THE SUNDAY NEWS

March 21^st, 2010

St. James’s Episcopal Church—Porter Square, Cambridge

 

This Sunday at St. James’s

Services:

• 8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I , Book of Common Prayer
• 10:30 a.m. Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Readings:   

Serving This Sunday:

• Celebrant: The  Rev. Holly Lyman Antolini
• Preacher: Sarah Larson
• Deacons: The Rev. Holly Lyman Antolini
• Acolyte:  Eric Maynard
• Chalicers:  Elaine Young, Cynthia Owen, Shawn Ricketts
• Readers: Yvette Verdieu, Michelle Holmes, Peter Merrell
• Welcomer:  Kate Hornstein
• Nursery: Elizabeth Ellen and Carolyn Taylor

If you would like to volunteer for any of the above ministries, please email or leave a message in the office!

Sunday News Summary

Highlighted Events

Short on time? Here’s a quick list of the most important goings on in the next two weeks. Keep reading for more details!

• Holy Week begins on March 28; Easter Sunday on April 4 – let Holly know right away if you are seeking baptism!

Dates to remember

• March 21st & 28th: Spirituality in a Digital World Gathering in the Church
• March 28^th Palm Sunday Pancake Breakfast 9 AM; services at 8 and 10:30 AM
• April 1^st Maundy Thursday Agape Meal, Foot-washing, and Eucharist 6 PM
• April 2^nd Good Friday noon and 7:30 PM
• April 3^rd Easter Vigil 8 PM
• April 4^th Easter Sunday Eucharist at 8 AM; Holy Baptism & Eucharist 10:30 AM
• April 5-6 Offices closed for post-Easter break
• April 10: First Parish Hall Clean-Out Event, 9 AM to 5 PM

In general news of interest to the parish:

• Follow the Way of the Cross in the services of Holy Week, on the Way to Easter!
• If you haven’t already done so, please send your pledges in ASAP!

Outreach headlines

• The Food Pantry is in desperate need of food donations, as their supplier food bank is donating food to Haiti just when our demand is highest in Cambridge.  PLEASE BRING NON-PERISHABLES TO CHURCH!  Tuna, peanut butter, canned veggies, pasta, rice etc. all welcome.

Ongoing Reminders

• Please remember to wear your nametags!
• We are always on the lookout for submissions to The Bell. Next deadline: March 28.
  
  

The News in Detail

SOCIAL JUSTICE –  SIX GREAT VOLUNTEERS AND COUNTING.  WE NEED YOU  NOW FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24!!!

Please join the six of us as we take the T to a social action this Wednesday, March 24 at Old South Church in Copley Square, Boston, to meet with State Treasurer Timothy Cahill on the issues of holding banks accountable to consumers and holding universities accountable to their students to protect them from usurious lending practices.  Our delegation will gather at St. James’s between 6:00 and 6:30.  At 6:30 we will take the T to Copley Square on the Green Line.

For more information, please see, call or email Tom Tufts at thomastufts@comcast.net (617-876-9756).  Thanks!

COME SEE GREENLEAF CHOIR MEMBERS IN SPRINGTIME FOR HAMAN

Beginning next weekend, in North Cambridge Family Opera's production of NCFO founder David Bass’s original opera Springtime for Haman,  Greenleaf Choir member Eli Saltzman will have a leading role as Mordechai in four performances at the Peabody School, 70 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge MA (North Cambridge, between Porter Square and Arlington): Saturday March 20 at 2:30 PM, Sunday   March 21 at 1:30 PM, Saturday March 27 at 7 PM, and Sunday   March 28 at 6 PM.  Greenleaf Choir member Katie Massie performs in “Springtime” in the alternate cast, March 20 at 7 PM, 21st at 6 PM, 27th at 2PM and 28th at 1 PM. So you CAN’T MISS!!!  More information can be found at www.FamilyOpera.org. Tickets are $5 for children, $10 for adults.

“ON BEING AN EPISCOPALIAN:” JOIN US

Drawing deeper into your faith?  Puzzled and seeking understanding?  Feeling called into ministry and wondering how to discern direction and follow God’s guidance?  Thinking of becoming an Episcopalian?  All of the above?  Maybe it’s time to join this year’s “Being an Episcopalian” class!  Lent and Easter are the seasons to prepare for confirmation and reaffirmation of baptism.  Holly will be offering a Sunday afternoon class for adults, from 4:00 to 5:30 PM, on March 21st; April 18th and 25th, and May 2nd and 16th.  The class will share a final confirmation retreat with our youth confirmands on Friday night, May 21st (they’ll be sleeping over in the sanctuary but adults may wish to return to their own beds!).  Our deanery-wide Confirmation Service will be Saturday morning May 22nd at Christ Church in Waltham.  All adults are welcome; if you are already confirmed, you can still join us and reaffirm your baptism with the bishop’s laying-on of hands in the same service with the confirmands. 

Please see Holly Antolini at 617. 547.4070 or rector@stjames-cambridge.org if you’d like to be involved.

OUR FAITH AND THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION

Computers and their fellow communication devices are changing the way we communicate, the way we fight wars, the way we run businesses, the way we work, the way we enjoy ourselves, maybe the way we relate, maybe even the way we think.  Perhaps they are likewise affecting the way we worship!  Join us for a Gathering after the 10:30 service on two Sundays in Lent, March 21st and 28th, to watch, ponder and discuss two hour-long segments of the PBS Frontline show, “Digital Nation.”  Let’s see what this stunning revolution may be calling us to in our worship, our prayer, our very faith itself.

LAST CHANCE TO GIVE A DOLLAR A DAY IN LENT...

… from where you put it, in the box at St. James's, to an orphan in Kasese, Uganda. How does the money we collect in Lent get spent?  The Jubilee Ministry of our diocese is providing support for 251

orphans in Uganda to attend school.  Most of these children have lost their parents to AIDS and are living with guardians.  For $330, a child receives school fees, writing materials, a pair of shoes, and sanitary supplies for girls. Through the Bishop Masereka Christian Foundation, the orphan receives 2 home visits and 2 school visits per term.  The BMCF counselors intervene on behalf of children suffering abuse and neglect; those who are living with HIV receive care through the BMCF medical clinic.  St. James’s has given generously to the Diocesan Jubilee fund in each Lent over the past several years, to help AIDS orphans.  A dollar a day per person for the 40 days of Lent will help St. James reach or even exceed the goal of 7/10 of one percent of the parish budget for the poorest of the poor recommended by the General and Diocesan Conventions.  Boxes will be in the church throughout Lent, and your generous giving will provide a good Lenten discipline. Thanks for helping Jubilee provide education, care and hope for these children!

CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS--ST. JAMES BOOK CLUB

The St. James's Book Club invites you to join us as we begin a new book and discussion series. We come together twice a month to read, reflect and grow in relationship with one another. Meetings are the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, from 7:30-9pm in the St. James's Library. March 23rd is our next meeting - come, share your voice and get to know others in the church better!

COME SERVE; COME FEAST AT THE PALM SUNDAY PANCAKE BREAKFAST

March 28th at 9 AM, it’s time for our Annual Pancake Feast in honor of Holy Week.  Anne Read is “clerk of the works,” but needs volunteer cooks, wait staff, cleanup staff, and money takers.  Please let her know if you can help at anne@justprint.org

INTERFAITH COMMUNITY BOSTON PASSOVER/EASTER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AND COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

Sunday, March 28, 4-6 p.m. St. James's Parish House

Free for members, Non-members: $25/families, $15 couples/individuals
Reservations required: RSVP by March 21st by emailing interfaithcommunity.boston@gmail.com
Babysitting will be available for children under 5 for a small additional charge.

Together, we will learn more about the meaning and the rituals of Passover. This will be a non-dinner event. Please bring an appetizer/snack to share.  And on this Palm Sunday, we will learn more about this holiday and how to prepare for and celebrate the Christian Holy Week.

Interfaith Community, a neutral and affirming place for interfaith families to connect, has been an independent voice for Jewish-Christian families since 1987. For more information, please visit our national website at www.interfaithcommunity.org

BAPTISM, ANYONE?

The Great Vigil of Easter that inaugurates our Easter festivities at 8 PM Saturday April 3rd, and Easter Sunday morning’s Festival Eucharist at 10:30 AM on April 4th are the two greatest baptismal feasts of the church year.  If you or someone you love is seeking baptism, please give Holly Antolini a call at 617.547.4070 or email her at rector@stjames-cambridge.org and let her know of your interest, as soon as possible.  Meanwhile, please keep Malcolm Joss-Green and his family in your prayers, as they prepare for Malcolm’s baptism on Easter Sunday.

A JOURNEY INTO CHRIST: HOLY WEEK AT ST. JAMES'S

The week’s journey from Palm Sunday March 28^th through Easter Sunday April 4^th is a re-enactment of Jesus’ last days of life, leading up to his crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter. It is our faith that if we follow Jesus’ footsteps through the liturgies of Holy Week, “walking in the way of the cross,” as the Collect for Holy Monday says, we will “find it none other than the way of life and peace…”  The week begins with

• March 28^th Palm Sunday: literal nourishment from our Annual Pancake Breakfast at 9 AM, followed by the Palm Sunday Procession and Eucharist with the dramatic reading of the Passion of Jesus Christ according to Luke at 10:30. 

• April 1^st Maundy Thursday: our Agape Meal at 6 PM on in the Parish Hall, with Foot-washing & Holy Eucharist, followed by a solemn Stripping of the Altar in the sanctuary. 

• April 2^nd Good Friday: We remember the Crucifixion with the Solemn Collects and Sermon at noon and, with music and veneration of the Cross, again at 7:30 PM

• April 3^rd  the great baptismal Feast of the Easter Vigil: At 8 PM on Saturday, we kindle the New Fire in our Garden and ignite the Light of Christ in the darkness as we begin the celebration of the whole history of God’s saving work, culminating in the first “Alleluias” and Resurrection Eucharist of Easter. 

• April 4^th Easter Sunday: We continue the celebration with Eucharist at 8 AM and Holy Baptism and Eucharist at 10:30 AM.  And our fabulous Easter Brunch afterward!

Join us for the whole pilgrimage, the holiest time of our church year!

MAUNDY THURSDAY AGAPE MEAL IS A FAMILY PRODUCTION

Please join the parish family for an Agape supper at 6pm in the Parish Hall before the Maundy Thursday service.  Everybody plays a part in making it happen.  If you could make us a pot of soup, please be in touch with Katie Rimer at kprimer@comcast.net.  Otherwise please bring the following to the dinner on April 1^st, according to your name:

• If your last name begins with A-H, bring bread, matzoh, or crackers.  Baguettes, challah, or other attractive loaves are very popular.  Some people don't eat wheat products.
• If your last name begins with J-N, bring cheese (or other protein).  Spreads like hummus or bean dip are nice for people who don't want dairy products.
• If your last name begins with O-T, bring a beverage.  People sometimes bring wine (your own corkscrew is helpful), but seltzer and fruit juice are also welcome.
• If your last name begins with U-Z, bring fruit.  Easy to eat items, such as grapes or cut up fruits are nice.  Dates and other dried fruits are also popular.

 

We also request your help for clean-up, which we’ll do as part of the service.  Let’s make this a real community event!

If you’ve been involved in the Agape meal in the past and want to share your wisdom, please contact Katie Rimer at kprimer@comcast.net.  See you there!

 

BRING KINDLING FOR THE NEW FIRE OF THE EASTER VIGIL

We begin the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday April 3rd at 8 PM in complete darkness.  Out of the dark, we ignite the New Fire from which we light the Paschal Candle, the Light of Christ which darkness can never overcome. 

Recently we learned from our missioner Jodi Mikalachki in Burundi that when the Batwa people lose a loved one, as her friends recently lost the 5-year-old child Rosine to malaria, they bring a piece of firewood to the wake to honor their friend.  Firewood is a prized commodity in a land afflicted by desertification, so it represents a powerful symbol of new life in the face of loss.  We have lost many loved ones here at St. James's, including the friends and relatives of our Haitian friends in the earthquake. 

We invite you to bring a small stick of kindling to contribute to the New Fire of the Easter Vigil this year: it will help us kindle resurrection light in the face of death.

EASTER COFFEE HOUR

It is our once a year opportunity for many of us to offer a special treat to be served at the Easter coffee hour. It is a way to say thanks to the Hospitality Committee while we give them a much- needed day off. Jane Smillie will be doing the before coffee hour prep and will be anticipating offers to help her set up tables, organize the food and collect the goodies.

What can you do? Make sandwiches, bake a cake or cookies, bring: drinks, cheese/crackers, fruit, mini bagels, deviled eggs, favorite snacks. Other suggestions are welcomed.

 Please let me know if you would like to help. We can always use folks to help serve and to clean up.

You can contact Judy Beers at jestbeers@verizon.net  and (781) 245-3846

APRIL 10: FIRST PARISH HALL CLEAN-OUT EVENT, 9 AM TO 5 PM

On Saturday April 10^th, Hong Chin and the congregation will meet to begin our inventory and storage process to prepare for redevelopment with the First Parish Hall Clean-out Event from 9 AM to 5 PM.  Come with gloves and sturdy work clothes; bring a sandwich and something to share for lunch – beverage , veggies, snacks, dessert.  We’re tackling the Undercroft first and working upward!!!

JOIN THE BUS TO IAN DOUGLAS’ CONSECRATION, APRIL 17TH

The Rev. Ian Douglas, our priest associate at St. James's for almost a quarter-century, will be consecrated as Bishop of Connecticut at 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning,  April 17 in Hartford, Connecticut.  We are planning to take a bus, and we invite you to come with us.  We will need to leave early enough for the Choir to arrive at 9:30  (leave at 7:30 from the church)  and we will return in the late afternoon.

The cost is $30.00 per person round-trip.  We need you to reserve your place right away!  If you plan on going with us, give your name and money to Yvette Verdieu by this Sunday, March 21st.  She will be available at a table in the Parish Hall after the 10:30 service to register you, to take money, and to answer questions.

You are also welcome to join the Choir in singing and leading three pieces at the service--"Ninasadiki", the Zambian Lord's Prayer, and the South African Easter Introit, "Akanamandla".  Speak with Pat Michaels if you are interested, and plan on joining us for our rehearsal on Wednesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall.

It will be a great occasion, with much "St James's music", and Bishop Desmond Tutu preaching! We hope you will join us! Thank you!

 

NUTMEG  & IAN    

Did you know that the nutmeg is one of the symbols for the state of Connecticut?  I found this out when I asked Ian Douglas for his design advice for the companion stole that is being made to give to the Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the occasion of the ordination and consecration of Ian Douglas on April 17th in Hartford Connecticut .  I have this idea.  For those of you who are planning on attending, why not bring a dish containing Nutmeg to contribute to the reception afterwards.  I am planning on making Nutmeg cookies.

Thanks,
Sarah Forrester

 

HOW ABOUT CAMP FOR THE KIDS THIS SUMMER?
The brochures for the Barbara C. Harris Summer Camp program just arrived.  Pick one up in the Vestry if you think your kids would like to attend.  It's a great program, and our priest associate the Rev. Kit Lonergan is the chaplain.  There's scholarship help available from the Camp itself and from
St. James's.  The brochure tells you how to apply, and see Holly if you need extra help.

Our stained glass windows featured in journal

The award-winning journal Growing up in North Cambridge has featured the beautiful stained glass windows of St. James Episcopal Church in its current issue (Volume 11) as presented in a past sermon by Rev. Judy Gay. The editor has given us the center two pages with color images of some of our windows to highlight the gift that they are. “As Judy has said, “Take time to look, study, and pray with these windows so that God can come into your hearts afresh through their images.”

Interested parishioners may wish to visit the journal's webpages at www.growingupinnorthcambridge.com  for more information. The journal is sold in numerous locations along Mass. Ave. in North Cambridge for $10. It  may also be procured by U.S. Mail ($13). Write  to the Editor at Growing up in North Cambridge, P.O. Box 750002, Arlington Heights, MA 02476 or call 617-733-2232. Friends are also invited to submit their memories of life as a kid growing up in the parish.

 

STEWARDSHIP 2010 – PLEASE CONTRIBUTE YOUR WITNESS IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO!

Numbers will be published only when they change from our present record total of $215,590.

Pledge forms for 2010 are available from the ushers and in the back of the sanctuary.  They can be put in the collection plate when it is passed around. Pledges can also be made free-form by email to thomastufts@comcast.net.   Even if you’ve already made a pledge, here’s a spiritual challenge: Spend 5 uninterrupted, undistracted minutes of quiet time in God’s presence to ask yourself:  What do I long for at St. James’s? or How I serve God in my community outside of St. James’s. Include your answer on your pledge form under “My Witness” or email it to thomastufts@comcast.net and see it posted anonymously under Stewardship 2010 in the Sunday News. 

Witness of the week:  I long for “… a strong youth program where kids are exposed to all aspects of church life…[and] a new parish hall where community will not be inhibited by our building, but strengthened by it.”

NEW NURSERY CARETAKER: ELIZABETH ELLEN

We welcome Elizabeth Ellen as our new nursery caretaker.  She writes, "As a native of Maine, I embrace the historic and bubbling atmosphere of Boston.  I’ve has spent these first few months here creating bonds with families for whom I provide private childcare.  I have already begun to establish myself as an artist in my printmaking studio in Dorchester.  With a BA in early childhood art education from the University of Maine, I hope to bring creative learning experiences to all children under my care." Elizabeth is already an old hand at St. James’s, having helped out in January for Annual Meeting and more.  She will always be assisted by a parish volunteer in the nursery in accord with our safe-church rules.  All toddlers ages 9 months to 3 years are welcome in the nursery, up the stairs at the back of the Parish Hall and left down the hallway.

 

GIVE A FELLOW PARISHIONER A RIDE TO CHURCH!

Susan Sharpe, who is a wonderful volunteer for St. James’s, would greatly appreciate a ride to St. James’s on Sundays. If you would like to help out, you can contact Jacqueline in the Parish office at office@stjames-cambridge.org

RACHEL EVANS WILL HELP US KEEP OUR BUILDINGS HUMMING: WILL YOU?

We have a big, sprawling, complex, challenging property.  Keeping it running smoothly is a big, sprawling, complex, challenging job. As excited as we are about redeveloping our Parish House, we've got months to go before we enter our period of transition, during which we must continue to manage our rental operation, keep the buildings and heating system functioning, handle snow and ice, and on top of that, prepare to archive important papers, winnow our possessions down to manageable proportions, reconfigure the church itself for multiple uses -- fellowship, parish events, classes, music rehearsal -- during the construction of a new parish house, rent new office space and move out of the old parish house before it can be demolished.  Rachel Evans has stepped forward to take on the supervision of our rental operation until we take down our old Parish House.  We need probably THREE more property folks to serve with Rachel -- one person monitoring the heating system; one assisting Hong in discerning repair and maintenance needs in the building; and one to help with the transition planning.  The Vestry needs help to identify folks who can help with these tasks.  If you think you might be called to one of these roles, or you know someone who would be a good choice for one, please let Warden Mark Yoder, Holly, or any Vestry member (names and emails in the back of your bulletin each Sunday) know.

STAY IN TOUCH: JOIN ST. JAMES'S ONLINE NETWORK

In the perfect storm of email, text, Twitter and Facebook, staying in touch as a congregation is a challenge.  We have launched a new St. James's Online Network to offer us the chance to share important information and concerns with each other quickly and easily, and to explore ministry options and hold spiritual and theological conversations in a new way.  We can post prayer requests immediately and directly to the congregation.  We can share advocacy invitations and information on issues we feel called to address out of our Christian compassion.  We will know much more about the broad expanse of ministry pursued with dedication by congregation members outside our church walls. We can organize and manage ministry teams and fellowship subgroups easily.  (The Vestry and the Young Adults group and the Nursery Committee are examples of groups that could be managed through the St. James's Social Network instead of yahoogroups.)  We can post announcements about upcoming events.  And all without waiting to process this through the Sunday News. 

Any congregation member connected enough to have shared their contact information with the Parish Office will be invited to join the network, but the network will be congregation-only, not open to casual visitors.  Holly as Rector, Jacqueline as Office Communicator, and the Communications Committee will be the administrators who monitor network usage and register new members.  They will respond should there be any use of the network that makes another user uncomfortable. A copy of our use policy will be kept in the office to help us shape our network usage for courtesy, safety and productivity. 

Let Jacqueline know at office@stjames-cambridge,org if you would like to register!  The more congregation members we sign up, the better the St. James's Online Network will serve God's mission at St. James's.

LITURGICAL VOLUNTEERS

Have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes during Sunday morning worship? The preacher has to write a sermon, of course, and the choir practices the music, but what else goes on? During the week volunteers arrive to receive the florist delivery and to arrange the flowers on the altar.  Two people get up to read the lessons and another person leads the prayers of the people. Two people help the celebrant by carrying the cup of wine during the Eucharist. One person carries the cross up the aisle and onto the altar.  Two adults take care of babies in the nursery, and many many adults teach Sunday school.  All in all, each Sunday service requires an offering of time or talent from at least a dozen regular members in order to flow smoothly. Many of these volunteers describe their service as a blessing and a ministry that draws them deeper into the love of God and our community.

If you'd like to offer your help with any of these ministries, please call or email the office.

COMMUNION & FLU

If you are concerned about H1N1 virus, remember that it is fine to cross your arms over your chest to indicate that you wish to forego the wine and commune with just the bread.  We will offer bottles of hand disinfectant on the small tables by the West Door and the door to the Parish Hall for those who wish to use it upon arriving, and those of us bearing the patten will also sanitize our hands before distributing the bread.  At the Passing of the Peace, you may decline to shake hands or hug if you wish; a friendly eye contact and greeting will pass plenty of peace for the time being!

EDUCATION

SPIRITUAL FORMATION GOES GLOBAL WITH ESTER JAMIR IN THE SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY

This year our Sunday morning Bible Study Group will have a special international focus with Ester Jamir, a theological student at Episcopal Divinity School from Nagaland in North India, near Burma, sharing with Judy Gay in the leadership.  We will meet every Sunday morning, 9:15-10:15 in the Lounge just off the parish hall.  We will share our questions, knowledge and ideas about the Sunday scriptures in their historical and Biblical contexts and as they relate to the context of our everyday lives in the different parts of the world from which we come. Visitors, newcomers, occasional and regular participants are always welcome.
For more information contact the Rev Judy Gay at 617-547-0838 or judyjohngay@comcast.net .

CALLING ALL KIDS, AGES 3 TO 10: CHURCH SCHOOL IS FUN!

The two classes in the Lower Church School are going so well; we are getting to know each other, and having interesting conversations. We have been learning about the destruction of Jerusalem, the Exile and the New Covenant – and a bit about St. Francis. In Class 1, Susan Robinson, Lynne Campbell and Carol Hilliard form the teaching team, and in Class 2, Kate Sackton and Beth Abbate form the teaching team.  JT Kittredge & Liz McNerney are assisting as substitutes.

 

A TASTE OF TEACHING

We still need folks who can substitute when one of us will not be at church; this is a once-in-a-while commitment. In addition, Carol is starting to plan for the January to June term. Please give this prayerful thought, and call or email me. I can tell you that I feel real satisfaction and fulfillment from thinking about the lessons and how to make them meaningful for young children, as well as from the interactions with the children themselves. carolhilliard1@verizon.net.

NURSERY HELP NEEDED

Come spend a Sunday hanging out with our little St. James’sians as a Nursery Volunteer!  Our nursery caretaker Celeste Bouvier will be happy to bring you on board.  It’s a joyful service.  Email aletha.musser@yahoo.com.

PRAXIS WITH HOLLY

On Tuesday mornings at 7:30am and Thursday evenings at 6 pm, we gather in the Rector's Office for an hour of "spiritual practice" or "praxis." After opening with a brief devotion and a sharing of our gratitude and challenges to gratitude, our time is 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 finish in an hour. This is a drop-in event; no preparation is necessary.  Come "taste and see!"

 

OUTREACH

HELPING IN HAITI

With so many beloved congregation members touched directly by the Haiti earthquake, all of us are reeling.  Let’s put that energy of compassion to work, and at the same time honor Ian Douglas – whose first missionary placement was in Haiti -- on his way to the episcopate.  Many of you may wish to donate to the Haitian orphanage on whose board St. James’s Choir member Yvette Verdieu serves.  You can do so by making a check to St. James’s, earmarking it “In honor of Ian Douglas,” and leaving it with Yvette or in Holly’s box in the Parish Office. You can also contribute directly through Paul Farmer’s Partners in Health, online at http://www.pih.org/home.html.  Or follow this link to the Episcopal Life Online and click on the link for Episcopal Relief and Development at the bottom of the article: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_118432_ENG_HTM.htm You can also contribute through The Society of St. Margaret, 17 Highland Park Street, Boston, MA 02119.  For updates and more information about the sisters' work in Haiti, go to www.ssmbos.com and click on the "Haiti" page link. 

HELPING HAND FOOD PANTRY - VOLUNTEERS

The Helping Hand Food Pantry needs helpers to unload food delivery trucks. A truck from Food for Free delivers produce on Tuesday and Thursday about noon and the Food Bank truck arrives on Friday about 10:30. If you could help with unloading boxes or placing food in the pantry, please call the Food Pantry office at 617-876-4381 or email Nina Siciliano, food pantry director at foodpantry@stjames-cambridge.org.

OUR COMMUNITY PRAYERS…

PARISH PRAYER LIST

Prayers for loved ones near and far are very important.  Sometimes, however, people forget to update us in the office about those on our weekly prayer list.  Holly and Jacqueline will update the prayer list on the first Sunday of every month. If you wish your loved ones to remain on the list for the next month, please let us know by noon of the last Thursday of the previous month that you wish us to continue our prayers, and we will keep their names on our list.  THANK YOU!

We pray for those who have asked for our prayers: The Rev. Julia Dunbar, Sarah Larson, Mabel Moore-Pollard, Bishop Bud Cederholm, the Rev. Ted Gaiser, Pat Haynes, our Haitian friends, Cynthia Owen, Sandra Ryeom and her family, Cirian Luc, Edd Jordan, Shirley Fridye, Robert Rose, Steve Jansen, Alison, Natalie and Jessica Sollee, Kevin Millerick, Miriam Joseph, Don Voradeth, Lois Harder, Sonya Shumway, Judy Brown, Susanne Carrington, Lauren Sullivan, Hesung Koh, Judith Carroll, John Carleton, Andrew Joseph McNerney, Bob Massie, Ellen Shapiro, Bettye Hunter, Ken Holmes, Randi Holmes, Emily Sunderland, Amanda Harder, Marian King, Ebert Agard, Marie, Constance, & Lydge Lahens, Florence Stanley, Arne Nystrom, Nina Siciliano & Family, Robert Blake, Barbara Butler, Jodi Mikalachki, June Fifield, Karen Coleman, Mateo Singer-Torres, Emilienne Jules, Roger Shumway, Lisa McDonnell, Mary Mosesian and Jack McMackin.

We pray for those who have died: the victims of the Chilean & Haiti earthquakes.

We pray for the 61 Iraqis who were killed, and the 149 Iraqis who have been injured in the past week, but whose names have not been recorded. We also pray for all Afghanistanis and Pakistanis killed or injured because of war. We pray for US American servicemen who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past week:  Jonathan J. Richardson, Jason M. Kropat, Garrett W. Gamble, Jonathan D. Porto, Lakeshia M. Bailey, Aaron M. Arthur, Erin L. McLyman and for all soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and veterans who are recovering from physical and mental harm sustained in the war.

The flowers this week are  given by Ed Humphrey in memory of Peggy Humphrey on her birthday.

To donate memorial flowers – in memory of loved ones or in thanksgiving for birthdays, anniversaries or other life transitions – please contact Carolyn Taylor, Flower Committee at 617-623-2631 or email her at jtaylo7026@aol.com

 

And Don’t Forget…

The Bell

We are putting news articles and the Rector’s Bell Letter on the website, along with our liturgical schedules and other information.  The Bell will be drawn every other month from the materials posted.  Go online to http://www.stjames-cambridge.org/ and check it out!

Anyone feel called to a ministry of communication?  Give Holly Antolini a call or an email at rector@stjames-cambridge.org.

Want to sign up for the Bell? Be sure to enter your email address on the parish website at http://www.stjames-cambridge.org/news-events.  If you already get the Sunday News, you should be on The Bell's email list already.

Thanks for Wearing Nametags

Please remember to wear your nametag and help encourage others to do so, too. Wearing our nametags is important as a gesture of hospitality to every person who walks into St. James's, newcomers and old friends alike. Nametag supplies are in the vestry and the entries into the sanctuary

Parish Calendar

If you plan an activity and need to reserve time and space on the Parish Calendar, please email Jacqueline at office@stjames-cambridge.org or phone her during office hours. Or come into the office to make arrangements and to leave contact information: name, phone number and email address.

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!

Please use Holly’s office email – rector@stjames-cambridge.org -- for all St. James’s emails, rather than her home email address.  She is ALWAYS available in an emergency at 1-857-998-1777.

Holly’s “days off” are Friday & Saturday.  She’ll be in the office Monday midday, and Tuesday through Thursday, if you need to reach her.  And Sundays, OF COURSE!

All announcements for the Sunday News must be submitted by Wednesdays at noon.
Email Jacqueline at office@stjames-cambridge.org.
Have an addition or correction to the prayer list?  Email Jacqueline by Wednesday at noon.
Parish office hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays from 10AM-2PM

Readings for March 28, Palm Sunday :

• Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm 31:9-16
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Luke 22:14-23:56