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St. James Episcopal Church
E-Newsletter
July 3, 2025
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Worship Schedule for Sunday, July 6, 2025
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
8:00 am - Holy Eucharist, Rite I
In-person only
10:00 am - Holy Eucharist, Rite II
In-person and via Zoom
With The Rev. Amy Spagna
Coffee Hour to follow in the parish hall.
Zoom Access
Meeting Link: *click here*
Meeting ID: 461 150 474
Passcode: 722891
By phone: dial 1-646-558-8656, then enter the meeting ID and password above.
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Mark Your Calendars!
The 97th Annual St. James Fair will be held on Saturday, August 16, 2025. We need your help with sorting items during the intake period (typically a 3-hour shift). More importantly, we need help with setup on the day before the Fair, and with cleanup on the day of the Fair.
Please note: intake will start on August 4. Start cleaning your basements, organizing the garage, and think what you can donate to the Fair! A full list of what we will and will not accept will be posted soon. We appreciate quality items for the Fair.
Please contact Sari White at sariwhite8@gmail.com or 802-296-1296 with your offer to help your church.
St. James' has a long history of caring for the community that surrounds it, providing both physical and spiritual aid over many years. We have also been a catalyst for many local community service non-profits providing food, resources and education to those who need them most. Our 97th Annual Fair will once again raise funds to support local, regional and international organizations that, in turn, help those in need.
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COFFEE HOUR HOSTS NEEDED
Please sign up on the bulletin board in the hallway across from the offices.
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From Rev. Amy: Sabbatical Update #3
We are four weeks out as of this writing, and the planning phase is nearly complete. My travel schedule is pretty well set, and includes a visit to my friend, the Rt. Rev. Jean Mweningoma's diocese in Burundi (we are assuming at this point that will not be problematic due to Burundi's inclusion on the recently announced travel ban list).
To answer some questions I've heard in the last few weeks:
Who's going to be available if I need to talk to someone or I'm in the hospital? The Revs. Betty Berlenbach and Lisa Ransom will be serving as the "on call" clergy for these types of situations. We also have a team of people trained to make home visits who are available to assist you. They will be visiting those who are living in various assisted living facilities - and they will gladly come to see you, too! Teresa Voorhees will be the point person for arranging those visits, coordinating meals, and sending cards and flowers. And, don't forget that DHMC has an outstanding chaplaincy service. If you're admitted, be sure to tell them you're an Episcopalian to ensure the chaplain will visit you.
Who's going to lead worship? There will be several supply priests coming in on Sundays throughout the sabbatical period. I am pleased to report that most Sundays have at least the 10:00 service covered as of right now.
We will be publishing both the worship schedule, and a complete list of whom to call for what, in mid-July. Stay tuned!
How will we know you're safe while you're traveling, since we can't be in touch with you regularly? You can trust that I won't be left by myself while in Burundi, as either Bishop Jean or one of his staff will be with me whenever I'm outside the hotel. St. James is a part of the safety plan. If there should be any kind of emergent situation, I will be in contact with the wardens, Stephen Land and Fiona McElwain, as soon as possible. I will also ensure that my family knows how to reach Stephen and Fiona, and will leave copies of my itinerary and any relevant documents on file in the office.
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AA meetings at St. James
are held on Tuesdays at noon
in the Parish Hall.
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Be a Dismas House Volunteer
On the 2nd Monday of each month, a team from St. James cooks dinner for the residents of the Dismas House in Hartford, VT. If you are interested in helping, please contact Debra Kappel (debrakappel@yahoo.com) or call her cell at 772-559-1537. Dismas House is a residence for former prison inmates seeking to make a transition to a new life.
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Forward Day-by-Day Meditation
Thursday, July 3, 2025
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Acts 8:36-38. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
I have a few memories, like fading snapshots, of my baptism at my childhood Southern Baptist church. I remember that it took place in a pool built into the wall painted with a pastoral scene. I remember wearing a white robe that clung against my body when I was submerged in the water. It made me want to disappear. My baptism also took place around the time my parents’ marriage was falling apart, so I’m sure that colored some of my memories.
But something must have stuck because here I am, in my thirty-fifth year of working as a lay leader in the Episcopal Church, and I love baptism. I find such joy in seeing both babies and adults welcomed into a community of faith. I celebrate with adults who are now ready to be baptized. And the poetry of the Baptismal Covenant carries me.
“What is to prevent me from being baptized?” asks the eunuch. The answer is simple and profound. Philip and the eunuch go down to the water, and Philip baptizes him.
MOVING FORWARD: What memories does baptism evoke for you?
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