chosen from the audience for the carol, "We Three Kings," and the solo by St. James' Parish Music Director Michael Ryan who is often persuaded to sing "Good King Wenceslas."

But the focus of the night is the youth group’s presentation of the toys and a gift of money to the officers of the Salvation Army. The money for the gifts comes from the Thanksgiving offering, the free-will offering at the Messiah Sing-Along and by the sponsors who cover all the expenses of both events. Please join us for fun, fellowship, and Christmas caroling to benefit the important work of the Salvation Army!

Wreaths Across America - Update

Due to some unforeseen logistical issues we are canceling the ceremony for Wreaths Across America on Dec 16 at noon. However, we will still be placing wreaths at that time. If you are able to come help place wreaths we would greatly appreciate it. Please email Ashley at Artemis914@aol.com if you are able to help so we can have an idea of how many people to expect. At this time we are also still short of our goal to place a wreath on every veteran’s grave at St. James' Parish. Please use the following link to donate: https://wreaths.fastport.com/donateLocation.html?page=42146&relate=42112. Donating through that page actually gets us 3 wreaths for every 2 donated. If you search for St James' Parish in locations make sure you scroll down and use the fundraising page to make the donation. All donations are tax deductible. If you wish to write a check, we have already passed the deadline to mail them in, so you MUST contact Ashley to make arrangements; please do not put checks in the deposit plate as we won’t get them in time. Any questions please contact Ashley.

A Night of Reflection and Refreshment for the Women of St. James'

Christmas Boxes for Seafarers

The Women of St. James' Parish are asking for your help to provide Christmas Boxes for distribution by the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center to the many seafarers who find themselves on ships for the holidays. Boxes will be available for pickup during the Fellowship Hour on Sundays in November. Please fill each box with some of the following types of items: toiletries (sealed) such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant; a new warm scarf or hat; postcards of Baltimore or Annapolis; new socks; pens and notepads; and playing cards. The WSJP will provide a paperback New Testament for each box. You may also want to include a Christmas greeting from your family. Please wrap your box as a gift (but no bows as they fall off), and bring it to the parish office or St. Mark’s Chapel on or before December 3.