In this week's edition of the eNews:

- Priest's Corner: Finding joy in the time that is given to us

- Preparing for Pentecost, tomorrow, 5/24

• No Sunday School tomorrow (will resume 5/31)
• Wear red and bring a special treat to share

- Office closed this Monday; Rev. Nathan also out on Tuesday

• Two prayers for Memorial Day

- May 20 Vestry Meeting Summary

- Margins and Movements: "Just Mercy" book club this Tuesday!

- David Tate's next show is Junk

- News from the Wider Church:



- This Sunday at St. PJ's

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

- There's Always More...

Priest's Corner:

Finding joy in the time that is given to us

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

"For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17

Amidst the headlines of the day and the hardships of daily life in every era, joy can be hard to find.

But it's always there if we look for it. Sometimes, it can even come from the very same source or at the very same time as our headaches. That's something I've experienced several times in just the past ten days.

Let's start with Thursday night: The final episode of the canceled Late Show. Stephen Colbert didn't get to go out on his own terms, yet what could have been a bittersweet goodbye was a celebration of joy: A night full of jokes, celebration of his tight-knit staff, and a joyful sing-along to "Hello, Goodbye" with Sir Paul McCartney, who made his American debut with the Beatles on that very same Ed Sullivan stage. Oddly, there was only one Lord of the Rings reference from the parting Tolkien superfan, when Colbert subtly quoted Gandalf: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

Colbert has become known for political comedy, but it's joy and his profound Christian faith that drive him. He calls his show "The Joy Machine," and ever since tragedies of his own childhood, he has focused on creating joy to help people through their grief. He has said that he often reminds himself that the only way to have the joy of a resurrection is to first have death -- and so he wears a crucifix, a cross with Jesus on it, rather than an empty cross. For him, the crucifixion can actually be a bigger reminder of the joy to come -- and of the moment that needs joy -- than the empty tomb itself.

The night before Colbert's finale, your vestry met at the church rather than on Zoom for the first time in several years. It was wonderful to be together in community and strengthen our relationships. It was also painful to face and discuss the deepening financial hardships of this church. The reality, as we discussed at the Annual Meeting and during last year's close-the-gap matching campaign, is that we are skating by month-to-month -- and April was especially hard. Yet we also know that this church has met the moment many times before, and we had a very productive discussion full of promising ideas. The topic is hard, but still one that can leave us feeling hopeful and even joyful if we let it.

Please give a bit extra if you can to keep our ministries going, urge your friends to rent offices or hold events at St. PJ's, and best of all, invite friends to join you here for a joyful Sunday morning with jazz, justice, and Jesus!

Lastly, last Thursday I went to New York City to see Bruce Springsteen live. It was my 8th Springsteen show -- and honestly, the best one yet.

Historically, the Boss has left his social commentary to his music, with only a few public comments on controversial issues -- until last year. For the first time, his tour is focused on songs of social concern, justice, and uplift, with many of the old hot-rod tunes set to the side. The show could have been heavy -- yet it was joyful. The Boss spoke several times about what is happening in this country now, but ended with a note of hope, saying he still believes in America and his promise. That led into a rousing rendition of his immigrant song, "This American Land." The tour itself is called the "Land of Hope and Dreams Tour," named after my favorite Springsteen song that I always liken to a hymn.

I was sitting next to the stage for the first time. And several times, I turned around to look at the arena, with a view similar to Bruce's own. In those moments, it really felt like I was singing "Streets of Minneapolis" with 25,000 close friends, rather than just watching the E Street Band together. Everyone I spoke to after the show agreed: What could have been a morose, partisan moment weighed down by the world was nothing but joy.

Like Colbert, Springsteen was raised in a Christian home, and religious imagery still peppers his art. Our faith is the anchor of our joy -- not just, but especially during the hardest times.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the founding of the church. For all the grief of this world and all the economic hardships facing families and churches alike, what joy will the Holy Spirit help us to pull from this moment?

Jazz, Justice, and Jesus:

Support St. PJ's Ministry and Community

Preparing for Pentecost,

Tomorrow, 5/24

Tomorrow, May 24, is Pentecost, one of the three biggest church holidays of the year!

• Try to wear red, like the flames of the Holy Spirit and the faith that burns in our hearts

• Like on Easter, let’s have a festive Coffee & Community in the sanctuary with many treats from many hosts -- please bring something to share if you can!

• Please note that there will be no Sunday School tomorrow, May 24; the children's programming will resume on 5/31, 6/7, and 6/14 before taking a summer break

Office closed this Monday;

Rev. Nathan also out on Tuesday

A prayer for Memorial Day, by Bishop John Harvey Taylor (revised from the Book of Common Prayer)

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping those who serve in the uniformed forces at home and abroad. As we remember this Memorial Day all those who sacrificed themselves for our nation’s ideals, defend with your heavenly grace all who risk themselves in these times; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The BCP's collect for Peace, the greatest gift we can give the uniformed forces

Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of

peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel

for the nations of the earth, that in tranquility your dominion

may increase until the earth is filled with the knowledge of your

love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with

you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for

ever. Amen.

May 20 Vestry Meeting Summary

On Wednesday evening this week, May 20, the St. PJ's Vestry met to discuss church events, parish operations, ministry initiatives, financial challenges, and property concerns. The meeting opened with prayer and a spiritual reflection on listening and community presence, and the April minutes were unanimously approved. 

Vestry members discussed recent and upcoming events, a just-submitted Lilly Grant application, and the possibility of inviting a representative from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut to a future Vestry meeting to discuss outreach, attendance, and engagement in urban church settings. Much of the meeting focused on urgent financial pressures -- April finances were deeply in the red -- related to payroll, utilities, and building expenses, prompting good discussion about stewardship, fundraising, rental income, and energy management. 

The Vestry approved several resolutions related to funding kitchen floor repairs, discussed security improvements following a burglary, considered future fundraising for music ministry needs, and received updates on building safety compliance and upcoming parish and community meetings.

To read the now-approved March minutes, please see the hallway bulletin board outside the office.

Margins and Movements:

"Just Mercy" book club this Tuesday!

Our social-justice book club will meet again at the church this Tuesday, 5/26, to discuss "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, with discussion led by Tudy Hill.

Read the book, listen to the book, read or listen to just a few chapters, or skip the book entirely but come to listen to others -- either way, all are welcome, and bring a friend!

Our final meeting of the season will be Tuesday, 6/23, to discuss "Disarming Leviathan: Loving your Christian Nationalist Neighbor" by Pastor Caleb Campbell, with discussion led by Kelly Park.

David Tate's next show is Junk

St. PJ's member David Tate will perform in two upcoming shows: "Junk" and as Oberon in Shakespeare's classic "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"Junk: A monologue Series on Modern Masculinity"

Saturday, June 6, 7 p.m.

One performance only

Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts Campus - Riverside Theatre

24 Belden Ave., Norwalk, CT

Admission is free but RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED

Call (203) 524-3036 or (570) 335-6824

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"

July 9-12, 16 - 19, 7:30 p.m. each night

Curtain Call's Shakespeare on the Green

Stamford, CT

Admission is free

News from the Wider Church:

- [ENS] San Diego diocese calls for prayers, peace after shooting at Islamic center

- [ENS] After years fostering interfaith ties, San Diego mosque finds allies in grief

- [ENS] Elizabeth Berman elected sixth bishop of Hawai‘i

- [ENS] Bexley Seabury Seminary launches climate justice and spiritual resilience program

- [ENS] Pennsylvania church’s Animal Cabin gives shelter animals, caretakers a quiet break from the cage

- [ENS] Northern Michigan churches display red dresses in recognition of violence toward Indigenous women

- [Sojourners] How Christians Can Offer Persuasive Alternatives to War

- [NCR] Stephen Colbert, please do a parish coffee and doughnut social tour

Come 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Pentecost, May 24, for Jazz Eucharist and a festive Coffee & Community.

Wear red for Pentecost!

Serving this Sunday:

Sunday

10:30 a.m.

Jazz Eucharist

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 for May 24, we pray for Trinity on the Green, New Haven; St. James, New London; St. John’s, New Milford; and for those in discernment and preparing for ordination. 

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

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, Tommy, 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, Jack 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

Candidate for Ordination: Milton Gilder

VIDEO: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon

Last week, the seventh Sunday of Easter, Lynne Severance preached and Rev. Nathan celebrated Communion. We also celebrated and prayed over this year's graduating students.

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.

Support Loaves & Fishes and Sunrise Cafe during renovation

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
• Seminary Intern: Kelly Park
• 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