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Weekly News from St. James' Episcopal Church | Leesburg, Virginia
April 25, 2025
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What a glorious Holy Week & Easter we celebrated at St. James’!
We are incredibly grateful for all that made this past week so meaningful. We had over 1,200 people worship with us from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday and 775 at our Easter Services alone!
A special thank you to Barry Simpson, Bryan Welsh and all of our wonderful choir members; Margaret Akers and the Altar Guild who made sure everything was well prepared for each service; Mary Dunlop and the ushers, who warmly welcomed all through our doors; Dottie and Jeff Brannock and all the acolytes, LEMs, and lectors, who faithfully led us in worship. Thank you to everyone!
If you missed a particular service or simply want to experience it again, you can watch recordings of Holy Week and Easter services at the Facebook/YouTube links below.
| | Watch the service live at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning or at your leisure at a later time. | | |
Children's Formation: Sunday, April 27
Children's Formation and Children's Chapel will be on hiatus. Please join us to witness several baptisms this day and stop by the St. James' table on Cornwall St. for Flower and Garden Festival.
| | This Sunday at St. James' | |
Farewell Reception for our Seminarian, Josh House
Sunday, April 27 | After 8 & 10 a.m. Worship | Janney Parlor
Although we may see him occasionally in the future, Josh’s last official Sunday at St. James’ is Sunday, April 27. Please join us after each service in the Janney Parlor, as we thank Josh for his service to St. James’ and wish him well in his future ministry.
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Changes to Children's Formation/Chapel for Spring
Sunday, May 4
Children's Chapel will return to its traditional format. Children will begin with their families in the pews on Sunday morning and will follow the junior acolyte to Children's Chapel following the children's sermon. Children will return to worship at the Peace.
Make sure you're in-the-know about all Children's Formation news and updates...sign up for the periodic email updates from Rev. Marybeth for Families with Children!
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Arts Camp VBS: Creating with God
Dates: June 23-June 27, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Students will encounter the wonder of God’s Creation as they make music and visual art in classes with professional artists. Mornings will also feature the usual VBS offerings with a daily Bible lesson, games, and snacks.
Camper ages: rising Kindergarten to rising 5th grade
Volunteer helper ages: rising 6th grade and up - no registration fee required
Registration fee this year is on a sliding scale. All of the fee goes to support programming and formation for Children at St. James’.
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Youth Group
All 6th through 12th graders are invited to join regular meetings of St. James' students, led by our fantastic team. If you are interested in getting your student involved, reach out to Rev. Marybeth.
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Youth Sunday School
6th through 12th grade
9:00 AM Sunday School and snacks in the Youth Room
We're currently discussing the Biblical theme of deliverance.
Please join us!
Questions? Email Jon Coate
Make sure you're in the loop on all things YOUP!
Download the Band app and join our group below:
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Adult Forum: Spirituality in Film, Art, and Popular Culture
Sundays, May 4-June 1 | 9 a.m. | Parish Hall
Join us for a 5-week series on finding spirituality in film, art, and modern-day culture. More details to come! Please note that we will not offer Adult Forum on Sundays, April 20 and 27.
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Men's Service Ministry Book Study-
All men of St. James are invited to join a weekly MSM meeting at 7 p.m. Mondays in the lower level of the Parish House. For additional info or should you have questions, please email Mike Scott.
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St. James' Preschool
Providing children with a creative learning experience in a Christian atmosphere of love and acceptance since 1972.
Registration is now open for 2025 Summer Camps and for the 2025-2026 school year! Visit the preschool website for all the info.
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Sacred Soil Society Workdays
Help us tend to God's creation and keep our grounds looking beautiful. No experience needed! We'll gather in the church's rear parking lot. Questions? Contact Pamela McGraw.
Upcoming Workdays:
- Saturday, May 3: 9-11 a.m
- Wednesday, May 14: 1-3 p.m.
- Saturday, May 17: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Tuesday, May 27: 1-3 p.m.
- Saturday, May 31: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
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Spring 2025 Women's Ministry Retreat
Fri. May 23-Sun. May 25, 2025 | Claggett Center
Deadline to Register: May 1
All women of St. James' are invited to our annual Women's Ministry Retreat in Adamstown, MD (about an hour from Leesburg). We have 3 more slots open for registration. The total cost of the retreat is $310 and includes a private room with ensuite bath and 5 meals over the weekend. The deposit to secure your spot is $75. Our goal is to welcome everyone who wishes to attend the retreat. Please reach out to Rev. Marybeth for financial aid. All requests will be kept confidential.
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St. James' Women's Book Club Monthly Meeting
May 14 | 2:00 pm | Janney Parlor
“To Build Community, Form Friendships, and Read a Good Book”
Meetings will take place on the second Wednesday of each month. The May meeting will be organized by Fran Smith and will be a discussion of the fiction book “When We Had Wings” by Ariel Lawhon. You can get the book from Amazon or Thrift Books. For more information, or to register (not required), frannie.r.smith@gmail.com
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Shrine Mont Summer Camp Registration is Now Open
Registration for Shrine Mont summer camps is now open. Last summer, we had several campers from St. James' and Rev. Marybeth served as chaplain for one of the St. George's sessions. We would love to continue to strengthen the connections between St. James' and Shrine Mont. Click here for more information and to register: https://www.shrinemontcamps.org/
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Master Singers of Virginia at St. James'
Saturday, May 3rd | 4:00 p.m.
The Master Singers of Virginia close out their 2024-2025 season with their May performances. The first half of the program has works by John Rutter, Claude Debussy, and Kim Andre Arnesen. The second half of the program features works by Bob Chilcott, Eric Whitacre, Alexander L'Estrange, Pacis Eusebe, and Moses Hogan. For tickets go to the Master Singers website at msva.org
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Blessing of the Community Garden
Sunday, May 4 | 11:30 a.m. | Community Garden
42748 Edwards Ferry Rd.
Please join us as we gather together to bless this year’s crops at our community garden. We will pray for another bountiful harvest that will bless our town and community. The potatoes are in the ground and we have started tomatoes, squash and peppers indoors with more to come! Last year we donated over 2,000 pounds of fresh food to Loudoun Hunger Relief. With your help we hope to surpass that amount this year. For information about this vital ministry and to learn how you may get involved through planting, weeding, harvesting, transporting, or donating, please contact John Jennings at jhjennings@gmail.com or 804-387-4630.
DIRECTIONS: Take Edwards Ferry Rd past Costco and across Battlefield Pkwy. Then take the first left at Sage Hill Farm.
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Graduation Sunday
If a member of your household is graduating from high school, college, or graduate school and you would like them to be recognized on Sunday, May 18, please email us at info@stjamesleesburg.
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(Asterisk * denotes those in the St. James’ community)
Those Requesting Prayers This Week: Suzette Shaw, *Ruth Blakeslee, Bobbie Wilkinson, *Bill Rice, and *Harold Neely.
Those on Our Long-Term Prayer List: Roger, Shannon Burns, *Dj Gunning, Pamela Scott, Isaiah Rice, *Kevin Smith, Erik deVriendt, The Householder family, Katie B. Sullivan, *Steve Page, Neil Gwinn, Charlotte Giblin, *Rachelle Graves, *Charlotte Woods, *Michael Dowling, Darrell Ackmann, Kaleb Cortes, Tony Beltrano, Emily, Mary Ellen Hurley, *Barbara Roark, *Fran Smith, Nicholas Rodney, Ed, *Scott Clark, *Pam Mossburg, Virginia Laughlin, and *Alice Lynn.
Those who have died: *Di Cook, Kurt Wehle, *John Powers, Tom Lynch and *Steven Cooksey.
Those Who Need Our Prayers: All those affected by the fires in the US, for the lives lost and that God will sustain them for the recovery ahead, for all those across the globe who suffer the effects of natural disasters; for those who suffer acts of violence around the world, especially for Ukraine and for the Holy Land; for federal employees and those serving in the armed forces at home and abroad; for those who are unemployed or underemployed; and for those who continue to be affected by COVID-19 and for protection of the most vulnerable through flu season and cold weather.
Do You Need Prayer or Care?
"In case of illness, the minister of the congregation is to be notified." (BCP p. 453)
Make a prayer request here.
Call the Church Office | Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
(703)777-1124 ext 1 | info@stjamesleesburg.org
After Hours Pastoral Care Line | (202)750-4247
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Prayer List Changes
The clergy and Pastoral Associates of the Parish have been considering ways to deepen the prayer life of St. James’. Our parish prayer list is a vital part of our corporate and individual prayers. We also know there are many in need of prayer who are known to God alone.
One of the ways we hope to hold our St. James’ family in prayer is to denote St. James’ congregants using and asterisk in our printed list. This way, whether on the short-term or long-term, those praying in worship will be able to hold those closest to us in mind. We will always continue to pray for friends and family.
Though we only name a few names out loud, please use the long-term list in your personal prayers. Many who reside on the list are our home bound folks we send communion to. They are a part of us. Please check our weekly email each week for suggested prayers and our diocesan and Anglican prayer cycles. For questions or suggestions, please reach out to Rev. Marybeth.
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