St. PJ's eNews: November 22, 2025 | | |
- Schedule your visit with Rev. Nathan
- Tomorrow is In-Gathering Sunday
- Tomorrow, welcome the Rev. Canon D Littlepage from ECCT
- Undercroft-entrance renovation has begun
- Congratulations to Bishop-elect Miguelina Howell
- So many upcoming events -- including a just-announced December 8 Christmas Concert
- News from the Wider Church: Episcopalians observe Trans Day of Remembrance, clergy protest ICE, remembering Bishops Burnett and Talton, and more
- This Week at St. PJ's
- Cycles of Prayer
- Video: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon
- There's Always More...
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Schedule your visit with Rev. Nathan
By the Rev. Nathan Empsall, priest-in-charge
By now, you've likely heard me say that I want to visit every St. PJ's household. I want to hear about who you are, what makes you tick, what you believe and love, your history at St. PJ's, and your hopes for the future of our common life together. Through these meetings, I hope to get a better feel for who we at St. PJ's are as a community -- and where the Spirit might be leading us! Ideally this meeting would be at your home, where I can get to know you in your own environment and also offer a home blessing, but coffee shops and walks in the park are okay too.
These meetings are happening, and I have greatly enjoyed them -- but I am also realizing that I am my own bottleneck when it comes to scheduling, as I reach out to families one or two at a time. To try and speed things up, I invite you to reach out to me with some suggested times and dates we might meet.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are ideal, but Fridays and Saturdays are okay too. Weekday daytimes are definitely best, but I understand that work schedules necessitate evenings or Saturdays for some. Please email me at revnathan@stpaulstjames.org, and I hope to see you outside the church soon!
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Tomorrow is In-Gathering Sunday
"We follow the barefoot rabbi who calls us to love God with all our heart and all our soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves."
- Stewardship letter from co-chairs David Tate and Pam Sayre
Our annual Stewardship Season concludes tomorrow. Please bring your pledge form in an envelope to place in the collection basket during the Offertory, and Rev. Nathan will bless the pledges.
Even if you can only pledge one dollar or one hour of time for 2026, please do so! Pledging isn't just a financial act, but a spiritual one: a promise to be a part of the church’s life, and to make the church part of your life. We make our pledges of time, talent, and money in thanksgiving for all God has given to us, and in hope and support of our mission to God’s world. Thank you.
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Tomorrow, welcome the Rev. Canon D Littlepage from ECCT
Tomorrow, we will be privileged to welcome a guest preacher from the diocesan office, the Rev. D Littlepage (they/them), the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's Canon for Mission Advocacy, Racial Justice & Reconciliation.
Here is Canon D's biography from the ECCT webpage:
I invite parish and diocesan leaders to see the world through the lens of their baptismal vows. Not only when their consciences are pricked by the latest public outrage, but each and every day, in circumstances grand and small. When shopping for food, or working on a parish budget, or planning a diocesan event, or deciding where to send the kids to school. As they consider options and make choices, is there an opportunity to proclaim the Good News by word and example? To seek and serve Christ in all persons? To strive for justice and peace? To respect the dignity of every human being? To cherish the wondrous works of God, and protect and restore the beauty and integrity of all creation?
In my capacity as a Canon, I invite ECCT’s leaders to live out these vows in three particular ways: By engaging in advocacy, pursuing justice, and promoting reconciliation.
This Canon-level position was created at a particular moment in American history, when the nation’s failure to repent its original sin of racial subordination was laid bare by the slow, public, painstaking, “execution by knee” of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin. Given this giant wake up call, racial justice was made an explicit part of the portfolio. Thankfully, racial justice remains a focal point to this day. And it is matched by a commitment to address all of the fault lines along which power, privilege, wealth and respect are distributed in our society, including gender, sexuality, nationality, ethnicity, and physical/mental ability.
Contact D for:
- Enhancing racial literacy and inter-cultural competence
- Hispanic/Latino initiatives and concerns
- Indigenous Peoples initiatives and concerns
- LGBTQIA+ initiatives and concerns
- Creation Care
- Public witness and advocacy
- Public policy
- ECCT-wide mission initiatives
- Equipping congregations to engage in transformative mission
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Undercroft-Entrance Renovation Has Begun
The long-awaited replacement of the steps to the undercroft, right on the corner of Chapel and Olive, has begun! The old steps have been ripped up, and the work proceeds. This means that our entire front yard along Olive Street is fenced off while construction is underway. It is anticipated that the process will take about eight weeks -- essentially the rest of the year.
While we are disappointed that we are not able to include a ramp in the project, the new steps will be wider, safer and more welcoming to the community. Please direct questions to Brian Fillmore as Capital Campaign Project Manager.
Sunrise Cafe and Loaves & Fishes continue to operate, using alternate entryways to the undercroft. We acknowledge that this may be difficult timing for them to deal with such an inconvenience -- with the holidays coming and people still reeling from the pause in SNAP benefits -- so please donate to either important organization if you can.
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Congratulations to Bishop-elect Miguelina Howell!
A November 15 message from our bishops:
We have received news that the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts has elected their tenth bishop, and you know her very well. We are pleased to congratulate Bishop-elect Miguelina Howell.
We have been blessed in ECCT by her gifts of ministry. Serving as the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, she has been a dynamic leader of liturgies and is always extending a deep welcome and place of belonging for her parishioners, our diocese, and the city of Hartford.
In the Great Commission of Matthew 28: 19-20, Jesus says to his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” As Bishop-elect Miguelina Howell goes forth into this new season of ministry, we know that Jesus is with her, always. We also know that the disciple God has formed her to be in Connecticut will serve her well as she begins her new ministry with the people of Western Massachusetts. Our congratulations and prayers are with her, her husband, her children, and the people of Western Massachusetts.
We are also awed by, and grateful for, the Very Reverend Marcus George Halley who listened to God’s call and stepped fully into the discernment process with courage, openness, and love. We ask you also to keep him and his husband in your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Bishop Diocesan & The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan
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So many upcoming events - including a just-announced December 8
Christmas Concert!
Mark your calendars for the following:
- Tickets: $25, children 12 and under free
- Please invite your friends!
- Susan Yates will coordinate a post-concert reception, similar to last year
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- Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7 PM: Margins and Movements book club
- Please invite your friends!
- Do you have a suggestion for a social-justice book we should read together in 2026? Send it to revnathan@stpaulstjames.org! Preference is given to secular titles (to appeal to the broader community), and to books published with the past four years.
- Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 PM: Blue Christmas service
- Sunday, Dec. 21, 4 PM: Neurodivine, a low-stimulus worship service for neurodivergent families
- Monday, Dec. 22: Christmas Hymn Sing + Social
- Wednesday, Dec 24: Christmas Eve Services
- 3:30 PM: Children's Christmas Eve Service
- 8:30 PM: Traditional Christmas Eve Communion w/Jazz Ensemble
- Sunday, January 18: St. PJ's Annual Meeting and Potluck
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News from the Wider Church
- [RNS] Methodist pastors march into courtroom to support 'boring suburban dad' indicted for protesting ICE: https://religionnews.com/2025/11/13/methodist-pastors-march-into-courtroom-with-boring-suburban-dad-indicted-for-protesting/
This "boring suburban dad" is the spouse of a friend and former colleague of Rev. Nathan's.
- [RNS] As ICE descends on Charlotte, faith leaders draw on other cities' actions to aid immigrants: https://religionnews.com/2025/11/20/as-ice-descends-on-charlotte-faith-leaders-rally-to-aid-immigrants/
- [USCCB] Pope calls treatment of migrants in U.S. 'extremely disrespectful': https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-calls-treatment-migrants-us-extremely-disrespectful
- [Sojourners] Of Course the Virgin Mary Would Trample ICE: https://sojo.net/articles/opinion/course-virgin-mary-would-trample-ice
- [ENS] Episcopalians to observe Transgender Day of Remembrance with services, prayer vigils: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/11/19/episcopalians-to-observe-transgender-day-of-remembrance-with-services-prayer-vigils/
- [ENS] Diocese of Florida issues statement affirming marriage equality during new bishop search: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/11/20/diocese-of-florida-issues-statement-affirming-marriage-equality-during-new-bishop-search/
- [ENS] Former Vice President Dick Cheney memorialized at Washington National Cathedral funeral
https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/11/20/former-vice-president-dick-cheney-memorialized-at-washington-national-cathedral-funeral/
- [ENS] RIP: The Rt. Rev. Chester Talton, retired Los Angeles bishop suffragan, dies at 84: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/11/21/rip-the-rt-rev-chester-talton-retired-los-angeles-bishop-suffragan-dies-at-84/
- [ENS] RIP: Former Nebraska Bishop Joe Goodwin Burnett dies at 77: https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2025/11/20/rip-former-nebraska-bishop-joe-goodwin-burnett-dies-at-77/
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Come to worship tomorrow, Sunday, November 23, at 10:30 a.m. for Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday after Pentecost.
The Rev. Canon D Littlepage (they/them) will preach, and the Rev. Nathan Empsall (he/him) will celebrate the Eucharist. We will also turn in our 2026 pledge forms for in-gathering Sunday.
Adult formation will return on the second Sunday of Advent, December 7, with a three-part series on praying with the Psalms.
Happy Thanksgiving! The church office will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
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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 and St. PJ's Prayer List
In the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's cycle of prayer, we pray this week for All Saints’, Wolcott; St. Paul’s, Woodbury; Grace, Yantic; the Program & Budget Committee; and the Faith & Order Commission
In the Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia
In the Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer (of the World Council of Churches), we pray for East Timor (Timor Leste), Indonesia, and Philippines.
ST. PJ’S PRAYER LIST: Rachel, Doug Parker, Anne Matthies, Calvin Griffin, Lenny Santarsiero, Rev. Walter MacNutt, Kevin Gerbe, Leota Tucker, Edwina Johnson, Cynthia King, Paul D'Agostino, Richard Holcomb, Tiras Jaske, Uli Mackert, Charlie & Bridget Farrell, Alyce, Pam, Tommy, Beverly Lett, Vanetta Lloyd, Janea Barthle, Lydia Hamnquist, Kate Galambos, Rita Valenti-Piovane, Stephen Lett, Rev. Nihal de Lanerolle, William Evans, Sr., Pam Sayre, 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, Pam Yesner, Rev. Carl Scovel, Karl Mini, Patrick Reynolds, Margaret Perry, Ryan Welch, Jack Welch, Freddy and Amy Swindal-Endres, Kyle Park, Carol Brennan, Fr. Tom, Monifa Atkinson, Delrose Atkinson, George Moore
Postulant for Ordination: Milton Gilder
Birthdays: Carmen Rivera (11/16), Kyssie Brown Karikari (11/19), Desmond Karikari (11/22), Kristen McDowell (11/23), Michael Henry (11/23), Tudy Hill (11/27)
Deceased: Bishop Chester Talton, Bishop Joe Burnett
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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, Tudy Hill officiated Morning Prayer and Chloe Starr preached.
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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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