September 7, 2022

Our Weekly News & Updates
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A NOTE FROM FATHER ROCK

Welcome back to our program year! Please make sure you check out the entire email this week as we have so many things kicking off. We hope you will join us for our picnic this Sunday out on our picnic tables, weather permitting. In case of weather we will be in the parish hall.


As we begin the year, I need to address a deep need that most churches and non-profits are facing. Volunteers. WE NEED YOU! If you ever thought, "One day I would like to..." then today is the day. This is just a partial list of the needs in no particular order...


  • Children's and Youth helpers. I have heard from so many how nice it is to have families returning to church, and to provide the programming for the kids we need adults who are willing to commit to loving them and helping out in the classes Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings. Occasionally we will have needs in the Nursery as well. (All workers with ANY of our children are provided with training, required by the Diocese, in best practices for the safety and well-being of our beloved children.)
  • Service "Guilds." 
  • We have the traditional Altar Guild that helps make our worship services so welcoming and beautiful. 
  • We also have a Facilities "Guild" that needs people with a wide variety of skills, from pushing a mower to changing a lightbulb. We have an amazing crew that keeps saying "We are not getting any younger." Now is the time if you can do anything.
  • Technology "Guild" helps attract new folks and keep connections when people are away by streaming our services every Sunday. We were streaming our services over a year before COVID, and because of that strong presence, when COVID hit we were ahead of the game. It is not hard and helps bring our church family to the world! If you can use a computer, you have the skills needed to broadcast our service and training is provided.
  • Rides "Guild" helps to give some of our Parishioners rides to appointments. If you have a car and would like to help in this way, you can join the team.  
  • Brunswick Stew Sale. It has been a few years since we have been able to provide our "Bishop Blessed" Brunswick Stew. We need choppers and chicken pickers, then stirrers on the big pots on the day of the cook. This is a significant fundraiser for the church, and we need all hands that can help to jump in Veterans' Day weekend.
  • Choir! Handbells! Reggie would love to get you plugged into our musical offerings. 
  • Lectors!  If you would like to read in some of our Sunday services, we would love to have you join the team.  
  • Acolytes! We have had so many graduate since we were able to have a rotating acolyte team before the pandemic, and if you are willing, we are happy to train. Adults can acolyte, too!


If you see most any job around the church, we could use more people to sign up and commit. In talking with so many ministry friends across denominations and the country, there is a crisis of commitment. We have all been scared and tired, and that makes anyone hesitant. But think about it, for us to "get back to normal" we need leaders to step forward and say they will help us get there.


The question is not whether we need YOUR help, but "Where will you help?" Truly, we need you to get St. James the Less back to where we all want it to be.


If you have questions, ideas, or anything reach out to me or Kasey. With Children and Youth stuff, reach out to Miriam. With Music stuff, reach out to Reggie. All our emails are at the bottom of this message.


Lastly, we have a handful of people heading to the ordination on Saturday as of now. If you would like to join us as Dawn becomes a deacon, we would love to have you. Sign up with Kasey.


See you Sunday for our picnic. Bring a dish to share and we will provide chicken and drinks.


Blessings,

Rock+

JOIN US THIS WEEK

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

  • 7:30am-Eucharist Rite II
  • Breakfast following


Saturday, September 10, 2022

  • 9am- Group Exercise Class


Sunday, September 11, 2022

  • 8am- Eucharist: Rite I Service
  • 9am-Sunday School begins for adults & children
  • 10am- Eucharist: Rite II (music)
  • 11am-Church Picnic
  • 5:45pm-J2A Introduction Supper


Monday, September 5, 2022

  • 10:30am-Grief Group
  • 7pm-Dream Group
Click Here to Watch Services Live or Later

Program Year Kick Off Edition

CHURCH PICNIC THIS SUNDAY

Please join us as we gather around the table as a community to kick off our program year following the 10am service on Sunday, 9/11.  We will have baked and fried chicken for everyone.  Please bring a side or dessert to share.  We look forward to creating excitement for the upcoming program year.  Our calendar is full of good and thoughtful things.  We will be building community and relationship with each other and God!  It’s going to be a great year!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Deacon Ordination


We would love to have a good representation at our new Deacon, Dawn McNamara's, ordination, and we will be taking our church van up Saturday, September 10th. We will be leaving the Church at 11:45am so we can grab lunch up there before the service, which begins at 2pm. Also of note, there are priestly ordinations that morning at another church in Fredericksburg where our former employee Paul Evans is being ordained. That service is at 10:30 am and will be livestreamed. If you would like to reserve a seat in the van to attend, please contact Kasey to add your name to the list.

Wiley Hughes Memorial Service 


Please join us on Saturday, September 17 at 1pm to celebrate the life of Wiley Hughes, father of Bob Hughes. We are grateful to have such wonderful faithful examples in our midst. 

Brunswick Stew Sale


Our annual tradition is back! We are thrilled! We will be prepping the food on Friday, November 11th and cooking and selling it on Saturday, November 12th. If you would like to be part of the team, please click HERE to sign up or just let Kasey know. We will make sure you get the information. 

Confirmation Classes


Would you or someone you know be interested in learning more about getting confirmed?  This class teaches the fundamentals, by Father Rock, about what it is to be an Episcopalian.  Email us if you would like to be part of this 4-5 week class. We will work out a convenient time amongst the participants to do it this fall. It's a wonderful time to meet new people and learn about our faith. 

MUSIC PROGRAM

The Handbell Choir and Parish Choir both resume rehearsals this week. All are invited to join either or both of these ensembles. We are always looking for new members and can never have too many. If you have ever thought about joining but just weren’t sure, we encourage you to come to one of our rehearsals to check us out and see what we do. 


The HANDBELL CHOIR rehearses on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 6:45 and the PARISH CHOIR rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30.

We are pleased to announce that the CHERUB CHOIR will be returning this year. Their rehearsals will be starting soon at the beginning of Sunday School.


If you would like more information about any of these groups, please email Reggie Long (reggie@stjamestheless.com). 


Also, please mark your calendars for Sunday, October 30th at 4pm for an Organ concert and Reception by Reggie Long. It will be GORGEOUS!

CHILDREN & YOUTH

We will have the nursery open again this fall. We will have Sunday School for the kids at 9am and then Children’s Church during part of the 10am service starting the week of September 11th. We are gearing up for an awesome year!


Blessing of the Backpacks

Please bring your children and their backpacks THIS Sunday, September 11th at the 10am service for a Blessing of the Backpacks. Each child will get a tag that can go in or on their backpack with a blessing that will be prayed over them. We want to celebrate, mark and champion these kids as they head back to school. This has been a tradition of St. James the Less for a long time and we are


J2A Informational Dinner 

On Sunday, September 11th we will kick off youth group with a family dinner at 5:45pm. All parents and youth are welcome to come and learn more about the J2A program and our regional youth group program. Please complete the registration form found here. We look forward to seeing you soon!


Supply List

If you would like to participate in the ministry by donating supplies from our Amazon wish list, please click the link and know we are grateful. It’s your support that makes this happen!


Children's Registration

Please be sure to register your children through this link. This will help us with planning and weekly activities. 


Cherub Choir

We are thrilled to announce that the Cherub Choir is coming back this year. The children will be singing  at the December 11th 10am & 24th 4:30pm services. They will also sing at Easter. Practices will be during Sunday school. 


If you would like to volunteer to help with the youth, email Miriam. 

ADULT FORMATION

Dream Group

The Dream Group meets at 7 pm, on Mondays. They discuss the power and meaning of our dreams. If anyone is interested, talk to either Bill or Beth Harrison. 


Adult Sunday School

Adult Sunday school meets at 9am. We have two groups this year. 


In the 4th Quarter space, taught by Beth Harrison, they will be taking a deep dive into the Lord’s Prayer, line by line, looking at it in the Greek, Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, as well as English. They will look at each line from at least 3 perspectives- the scholarly/intellectual, the metaphorical/poetic, and the mystical/universal. The prayer appears in two forms, one in Matthew and the other in Luke, so they will also look at them side by side as they appear in our New Testament. This familiar prayer helps us remember what is important in life and contains the central themes of Jesus’ teachings. In the spring, they will explore the gospel of John.

We will also begin a second class that meets on Sunday mornings looking at a book about Episcopal beliefs and practice named Walk in Love. It is award-winning and comes out of the devotional publishing house Forward Movement. We will be looking at a chapter a week beginning September 11 and going up to Easter if we can maintain our schedule. This class will meet in Brydon Hall, 9 am to 9:45 Sundays, taught by Father Rock.  We have a few extra copies. If you would like to purchase a copy from the church it is $15. To purchase it from Amazon click HERE

BOOK CLUB

We are thrilled that book club is about to start again TOMORROW, Thursday, September 8th at 10am on Zoom. We will be meetings for 10 weeks on Thursday mornings at 10am, reading a chapter a week. This time we are reading The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard. The link to purchase it on Amazon is HERE. If you would like us to purchase it for you or need help with the cost, please let us know. We don't want there to be a barrier to you joining us. It is a very special group!


The Divine Conspiracy has revolutionized how we think about the true meaning of discipleship. In this classic, one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers of our times and author of the acclaimed The Spirit of Disciplines, Dallas Willard, skillfully weaves together biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice, revealing what it means to "apprentice" ourselves to Jesus. Using Jesus’s Sermon of the Mount as his foundation, Willard masterfully explores life-changing ways to experience and be guided by God on a daily basis, resulting in a more authentic and dynamic faith. 

SHRINE MONT

We are thrilled to announce that we are taking our Parish Retreat to Shrine Mont on October 14-16, 2022. It is a restorative time for yourself and your family. It is also chocked full of community and faith building. We hope you can join us. There are multiple ways you can let us know you are planning on coming. You can fill out this online form HERE. You can call Kasey and have her sign you up at 804-798-6336. You can also sign up on the bulletin board in the hallway. 


The cost is $75 for children (ages 4-12), $90 for teens (13-18), and $175 for adults (18 +). If you would like to complete a Chenery grant request to help with the cost of your trip, please complete THIS form. We don’t want cost to hinder anyone from this awesome experience.

Father Rock+ will be holding another book club at Shrine Mont this year. We will be reading the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Stranger in the Lifeboat, by Mitch Albom. Please read the book ahead of coming and join us for a discussion Sunday morning.


If you would like to purchase the book on Amazon, click HERE. If  you would like us to help with purchasing the book, please let us know.  We are happy to help!

HOMILY

Proper 18

September 4, 2022

WEDNESDAY FUNNY

September 7

Andy Newchok

Emily Folsom


September 8

Monroe Reece

Sam Redd Carter

Bob Hughes

Selah Higgins


September 9

Gary Waugh

September 10

Elizabeth Baxter


September 11

Jerry Williams

Ralph Mills

Rachel Reynolds


September 13

Betsy Snipes

HELPFUL LINKS

Saint James the Less Episcopal Church

125 Beverly Road

Ashland, VA 23005

(804) 798-6336


Staff:

The Rev. Rock Higgins, tssf Rector

Reggie Long- Organist/Music Director

Miriam Smith- Christian Formation- Children & Youth Director

Kasey Buckland- Parish Administrator

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Weekly E-News Deadline:  If you have an announcement to be shared with the parish, please get the information in no later than noon on Monday.