Children's Ministry Position

St. James', together with the other parishes in the area, is now advertising for a part-time Regional Children's Minister for Southern Maryland. If you know someone who might be a good fit for the position, please send along the job advertisement, available at bit.ly/3yG1PZc. We're very excited about the position, and thank you for your help in bringing the perfect person to this ministry!

Hymn Sing, August 28

Following our 10am service on August 28, we'll be having a hymn sing in the church! Come prepared with a list of your favorite songs from the Red Hymnal or the Renew Hymnal. We're trying to get a sense of the music that this parish loves, so even if you can't make the hymn sing, please send your list of favorite songs to Fr. Joe and Justin at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com! Please remember to bring a mask for the hymn sing.

St. James' Fall Kickoff, September 11th

On Sept. 11 following our 10am service, we'll be having our Fall Kickoff Picnic! Our plan is to make this a big celebration that can gather the whole community together—adults and children; those who are members of the parish, and friends and newcomers from our broader community. We'll have food, games, music, even a bounce castle! The parish will be providing the main course for our cookout, but we need help! Two things you can do: First, this will be a wonderful time for our parish family to gather together, but we're also hoping that we can see ourselves as hosts for our whole community. We'd be very grateful if members of the parish could bring a side dish or dessert to make this a true feast! Second, we're looking for a few people with grills and the means to transport them to the church so we can keep the burgers and hotdogs (and a vegetarian option!) coming. We'll see you there, and bring a friend!

2022-23 Church School Registration Form

St. James' 2022-23 church school registration form is now available online. You can download/print the form from the following link: bit.ly/3pbd5sd.

Photographers, We Need You!

Whether you're a professional photographer with thousands of dollars of gear or just a lover of photography with a good iPhone, we need you! We're in the process of redesigning our website, and need high-quality photos of our worship, parish life, and time together. If you've got photos from the past few years, or if you'd be interested in taking some photos for our new webpage in the months ahead, please reach out to Fr. Joe at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com!

COVID Update - Masks Optional

Case rates in our area have risen in the last week to a "Medium" rate of community transmission - the yellow zone (nyti.ms/3uwekW1). Masks remain optional in worship, but are highly recommended especially when singing.

Parish Summer Lunch - Sunday, July 17th

Covid transmission rates are now "low" again, so to thank our parishioners for their generous support of the recent Spring Dinner & Festival, the Women of St. James' Parish (WSJP) will provide an informal oyster/ham lunch for parishioners on Sunday, July 17th after the 10 AM worship service. The menu will be a little different from our typical Spring Dinner menu (oysters, honey ham, corn on the cob, coleslaw). There will be no charge for the dinner; however, we will welcome contributions of desserts for our dessert table. For more information or to volunteer to help, please contact Lillie Barrett at garylillie502@gmail.com. See you on July 17th!

Coffee Hours are Back!

     Coffee hours after our 10 AM Sunday worship services have returned! Simple food items are always welcome contributions on Sunday mornings; just leave them on the counter in the kitchen. (Put your name on any dish you’d like returned and remember to pick it up!)
     We also need one or two volunteers to sign up for an occasional Sunday to bring a few food items to set out on a table, make the coffee, and then wrap up any leftovers after everyone has enjoyed the fellowship. The sign-up sheet and the instructions are located on the bulletin board outside the Parish Office, or you can call the Parish Office at 410-867-2838 and ask to have your name(s) added to the list for a specific date. Right now we have openings for July 31 and most of August. Thank you for enabling our fellowship to begin again!

COVID Update - Masks Optional

After a brief spike in case rates, Covid transmission is back at "Low" in Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties—the green zone. For this reason, masks remain optional in worship, but are recommended when singing.

COVID Update - Masks Recommended

Our rate of community transmission of Covid in Anne Arundel and Calvert counties were bumped up to "High" — the red zone. While we have not yet returned to requiring masks in worship, they are highly recommended for all congregants. Let us show our love for our neighbors by sacrificing our comfort for them, and masking up to keep one another safe!

Calling all 2022 Graduates

If you have graduated from High School or a higher level of learning, we would like to honor your achievements. Please provide your name, name of the school and level of education completed (ex: High School) by emailing the church secretary at secretary@stjameslothian.com and Fr. Joe Lenow at joe.lenow@stjameslothian.com.

Many Ways to Help with the Parish Spring Dinner on May 21st

       Many have volunteered to serve at our Spring Dinner, but we have a few spots still open. YOU can sign up to help with this Sign Up Genius link: signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4DA8A72CA6FF2-spring.
       If you can’t serve that day, plan to come and eat or pick up a couple of dinners curbside! That will help us too!
       Many have donated generously for the cost of dinners for some of our neighbors (send a check to St. James’ Parish with “Spring Dinner-neighbors” on the memo line).
       Your donated garden plants, jewelry, and attic treasures can be brought in anytime the week of the dinner. URGENT - We also need homemade spies and cakes, as well as packaged brownies and cookies (in groups of two to six) for the Bake Shoppe the day of the dinner. Please note if nuts are included.

Coffee Hour Sign-up!

Coffee hours are returning after our 10:00am Sunday worship services! Simple food items are always welcome contributions on Sunday mornings; just leave them on the counter in the kitchen. (Put your name on any dish you’d like returned and remember to pick it up!) We also need sponsors to sign up each week to host by setting the food items out on a table and cleaning up after everyone has enjoyed the fellowship. The sign-up sheet for April is now on the bulletin board outside the Parish Office—or you can call the Parish Office at 410-867-2838 and ask to have your name or the name of your group put on the list for a specific date. Thank you for volunteering to enable our fellowship to begin again!

Easter Holiday Food Baskets, April 9th

       St. James' Parish and Friendship United Methodist Church will continue our partnership to provide groceries for Easter dinners to approximately 60 local families in need on Saturday, April 9th, from 7 – 10:30 a.m.
       Please consider donating your time to help with this worthwhile mission! For additional information, to volunteer, or to identify a family in need, please contact Cindy Carrier at bccarrier@comcast.net
       Thanks for supporting this important ministry and helping to provide holiday meals to those members of our community in need.

COVID Update - Masks Optional

As of this week, Anne Arundel County has now had two weeks with a new case rate consistently below 7; our new case rate is now 5.1, down from a high near 170 in mid-January. As a result, Episcopal churches throughout the Diocese of Maryland are beginning to relax some of their Covid restrictions. This Sunday, 3/20, we will begin by making masks optional in our Sunday services. We will, however, maintain a section of the church where masks will be required, and may need to return to requiring masks in worship if case rates rise again.