Weekly e-Epistle
from
St. James' Mill Creek
Wilmington, Delaware
February 7th, 2021

We'd love for you to join us!

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


Here is a PDF of this Sunday's bulletin for you to enjoy.
******SECOND CHANCE-HOLY COW REPORT******

Thank you to everyone who attended the report last Sunday from our Holy Cow consultant, David Miron. An encore presentation of that report will be shown on Sunday, January 7th at 1 PM. For those of you who attended on January 31, we realize it was a lot of information and we invite you to join us again if that is helpful. We will have time afterward to answer your questions and gather feedback. You may attend via zoom or phone at this link:
Jennifer Vrana is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: St. James Holy Cow Report Encore Presentation
Time: Feb 7, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

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From Father Kim

Ash Wednesday

At 7:00 pm on February 17th we will live-stream the Liturgy for Ash Wednesday. During the week prior to this service, anyone who wishes, may pick up a container with palm ash. The ash will have been blessed but our intention is that you join our worship on that day.

The ash and container will be safely handled throughout the preparation and blessing process and can be picked up at 10:15 am on Sunday 2/14 in our parking lot OR at the church office Monday through Wednesday 2/15/ - 2/17 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.

As part of our Liturgy I will invite those participating to administer ashes to themselves and any family members who reside in the same house.

Please let the office know if you are interested.
Dear All,

St. George’s College in Jerusalem (yes Jim’s favorite place) has produced a Lenten Study that I want to invite you to join me by participating in. Attached to this email are two pdf files one is a complete course description and the other is the week 1 reflection

The Title of the program is “A River Through the Desert – A Lenten Pilgrimage”

  • Each week there will be a short video on Youtube and a brief reading followed by discussion questions
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTuGZ1HTLcc&feature=youtu.be
  • This link is for the week one video “The Desert”
  • The necessary materials will be sent out on Monday of each week
  • We will then have a Zoom discussion each Thursday at 6:00 pm beginning on Feb. 18th lasting no more than 45 minutes

PLEASE REPLY IF YOU WISH THE MATERIALS SENT TO YOU EACH WEEK. The Thursday Zoom discussion is optional

Peace,
Kim
For many years, St. James' supported the African Team Ministries by offering their crafts for sale in our parish hall. They have asked for our support again this year.  

This season we are offering a virtual display of the African Crafts in place of the normal display we send to you.

Please use this link for the Virtual display and order directly from them.  https://africanteamstore.square.site/

Please consider purchasing a few gifts or donate to provide an irrigation kit for communities in need to support their mission:  African Team Ministries is a Christian ministry working as an intermediary between African and American churches. With help from Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Anglican denominations, we provide funding for orphan and refugee relief missions and evangelism in East Africa. The support we receive is sent directly to our partnering Bishops to provide school fees, tuition, books, and uniforms. This support ensures that the children receive an education and a measure of stability needed to rebuild their minds. We currently have children registered for sponsorship in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Thru our support we are giving the gift of HOPE! 

COVID-19 Vaccine News from
Delaware Health and Social Services

If you are 65 years and older, request an appointment for an upcoming COVID-19 vaccination event.

Requests for appointments for DPH vaccination events are now being taken at https://vaccinerequest.delaware.gov/ It is HIGHLY recommended that the online system be used!

For those without computer access call the COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 1-833-643-1715 and a call center operator can assist you in making the initial request.

Both the call center and website are already experiencing high volumes of visitors and callers at this time so we encourage people to be extremely patient and keep trying.


NOTE: If you are having trouble navigating the website and require additional assistance please call the office at 302-994-1584 during office hours (Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am to 2pm).
We will do our best to help you.

For additional information you may also visit https://christianacare.org/coronavirus-vaccine

We are grateful for the support that enabled us to serve lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room on January 31st and provide needed clothing and food for those being served at the Hope Center and Code Purple. 
 
Our next date for providing lunch for Emmanuel Dining Room will be Wednesday, March 31st.
 
We will continue to collect items for the Hope Center through March. Please see the notice below:
 
UPDATE-- New Castle County HOPE Center
for Individuals and Families in need of temporary housing
    Winter 2020-2021 Code Purple Plan for Wilmington        
New Castle County purchased the former Sheraton Hotel on Airport Rd (now named the New Castle County HOPE Center) and Friendship House is running Code Purple programing out of this location to provide housing for individuals and families who are homeless this winter. The County retained the hotel management staff to keep the facility running.
  • Code Purple started with the first snow on December 15th and will run through the end of March. The County will continue working to obtain more significant housing for the individuals and families who come to the HOPE Center.
  • Code Purple will be every day and night this winter (not just when temperatures drop below freezing). Being able to offer 24 hour/7 day a week winter shelter during the pandemic is a huge gift and opportunity for our friends living on the streets.
  • In the first four weeks, the program has grown from about 70 to 100 guests and includes some families. The hotel can accommodate 400 and suites and adjoining rooms are given to families and enables 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 St. James' can help:
·     Review the list below and see if there are items you could provide.
·       Starting Monday, January 11th we will offer "contactless drop off" at the parish hall Monday-Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  
·       Please place your donations in the bin labeled Donations for HOPE Center - CODE PURPLE on the porch of the parish hall.  
    Liz will bring in the bin and any donated items at 1:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and we will take the donations to Friendship House at the end of each week.
Items needed: 
·        Hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap (regular and travel size). 
·        Tide pods or other laundry pods 
·        Containers of ground coffee (the staff brews coffee daily for the guests)
Clothing items:
o  NEW socks and underwear
o  NEW or gently used winter items (coats, gloves, and hats)

Thank you, 
St. James' Outreach Ministry
Prayer Team

On the first Sunday of every month the members of the prayer team hold a “virtual” ZOOM prayer service at 11:30 a.m. (focusing on the prayer requests shared by parishioners through calls or emails to the church office or to individual members of the prayer team.) We lift up these prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world.
During this time of Covid19, the prayer team is holding ZOOM prayer team gatherings twice a month. Also, weekly we share the prayers and petitions that have been given to us and they are lifted up daily by members of the team. All are welcome to participate in these services.

Our next meeting will be on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 11:30am.

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 Sister BJ Brown at: [email protected] or call Cindy Fauerbach 302-584-8053
St. James’ Pastoral Care Team is here and wants to help.

If you or someone you know is in need, we send cards, we make phone calls, we will pray with you and/or for you. NOTE: Once safety from the Covid19 virus permits, we will continue to make home and hospital visits and make Eucharistic visits.
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.

NOTE: once safety from the Covid19 virus permits, on Sundays there are forms and envelopes labeled “Pastoral Care” next to the prayer requests in the church entrance. Please place your request in the offering plate or the prayer basket.
Please let us know if you need us or someone you know needs us, we won’t know if you don’t tell us.

Remembrance

We talk openly of life.
Of the joyful times we had.
And the joyful times we will have together.
Death gives no joy.
It has no voice.
We have muted it because there are no more
times to have together.
While the remembrance of death is painful,
the remembrance of those who lived,
those we loved, is joyous.
They have left footprints implanted in our minds,
in our hearts, and in the very essence of our being
that shall remain forever.
Death is sad.
Remembrance is not.
So let us remember their lives.
Forever.

-Patrick Cunningham
Dear All,

How do we grieve the loss of someone who has meant so much to you and to many during this time of Covid? Normally, when someone we know dies, we would gather to support each other and their family, to gain strength from our family and community and to share stories of the one(s) we loved. But as we are all tired of hearing, “these are not normal times” and gathering “together” is not prudent due to the extent of the Covid-19 virus. However, remembering is an essential part of our healing process.

If you would like to share a story of someone who has passed, please send it via email to [email protected] or Cindy at [email protected] or by letter to St. James’ church office: 2106 St. James’ Church Road Wilmington, DE 19808. Liz and I will compile the stories and share them with the parish family and the family of the deceased.

This will hopefully be an ongoing opportunity, but we need to begin somewhere so let us start with Fr. Bill Archer.

Peace, Cindy Fauerbach
Gentle reminder to the folks that have left any Christmas decorations or special mementos that were left to a loved one in the cemetery, you have some time to pick them up. If you are unable to pick them up in person please call the office at 302-994-1584 and we can make arrangements for them to be picked up at a later time.
A Prayer for Forgiveness

Among the lowly you were born. Lord Jesus, save us.
The wise and powerful bowed down before you. Lord Jesus, teach us.
You have come to lead us to holiness. Lord Jesus, guide us.
You ask us to call on you, and so we offer our prayers. Lord Jesus, hear us. Amen.


Find more Morning Psalm and prayers please visit
Join us for ZOOM Coffee Hour

You are invited to a virtual coffee hour following worship at St. James’ Mill Creek, beginning approximately 15 minutes after service concludes. So after service is over, grab a beverage or snack and connect to your church family. All are welcome.

For those who have not used Zoom previously, this page has a video and instructions on how to join a Zoom meeting from various devices (PC, Mac, iOS device, Android, regular telephone with a toll call, etc.): https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting- . You do not need to sign up for a Zoom account to attend.

Join Zoom Meeting

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St. James' Mill Creek
2106 St. James Church Road
Wilmington, DE 19808

302.994.1584