In this week's edition of the eNews:

- TODAY: Parking lot clean-up party

- Priest's Corner: Celebrating the image of God in Pride Month and beyond

- Shoreline Soul Gospel Choir (from Kate Galambos), June 14

- Milton Gilder to be ordained June 20

- Need your ideas for the front yard!

- Call for livestream volunteers and LAs

- Wednesday Summer Bible Study on Matthew

- This Sunday at St. PJ's

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

- There's Always More...

TODAY, Saturday at 10:30 a.m.:

Parking Lot Clean-up Party

This morning (Saturday) at 10:30, co-warden Bill Evans will be hosting a parking lot clean-up with volunteers from both St. PJ's and Loaves & Fishes. If you are able, please come help remove overgrown vegetation, clean up trash, and take other annual measures to keep our campus clean for God and for our neighbors!

Priest's Corner: Celebrating the Image of God in Pride Month and Beyond

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

This Pride Month, we celebrate not only the imago Dei in God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning children -- we also celebrate 50 years of progress towards love in the Episcopal Church.

In 1976, General Convention -- our triennial churchwide governing body -- took a giant step when it passed Resolution A069, which read: "Resolved, That it is the sense of this General Convention that homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church."

As Episcopal News Service reports, the church will celebrate with a prominent three-day conference -- including a Eucharist with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe as celebrant and Bishop Gene Robinson as preacher -- on the past, present and future of LGBTQ+ involvement in the life of the church. The conference is this September in Minneapolis, where that resolution was first passed.

27 years after that resolution the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire elected its remarkable Canon to the Ordinary, the aforementioned Gene Robinson, to be the denomination's first openly gay bishop. (+Gene was my bishop during college, and I can tell you firsthand that he was the right man for the job. Internationally he was known as "the gay bishop," but locally he was just "the bishop.")

Mary Glasspool became the second openly queer (and first lesbian) bishop in 2009. Today, I can't even find a complete list of the LGBTQ bishops in our church. (Even when I ask ChatGPT, it leaves obvious names out, like Connecticut's own +Jeff Mello.) Inclusion has become obviously right, just, and accepted. This is a good and dare I say Godly thing! No one asks to be born with one orientation or another; we all bear the image of God, and should be loved as such.

And yet, no progress is ever completely linear or complete. It's only been seven short years since I graduated seminary, and yet I had a classmate who could not pursue ordination in his own home diocese because of his bishop's well-documented homophobia. More recently, I have even witnessed first-hand homophobic microaggressions within the Episcopal Church of Connecticut itself.

All of Christianity is responsible for historic discrimination, wrought by twisting Scripture with interpretations Moses and St. Paul never intended. And while the Episcopal Church has done much to atone for its role in this injustice, as an institution we still carry our own legacy of sin.

1976 may well be earlier than most, but it's not that early.

It is imperative that we keep taking every step we can to atone for our institutional delay by loving and welcoming ALL God's children at every level of the church -- and in our broader communities.

That includes standing up for LGBTQ rights not just in our own church but outside our walls, where others continue to abuse Jesus's name to cause great harm. Last year, 2025, the United States saw a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced (850+) in state legislatures across the country, which beat a record previously set in... 2024. 

And we all know how much of this was done in the name of religious freedom, even though our church seeks the freedom to love and welcome all. As our bishops say, we must be political without being partisan. That means in part that when religion is abused this way, we have an obligation to stand and say to politicians and preachers alike, "No. This is not what Jesus wanted, and it does not speak for us as Christians. We stand for love."

Or as PB Rowe told ENS for the aforementioned article: “As we celebrate that milestone, we also acknowledge that the journey to achieve full inclusion for all of God’s children is not yet over. As Pride Month begins, I am praying especially for our LGBTQ+ siblings, who are too often in harm’s way and targeted for their identity and gender expression. Their struggles reveal to us the kingdom of God, and we are committed to standing in solidarity with all those suffering from the evil of hatred and discrimination.”

Support LGBTQ+ Equality in Jesus's name: Take action with the Episcopal Public Policy Network >>

Also in the coming weeks ahead, look for new banners on the outside walls of St. PJ's that share information about the church for our neighbors -- including the Episcopal Pride Shield. This is a long time in the making and not meant for Pride Month, but I absolutely welcome the timing.

God loves you. No exceptions.

Shoreline Soul Gospel Choir, Sunday, 6/4

Parishioner Kate Galambos invites you to join the Shoreline Soul Gospel Choir for an uplifting community choral gospel concert on Sunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 122 Broad Street, Guilford.  

Admission is free and open to the public.

Choir leader Angela Clemmons is a professional singer with a career spanning over four decades. As daughter of a Pentecostal pastor, she brings a deep love for gospel music and extensive professional experience to every concert.

Your prayers and presence are requested...

- BY THE GRACE OF GOD -

The Rt. Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, Bishop Diocesan

&

The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan

- WILL ORDAIN -

Milton Frank Gilder II

to the Sacred Order of Deacons in

Christ's One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

SAT

June 20

11 AM

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL

45 CHURCH STREET

HARTFORD, CT 06103

The service will be livestreamed on Facebook and You Tube.

Additional Information

Validated parking available at the MAT Garage. A reception will follow the service in the Cathedral House. Clergy, red stoles please.

Need your ideas for the front yard!

As our undercroft-entrance renovations near completion (thank you Brian Fillmore!), it's time to think about what to do with our front yard.

Please email your suggestions to frontyard@stpaulstjames.org, or put them in the suggestion box on the hallway-side table this Sunday!

Jazz, Justice, and Jesus:

Support St. PJ's Ministry and Community

Church finances are urgently tight and getting tighter. Our budget is in the red, there is essentially no cash on hand, and expenses have already been cut. There are questions each month about whether certain bills will be paid.

To help ensure that St. PJ's can continue to support the low-income patrons of Loaves & Fishes and Sunrise Cafe, offer robust worship with unique and spiritually grounded jazz, speak out for justice in Jesus's name, gear up for a full year of adult formation, and more, please spread the word about our available rental facilities and consider making an extra donation if you can.

Call for livestream volunteers and LAs

Livestream: With Dontae going to Julliard soon (and we are incredibly proud of him), we need to build a new volunteer team to run our Sunday livestream!

This is a light but vital ministry: Not only is video necessary for keeping homebound parishioners connected to St. PJ's, but new studies show that the only growing churches are ones with an active livestream. It's part of how most newcomers decide what churches to visit.

Please email music@stpaulstjames.org if interested, and we will plan a training day this summer for the new team.

Liturgical Assistants: There will also be a training day on Saturday, June 13, for new and returning LAs. Please speak to Rev. Nathan if interested!

Ministry Teams: The Prophetic Voice social-justice and Resource & Renewal external-fundraising teams are rocking and rolling each month. Please speak to Pam Sayre if you would like to join PVMT or Aggie Evans-Zichichi for RRMT.

Wednesday Summer Bible Study on Matthew

Beginning Wednesday, June 24, Lynne Severance will host a weekly summer Bible study on the Gospel according to Matthew.

The gathering will meet at Lynne's home Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Participants will watch a video from Yale Divinity School's Dean Harry Attridge, and then engage in discussion.

Contact Lynne or the church office for more information or location directions.

News from the Wider Church

"News from the Wider Church" will return next week.

To check news and updates on your own, regular sources for this section include Episcopal News Service, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Word & Way, the Christian Century, and Sojourners, plus Substack columns from Jemar Tisby, Lisa Sharon Harper, Jacqui Lewis, Jim Wallis, and Diana Butler Bass, among others.

Come 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, June 7, for Jazz Eucharist, children's Sunday School, and Coffee & Community to mark the second Sunday after Pentecost.

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, we pray for St. John’s, North Haven; Christ Church, Norwalk; St. Andrew’s, Northford; and for TransEpiscopal, LGBTQ+ Episcopalians, & those who serve the LGBTQ+ community.

In the Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Scottish Episcopal Church.

On the St. PJ's prayer list, we pray for Rachel, Doug Parker, Calvin Griffin, the Rev. Walter MacNutt, Kevin Gerbe, Leota Tucker, Edwina Johnson, Cynthia King, Paul D'Agostino, Richard Holcomb, 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, Patrick Reynolds, Margaret Perry, Ryan Welch, Kyle Park, Fr. Tom, George Moore, A.J. Crosby, Adrienne Brady, Jeannie & Clemente Campos, Jean Douglas, Joan Capella, Joan Farrell, Sharyn Kessler, D.J. Multer, Michael Montenegro, Susan Yates, Meryl Tate Triplett, Tom Olds, Anthony Marchitto, Dawn Magliulo, the Gilder Family, Carolyn Wigley, Wendy McLeod, Lee J. Howard, Anne Cheney, Sandy Sanford, Judy Hopkins, Monica Lee 

Deceased: Jim Hopkins (5/26)

Birthdays for Ordination: Marilyn Bergen (06/08), Joy Burns (06/10)

Candidate for Ordination: Milton Gilder

VIDEO: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon

Last week was Trinity Sunday, a principle feast day and the first Sunday after Pentecost. Bev Lett, MDiv, preached and the Rev. Lynne Severance officiated Morning Prayer.

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