In this week's edition of the eNews:

- Tomorrow: Eucharist at the church, NOT outdoors

- Next Sunday, October 4: Blessing of the Animals

- Change in Prayer List management



- October 10: "Celebrate! 2026" regional Episcopal event

- See David Tate in "Disaster! The Musical," now - 10/10

- News from the Wider Church: Creation care conference, the Episcopal Church's first Arab bishop, interfaith action, and more

- This Sunday at St. PJ's

• Cycles of Prayer
• Video: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon

- There's Always More...

Tomorrow: Eucharist at the church, NOT outdoors

See you tomorrow at 10:30 in the usual place, not in the park. This will be our third rainy Sunday with sanctuary lights on the fritz in a row -- but wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus's name, he promises to be there! I look forward to time in community, heartfelt music with Trevor Babb, and a good sermon from Kelly Park.

Because we had alternate park plans, we had not scheduled a regularly coffee and community hour, so please feel free to bring a last minute treat if you're able.

And speaking of the rain... contractors have been on site this week to fix some of the roof issues in the back that have been leading to water in the parish-hall hallway. I (Rev. Nathan) was away for most of the week with visiting family, so I guess we'll find out tomorrow if they're done and how well it went!

Next Sun, Oct. 4: Blessing of the Animals

(AKA Bring Your Pet to Church Day)

Bring your furry and scaly friends to church next Sunday, October 4, to receive a blessing during the service and joyously conclude the Season of Creation!

We can also bless children's stuffed animals or pictures (including on your phone) of a beloved pet that either can't travel or has passed on.

Unfortunately, there will not be a stand-alone animal event on Saturday this year.

Change in Prayer List Management

Beginning today, if you would like to add or remove names from the St. PJ's prayer list, please contact our Pastoral Care Associate, Kelly Park, at kelly@stpaulstjames.org.

New: "Celebrate! 2026" regional Episcopal event October 10

On Saturday, October 10, at 4 p.m., please join Episcopalians from across south-central Connecticut for fellowship, food, and praise.

This event, "Celebrate! 2026," is a chance to connect with the wider Episcopal Church in Connecticut's region, see the broader Body of Christ beyond our parish walls, and make joyful new connections. We will gather outside St. John's in North Haven (3 Trumbull Place) for a casual Eucharist, a food truck meal for purchase, lawn games, a children's bounce house, and joyful community. Bring a tasty treat for the Autumn Dessert Potluck!

This diocesan event may have sprung from an idea of Rev. Nathan's, but a broader regional planning team gets all the credit for making it happen. We hope to see and hear you there!

See St. PJ's member David Tate in

"Disaster! The Musical," now - 10/10

What: DISASTER! the Musical

Who: David Michael Tate as Ted

When: September 18 – October 10, 2026

Fridays & Saturdays: 8 p.m.

Sunday matinees: 5 p.m.

Where: Ridgefield Theater Barn, 37 Halpin Ln, Ridgefield, CT

Tickets: $45 adults | $40 seniors/students/veterans

“Pay-What-You-Want” Matinee: Sunday, September 27

Official description: It’s 1979, and New York’s hottest A-listers are lining up for the opening of a floating casino and discotheque. Also attending is a faded disco star, a nightclub singer with her eleven-year-old twins, a disaster expert, a feminist reporter, an older couple with a secret, a pair of young guys who are looking for ladies, an untrustworthy businessman, and a nun with a gambling addiction. What begins as a night of boogie fever quickly changes to panic as the ship succumbs to multiple disasters, such as earthquakes, tidal waves and infernos. As the night turns into day, everyone struggles to survive and, quite possibly, repair the love that they’ve lost…or at least escape the killer rats. With larger-than-life characters, snappy dialogue and some of the most recognizable songs of the ’70s, Disaster! is a laugh-out-loud jukebox musical packed with big personalities, outrageous situations, and disco flair!

News from the Wider Church: Creation care conference, the Episcopal Church's first Arab bishop, interfaith action, and more

- [ENS] Province VIII’s creation care conference to address regional climate issues, center Indigenous voices: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/23/province-viiis-creation-care-conference-to-address-region-specific-climate-issues-center-indigenous-voices/

- [ENS] Episcopal employee insurance rates rising as much as 14% in 2027, further straining church budgets: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/24/episcopal-employee-insurance-rates-rising-as-much-as-14-in-2027-further-straining-church-budgets/

- [ENS] Adam Shoemaker consecrated as ninth bishop of Diocese of Long Island [and the first Arab bishop in Episcopal history]: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/21/adam-shoemaker-consecrated-as-ninth-bishop-of-diocese-of-long-island/

- [Sojourners] Interfaith Coalition Brings 20,000 Names of Children Killed in Gaza to the U.N.’s Doorstep: https://sojo.net/sojoshare/NTE5NTJ8MjM4ODkxfDE3OTA0NDg4Mzd8NA%3D%3D

- [RNS] 120 Christian leaders (including top evangelicals) urge Trump administration not to withhold $1B in global health funds: https://religionnews.com/2026/09/25/120-christian-leaders-urge-trump-administration-not-to-withhold-1b-in-global-health-funds/

- [RNS] The rise of the Jim Crow theobros: https://religionnews.com/2026/09/24/the-rise-of-the-jim-crow-theobros/

Come 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, September 27 -- the fourth Sunday in the Season of Creation and the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost in Ordinary Time -- for Holy Communion, children's Sunday School, and jazz hymns.

Kelly Park will preach and Rev. Nathan will celebrate Communion.

Serving this Sunday:

Sunday

10:30 a.m.

Jazz Service

In-person and online

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 September 27, we pray for Christ Church, Stratford; Trinity, Tariffville; St. Peter’s-Trinity, Thomaston; and for youth & youth ministries, J2A, Confirm Not Conform, & all preparing for confirmation.

In the Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Church of Bangladesh.

On the St. PJ's prayer list, we pray for Doug Parker, Calvin Griffin, 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, Rev. Carl Scovel, Karl Mini, Margaret Perry, Kyle Park, Fr. Tom, George Moore, A.J. Crosby, Joan Farrell, Sharyn Kessler, Adrienne Brady, Dawn Magliulo, Carolyn Wigley, Wendy McLeod, Cotton Burlingame, Deacon Felix Rivera, Hossna, Peter Loden, Roni Holcomb & family, Mary Ellen Price, Judy Hopkins, Trish Farrell, Jay Lechausse, Stephen Livingstone Price, Ronald Willams, Vivian, Saul, Larry Harris, Pam, Curt, Henry, Marilyn Bergen

✠ Anniversary: Suzy & Dwayne McDowell (09/28)

✠ Deceased: Ryan Welch, Ahmed Basic

VIDEO: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon

Last week was the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, and the third Sunday in the Season of Creation. Rev. Nathan celebrated Communion and 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 Empsall know at revnathan@stpaulstjames.org by next Wednesday afternoon.

For prayer-list additions or pastoral-care requests, please contact our pastoral care associate, Kelly Park, at kelly@stpaulstjames.org.

To donate to or volunteer with our independent mission and building partners at Loaves & Fishes and Sunrise Cafe, please visit their respective websites to learn more. "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

Please contact administrative director 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

- Purchasing grocery-store gift cards to benefit St. PJ's [Monifa will connect you with the right lay leader]

- Reserving a place in the St. PJ's columbarium or purchasing a plaque on the Memorial Wall [Monifa will connect you with the right lay leader]

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
• Pastoral Care Associate: Kelly Park, kelly@stpaulstjames.org
• Administrative Director: Monifa Atkinson, office@stpaulstjames.org
• Sexton: Sammy Rodriguez
• Children's Sunday School: Sarah Hill
• Interim Director of Music: Dylan Rowland
• 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