St. James's Episcopal Parish @ Porter Square, Cambridge
May 11th, 2008
THE SUNDAY NEWS
8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I
10:15 am Sunday School Family Service followed by classes for children from preschool through 12th grade
10:30 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II with music
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Readings for May 11th: Acts: 2:1-21 I Corinthians: 12-3b-13 Psalm: 104:24-34, 35b John: 20:19-23 Prayers |
1st Reading: Steve Clark 2nd Reading: Michelle Collins Prayers: Dave Hall
Lay Eucharistic Ministers Marian King, Peter Merrell & Laverne Agard
Acolytes Steve Cox
Welcomer Kate Hornstein
Counters Ginger Carter & Barbara Butler
Flower Guild Laurie Rofinot
Altar Guild Susan Harris
INVITATION TO COMMUNITY PARISH RETREAT UPDATE
The parish retreat is only 3 weeks away-May 30th thru June 1st. The Deadline to register and pay is Sunday, May 18th, 2008. You may register at coffee hour this Sunday or download a registration form from the St. James's website, complete it and send it to the office along with your payment. We needed to make adjustments to the fees which are as follows: $80.00/Adult (Cabin), $35.00/Child (Cabin), $115.00/Adult (Lodge Room), $55.00/Child (Lodge Room).
Financial assistance is available to all who need it: Contact Kate Carpenter Bernier, Donna Thompson or Anne Read to make arrangements. Please consider "rounding up" your payment for the retreat to support financial assistance for others. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in lovely New Hampshire!
* Next retreat host committee meeting is at 12:15pm Sunday, May 18th: All invited.
TODAY ! MOTHER'S DAY
An annual tradition at St. James's will resume again on Mother's Day when the men of St. James's take their rightful place in the Kitchen and serve all for Mother's Day during the Coffee Hour. This is a special Coffee Hour where we serve fine appetizers on trays in our Sunday best. Suits are strongly preferred for male servers! It is always fun and enjoyable.
REAL MEN HELP IN THE KITCHEN
Since 1990, the men of St. James's parish have made Mothers Day a very special celebration.
The men treat the women of the parish to hot hors d'oeuvres and other gourmet delights at the coffee hour on this special day. Dress Code: Formal Wear (If this is within your budget) or Dark Slacks/Shoes & White Shirts with Red or Black bowties. (Let's show them the exceptional class the St. James's men are made of) and remember: The 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 rule will be in effect.
20-35 ACTIVITIES AT ST. JAMES'S
Interested in being on the 20-35 listserv? E-mail Michael Young, Senior Warden.
ANOTHER MISSISSIPPI MISSION BAKE SALE MAY 18TH!
Be sure to stop by Coffee Hour after worship on Sunday, May 18th, and pick up some of the delicious baked goods that our mission-bound youth and adults will be offering to the congregation. Your purchase of cookies, cakes, pies, brownies, breads and other goodies will help fund their trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast on August 14 - 23, to assist with Hurricane Katrina relief, an on going project of churches and non-profits in rebuilding homes for those with few resources. For more information contact Laurie Rofinot, or Carolann Barrett.
CLOSING THE GAP...
Are you STIMULATED by St.James? Most of us are about to receive an "economic stimulus" check from our government-amount to vary according to various rules and criteria. Here's a proposal: contribute this check, or part of it, to St. James to help eliminate the GAP between the monies raised by the Capital Campaign and the actual cost of all the improvements done for the church: masonry, parking lot, heating system and most recently, significant repairs to the organ. We'd like Holly's term to begin debt free, as it were; and WE CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN by combining the remaining pledges to the Campaign AND your creative generosity with the stimulus checks. Sunday May 4th, there'll be an opportunity to indicate your participation in this brief but very significant moment of giving; and letters will be sent to the entire parish offering everyone that opportunity. In gratitude, David Hall, Thomas Tufts, and Michael Young (for the finance committee).
COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS IN SUNDAY WORSHIP
Every Sunday, St. James's has a tradition of honoring the celebrations in our lives by inviting all those celebrating an occasion of importance to come forward before the congregation at the announcements so that the whole congregation can pray for and bless them. Beginning on Sunday June 8th and continuing through the season of Pentecost, we are going to begin praying for these celebrations in a slight different way. Instead of saying a separate prayer for each separate occasion, we are going to have every person introduce him or herself and name their celebration or challenge, and when all have been introduced, then the whole congregation is going to sing a blessing prayer for the entire gathering. In this way, we will keep our wonderful intimacy with each others' lives, but we will streamline our celebratory responses.
THANKS FOR WEARING NAMETAGS
Thank
you to all who have so graciously and consistently worn your nametags on
Sundays--whether because of or, more likely, despite silly nametag
announcements week after week. Please don't stop! While our focus lately has
been on welcoming Holly and helping her to feel a part of the community,
wearing our nametags is equally important as a gesture of hospitality to every
person who walks into St. James's, newcomers and old friends alike, as can be
seen by this recent testimonial:
"It may have
already been brought up, but I wanted to stress another reason for
nametags: Growth... I can speak for
myself... coming into a close-knit community with a long, challenged, shared
history among parishers is daunting... and for a person like me, who has a real
need for community... the ability to say to someone that I've seen several times
before but never really met, "Peace, Steve!"...and having him reply
"Peace, Joe!"... well I think this is a place I'd like to
stay... I came from [another local church]... and I think they also had
this issue... great vibes in the worship hall, but no name tags and people
generally associated with those they knew after service (understandly so - they
had a connection that they felt safe with)..."
So,
keep up the good (and welcoming) work: wear your nametag, greet your
neighbors (by name!) in the service, talk to strangers in the coffee
hour. How lovely it will be to hear others say, like this new
friend, "I think this is a place I'd like to stay." Karen Meridith, Junior Warden
NOT TOO LATE
The St. James's Earth Day Shopping Bags were such a hit I'm reordering so if you were absent last week and missed out you can pre-order one or a dozen. They're perfect for Mother's Day, your kid's teacher or soccer coach, or for yourself. At only $5 each you'll want one for the
Back hall, one to keep in the car, one for your laptop. Email Anne Read or see me at coffee hour.
SOCIAL JUSTICE - Faith in Action - Young, old and all who care for them!
Tuesday, May 27, 7:00 - 9:30 pm at Boston University's Case Gymnasium (on the Green Line): Join the Governor, Mayor of Boston, legislators, CEOs, and 1200 congregational leaders and activists representing 60 congregations and community groups, 3 faiths and 50,000 of the faithful and civic-minded citizens of the greater Boston area. We will be celebrating 10 years of social justice activism by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), addressing current issues of youth safety, the affordability of quality health care and aging with dignity. We will also be committing ourselves to continue to work together to meet our needs as a community. Forty parishioners from St. James's, now an official member of GBIO, are invited to attend this meeting!
Goal: 40 sign-ups 25 confirms 15 maybes
Actual (4/27): 16 sign-ups 16 maybes
For more information or to sign up contact Tom Tufts in the Coffee Hour.
STEWARDSHIP BEST PRACTICES:
Attention: Rectors, vestry members, and stewardship committee members. Please join us for this no-cost morning session to review Stewardship Best Practices. Sponsored by The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
Presenters: Libby Roberts, Director of Major Gifts, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Stewardship Committee, Trinity Church Boston. Louise Packard, Executive Director, Trinity Boston Foundation. This forum will provide valuable and relevant information for parishes of all sizes. Our goal is for you to leave with a few new ideas that you can implement for immediate results. As we summarize the fundamentals, highlight the essentials, and go over the nitty-gritty of successful stewardship, you may find you will share ideas others haven't thought of yet. We promise this will be a fun and lively exchange and anticipate that together we will strengthen each other's planning. Kindly RSVP to Lindsay Morgia.
Education
Movie: "Jews & Christians: A Journey of Faith" followed by a discussion of "Maintaining Individual Identity in a Jewish/Christian family"
Sunday, May 18, 2008,
2-5 p.m. St. James's Parish House,
1991 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge.
Parking available in the St. James's Parking Lot.
Free for members, Non-members: $25 families, $15 couples/individuals Please let us know if you plan to attend by May 11th.
For the first time ever, a documentary that explores common beliefs, traditions and rituals shared by Judaism and Christianity. Based on the book "Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith" by Dr. Marvin Wilson, it also examines how contemporary Jews and Christians perceive each other, confront prejudice and stereotypes, and how they can understand and respect one another despite their differences. For more info. See www.jewsandchristiansjourney.com
Please bring a snack to share. Childcare and activities available. Thanks! Kate Hornstein Interfaith Community Boston. www.interfaithcommunity.org
WHY NOT MAKE BIBLE STUDY PART OF YOUR LIFE?
"Sunday scriptures in context" Study at home or join the Sunday morning discussion group. This small, informal group meets from 9:15 to 10:15 each Sunday morning in the "Upper Room" above the Parish Hall. The group is for people who want to discuss the Sunday Bible readings and to grow in faith and understanding by sharing their knowledge, insights and questions about the Bible. Visitors, newcomers, occasional and regular participants are all welcome. For more information contact The Rev Judy Gay at 617-547-0838 or judyjohngay@comcast.net.
PRAXIS WITH HOLLY ON TUESDAY MORNINGS
Beginning on June 10th, Holly Antolini would like to invite any and all who wish to join her on Tuesday mornings at 7:30 AM in the Rector's Office for an hour and a quarter of "spiritual practice." This is a drop-in event; no preparation is necessary. After opening with a brief morning devotion and a sharing of our gratitude and challenges to gratitude, our time will be centered on an exploration of the coming Sunday's Gospel reading using the technique of lectio divina or spiritual reading. It's a Bring Your Own Coffee (or Tea) event, and we should be finished in plenty of time for you to get to work. Come "taste and see!"
Outreach
HELPING HAND FOOD PANTRY
Thank you to all who contributed food for our Food Pantry shelves. It was very helpful to have additional food while our regular source of non-perishable food, The Greater Boston Food Bank, was closed last week. Thanks also to those who walked in the Walk for Hunger. Project Bread, the Walk's sponsor, is a major funding source for our food pantry. Janet Hixson-Hobbs
HELPING HAND FOOD PANTRY
The food pantry is in dire need of one volunteer for Thursday mornings from 11AM-1PM. Please contact Nina if you are interested at 617-876-4381 or email her at foodpantry@stjames-cambridgeorg.
Parish Prayer List
Those who have asked for our prayers: Mary Grace Duffy, Julia Brown, Bob Massie, Pat Haynes, David Peters, Patricia Lindo, Miriam Joseph, Ken Holmes, Sylvia Weston, Barbara Butler, Julie Holbrook O'Connor, Eric Sollee, Cindy Boyd & Family, Adam Sahlberg, Dewey Kim and family, Scott Walters, David & Andrew, Katherine, Jim & Julia DeBorst, Katherine & Matthew Krister, Cynthia Owen, Mateo Singer-Torres, Virginia Finochetti, Betty, Yvonne and Levi, Rosmond Elwin, Robert Wilson, Laura Hallihan, Arne Nystrom, Florence Thompson, The Galindo Family, Emilenne Jules, Dessima, Evelyn Parks, Roger Shumway, Seymour Papert and Suzanne Massie, Grace Dawe, Lisa McDonnell, Ruby.
Those who have died: Ilda Resende (Rolanda Prophete's grandmother) and all Iraqi civilians and security forces and all those members of our U.S. armed forces who have died in Iraq from April 28th - May 2nd: Mark A. Stone, Bryan E. Bolander, Clay A. Craig, Chad A. Caldwell, Lawrence D. Ezell, Andrew. R. Pearson, Ronald J. Tucker, Jeffrey F. Nichols and Corey L. Hicks.
And our elder or disabled parishioners: Ebert Agard, Helen Bushner, June Fifield, Mary Mosesian and Jack McMackin.
The Flowers on the High Altar: are given by The Emily Congdon Church Fund in memory of Emily Congdon Church and her mother, Helen Church.
The Flowers on the Chapel Altar are given in thanksgiving for mothers everywhere.
And don't forget...
To donate memorial flowers - in memory of loved ones or in thanksgiving for birthdays, anniversaries or other life transitions - please contact Laurie Rofinot, Flower Committee.
Please recycle Sunday bulletins and music! Place them in the containers on the desk in the vestry room or in the containers in the back of the church. Thank you!
Have something to add to the Sunday News? Email Sheila at office@stjames-cambridge.org. by Thursday Noon.
Have an addition or correction to the prayer list? Email Sheila by Friday Noon.
Parish office hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10AM-2PM
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Readings for Trinity Sunday on May 18th: Isaiah 40:12-17,27-31 Psalm: 8 II Corinthians: 13:11-13 Matthew: 28:16-20 Prayers |
