Beloveds in Christ,

Our journey through Romans this summer takes a marvelous turn as we now enter the 12th chapter of Paul's letter. Throughout the earlier weeks, we heard Paul wrestle mostly with matters of doctrine: How does salvation happen? What's the role of good works? What's God's relationship to the "chosen people", now that a New Covenant has been made through the death and resurrection of Jesus?

But this Sunday, we move from the theoretical or theological to the practical, as Paul moves into clear, unambiguous counsel about how the Christians at Rome - and at Lancaster! - are to live with one another. Heady theology has been replaced with straightforward command: Let love be genuine! Hate what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Once again, 2,000-year-old words are as relevant for us as they were to the apparently quarrelsome Romans.

We want to thank everyone who attended last Sunday's first-ever mid-year parish meeting! We were very pleased with the turnout, and we hope that everyone was pleased at how well things are going at Saint James, in all respects, at this mid-year mark. In next week's Headlings & Happenings, look for a brief summary of what was shared last week, including exciting things coming in the months ahead.

As we near the end of the renewing summer months, your clergy, staff and lay leaders all rejoice in this community of faith's love, affection, perseverance in prayer, and zeal in service. I think St. Paul would be pleased with us!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Glenn +

Saturday, August 29 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Recovery Day, Lancaster at Buchanan Park

Saint James is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of Lancaster Recovery Day! Please join StephJo Wise at the Saint James and Urban Well table for a day of festivities, including live music, games, crafts, and mouthwatering BBQ! Bring your friends and family for a day filled with community spirit in support of those on the journey of hope and healing.

Recovery Day Lancaster celebrates healing and helps normalize addiction recovery as a healthy, contributing part of a strong community. Recovery is more sustainable in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Buchanan Park is located at 901 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603. Click he re to learn more about the event.

Sunday, August 30 | 8:30 & 10:30 AM

Schools of Hope: Ollie's Closet Annual

School Supply Drive

Last Sunday for

Donations!

The 2026 - 2027 school year has begun at Carter and MacRae Elementary. If you haven't had a chance to donate supplies, please do so this Sunday.

Click here to see what Carter & MacRae teachers have requested for the upcoming school year.

You can also donate to Ollie's Closet by check or online. Please make your check payable to Saint James with Carter and MacRae Elementary School in the memo line, and drop it in the offertory. Or, click here to give online.

The Reality of Low-Wage

Work and Poverty

The promise that hard work should lead to a better life remains broken for nearly half of all working people. According to recent figures, over 52 million workers nationally are earning less than $17.00 an hour, and more than 25% of these workers lack any form of earned sick leave. A growing number have little or no access to paid time off or healthcare coverage. The current living wage for a single adult in Lancaster, PA is $23.80 an hour.

The pressure on these workers has only intensified. Inflation continues to outpace wage growth in key areas like housing, transportation, and healthcare. It is time to stop treating poverty wages as normal. It is time to redesign an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

If you would like to get involved, one local organization working toward this vision is TLC/Tenfold, a community organization that provides shelter for families and veterans. They focus on achieving quality, fair, and affordable housing that includes everyone, with a team of experts who provide budgeting education, assist with landlord/tenant issues and support families in purchasing a home.

Wednesday, September 2 | 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Choir Rehearsal Resumes

In the Sanctuary

Choir Rehearsal with organist and choir director Peter Lewis resumes on Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:30 PM in the sanctuary.

An exciting, wide range of music is planned for the fall, and everyone is welcome to email Peter about singing in the choir. Click here to email Peter Lewis, Organist and Choir Director

Beginning Tuesday, September 8 | 10 - 11:00 AM

Ignatian Spirituality with Pat Latshaw

A Transformational Program Based on the Teachings of St. Ignatius

Embark on a transformative journey with this 33-week program designed for those eager to deepen their connection with God and enrich their spiritual lives.

This is an invitation to commit to personal growth and encounter the divine in profound ways. Together, we will engage in daily and weekly spiritual practices, guided and supported by our spiritual director, Pat Latshaw.

Through the enlightening discussions of The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien, we will explore timeless techniques that have inspired seekers for nearly 500 years. Join us as we open our hearts and minds to the transformative power of faith and embark on a path toward spiritual renewal and enlightenment.

The course meets weekly from September 9 through April 28, 2027. Scholarships are available. Click here for more information and to register.

Wednesday, September 9 | 7:00 PM

Bishop Scanlan Visitation with Holy Eucharist, Confirmation & Reception

On Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 PM, Saint James will welcome our Bishop Diocesan, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Audrey C. Scanlan, the chief pastor of our diocese and this parish, who will confirm and receive into full membership members of Saint James and our sibling Episcopal parishes in the newly formed Diocese of the Susquehanna's Southwest Region.

If you are interested in learning more about this service, please be in touch with Father David and Mother Stacey. All are invited to attend this special evening Mass, followed by a reception in the Narthex.

Saturday, September 12 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM

Women's Gathering

Entirely on Zoom

Led by Lorraine Rollo, Women's Gathering opens its new program year with James Martin's newly published memoir and spiritual reflection, Work in Progress.

In this confessional memoir, Father Martin humorously and compassionately shares how his younger self learned valuable life lessons through various summer jobs. He discusses the formative influences that shaped him, explains the challenges he faced as he transitioned from a corporate career to Jesuit life, acknowledges his shortcomings, and seeks forgiveness.

If you are interested in a journey down memory lane that may spark your own compassionate self-reflection side, please join us. Click here to email Lorraine Rollo for the Zoom invitation.

Saturdays, September 12, 19, 26, October 3,

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Tai Chi Series with Frank Hollingsworth

Interested in reducing stress, improving balance, or enhancing your golf or tennis game? Tai Chi can help! Join us for a four-week introduction to the ancient martial art of Tai Chi Chuan.

You’ll engage in body opening, chi gong (energy work), and learn a short Tai Chi form. Wear loose-fitting clothing and bring an open mind!

Saturdays, September 12, 19, 26, October 3 | 10:00 AM

At The Urban Well Yoga Studio

lower level of the Parish House

4-class pack $60, individual class: $25

Click here to purchase Tai Chi sessions!

September 13 | 9:30 AM

Forum Resumes with Randall Zachman:

In the Parish House

Forum Room

A four-week series on the

Book of Common Prayer

Every Sunday, we use the Book of Common Prayer for Holy Eucharist. But what role should it play in our daily lives? How should this book in particular inform our discipleship?

We will explore these questions in Forum this September and October, using as our guide, Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices, by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe (Forward Movement, 2018). Fathers Ron Jaynes and Bud Hartley will also be joining us for this exploration. Available in person and via Zoom.

Sunday, September 13 | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Fall Launch Potluck

In the Parish House

Forum Room

Join us on September 13th as we kick off a new season together at Saint James! After the 10:30 AM service, we will gather for a potluck lunch to celebrate the start of our fall programs.

Whether you bring a dish or just yourself, we would love to have you there! Click here to let us know you'll be attending and what dish you'll be bringing.

Feel free to drop off your dish in the church kitchen before the 10:30 AM service.

Sunday, September 13 | 5:00 PM

Vespers at the Urban Well to Resume

Every Sunday Evening

In the Chapel

Experience a contemplative candlelit service to nurture mind, body and spirit in the serene surroundings of the Saint James Chapel. This quiet, reflective service embraces Christianity's rich prayer traditions and the embodied practices that nurture our spiritual lives today.

Join us for uplifting singing, find solace in moments of silence, and choose the posture that feels most comfortable as we open our hearts to listen for God’s voice. We have meditation cushions, yoga mats, and chairs available. Everyone is welcome—come as you are! In person only.

Tuesdays, Beginning September 15

5:30 - 6:45 PM

The Practice of Recovery

Yoga, the twelve steps, and a path for everyone to explore healing and renewal

in our daily lives

Tuesdays in September 15, 22 & 29 | 5:30 - 6:45 PM

Urban Well Yoga Studio, lower level of the Parish House located at 119 North Duke Street.

Led by Sarah Shelton, Urban Well Yoga Studio Coordinator, and The Reverend Stacey Carpenter, Associate Rector at Saint James.

Join us for this three-week series exploring recovery, healing, and embodied practice in everyday life. This series is rooted in the wisdom of the 12 Steps, something that the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous believed everyone could benefit from.

Recovery is not limited to one experience or one path. Many of us are recovering from something—alcohol or substance use, codependency, grief, stress, burnout, perfectionism, anxiety, illness, major life transitions, old patterns, or the places where we have felt disconnected from ourselves, others, our bodies, or a sense of meaning. Registration is kindly requested for planning purposes. Click here for more information and registration.

Saturday, September 19 | 8:30 - 10:30 AM

Upper Room Men's Group

In the Parish House

Forum Room

UNDER PENALTY OF LAW THIS TAG IS NOT TO BE REMOVED EXCEPT BY THE CONSUMER

The Fear of Removing the Mattress Tag: What does it say about us?" How many of us remember being afraid to remove one of these tags, and when did you finally learn consumers were actually allowed to remove them? And what other warnings or "rules" from childhood turned out to be misunderstood?

Many times, we have experienced irrational fears, not because they were logical but because they were deeply ingrained.

Join us for breakfast, fellowship and a lighthearted discussion that will lead us into deeper themes about fear, authority and the lives we live by, whether as children or adult men.

Breakfast menu: Western-style scrambled eggs, sausage gravy & biscuits, bacon, potato cakes, coffee and juice.

Looking forward to another great session with "the dudes of Saint James." Have questions? Click here to email Chuck Smith.

Sunday, September 20 | 9:30 AM

Women's Bible Study

In the Parish House Library

Women's Bible Study is back! Join us on the third Sunday of each month in the parish house library at 9:30 AM. Kristy Clark will lead this month as we study the lectionary reading, Matthew 20:1-16.

The format is simple: come as you are, bring your Bible, and we will read and discuss God's gracious benefits to us and to all. Have questions? Click here to email Kristy Clark.

September 20 | 5:00 PM

Addiction & Recovery Service

In the Sanctuary

On Sunday, September 20, we will hold our annual Addiction and Recovery Service as part of Recovery Month at our 5:00 PM Vespers gathering. This service is open to anyone whose life has been touched by addiction — those in recovery, those still struggling and the family members, friends and loved ones who walk alongside them. Addiction carries a particular kind of pain — one that is often carried in silence, and one that ripples outward to touch everyone who loves the person affected.

In this service, we hold that pain honestly and without judgment, naming it before God as a community that refuses to look away. And in the same breath, we give thanks for the healing and hope that recovery makes possible: the daily courage it takes, the grace that sustains it, and the deep truth that no one walks this road alone.

Come as you are, bring whomever you carry in your heart and join us for an evening of honesty, compassion and hope.

Sunday, September 20 | 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Youth Group School Year Kickoff!

In the parish house forum room

Youth Group is back, and we’re kicking off the year with pizza, silly trivia, and a little preparation for the school year ahead!

We’ll enjoy dinner together, test our knowledge with ridiculous, fun trivia games and then create our own school day care packages filled with things to help us power through those long days of learning.

Come hungry, bring a friend, and get ready to laugh, create, and start the new Youth Group year together. All 6th – 12th graders are welcome! Please click here to register.

September 24, 7:00 PM

The Mercy Seminar with Prof. Randall Zachman, Fr. David Peck

With Prof. Randall Zachman, hosted by Fr. David

Entirely via Zoom

Term 3 focuses on Christian understandings of resurrection and eternal life, beginning with the hope of future resurrection life in Paul's letters and the expectation of eternal life now in the Gospel of John. We will follow the development of these themes in Christian and Spiritualist traditions, including Emanuel Swedenborg's provocative visions of the soul's journey after death.

Classes meet on six consecutive Thursday evenings via Zoom from 7:00 to 8:30 PM EST. Each term stands alone, but when taken together, offers a layered understanding as our knowledge of the issues increases. All sessions are recorded and available to participants for viewing at any time. Click here to learn more and register for Term 3.

Memorial Altar Flowers: Remembering a loved one with the natural beauty of flowers

Adorning our church's high altar with flowers is a meaningful expression of worship and a cherished tradition that enhances our sacred space with natural beauty. Flowers serve as living gifts to the divine, representing beauty and creation. They showcase the vibrant colors and vitality of God's earth, conveying joy, honoring God, symbolizing life, and expressing gratitude for a family member or loved one.

If you'd like to remember a loved one with altar flowers, click here to learn more and get started.

Faith, Loyalty and Revolution

American Revolution Podcasts

The final episode of the three-part Contemplative Citizenship podcast series 1776 at Saint James: Faith, Loyalty, and Revolution is now available on Podbean, Amazon and Spotify.

In this episode entitled Independence for All but Only Liberty for Some, three contributors focus on the Patriots who worshipped at Saint James, particularly Edward Hand, who had a distinguished career in the Continental Army and George Ross, who was a signer of the Declaration. It looks at the paradox of fighting for liberty while being an enslaver, and tells the remarkable story of Dinah McIntire, a freed slave who is buried in our churchyard.

The episode invites reflections on the lives of the people featured in this series and asks what their choices might say about ours today. Click here to listen to the podcast.

Pastoral Care at

Saint James

Pastoral care ministries at Saint James support parishioners at life’s major turning points, as well as during extended periods of disability and recovery. A team of clergy and lay persons provide timely, professional pastoral care in an intimate and confidential manner. Our team respects parishioners’ rights to privacy and keeps strictly confidential all information about anyone receiving pastoral care. Click here for more information about pastoral care, or click here to email Kristle Evans, Pastoral Care Coordinator