St. PJ's eNews: September 27, 2025 | | |
- Weekly Reflection: All the gratitude!
- This Tuesday, 9/30: "Margins and Movements" Book Club
(read a short book -- or even just a short article! all are welcome!)
- Next weekend, 10/4-5: Blessing of the Animals
- Friday, 10/10: "Sound and Style" concert
- Tomorrow: [Un]Rooted adult formation series
- Tomorrow: Postcard Advocacy
- New State Street traffic patterns
- News from the Wider Church: Episcopalians speak out for the Arctic, praying with Bonhoeffer, South Sudan pleads for peace, and more
- This Week at St. PJ's and Cycles of Prayer
- Video: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon
- Safe Church Training
- There's Always More...
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Weekly Reflection: All the gratitude!
Last Sunday was a little different, as we celebrated the Season of Creation with Church in the Park instead of church in the building. And what a wonderful day it was! Sometimes, change -- even just a little, for only a little while -- can help give us new perspectives, whether on ourselves, creation, or even God. That can be especially true when we're mixing old and new, perhaps doing the "same old, same old" yet in a fresh way.
Multiple folks commented on how perfect the weather was for this. I've been responding that while I don't think God made the weather nice just for us, perhaps God whispered into our ears which Sunday we should pick.
Getting ready for church, my five-year-old daughter was trepidatious, to say the least. She didn't like that there would be no Sunday School, and she wasn't so sure about a park with no playground. But as we drove home, she told me, "That was actually really great! Can we do it again??? Please!!!" Ms. Molly said her son said something similar: "That was so fun!"
I'm told that St. PJ's has worshipped in Wooster Square Park at least once before in recent memory, for the Blessing of the Animals two years ago. A few people asked me why we didn't combine the two events again. My hope is that holding them on different Sundays gives us two special opportunities to show something different to our Wooster Square neighbors -- and to invite them in.
But days like this don't just happen. There are so many to thank. First, Bill Evans Jr., an enormous debt of gratitude for being the first to arrive and one of the last to leave, leading all the manual labor of moving and setting up tables and chairs, both to and from the park. A big thanks also to Judy Lhamon, Sally Fleming, Suzy McDowell, Kelly Park, and anyone else I've missed who helped Bill, especially at the end when so many more jumped in! Thank you to Tudy Hill for providing a more flexible coffee hour and to everyone who helped her set it up. Double thanks to Tudy for serving as L.A. at the last second when our scheduled server had to call in with a terrible cold none of us want to catch, and double thanks to Suzy for ushering and altar guilding under different circumstances than normal. Thank you to Molly Clayton for bringing picnic-area supplies, setting up a scavenger hunt for the kids, and keeping an eye on them all. Thank you to Dontae James on tech for being very nimble and doing a fantastic job with a different livestream setup than normal. Musically, thank you to Trevor Babb for playing guitar and David Tate for serving as cantor, and of course to Will Cleary for his flexibility and leadership. And a big thank you to Chloe Starr for her wonderful reflection on a very tough Gospel passage, which you can watch on YouTube or Facebook Live at the links below.
Who have I missed? I'm sure there were many! Thank you all!
I was also remiss in last week's eNews - we had a wonderful Homecoming luncheon, where many folks deserved thanks as well. To Susan Yates and everyone who joined her in setting up and cleaning down, THANK YOU (but especially thank you to Susan, who was the last to leave). To Sammy Rodriguez, our sextant, who set up and away the tables and chairs. To everyone who brought food items. Thank you for the hospitality and love.
And there's one more note of gratitude, but this isn't from me. Maggie King asked me to include this letter to the garden team this week, which I am delighted to do:
I would like to formally thank the St. PJ's Gardeners for all their work keeping our corner of New Haven blooming bright. Thank you to Tony Gagliardi, Judy Lhamon, Sally Fleming, and Brian Fillmore for planting beautiful annuals and for schlepping buckets & buckets of water through the heat of the summer to keep those flowers healthy! You help to turn surprising spots into bursts of color for all to enjoy.
If anyone else would like to join our group of spirited gardeners, please reach out to any of us; we would love the company!
May you bloom where you are planted,
Maggie King
(And thank you too, Maggie!)
Nothing in this life just happens -- not even, perhaps especially not, in church. Our worship, our spirituality, our finances, our outreach, and our community life are all thanks to the hard yet joyful work of so many, and giving thanks for you and to you gives me joy in return. Thank you.
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Book Club this Tuesday: "The Serviceberry"
(All are welcome!)
Let's come together this Tuesday, 9/30, at 7 p.m. for the second gathering of our new “Margins and Movements” social-justice book club, with light refreshments.
This month's selection, for the Season of Creation, is "The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World" by Potawatomi botanist Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Come if you didn't make it last time, come if you only read a few pages of the book, come if you heard the audiobook, or come if you didn't read at all but would like to sit in community and hear from those who did. If you didn't get the short book from 2025, you still have time to read the even shorter precursor essay from 2022, "The Serviceberry An Economy of Abundance." Bring a friend!
And thanks in advance to Kelly Park for leading this discussion!
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Next Weekend: Blessing of the Animals
(First in the park, then in church)
The Season of Creation will conclude with our annual Blessing of the Animals next Saturday and Sunday, October 4 and 5.
Bring your furry and scaly friends either to Wooster Square Park on Saturday, where Revs. Nathan and Harlon will be hanging out from 9:30 to noon, or to church on Sunday during our weekly 10:30 service.
You may also bring a stuffed animal or a picture of a beloved pet!
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Get ready for "Sound and Style"
Concert on Friday, October 10, 6:30 p.m.
Sound & Style benefit concert for St. PJ's
feat. Ionne, the St. PJ's Jazz Ensemble, and Friends
Friday, October 10, 2025
St. PJ's Undercroft
Doors open and food sales: 6:30 p.m.
Concert begins: 7:00 p.m.
Reserve your tickets now >>
Please join an unforgettable evening of music and community at "The Square @ St. PJ's," featuring a headline performance by Ionne (Maurice Harris) from his new genre-bending double-releases, “Pathos” and “A Light Untruth,” along with Will Cleary and Dylan Rowland of the St. PJ’s Jazz Ensemble and guest artists.
Each artist will bring their unique sound and style, creating a diverse and enriching musical tapestry.
This is a benefit concert for St. PJ's. Tickets are a suggested donation of $25, available online or at the door. Reserve your spot today and be part of a night that celebrates harmony, hope, and the power of music to bring us together!
Heavy hors d'oeuvres and small bites will be available for purchase, featuring homemade catering with diverse cultural options by our administrative director Monifa Atkinson and her family.
Reserve your tickets now >>
To pay a different amount for a ticket than the listed options, select "I'd just like to donate" instead, and your contribution will still be honored as a ticket.
Please let Will Cleary know if you can volunteer at the door!
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Tomorrow: Adult Formation Returns
Following Coffee and Community tomorrow, come to the chapel for [Up]Rooted, our new adult formation series designed and led by our seminary intern Kelly Park!
Particularly in unstable and uncertain times, being deeply rooted in God can ground us, nourish us, and connect us together as a faith community. (Up)Rooted is a two-part learning and conversation series where we'll engage with Scriptures that focus on rootedness and being uprooted, learn a little about (and from!) tree roots, and think together about how being firmly rooted both individually and as a community of faith can help us weather the storms of this world.
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Tomorrow: Postcards for Creation
During the Season of Creation, we don't just give thanks and pray for what God has made: We put our faith into action to protect it.
During Coffee and Community after worship tomorrow and next week, you'll find a second table set up with St. PJ's postcards (donated by Juhani Jaske), pens, officials' addresses, and topic suggestions. You can use these materials to write to our government officials and urge:
- A) the Dept. of Interior to support wind energy here in New England; and/or
- B) Senator Murphy and Rep. DeLauro to join Sen. Blumenthal in co-sponsoring legislation that protects the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (This idea is in support of the Indigenous Gwich'in nation, and comes from the Episcopal Public Policy Network.)
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New State Street Traffic Patterns
If your route to church includes lower State Street, note that as of this week, "between Chapel Street and Audubon streets, the northbound lane is now closed, with the southbound lane being converted to two-way traffic."
These new traffic patterns could make your drive take a little longer, but are part of a long-term project to make the city friendlier to pedestrians and bikers, not just drivers. Please either consider a slightly different route or at least give yourself a few extra minutes!
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Come to worship this Sunday, September 28, at 10:30 a.m. as we celebrate the 16th Sunday after Pentecost and the 34th Sunday in the Season of Creation.
David Tate will preach and Tudy Hill will lead Morning Prayer.
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Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
In person and online
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Wednesday Prayer 12:30 p.m.
In person
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Thursday Compline 8 p.m.
On Zoom
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Cycles of Prayer
In the cycle of prayer for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, we pray this week for Christ Church, Stratford; Trinity, Tariffville; and St. Peter’s-Trinity, Thomaston; and for youth & youth ministries, Journey to Adulthood (J2A), Confirm Not Conform, & all other confirmation classes.
In the global Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan.
ST. PJ’S PRAYER LIST: Rachel, Doug Parker, Anne Matthies, Betty Hill, Tim Barnes, Calvin Griffin, Lenny Santarsiero, Rev. Walter MacNutt, Tom Caffelle, Kevin Gerbe, Leota Tucker, Edwina Johnson, Cynthia King, Paul D'Agostino, Richard Holcomb, Tiras Jaske, Uli Mackert, Charlie & Bridget Farrell, Alyce, Judi, Tom, Leslie, Andrew, Pam, Tommy, Beverly Lett, Vanetta Lloyd, Janea Barthle, Lydia Hamnquist, Kate Galambos, Rita Valenti-Piovane, Stephen Lett, Rev. Nihal de Lanerolle, Martin O’Brien, William Evans, Sr., Pam Sayre, Marilyn Bergen, Marietta D’Albero, Leonilda Sanchez, Maria Rodriquez, Marietta Coppola, Heather de Lanerolle, Cheryl Harrigan, Paul Mangels, Alexandra Sanseverino, Dr. Milton Coke, Rev. Deacon Felix Rivera, Peter Loden, Pam Yesner, Rev. Carl Scovel
Our postulant for ordination: Milton Gilder
Anniversary: Suzy & Dwayne McDowell (9/28)
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VIDEO: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon
If you either missed or want to revisit last Sunday at St. PJ's, you can find the recorded livestream on our Facebook and/or YouTube pages.
Last week, as part of the Season of Creation, we had Church in the Park! Rev. Nathan celebrated Eucharist in Wooster Square Park, Chloe Starr preached, and Dontae James did a great job livestreaming under very different circumstances than we're used to.
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New Fall Dates for
Safe Church Training
In an important effort to build and protect community for everyone, the Episcopal Church requires that all church leaders (including vestry), staff, and anyone interacting with youth or pastoral ministries take Safe Church Training every three years.
The training is free and can be done in person or online. New fall dates have now been announced by the diocese, and you can find them (and more information) online here.
Bishop Jeff Mello says: "Safe Church Training, and our commitment to creating a church that is safe for all of God’s beloved children, is at the center of our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those most at risk for abuse are the very ones Jesus drew close; children, the frail, and those at the margins. To be made more and more into the likeness of Christ is to take seriously the safety and welfare of those Safe Church is meant to protect."
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There's always more...
Please remember that there is a blue Lost & Found bin in the church office.
If you would like to submit an item for consideration in the eNews or bulletin announcements, please let Rev. Nathan know at revnathan@stpaulstjames.org by next Wednesday afternoon.
Please contact Monifa Atkinson in the church office at office@stpaulstjames.org or (203) 562-2143 if you are interested in receiving more information about any of the following:
- Renting space at St. PJ's for your next party, meeting, concert, wedding, or other event. More info at the St. PJ's website here >>
- Volunteering with St. PJ's
- Adding a name, birthday, or anniversary to the St. PJ's prayer list
- Arranging pastoral care needs
- Purchasing grocery-store gift cards to benefit St. PJ's
- Reserving a place in the St. PJ's columbarium or purchasing a plaque on the Memorial Wall
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St. PJ's Staff and Contacts
Administrative Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - Noon
Priest Office Hours: Tuesday - Thursday by appointment
office@stpaulstjames.org
(203) 562-2143
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Priest-in-Charge: The Rev. Nathan Empsall, revnathan@stpaulstjames.org, (203) 278-9199
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Administrative Director: Monifa Atkinson, office@stpaulstjames.org
- Sexton: Sammy Rodriguez
- Children's Ministry: Molly Clayton
- Director of Music: Will Cleary
- Associate Director of Music: Dylan Rowland
- Tech and Music Intern: Dontae James
- Seminary Intern: Kelly Park
- Priest Associate: The Rev. Steve Crowson
- Vestry: Bill Evans (co-warden), Juhani Jaske (co-warden), David Hill (treasurer), Maggie King (clerk), Roni Holcomb, Steve Crowson, Maurice Harris, Pam Sayre, Vanetta Lloyd, Lynne Severance
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