May 29th, 2022

We'd love for you to join us!

We would be pleased if you joined us in person or online from the comfort of your home for church services via Facebook Live at 9:30am.

https://www.facebook.com/StJamesEpiscopalChurchMillCreek/

In the final section of John’s seventeenth chapter, known as the “high priestly prayer,” Jesus is praying for those “who will believe in [him]” through the work of the disciples. In some ways, this foreshadows that moment with Thomas, who will only make his way back to the group after they reach out to him. It’s also a prayer for all of those (all of us?) who come later on who will try to make sense of the hope and the promise of the Resurrection, especially in a world that’s full for hurt and heartache.

In a week like the one we’ve had or like the month that has passed or the past two-plus years of isolation and death, hearing some hope in these words can be terribly difficult. You may not be taking much comfort in them, or they could be the only thing keeping you going in the morning and throughout the day.

Knowing and seeing and being reminded of the hurt and suffering that’s all around us and wondering when it might come close to us can be exhausting for all of us. If we can take anything from Jesus’s words this week, maybe it’s simply the example to continue to hold one another up in prayer and hold one another close in community. If you don’t have any words to pray, simply sitting in the silence is okay, too.

The parish office will be closed May 30th for Memorial Day. Thank you very much for your kindness and understanding.

Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day!

Celebration of New Ministry

On Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 6:00pm, we will come together to celebrate the new ministry between St. James’ Episcopal Church and our new Rector, the Rev. Ben Rockwell. At this celebration, the Rt. Rev. Kevin S. Brown will join us, along with visiting clergy from around our diocese, in a liturgical celebration. COVID willing, a reception will follow in the Parish Hall. Please mark your calendars, and we hope you’ll join us!

Calling all Graduates!

Let's take a moment and celebrate all of the graduates in your life. If you would like to make an announcement on the e-Epistle and/or the Monthly Newsletter please email the office at [email protected] .

Serving those in need with dignity and respect…

We are grateful for your support that enables us to

serve lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room

and provide clothing, food, and other items

needed by those being served at the Hope Center.

EMMANUEL DINING ROOM

Providing a daily lunch to those in need in Wilmington

Our next date for providing lunch for Emmanuel Dining Room will be Tuesday, May 31, 2022 and we will continue to deliver our lunch items and extra bottles of water. We hope we will be able to serve our guests in the dining room sometime this spring. For now, we offer “take-away” lunches. We will be serving meatball subs, fruit, chips, cookies, and a bottle of water again this year. When possible, we’ll also offer a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a snack/extra meal (for now--made by youth and adults in their homes.)

New Castle County HOPE Center

for Individuals and Families in need of temporary housing and support services.

What started as temporary housing during the cold weather of 2020-2021 has grown into a permanent center that provides housing and support services for individuals and families who are without adequate housing in New Castle County.  New Castle County (NCC) purchased the former Sheraton Hotel on Airport Rd (now named the New Castle County HOPE Center) and kept the hotel management staff to keep the facility running.  Working together, many non-profit organizations including Family Promise provide various services and support for individuals and families to obtain emergency and more significant housing and medical, psychological, and job skills opportunities as well. The hotel can accommodate 400 and suites and adjoining rooms are given to families and enable households to stay together. Housing is coordinated through the Delaware Housing Alliance. 

If you know of anyone who needs this housing, please ask them to call 1-833-FIND-BED (1-833-3463-233) and leave a message.

How can you help?

Review the list below and see where you might be able to help.

Current items needed:

•      Hygiene items such as deodorant, shampoo, and soap (regular and travel size)

•      Non-alcohol hand sanitizer

•      Tide pods or other laundry pods

•      NEW Underwear, and socks - all sizes, children through adult

•      New or gently used t-shirts and light jacket

·       New books for adults and children

·       Gift cards - Target, Acme, Wawa

Please drop the items off:

·        Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the parish hall porch 

Please place your donations in the bin labeled Donations for HOPE Center on the porch of the parish hall. Liz will bring in the bin and any donated items at 12:30 p.m.

·        On Sunday, there is a container in the foyer of the church.

We take the donations to Friendship House about every two weeks.

Thank you,

St. James' Outreach Ministry

Thank you all for your generosity and caring that made and make these offerings possible. 

Emmanuel Dining Room

We usually provide over 140 (sometimes close to 200) lunches to our friends at Emmanuel Dining Room on the 31st of the month (7 times per year).

On our next lunch date--May 31st, our guests will enjoy meatball subs, green beans, a roll, banana, and homemade cookies and have peanut butter and jelly sandwich to take away for later. 

NOTE!! We hope to be back in the kitchen!!

• Covid numbers permitting, we hope to gather in the Parish Hall kitchen on Memorial day-Monday, May 30th at 9 a.m. to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as an extra snack or meal for later for our guests being served the next day. (Masks and gloves, please.)
• We hope that the Covid numbers will ALSO support us being about to serve guests their meals in the dining room for our next lunch offering on Tuesday, May 31st.
• If you'd like to provide some homemade cookies (or store-bought cookies), please bring them to the Parish Hall kitchen marked EDR by Monday, May 30th. You are welcome to put homemade cookies into the freezer to keep them fresh.
• Questions: please text or call Pat Minor 302-983-6299 or Cindy Fauerbach 302-584-8053.

Hope Center and Friendship House

We continue to provide clothing items, snacks, food, toiletries and hygiene items, children's books and toys, diapers, laundry detergent, etc. for those being served at the Hope Center and Friendship House. Collection boxes are inside the front door of the church and Monday-Thursday a box is outside the Parish Hall.

Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver lunch and some evening meals to our neighbors in Murray Manor. Our next week to deliver meals is May 16-20.

Family Promise

Our next week offering meals and caring to families participating in Family Promise is May 29-June 5. Guests continue to live in the cottages at the Jesus House off Milltown Road.

Prayer Team

One Sunday of every month, the members of the prayer team hold a “virtual” ZOOM prayer service (focusing on the prayer requests shared by parishioners through calls or emails to the church office 994-1584 or to individual members of the prayer team.) We lift up these prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world.

Also, weekly we share the prayers and petitions that have been given to us and they are lifted in the daily prayers of the team members. All are welcome to provide their prayer requests and participate in these services.

For those who have an immediate prayer need or would like to receive the ZOOM codes and join the prayer team service, we invite you to email your prayer needs/requests to Carolyn Mack at [email protected] or call 302-565-8675

NOTE: Our next ZOOM prayer team will be Sunday, June 5th at 5 p.m.

St. James' Pastoral Care Team

St. James' Pastoral Care Team continues to support our parish family and our community.

If you or someone you know is in need, we: 

·        send cards, make phone calls, and pray with you and/or for you.

·        For now, in an abundance of caution, our home, hospital, and Eucharistic visits are on hold.

Please call the office (302-994-1584) and leave a message. Someone will get back to you. Messages are retrieved daily, seven days a week.

Please let us know if you need us or someone you know needs us. We will not know if you do not tell us.

“Blessful” Meditations

We all know that life can be a little stressful and hectic sometimes. We hope that by reading this short bible passage and watching a relaxing video will help you take a moment and reflect on God’s gifts.  

ROMANS 12:9

"Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good."

Prayer in the Morning

Almighty God, you alone gave us the breath of life, and you alone can keep alive in us the holy desires you impart. We beseech you, for your compassion’s sake, to sanctify all our thoughts and endeavors, that we may neither begin an action without a pure intention nor continue it without your blessing. And grant that, having the eyes of our mind enlightened to behold things invisible and unseen, we may in heart be inspired by your wisdom, in work be upheld by your strength, and in the end be accepted as your faithful servants; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Find more Morning Psalm and prayers please visit

https://delaware.church/psalms-and-prayers/