In this week's edition of the eNews:

- Priest's Corner: These fires are personal

- Tomorrow: Blessings for Dontae as he departs to Julliard!

- This Thursday: Tentmakers Ministry Team (building & facilities committee) kickoff

- Submit Parish Directory Updates by 8/31

- September 1: The next St. PJ's Jazz Collective Concert

- August 28: "Club Lost" with IONNE (Maurice Harris)

- News from the Wider Church: The Spokane fires, Episcopal Farmworker Ministry advocates for migrants, neurodivergent church leaders embrace Archbishop of Canterbury

- This Sunday at St. PJ's: Holy Eucharist

• Cycles of Prayer
• Video: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon from Loaves & Fishes executive director Lorrice Grant

- There's Always More...

Priest's Corner: These fires are personal

From the Rev. Nathan Empsall, priest-in-charge

"But we would not see your goodness in the world around us; and so we violated your creation, abused one another, and rejected your love." - Eucharistic Prayer 1, Enriching Our Worship

You may have seen the headlines over the past week about the urban wildfires in Spokane, WA: 67,000 evacuated -- more than a quarter of the city, perhaps for weeks to come -- and more than 900 structures destroyed so far. Firefighters are working 16-hour shifts, and yet as I write this reflection the three fires are still only 23%, 31%, and 37% contained, with more dry winds coming.

Thankfully, somehow, no deaths have been reported.

This one's personal. Spokane is deeply intertwined with my neighboring hometown of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, much like Hamden and New Haven. The two cities may technically be separated by a state line, but the drive from my family's church in CDA to St. John's Cathedral in Spokane is only 38 minutes -- and unlike here in the northeast, there is little else for hundreds of miles.

Both of my ordinations (deacon and priest) were at the Spokane cathedral. Every time I fly home, it's to the Spokane airport. I have worked for the Spokane diocese, the Spokane newspaper, and a political party's Spokane office. My dad's second kidney transplant was in Spokane. All the regional TV stations and the NPR station are based there. I've seen Weird Al, the Smothers Brothers, the Newsboys, and A Prairie Home Companion in Spokane.

My best friend's dad spent two days this week fearing he had lost his home. He lucked out, if you can call a smelly ash-covered house "luck", but his neighbors didn't -- nor did my high school senior-class president. Other friends are still evacuated. Hiking trails I love are gone. My family in Idaho and Washington are far and safe from the flames, but the smoke is insane and extremely unhealthy.

Fear, anxiety, and concern abound.

Images from Christopher Elliot and Nick Beres NC5 on Facebook

This is not just one more wildfire: It is a major urban disaster. Spokane is Washington State's second largest city. Making it worse, these three Spokane fires didn't have to happen this way -- such disasters are now almost always made worse by human-caused climate change. Of course fires have always happened and can even be quite vital for healthy ecosystems, but unnaturally hotter temperatures mean that what would have been smaller, safer fires now burn hotter, longer, and more often than they used to, leaving far more destruction in their wake.

It's almost like God didn't intend for us to yank enormous quantities of oil and gas out of the ground -- oil and gas previously left undisturbed for millions of years -- and then fling them into the air without any consequences for the balance of creation.

I used to work for the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Every time I heard our boss, Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, give a public talk about YPCCC's research, he made the point that even people who view climate change as real still view it as distant in both time and space: Real, but far away in the future, affecting other countries far away. The truth is that the impact of our violation of God's creation is now, and it's here, in major American cities -- impacting the neighbors Jesus calls us to love.

The Episcopal Bishop of Spokane who ordained me, the Rt. Rev. Gretchen Rehberg, has set up an emergency relief fund. An update on the diocesan page yesterday reports on the fund's progress, "We are delighted at the generous response... We have emergency shelters and are giving gas and grocery cards to those in need."

I gave to the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane's relief effort once, and hope to give again soon. Will you please prayerfully consider giving, too?

Please pray for all affected by the fires -- including the brave fire fighters -- and then also take action with the Episcopal Public Policy Network, part of the Presiding Bishop's office, to contact Congress in support of environmental stewardship >> 

Tomorrow: Blessings for Dontae as he departs for Julliard!

Even with the heat, you won't want to miss church tomorrow: It's our final Sunday with Dontae James, our beloved tech and music intern, before he heads to The Juilliard School. One day soon, we will say we knew him when!

We are so grateful to Dontae for running our livestream, using his saxophone for God, and constantly gracing us with his humility, talent, and warmth. Please come to wish this special young man well, to worship with his music own more time, to pray him out, and to stay for a special Coffee & Community in his honor.

See Dontae play his original composition, "I Watched Satan Fall From Heaven," at our spring concert in this video from the New Haven Independent >>

(Many have been asking what happens for our music and tech team after Dontae leaves. Dylan is not planning to bring in a new intern at this time. For the rest of August, he will play solo jazz piano. Beginning in September, we will rotate guest musicians alongside Dylan most weeks, and volunteers will run the livestream. Please let Dylan or Rev. Nathan know if you would like to help with the tech!)

This Thursday: Tentmakers (Building) Ministry Team kickoff

Our revived building and facilities team will gather this Thursday, August 13, at 1 p.m. We will pray, discuss the team's role, select a chair, and walk around the campus to identify and prioritize maintenance needs.

All are welcome to participate in this important work to sustain the rest of our ministry and worship -- let Rev. Nathan know if you can join!

Submit Parish Directory Updates by 8/31

Homecoming Sunday will be September 13, and that means it's time for annual updates to the parish directory!

If your contact information has changed, please email office@stpaulstjames.org to let Monifa know by August 31.

The next St. PJ's Jazz Collective Concert:

Tuesday, September 1, 7 p.m.

The St. PJ’s Jazz Collective will play two more concerts this year: Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Friday, Dec. 4.

Get your tickets for September 1 now, and invite your friends!

August 28: "Club Lost" with IONNE

From St. PJ's member Dr. Maurice Harris, aka the artist "IONNE":

Club Lost: A Music. Dance. Poetry. Social Experience.

August 28, 2026

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Lost in New Haven

80 Hamilton St., New Haven, CT

Club Lost is a one-night music, dance, visual art, poetry, and social experience. IONNE (Maurice Harris) will perform a continuous DJ/live-song set featuring deep house, melodic house, and progressive house, along with two new original works connected to the 250th anniversary of the United States. The evening will also feature spoken word by New Haven Poet Laureate Yex and performances and artwork by several other New Haven artists.

The event is designed as an immersive, all-ages evening where guests can enjoy music and performances, move through the museum, see visual art, and spend time together in community.

IONNE has generously offered St. PJ's members the discount code CLUBLOST10, which provides 10% off orders of up to four tickets.

More information and tickets are available here: https://www.lostinnewhaven.org/events/clublost

In the picture: IONNE Live at Lost in New Haven with Trevor Babb and Dylan Rowland, January 24, 2026. Photo by: Kasaad Bullock/The Collective NHV.

News from the Wider Church: The Spokane fires, Episcopal Farmworker Ministry advocates for migrants, neurodivergent church leaders embrace Archbishop of Canterbury

- [ENS] Spokane bishop responds to region’s wildfires: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/08/04/spokane-bishop-responds-to-regions-wildfires/

- [Living Church] Spokane Parish: Members Evacuate, Lose Homes: https://livingchurch.org/news/news-episcopal-church/spokane-parish-members-evacuate-lose-homes/

- [ENS] Also from the Diocese of Spokane -- Lexington diocese elects WA's four-time Jeopardy star Rev. David Sibley its ninth bishop: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/08/03/lexington-diocese-elects-david-sibley-its-ninth-bishop/

- [ENS] Episcopal Farmworker Ministry calls for aid as government decreases H-2A workers’ wages: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/08/06/episcopal-farmworker-ministry-calls-for-aid-as-government-decreases-h-2a-workers-wages/

- [ENS] Long Island bishop-elect reflects on faith journey as he prepares to become first Episcopal bishop of Arab descent: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/08/03/long-island-bishop-elect-reflects-on-faith-journey-as-he-prepares-to-become-first-episcopal-bishop-of-arab-descent/

- [Living Church] Neurodivergent Church Leaders Welcome Archbishop of Canterbury Mullally’s Remarks: https://livingchurch.org/news/news-anglican-communion/neurodivergent-church-leaders-welcome-mullallys-remarks/

- [RNS] How grief made Archbishop García-Siller a prophetic voice on immigration: https://religionnews.com/2026/08/07/how-grief-made-archbishop-garcia-siller-a-prophetic-voice-on-immigration/

- [RNS] Young African Catholics say faith inspires their fight against climate change: https://religionnews.com/2026/08/07/young-african-catholics-say-faith-inspires-their-fight-against-climate-change/

Come 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, August 9, the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Nathan will preach and celebrate Holy Eucharist, and we will joyfully wish our tech intern and saxophone player Dontae well as he departs for Julliard.

Children's Sunday School is on summer break until August 30.

Serving this Sunday:

Sunday

10:30 a.m.

Jazz Service

In-person and online

Wednesday

12:30 p.m.



Quiet Communion

In-person only

Thursday

12:30 p.m.



Midday Prayers

In-person only

Cycles of Prayer and St. PJ's Prayer List

In the Episcopal Church in Connecticut cycle of prayer for August 2 and 9, we pray for Good Shepherd/Immanuel St. James Chapel, Shelton; St. Paul’s, Shelton; St. Alban’s, Simsbury; St. Peter’s, South Windsor; Epiphany, Southbury; and St. Paul’s, Southington, and for all parish-based mission partnerships; ECCT-wide mission partnership networks; the Companions in Mission Ministry Network; and liturgical assistants serving in parishes, including members of altar guilds, lectors, lay readers, Eucharistic ministers, Eucharistic visitors, and lay evangelists & vergers.

In the Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Church of the Province of Uganda and for The Episcopal Church.

On the St. PJ's prayer list, we pray for Doug Parker, Calvin Griffin, the Rev. Walter MacNutt, Kevin Gerbe, Leota Tucker, Edwina Johnson, Cynthia King, Paul D'Agostino, Tiras Jaske, Uli Mackert and family, Charlie & Bridget Farrell, Alyce, Pam, Stephen Lett, Vanetta Lloyd, Marietta D'Albero, Marietta Coppola, Alexandra Sanseverino, Dr Milton Coke, Pam Yesner, the Rev. Carl Scovel, Karl Mini, Margaret Perry, Ryan Welch, Kyle Park, Fr. Tom, George Moore, A.J. Crosby, Joan Farrell, Sharyn Kessler, Michael Montenegro, Meryl Tate Triplett, Dawn Magliulo, the Gilder Family, Carolyn Wigley, Wendy McLeod, Cotton Burlingame, Deacon Felix Rivera, Marie Blake, Hossna, Peter Loden, Roni Holcomb & family, Judy Hopkins

✠ Birthdays: Cheryl Harrigan (8/10), Oyarma Tate (8/13)

✠ Deceased: Richard Holcomb (7/22)

VIDEO: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon

Last week was the tenth Sunday after Pentecost. Rev. Nathan celebrated the Eucharist, and Lorrice Grant -- the executive director of Loaves & Fishes -- preached.

If you either missed or want to revisit last Sunday or other recent Sundays at St. PJ's, you can find the recorded livestream on our Facebook and/or YouTube pages.

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

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

• Priest-in-Charge: The Rev. Nathan Empsall, revnathan@stpaulstjames.org, (203) 278-9199
• Administrative Director: Monifa Atkinson, office@stpaulstjames.org
• Sexton: Sammy Rodriguez
• Children's Sunday School: Sarah Hill
• Interim Director of Music: Dylan Rowland
• Tech and Music Intern: Dontae James
• Vestry: Bill Evans (co-warden), Juhani Jaske (co-warden), David Hill (treasurer), Maggie King (clerk), Maurice Harris, Pam Sayre, Vanetta Lloyd, Lynne Severance, David Boyer, Roni Holcomb