Sunday, November 23 | 9:30 AM

Forum Hour with Randall Zachman

Israel's understanding of death and Sheol underwent a profound transformation after the reign of Alexander the Great. When pious Jews were threatened with death by Antiochus IV Epiphanes if they would not forsake the Law of Moses, a mother and her seven sons willingly went to their death, confident that God would raise them again if they gave their lives for God's laws. The mother links this hope for resurrection with the work of God the Creator. As she tells one of her sons, "Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of humankind and devised the origin of all things, in his mercy gives life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws."

Join us this Sunday as we explore this remarkable transformation in Israel's understanding of death and life. Available in person and via Zoom. Click here to join via Zoom.

NOTE: There will be no forum hour on November 30th, so the Forum Room can be set for Advent Wreath Making and Christmas Cookie Baking after the 10:30 AM Mass. Think you'd like to join in on the fun? Click here to register for Advent Wreath Making.

Thursday and Friday, November 27 & 28

Campus Closed for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day at Saint James will be a day of rest and grateful reflection. Evening Compline will be held as scheduled at 9:00 PM via Zoom. Click here to join Evening Compline.

The church office will be closed on Thursday, November 27th, and Friday, November 28th, and will reopen on Monday, December 1st.

Sunday, November 30, 11:45 AM

Observance of Saint Andrew

In the Cloister Fountain Area

All are welcome to gather in the sanctuary after the 10:30 AM Mass for a brief celebration of the Feast Day of St. Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland.

Thom Moore of the Happy Bagpiper will be our guest bagpiper for the service. Wear your kilt if you have one!

Click here to learn more about St. Andrew and how he became the patron saint of Scotland.

Sunday, November 30, 11:45 AM - 2:00 PM

Advent Wreath Making and

Christmas Cookie Baking

In the Parish House Forum Room

Celebrate the first Sunday of Advent with an afternoon of festive cheer! Families, parishioners and friends of all ages are invited to create their own unique Advent wreath. We'll provide the rings, greens, candles and other materials needed to create a beautiful wreath that you can light at home in preparation for the birth of the Christ Child. If you have a wreath frame from last year, please consider bringing it to use again this year!

As we make wreaths, we will also be busy baking and decorating Christmas cookies with all the festive trimmings. At the end of our time together, everyone will take home a delicious selection of baked cookies and the beautiful wreaths they created! A pizza lunch will be provided; all ages are welcome!

Registration is kindly requested for planning purposes. An at-the-door $10 - $20 donation for wreath-making supplies and lunch would be appreciated! Deadline: Tuesday, November 25th. Click here to register.

Beginning Tuesday, December 2, 7:00 PM

Drawing and Meditation with Scott Wright

In the Chapel

Join Artist in Residence, R. Scott Wright, for this unique workshop designed to bridge drawing and meditation - or put more simply, to embrace drawing as a form of meditation.

Our goal is to use drawing tools and techniques to locate the sweet spot where keen observation and hand/eye coordination free the mind and calm the breath and the body. Drawing exercises will be demonstrated. Students should bring whatever drawing tools, pads, etc. they are comfortable using. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

The series will run for three consecutive Tuesday evenings, December 2, 9 & 16. $25/session, $65 for all three, or pay as you can by making a contribution in Realm. Please click here to register.

Beginning Thursday, December 4, 6:15 - 7:30 PM

A Sound Sanctuary Yoga Series

Meditation for Calm Amid the Holiday Rush

Thursdays in December:

4, 11 & 18 | 6:15 - 7:30 PM

Join Sandra Orndorff—experienced sound healer, life coach, and yoga instructor — as she guides you through an evening of immersive sound meditation. Each session begins with a brief restorative practice to ground the body, then unfolds into a spacious sound bath where you are cocooned in soft light and cozy blankets amidst a soundscape of gongs, singing bowls, chimes and percussion that helps calm the nervous system, ease anxiety and release layers of held tension. Many find this experience brings a depth of relaxation and renewal that feels both restorative and transformative.

Come rest, renew and receive this gift of spaciousness for your body, mind and spirit on Thursdays, December 4, 11 and 18 from 6:15 – 7:30 PM in the Urban Well Yoga Studio located in the lower level at 119 North Duke Street. $25/session, $65 for all three, or pay as you can by making a contribution in Realm. Click here to learn more and register.

Friday, December 5 | 9:30 PM

First Friday Compline: Ancient Music and Prayers for the Modern Soul

During this season of Advent, we gather in stillness to prepare for God’s coming among us. Compline, our final prayer before nightfall, invites us to listen for the presence of the One who approaches.

Advent Compline will help shape our sacred waiting. "Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming" evokes hope from ancient promises, reminding us that God’s redemption often unfolds quietly. The chant "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" expresses our shared longing for light, peace and deliverance, and a setting of “Ave Maria” by Franz Biebl offers a moment of reflection on the grace bestowed upon her and, through her, the world.

As we conclude with prayers for protection and peace, may this service gather our hopes, quiet our hearts, and prepare us to welcome Christ in Bethlehem and the hidden places of our lives. May this night bring you peace, and may this Advent deepen your longing for the Light that no darkness can overcome.

Available in person; click here to view via livestream.

Saturday, December 6 | Beginning at 3:30 PM

St. Nicholas Mass with Live Nativity Animals

Celebrate the life and gifts of St. Nicholas of Myra with live nativity animals and a joyful procession!

3:30 PM – Visit with nativity animals, enjoy cookies and refreshments, and help create care packages to brighten the holidays for members of our community.

4:30 PM – St. Nicholas arrives by horse-drawn carriage

5:00 PM – Mass and story time with St. Nicholas in the Sanctuary

Prior to the mass, children are invited to leave their shoes in the chapel, where they’ll find a special gift from St. Nicholas when they return! Held rain or shine. Click here to view the St. Nicholas Mass via livestream.

Saturday, December 13 | 10:00 AM

Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America will be at Saint James on December 13th at 10:00 AM to present wreaths on the graves of deceased military members.

The brief ceremony will take place in our historic churchyard. All are welcome to attend.

Click here to learn more about Wreaths Across America.

Saturday, December 13 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM

Women's Gathering

Via Zoom

Women's Gathering will explore Advent with internationally celebrated poet, David Whyte and his book, The House of Belonging, in which he explores the individual and often lonely journey toward identity and voice.

Whyte places individual discovery in the context of belonging to homes, places, times, creatures, people and "miraculous otherness." David speaks about how to live in deep appreciation and sympathy for all life, all of the time. Join Women's Gathering this Advent and discover new ways to experience a sense of home. Click here to email Lorraine Rollo for the Zoom invitation.

Christmas Memorial Flowers

Remember a loved one and help us prepare our sanctuary for Christmas

If you would like to memorialize or honor a loved one with Christmas flowers in the sanctuary, you can do so in Realm. The name of your loved one will be listed in the Christmas Eve bulletin.

The suggested donation is $25/flower. Click here to get started. In the memo box, type the name of the person you are honoring. If you are ordering multiple flowers and run out of space in the memo box, simply make your donation, type “list to Kristen” in the memo box and email Kristen Vieldhouse, our parish administrator, the list of names.

You may also mail a check to the church office with Christmas flowers in the memo line. If you have questions, call the parish office at 717-397-4858.

Submission Deadline: Friday, December 12th.

Children and Youth Christmas Pageant Rehearsals to Begin in December

Calling all Shepherds,

Angels and Magi…

... and any youth wanting to be in the Christmas Eve pageant! Saint James children and youth are invited to participate in this year’s Christmas Eve Pageant and Mass at 3:00 PM on December 24th!

Under the guidance of StephJo Wise, the pageant cast will present the birth of the Christ Child through story and song during the first half of the service, followed by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Rehearsal for youth and older children with speaking parts only will be on Sunday, December 14th, following the 10:30 AM Mass. Speaking parts include roles such as narrators, Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, the prophets, townspeople, innkeepers, shepherds and the Magi. Parts range in length from one line to a few lines. Nonspeaking roles include animals, the angels, shepherds, baby Jesus, and the Star of Bethlehem.

Rehearsal for everyone in the pageant will be on Sunday, December 21st, following the 10:30 AM Mass. Parents and guardians are invited to gather for a potluck in the Rectory during the December 21st pageant rehearsal after the 10:30 AM service.

Please click here to let us know what part your child would like to play. Signup deadline: Wednesday, December 10th.