St. PJ's eNews: June 12, 2025 | | |
- Weekly Reflection: "Acting faithfully in troubling times: A letter from Presiding Bishop Rowe"
- What is Trinity Sunday?
- "No Kings" protest this Saturday, June 14
- No Sunday School this weekend, June 15
- Monday, June 23: Hymn Sing and Ice-Cream Social
- Spread the word with our updated rental page: Hold your next party, event, or meeting at St. PJ's
- News from the Wider Church: Weekly churchwide immigration updates, Scottish Episcopal Church welcomes trans people, California bishops respond to Trump's crackdown, and more
- This Week at St. PJ's and Cycles of Prayer
- Video: Last Sunday's Service and Sermon
- Parish-wide Visits with Rev. Nathan
- There's Always More...
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Weekly Reflection:
"Acting faithfully in troubled times:
A letter from Presiding Bishop Rowe"
Yesterday, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe issued a letter to the full church, in response to Donald Trump's cruel new travel ban and authoritarian use of the military against Los Angeles protestors. For this week's reflection, here is his letter in full.
Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church:
I am writing to you from Geneva, where I am meeting with global partners at the World Council of Churches and the United Nations Refugee Agency. As we have discussed how our institutions might act faithfully and boldly in these turbulent times, I have been reflecting on how we Episcopalians can respond to what is unfolding around us as followers of the Risen Christ whose first allegiance is to the kingdom of God, not to any nation or political party.
The events of the last several days lend urgency to this spiritual challenge. Earlier this week, President Trump’s executive order banning or restricting travel from 19 countries went into effect. This order impacts countries that are home to dioceses of The Episcopal Church and many of our Anglican Communion partners, and I have written to the bishops and primates in those countries to express our concern.
The unwarranted deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps on the streets of Los Angeles also signals a dangerous turn. As the bishops of California have written, these military deployments risk escalating the confrontations unnecessarily and set a dangerous precedent for future deployments that heighten tensions rather than resolve them. As Christians committed to strive for justice and peace among all people, we know that there is a better way.
What we are witnessing is the kind of distortion that arises when institutions like the military and the State Department are turned on the people they were meant to protect. These mainstays of the federal government, designed to safeguard civil society and promote peace and stability, are now being weaponized for political advantage.
The violence on television is not our only risk. We are also seeing federal budget proposals that would shift resources from the poor to the wealthy; due process being denied to immigrants; and the defunding of essential public health, social service, and foreign aid programs that have long fulfilled the Gospel mandate to care for the vulnerable, children, and those who are hungry and sick.
With all of this in mind, we are finding ways to respond as Christians to what we see happening around us. We are exploring options to support litigation challenging the travel ban on the ground of religious freedom; advocating for federal spending that safeguards the welfare of the most vulnerable; caring for immigrants and refugees in our congregations and communities; and standing in solidarity with other faith groups. In short, we are practicing institutional resistance rooted not in partisan allegiance, but in Christian conviction.
At its best, our church is capable of moral clarity and resolute commitment to justice. I believe we can bring those strengths to bear on this gathering storm. Churches like ours, protected by the First Amendment and practiced in galvanizing people of goodwill, may be some of the last institutions capable of resisting the injustice now being promulgated. That is not a role we sought—but it is one we are called to.
In Geneva, I have been reminded that we are part of a global communion of hope in the Risen Christ. We do not stand alone as we live by our baptismal promises: to persevere in resisting evil, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. In these troubling times, may we find courage and resilience in our identity as members of the Body of Christ.
Yours in Christ,
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The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
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What is Trinity Sunday?
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday -- our third principle feast in a row! Here is some of what "An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church" has to say about the occasion:
Trinity Sunday: Feast that celebrates “the one and equal glory” of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, “in Trinity of Persons and in Unity of Being” (Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 380). It is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Trinity Sunday is one of the seven principal feasts of the church year...
Celebration of Trinity Sunday was approved for the western church by Pope John XXII in 1334. This feast is associated with Thomas Becket (c. 1118-1170), who was consecrated bishop on Trinity Sunday, 1162. His martyrdom may have influenced the popularity of the feast in England and the custom of naming the remaining Sundays of the church year “Sundays after Trinity.” The Sarum Missal and editions of the Prayer Book through the 1928 BCP named these Sundays the Sundays after Trinity. The 1979 BCP identifies this portion of the church year as the season after Pentecost, and names these Sundays the Sundays after Pentecost (see BCP, p. 32).
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"No Kings Protest" this Saturday
The next national day-of-action from organizing groups like Indivisible, MoveOn, Faithful America, and the Interfaith Alliance is this Saturday, June 14 -- Flag Day, the day of Trump's ridiculous-yet-dangerous, ego-driven imperial military parade.
There will be a "No Kings Mass Protest" on the New Haven Green Saturday from 1-3, with additional events in Guilford, Newtown, Bridgeport, and beyond -- more than two dozen across the state, with the largest planned for the state capitol.
If you attend, please do so in the name of your faith to push back on Trump's white-Christian-nationalist support! Wear a cross necklace, make a sign quoting Jesus, or bring other clear objects of Christian witness.
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No Sunday School this weekend, June 15
The Children’s Garden Sunday School will take a one-week hiatus this weekend, with no Sunday School on June 15. It will return as regularly scheduled next week, on June 22.
Children are always welcome in the Sanctuary for the full service!
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Monday, June 23:
Hymn Sing and Ice-Cream Social
Will, Dylan, and Rev. Nathan are excited to announce an upcoming Hymn Sing and Ice Cream Social on Monday, June 23, at 6:45 p.m.!
This is a chance to gather in the Parish Hall around the piano and under the pretty lights to fill our hearts with song, have a sweet treat, and just simply be together for an hour.
Will is creating a reusable "PJ's Pick-up Hymnal" of a few dozen tunes that can bring together various sources - the Hymnal 1982, Lift Every Voice and Sing, and so many more. If there’s a hymn that's particularly special to you and that you want to be sure we include, please email revnathan@stpaulstjames.org ASAP.
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Spread the word with our updated website:
Hold your next party or meeting at St. PJ's
Do you know anyone -- a friend, a colleague, an organization -- who needs space for a birthday party, meeting, music rehearsal, public forum, baby shower, prep kitchen, or dance recital?
Let them know that St. PJ's has great space at affordable rates!
The parish hall, undercroft, guild room, downstairs commercial kitchen, and (for the right event) sanctuary are all available. Information regarding these spaces and their rates is now on the St. PJ's website.
Please share the link and spread the word!
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Come for Jazz Eucharist this Sunday, June 15, at 10:30 a.m. as we celebrate Trinity Sunday.
Rev. Nathan will preach and preside.
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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
In the cycle of prayer for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, we pray this week for St. Paul’s, Norwalk; All Saints with Christ, Oakville; and St. Saviour’s, Old Greenwich, and for students of all ages who are graduating.
In the global Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for La Iglesia Anglicana de Mexico (the Anglican Church of Mexico).
ST. PJ'S PRAYER LIST: Rachel, Doug Parker, Anne Matthies, Betty Hill, Tim Barnes, Calvin Griffin, Lenny Santarsiero, Rev. Walter MacNutt, Tom Caffelle, Kevin Gerbe, Leota Tucker, Edwina Johnson, Cynthia King, Paul D'Agostino, Richard Holcomb, Tiras Jaske, Gwen Chapin, Uli Mackert, Steve Crowson, Charlie & Bridget Farrell, Alyce, Judi, Tom, Leslie, Andrew, Pam, Tommy, Beverly Lett, Vanetta Lloyd, Janea Barthle
Birthdays & Anniversaries: Anna (6/17), Karen (6/18), Maggie (6/18), and Arthur (6/18)
(If one of these birthdays is yours, please let us know - some of the names on the church office's birthday list include last names while some don't. Even when we're fairly certain who it is, we never want to make assumptions!)
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VIDEO: Last Sunday's Service and Sermons
If you either missed or want to revisit last Sunday at St. PJ's, you can find the recorded livestream on Facebook or YouTube.
For Pentecost, Rev. Nathan celebrated the Eucharist and preached about how the Spirit shows that we are stronger not just in spite of our differences, but often because of them.
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Upcoming Visits with Rev. Nathan
As previously announced, I am now trying to meet with every St. PJ's member -- as families or individuals -- and get to know you and your dreams for our community life together.
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 this congregation's future. Through these meetings, I hope to get a better feel for who we are as a community -- and where the Spirit might be leading us!
Ideally this meeting would be at your home, where I can also offer a home blessing. If you prefer a coffee shop, your office, or a park bench on a nice day, those are fine options too -- anywhere but the church itself.
Because I am half-time, it will undoubtedly take several months to get through these visits. If you would like to meet sooner, please let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to use an Excel random-number generator to determine the order in which I'll reach out. But whether it's next week or in September, know that I can't wait!
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There's always more...
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
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - Noon
office@stpaulstjames.org
(203) 562-2143
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Priest-in-Charge: The Rev. Nathan Empsall, revnathan@stpaulstjames.org
- Administrative Director: Monifa Atkinson
- 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
- 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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