Our Mission
Sharing ourselves and our faith with others...
St. James is a Christian community that welcomes all with respect for
the inherent dignity and value of every person.
We strive to enable spiritual growth through worship, education, outreach, and stewardship for
the purpose of restoring all people to unity with God and each other.
People of St. James Wear Masks in Public Because....
we respect the citizens of our community.
Our masks may not protect US from the Corona Virus, but they might protect our neighbors.
Wearing a mask is an act of LOVE.
Statement by the St. James Vestry May 27, 2020
we respect the citizens of our community.
Our masks may not protect US from the Corona Virus, but they might protect our neighbors.
Wearing a mask is an act of LOVE.
Statement by the St. James Vestry May 27, 2020
Rector's Blog May 28, 2020
Friends,
This week's blog is not about our gospel reading. All that will have to wait until the sermon. This week I need to tell you about the work being done, the prayers being said, and the love being shown during these days. Of course you have heard of the amazing work our Food Pantry is doing. With care and devotion, that team has faced unprecedented challenges only to meet them with the grace and love that can only be a gift and sign of God's Love. But that is not what I am writing to you about today. Instead, I want you to know about the work, prayers, and love that your vestry is continuing to show forth.
As the pandemic began, your vestry saw the need to be in more communication to more easily respond to the ever shifting landscape we have experienced these last 11 weeks. Your vestry has been meeting every other Wednesday to continue the work of the parish even while the work changed so drastically. This past Wednesday, we met, via Zoom of course, to discuss the Phase 2 workbook the diocese has provided for us.
This workbook provides a process for the discussion necessary to begin to hold public worship again. Here is a link to our Bishop's video update on phase 2. I strongly encourage you to bookmark the diocese pandemic webpage (which includes the weekly updates): https://drgresponds.squarespace.com. This is the website our diocese created to house all things related to the pandemic. The bishop releases an update video at the end of every week.
If you have already watched the video or read the workbook, you know that the amount of work in getting ready for Phase 2 is somewhat overwhelming. We must evaluate our air conditioning and necessary filtration system, examine foot traffic flow, develop a disinfecting procedure, create a staff schedule to deconflict office spaces, calculate a layout that allows for social distancing and occupancy standards, develop some sort of reservations system for seating, create sign-in procedures so we can aid contact tracers if we do have any contact with the virus, train and empower ushers to enforce the community standards put out by the vestry, and this is all before we talk about how we share bread or wine together. As the bishop says in his video, 'Phase 2 will disappoint you."
And it is disappointing to me as well. It means that there is still a lot of work we must do before we can even consider gathering again. And your vestry is doing it. I thank them for their companionship in ministry and their leadership in our community. I thank them for the prayerful conversations held in love that allow for each of us to be open and honest. As your rector, I want you to know that our vestry is a sign to me of the validity of my call to be your priest. Although the work is changing, your vestry is working well and they deserve our gratitude.
As the vestry continues the Phase 2 conversations and workbook, your worship committee will meet to discuss how we can move forward together. That committee is always a wonderful and superb aid to me, and that is true today. They too are meeting more often, so that we can more easily respond to the experiments in digital worship we are all enjoying these days. They too will be instrumental in our continued evolution of our digital offerings.
St James will continue to experiment with how we can best be of service during these days. We will continue to develop our digital offerings while also working to reoccupy our beautiful and sacred space as soon as lovingly possible. I know these days are hard and the loss of how we have known our divine community is an extra bitter burden on top of it all. I feel you. But I must also tell you that I see God's Grace shining through all of this. Far flung folks are able to worship with us now. Coffee hour groups are a bit more diversely organized. Our Food Pantry is serving more people and has a swath of new volunteers, expanding our relationships. Your priest, even though a millennial, is having to learn out to use YouTube and other social media. And St James' reputation as a place where hungry folk get fed is only growing larger and larger.
These days may be disappointing. But God does not. Say your prayers, read your bible, and love others like you love yourself.
I'll see you soon, Mac+
Friends,
This week's blog is not about our gospel reading. All that will have to wait until the sermon. This week I need to tell you about the work being done, the prayers being said, and the love being shown during these days. Of course you have heard of the amazing work our Food Pantry is doing. With care and devotion, that team has faced unprecedented challenges only to meet them with the grace and love that can only be a gift and sign of God's Love. But that is not what I am writing to you about today. Instead, I want you to know about the work, prayers, and love that your vestry is continuing to show forth.
As the pandemic began, your vestry saw the need to be in more communication to more easily respond to the ever shifting landscape we have experienced these last 11 weeks. Your vestry has been meeting every other Wednesday to continue the work of the parish even while the work changed so drastically. This past Wednesday, we met, via Zoom of course, to discuss the Phase 2 workbook the diocese has provided for us.
This workbook provides a process for the discussion necessary to begin to hold public worship again. Here is a link to our Bishop's video update on phase 2. I strongly encourage you to bookmark the diocese pandemic webpage (which includes the weekly updates): https://drgresponds.squarespace.com. This is the website our diocese created to house all things related to the pandemic. The bishop releases an update video at the end of every week.
If you have already watched the video or read the workbook, you know that the amount of work in getting ready for Phase 2 is somewhat overwhelming. We must evaluate our air conditioning and necessary filtration system, examine foot traffic flow, develop a disinfecting procedure, create a staff schedule to deconflict office spaces, calculate a layout that allows for social distancing and occupancy standards, develop some sort of reservations system for seating, create sign-in procedures so we can aid contact tracers if we do have any contact with the virus, train and empower ushers to enforce the community standards put out by the vestry, and this is all before we talk about how we share bread or wine together. As the bishop says in his video, 'Phase 2 will disappoint you."
And it is disappointing to me as well. It means that there is still a lot of work we must do before we can even consider gathering again. And your vestry is doing it. I thank them for their companionship in ministry and their leadership in our community. I thank them for the prayerful conversations held in love that allow for each of us to be open and honest. As your rector, I want you to know that our vestry is a sign to me of the validity of my call to be your priest. Although the work is changing, your vestry is working well and they deserve our gratitude.
As the vestry continues the Phase 2 conversations and workbook, your worship committee will meet to discuss how we can move forward together. That committee is always a wonderful and superb aid to me, and that is true today. They too are meeting more often, so that we can more easily respond to the experiments in digital worship we are all enjoying these days. They too will be instrumental in our continued evolution of our digital offerings.
St James will continue to experiment with how we can best be of service during these days. We will continue to develop our digital offerings while also working to reoccupy our beautiful and sacred space as soon as lovingly possible. I know these days are hard and the loss of how we have known our divine community is an extra bitter burden on top of it all. I feel you. But I must also tell you that I see God's Grace shining through all of this. Far flung folks are able to worship with us now. Coffee hour groups are a bit more diversely organized. Our Food Pantry is serving more people and has a swath of new volunteers, expanding our relationships. Your priest, even though a millennial, is having to learn out to use YouTube and other social media. And St James' reputation as a place where hungry folk get fed is only growing larger and larger.
These days may be disappointing. But God does not. Say your prayers, read your bible, and love others like you love yourself.
I'll see you soon, Mac+