Monday, June 1:

• 10:30am Good Grief Group 

Wednesday, June 3: 

• 7:30am- Holy Eucharist (bagels and coffee after)
• 6:00-9:00pm: St. James the Less Free Clinic

Church Picnic May 31st

Please join us for the Church-wide picnic in the Pavilion to celebrate the wonderful program year we've had, following the 10am service. We’re gathering for a day of food, fun, and connection. We will provide the delicious chicken (from Around the Table) and drinks.



Please bring a side or dessert to share. We will also have yard games and other activities for everyone to enjoy celebrating community, faith, and fellowship.

Did you know?

Our wonderful Vestry Registrar is an accomplished PhD. They are nice initials to have. We get our minutes the next day and that is great! While the meeting is still fresh in our mind. In addition, she is an active Vestry member. She along with PK are reworking a structure, with John Ohmer, to streamline our meetings to be more productive.

She and her husband Roger work very hard on the Foundation they founded CJ’S Tuff. They bring food and love to the young patients at UVa.

Thanks for letting me share,

Nancy

Parish Updates

What a great week at St. James the Less! Worship was full of love and connection Sunday. Thank you to all our veterans and all those who serve. We are so grateful for you.

The "Purge Pal Gals" came in this week to help us clean and clear out more spaces. We are so grateful for them and their willingness to help us be good stewards of all we have.

Our "Noah's Ark" Animal Outreach Ministry launched their ministry by serving some of the folks at the Free Clinic. Almost every patient there gladly accepted pet food. One young couple even asked if they could donate! They sent food home for 13 cats and seven dogs. It was a strong start! They need to replenish their cat food supplies.

Our amazing volunteers came out and replaced the flowers in the Memorial Garden and Courtyard. It is stunning and honors our saints so beautifully! Thank you!

8am Service moving to the Pavilion (May 31 - end of June)

Starting May 31, and continuing through June 28, we are taking our 8:00 a.m. worship service outdoors to the church pavilion.

Our 8:00 a.m. worship service will be outdoors in the church pavilion starting May 31st and for the Sundays in June. There is something special about worshiping surrounded by God’s creation—feeling the morning breeze and hearing the birds join our praise. We invite you to experience this fresh, intimate atmosphere as we move our early service from the sanctuary to the pavilion for the summer months, as long as the temperature agrees.

Women's Book Club-Why should the men have all the fun? If you are interested in joining a women's book club, please let us know! If there is interest, we can decide when we'll meet, how often, where, and what we will read.  So many books to choose from, so much fun to read and discuss!  If you have questions please reach out to: Beth Harrison, Michele Murphy, or Jenny Bruce

Summer Schedule- July 5-August 8th we will be observing a summer schedule of combining our two services into one service (indoors), at 9am.  This will allow our 8 o’clockers and 10 o’clockers a chance to see one another and give our volunteers a well- deserved break.

Everyone: Join us on Sunday, June 7^th from 2-6 pm for a special event with the Randolph-Macon College's Chaplain's Office. We'll explore the theme of Birds in the Bible, learning about ancient birds in the Holy Land and about birds that live in our area today. Each participant will make their own birdhouse to take home. We'll enjoy snacks & games together too!  While this is a youth event, all congregants are welcome and wanted, even if you aren't in middle or high school.

This summer we will have multiple opportunities to gather as families and youth. Mark your calendars and look for more information coming soon!

Parish Retreat

Join us for our Parish Retreat at Shrine Mont the weekend of October 16–18! Located in the beautiful mountains of Orkney Springs, this family-friendly weekend is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fresh air, mountain vistas, good food, worship, fellowship, adult program, children’s activities, and time to deepen friendships while making new ones.

The retreat cost includes lodging and all meals beginning with dinner on Friday evening and ending with lunch on Sunday. Pricing is: Adults (18+) $155, Teens (13–18) $70, Children (4–12) $55, and Toddlers (0–3) are free. Financial assistance is available through our Chenery Fund, which can offset up to 50% of your total cost.

Please plan to join us this fall! We ask that all sign-ups be completed by August 15.

Hanover Churches Network

The mission of the Hanover Churches Network (HCN) is to coordinate the responses of local churches to social needs in Hanover County, VA. HCN fosters collaboration to better steward resources, addressing food and housing instability through a shared database, monthly meetings, and partnership initiatives, aiming to connect churches and community organizations. Click below to see the most recent updates.

Lord God, encourage us to faithfulness, righteousness, and compassion for all God’s children. We lift up Sean, our Presiding Bishop, Mark, Gail & Bud, our Bishops, and John, our Priest in Charge. May they be strengthened and encouraged as they work with us to proclaim your Good News in this world. We pray for Donald, our President, Abigail, our Governor, and Steve, our Mayor, and all our elected officials. Guide them to lead us to the common good. 



We pray for members of our community, friends and loved ones who are ill, especially, Gus, Erin, Meghann, Haden, Hilda, the Smith family, Mary Lou, Alicia, Steve, Margaret, Patty, Jennifer, Susan, Mike, Melissa, Amy, Martin, Cara, Sharon, Winnie, Michael, Addison, Pam, Julie, Ray, Kelly, Jack, Dale, Mark, Laura, Michael, Paul, & George. 

We pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. We ask your prayers for those serving in the diplomatic corps, the military, and as missionaries: Larson, Greg, Matthew, James, Ellie, Andrew, Katherine and Duke. 

We pray for those who have died, especially Heather Grande, Cleve Collins, Dearing Gardner, Erik Klauss, & Judy Sledd. We ask your prayers for those who grieve their missing loved ones. Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored.

May 29-Janet Rosser & Brian Davies

May 31- Lori Epperson

June 2-Rebecca Hottman

• Ask for prayer-Send in your prayer request (please acknowledge if the prayer is private or for our Parish list)
• List of Local Food Pantries- Click here for a complete list of local food pantries.
• Fall Line Farms- A wonderful organization that supports local farmers. Click here to order food so you can pick it up here at SJTL on Thursdays.
• Self- Guided Ways Of Worship Brochure- has wonderful ways of engaging with your own space (and the spaces around the church) to find the Holy, already present, within them.
• Sign up to take the St. James the Less Free Clinic a meal for volunteers.
• Blessings & Dressings- A copy of the SJTL Cookbook 
• End of Life Planning Kit- Help with estate planning from the Episcopal Church Foundation.
• Diocesan Creation Care Website- Creation Care Task Force for 2025

Vestry Contact Information

Here is the list of the current vestry members, if you want to reach out:

Beth Baxter, '27

John Krause, '27

PK Kinser, '27

Sylvia Spagna (Junior Warden), '27

Nancy Chamlee (Senior Warden), '28

Julie Ericksen, '28

Richard Grosse, '28

Derrick Rosser, '28

Barbara Bauserman, '29

Doug Bower, '29

Jessica Dowdy, '29

Rachel Reynolds, '29

Use these email address to contact the wardens or whole vestry:

vestry@stjamestheless.church

Saint James the Less Episcopal Church

125 Beverly Road

Ashland, VA 23005

(804) 798-6336

Staff: (click on the name to email )

The Rev. John Ohmer Priest in Charge

Reggie Long- Organist/Music Director

Miriam Smith- Christian Formation- Children & Youth Director

Kasey Buckland- Coordinator of Administration and Hospitality

The church office is open/staffed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm.