I was glad when they said unto me, 
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Psalm 122: 1

This Sunday, June 6th, is a very special Sunday at St. James’s.
It’s the first Sunday since the onset of COVID-19 that we can all gather together
in the church with no restrictions. 

No masks. No registration required. No limits on singing.
No restrictions on where you can sit. 

All of which inspires a simple two word declaration: Welcome back!! We’re so looking forward to seeing all of your faces again, hearing you raise your voices in song and prayer, and gathering in the company of the friends we’ve dearly missed. 

This Sunday is also the first Sunday of our Summer Worship Schedule:
9:00 am--Church in the Garden
10:00 am--Service in the Church 

For the comfort of everyone, masks and hand-sanitizer will still be available.
And we’ll continue our online services at 8:30 and 10 am. 

Click here to see two videos from St. James's parishioners Ruffin Hagerty and Rueben, James and Sophia Cox that will prepare you for Sunday’s service in the church.
Monday, May June 7th
Community Yoga, Beginner: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Mindfulness Training Class: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
contact Sarah Eck

Wednesday, June 2nd
Communion in The Garden: 5:30 pm
A short communion service in the Memorial Garden.
What’s on Summer Vacation?...And what’s not?

These groups will continue to meet during the Summer:
Brown Bag Book Club
Men’s Bible Study Breakfast
Community Yoga 

These groups will NOT continue to meet during the Summer:
Women’s Bible Wisdom Bible Study
Living Faith Bible Study 
Tuesday’s Readers
Lectionary Ladies

For more information, go to the Calendar at doers.org. 
This week's eChimes features
  • Vacation Bible School
  • Baptisms are back
  • Communion in the garden
  • Parish Retreat registration
  • Help us say "Hello" on Sunday mornings
  • Stephen Ministry is here for you
  • Scholarship Opportunity
  • Help Us Research Our History
  • Adult Summer Camp
  • St. James's App is back
  • Amazon Smile
  • Subscribe to YouTube
  • In Our Prayers This Week
Our Summer Plans
There’s still time to register for Vacation Bible School. 

Here’s another sign that things are returning to normal. Vacation Bible School is back--and
in-person! Water, Water Everywhere (think Jonah & the Whale, Noah, and baptism) is the theme of this year’s VBS, being held June 22 -- 24 from 9 am to noon each day.
It’s open to children from age 3 to rising 3rd graders. 

You can register here until June 13. But don’t wait, space is limited. Cost is $30 per child.

Contact Becky Page with any questions. 
Baptisms in the church are
also coming back. 

We’re very excited to announce that, based on the new Diocesan protocols--and the reopening of the sanctuary--baptisms will once again be offered as part of our worship services on Sunday mornings in August, October, and November. 

Please contact Becky Page at or a member of the clergy for more information about scheduling your child’s baptism.
Communion in the Garden is a special way to spend
a Wednesday evening.  

Standing in the shade of four towering Crepe Myrtle trees, more and more people are showing up each Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm for a short but meaningful Eucharistic service in the Memorial Garden. In addition to communion, there’s a reading, a homily, and warm fellowship. Come join long-time parishioners, young families, teenagers and everyone in between for a few minutes of peace, learning and communion with our Lord. 
Registration is Open!
And we’re already at nearly 100 people. 

The Fall Parish Retreat, scheduled for October 22-24 at Shrine Mont, is proving to be a popular destination this fall for families, singles, and couples. Since registration opened on Tuesday, nearly 100 people have signed up. Just so you know, the waitlist starts at 120. So if you want to be sure to be a part of this special event, don’t wait. To Register click here.
The cost for two nights of lodging and six meals is $285 families (or two adults) and $185 for singles. Plus there’s free childcare!

So come spend time in the mountains getting close to old friends, fellow parishioners and
our Lord.
Calling all friendly cookie bakers!
Help us say “Hello!” every Sunday with homemade cookies.

Every Sunday throughout the summer we’ll be setting up a welcome/hello table outside the church where people can touch base and have questions answered about upcoming events, like the Fall Parish Retreat.

If you’d like to volunteer for this welcoming ministry (including baking cookies!) sign up here.

No limit. Volunteer as much as you’d like.
Other News
For those times when you need support, Stephen Ministry is eager to help.
 
Over the last year, nine members of St. James’s trained to become Stephen Ministers. They’re eager to provide caring, encouraging, Christian support for anyone experiencing difficult times, including you.

Difficult times can mean a lot of things—like dealing with the stress of the pandemic, But it can also include other things like grieving a loss, being ill or unemployed, or maybe it’s a sadness you just can’t shake. Whatever it is, our Stephen Ministry is here to help.

Find out how to receive free confidential, Christian care by contacting our clergy or our Stephen Ministry Care Receiver Coordinator, Jane Dowrick,
Pulling back the curtain a bit. 

While the Parish House appeared to be quiet during the pandemic, the truth is our staff was busy figuring out how to keep our large and diverse congregation safely connected and engage in as many ways as possible. We had to re-imagine everything from our Sunday services and education programs to communion, communications and how best to share our beautiful music. 

We’ve attached an excerpt here from a letter John McCard, rector, and Michael Smith, director of operations, sent to the staff this past week. It will give you a sense of the hard work and imagination our staff brought to their work during this challenging and sometimes confusing period. 
College Scholarship Available for 2021-2022 Academic Year

Funding for the Scott-Taliaferro Scholarship is given through the generosity of Mrs. Thomas Branch Scott, Jr. and Lucy Nelson Taliaferro in memory of their parents and grandparents, and Dr. and Mrs. Richard Michaux.
 
The Scott-Taliaferro Scholarship was created to provide financial aid for the undergraduate college education of St. James’s members. The scholarship awards are based on need and service to the community.

Applicants must submit a personal letter which includes the objectives or purposes for pursuing a college education, financial need and any other sources of funding, a description of family (e.g. number of household members), and a description of service efforts (e.g. church, community, and school). Only one recipient is allowed per household.

Please submit application letters to John Conrad--Junior Warden, c/o Mary Brown, St. James’s Episcopal Church, 1205 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220. Letters may also be submitted electronically to mbrown@doers.org.

All application letters are due by July 1st
You can help us uncover
St. James's rich history. 

Do you have research or writing skills? Are you interested in the racial history of St. James’s and wondering how you can help? Our Racial Justice and Reconciliation Formation Team (RJR) is beginning Part II: Reconstruction & Post-Reconstruction (1865-1900) of our parish history project and would love you to join our ministry.

The work will include combing through records and documents in print and online from your home and/or at libraries and museums. We’ve already uncovered fascinating and revealing information about our history—and we look forward to learning even more with your help.
High schoolers and adult parishioners are welcome. 

Contact Alice Tousignant if you’re interested and/or have questions.
Summer Camp for Grownups is an adventure for the soul too. 
 
Summer Camp for Grownups is a four-day event at Shrine Mont that features all things you’d expect from a camp-style experience for the “mature set” --bonfires, swimming, golf, hiking, swimming and shopping. 
 
But it also features a learning process called the 12 Practices of The Habits of Heroes, which utilizes a multi-sensory method of voice/music/visuals for following the three parts of the Journey of the Labyrinth. The man who created the program, the Rev. Jeff Patnaude, assistant rector at Grace Kilmarnock, will be on hand to bring the program to life. 
 
The event is from July 17 - 20. To register or get more information about for Summer Camp for Grownups, go here. There will a second event in the fall too, from October 3 - 6.  
The St. James’s App
is back! 

Want an easy way to watch the Sunday service on your phone? There’s an App for that. Want to read the eChimes, view the calendar or watch past sermons on your tablet? There’s an App for those things too. The St. James’s App has been updated and it’s ready to make your life easier. You can see the bulletins for the services, refer to the book of common prayer, even make a pledge. Click on your preferred button to download our app.
Support St. James’s without it costing you a penny. 

There’s an easy way to support St. James’s while you’re doing something else. When you're shopping on Amazon, go to smile.amazon.com, instead. Once you’re there, designate St. James’s as the program you’re supporting, then a percentage of every purchase you make on Amazon will go the church. Easy-peezy. 
Why Subscribe?

What you'll get:
Easy access to video recordings of recent sermons, services, musical performances, bible studies and more.

What St. James's gets:
Free access to enhanced video capabilities that includes live streaming and more.

Subscribing is easy.
Go to the St. James’s Episcopal Church Richmond page on YouTube.com - find the red "subscribe button" and instantly be one of the 99 who gets us to the finish line.

Click here to see the names of those we're remembering in our prayers this week.

We do our best to keep this list current, but if you want your name added or removed, please contact Mary Brown or call her at 804-355-1779, ext. 313.

Do you have our App?
You can always find the eChimes at doers.org/eChimes.