Dear Friends in Christ,

This Sunday, October 25, we celebrate the culmination of our stewardship season with Harvest Sunday. Over the past three weeks, we have looked at the fruit of our life together: the care of our historic building and grounds, the depth and breadth of our music programming and the joy of our children, youth and family ministries. This Sunday, we gather it all in.

In this Sunday's Gospel, the morning after the feeding of the multitude, Jesus tells the crowd who is hungry again, "I am the bread of life." On the hillside the day before, after five thousand people were fed from a child's five loaves and two fish, Jesus told his disciples to "gather up the fragments, so that nothing may be lost." I have been struck by how a harvest makes visible what has been growing quietly all along, and by how no offering is too small to matter when it is gathered together with others.

During the Offertory, everyone will be invited to come forward and place a card in the basket declaring their financial and spiritual pledges for 2027. If you have not yet had a chance to pray about your pledge, I invite you to set aside a few minutes before Sunday to reflect on how God has been at work in your life and in our life together, and how you would like to share in that work in the year ahead.

After the 10:30 service, please join us for our all-parish Fall Harvest Festival in the Parish House! We’ll celebrate the bounty of God’s creation and the many gifts we share as a community, with delicious food, pumpkin painting, fall crafts, games, prizes, and fun for all ages.

I look forward to gathering with you and rejoicing in the commitments we make together to God and to this community of faith.

As always, faithfully yours,

Stacey+

An Announcement from Mother Stacey       

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am delighted to share the joyful news that Susanna Musser and I will be married at Saint James on the morning of Saturday, April 17, 2027, with Father David officiating!

Susanna will be with us this Sunday, October 25, singing with Saint James Voices at the 10:30 am service.

We will be finalizing the details over the coming months, and we would be delighted to have you—our Saint James and Urban Well community—join us for the wedding service and a light reception immediately following.

Above is a photo from our engagement at Rehoboth Beach at the end of August!

Sunday, October 25 | 9:00 AM

Saint James Voices

Calling all Singers!



Led by Kate Umble Smucker, the ensemble is open to anyone ages nine and above, with no experience required. The group will rehearse at 9:00 AM and then sing at the 10:30 AM service.

If you'd like your music in advance, click here to email Kate.

Sunday, October 25 | 9:30 AM

Forum Hour with Randall Zachman

In the Parish House Forum Room

The Psalm appointed for this Sunday is Psalm 1, which forms the introduction or overture for the entire Psalter. The theme of this psalm is the happiness that comes from delighting in and meditating on the teaching or instruction of the Lord, as well as the misery that comes from following the way of sinners and scoffers. In our exploration of this theme, we will look at other psalms that encourage us to find great delight in the instruction of the Lord, and to find our happiness in meditating on God's precepts.

Join us this Sunday as we explore the ways in which the teaching of the Lord may delight our hearts today, and become the object of our daily meditation.

Available in person and via Zoom.

Click here for the Zoom link.

Sunday, October 25 | 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Fall Harvest Festival

This Sunday!

Join us in the Parish House for a festive afternoon celebrating all things fall! We’ll gather for a fun-filled Fall Harvest Festival for all ages.

We’ll have lunch together, plus pumpkin painting, delicious fall treats and games and activities for the whole family. Sign up here to bring a dish or other item to share, or simply sign up to let us know you’re coming!

Whether you’re little or big, you'll find something to enjoy as we celebrate the beauty, joy and abundance of the fall season together.

Sunday Evenings | 5:00 PM

Vespers at the Urban Well

In the Chapel

Join us Sunday evenings for Vespers, a warm and inviting weekly gathering in the serene surroundings of the Saint James Chapel. This quiet, reflective service embraces Christianity's rich prayer traditions and the embodied practices that nurture our spiritual lives today. 

Gather with us for uplifting singing, find solace in moments of silence, and choose the posture that feels most comfortable as we open our hearts to listen for God’s voice and center ourselves for the week ahead. We have meditation cushions and chairs available for your comfort. We’ll celebrate Holy Communion on the third Sunday of the month. In person only. Everyone is welcome—come as you are! 

Tuesday, October 27 | 7:00 PM

Contemplative Citizenship

Lord, make me an

instrument of your peace.

Tuesdays, through Nov 10

7:00 – 8:00 PM

In person and via Zoom

This Tuesday, Fr. David will lead the session on how to be an instrument of peace, standing in the space between focusing on the life and work of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2011. Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience, and he received the Sakharov Prize for his human rights work.

All are welcome; come to all or whatever your schedule allows. Click here for more info and to register for the Zoom link.

Parking Update!!

As construction on the former library building progresses and the need for parking for construction vehicles grows, the general contractor has asked that we refrain from parking in the three spaces located near the back of the parish house (see photo), as these spaces are part of the

former library's property.

Thank You for Moving Up!

A big thank you to everyone who moved a little closer to the front last Sunday! It was wonderful to have more of our community gathered together, and we could truly feel the difference, and so could our friends joining us via livestream. The church felt more connected, and your clergy, choir and servers loved having you a little closer!

So, let’s keep it going! Just two rows forward is all it takes to help us create an even more connected and welcoming space for worship.

October is Clergy Appreciation Month!

Check out the ad below,

as seen in LNP



All Saints and All Souls Season

The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls) begins on November 1^st at 5 PM with Vespers

Our Sunday morning services on All Saints Day properly focus on baptism and the celebration of new members.

This year, on Sunday, November 1st, at our 5:00 PM Vespers service, on the Eve of All Souls, we begin our commemorations of the faithful departed, when we read the names of those of our parish who have died in the past year. As we do so, everyone is invited to light a candle for those whom they remember, as well as all those of our parish.

On Monday, November 2^nd at noon, a Mass will be said in the chapel for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, especially those of this parish, and for any others whom those attending wish to pray for from among their own loved ones.

At First Friday Compline, on November 6th at 9:00 PM, once again the names of all the recently departed we have prayed for in the Prayers of the People, as well as the names of those who have died in the past year and were submitted to the church, will be read aloud.

These readings of names and the remembering of our dead of this past year in these special services allow us to create sacred and holy worship experiences that hold together the range of feelings that are part of that first year of losing a loved one. The sheer grief we feel with the loss of their presence in our daily lives, the grief of a relationship that may not have ended as we had hoped, and the myriad ways that grief ebbs and flows as we find a new way of being in the world. And, at the same time we are experiencing deep grief, we look for ways to hold fast to the promise of the resurrection, and that every tear will be wiped away, and nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even death. The church calendar wisely separates the focus of celebration of the heroic faith and sacrifices of the well-known saints and martyrs traditionally remembered on All Saints Day and those “more ordinary holy ones and loved ones” of our own lives, parish, family and friends. They too should be remembered with all the saints and all the faithful departed, even those of uncertain faith, because we believe nothing limits the mercy of God. 

Please consider joining us for one or more of these services, whether you have lost someone in the past year or not. Your presence will be a sign and witness to all who are present that through Christ the nature of death has been changed and death does not have the final word in life.

If you have a loved one who died between October 28, 2025 and Monday, October 26, 2026 and would like them to be remembered, click here to use the form on our website to submit their name.

You may also submit names by calling the church office at 717-397-4858. Or click here to email your submission to Kristle Evans, Pastoral Care Coordinator. The name submission deadline is Tuesday, October 27th.

Wednesday, November 4 | 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Churchyard Gravestone Care and Cleaning

Join Cordelia Moyse and Maryann Marotta for some hands-on care of our church and nation’s history in the season of remembrance for departed family members, friends and parishioners. Cleaning supplies and refreshments will be provided. We’ll begin our time together at the gazebo.

Please wear work clothes and enclosed shoes or boots, and bring some elbow grease! Refreshments will be provided.

Registration is required for planning purposes and to allow for last-minute cancellation due to churchyard conditions and the weather forecast. Click here to register.

Sunday, November 8 | 9:30 AM

Celebrating 60 years of Ordained Ministry

Join us on November 8th as we celebrate Father Ron Jaynes and his 60 years in ordained ministry.

All are invited to a special coffee hour in the Narthex between services on Sunday, November 8th, with cake, coffee and time with Father Ron. Feel free to bring a completed card or note to the parish house to place in a box that will be presented to Father Ron on November 8th.

Saturday, November 14 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM

Women's Gathering

Women's Gathering continues its discussion of James Martin's confessional memoir, Work in Progress. Fr. Martin highlights, with humor and compassion, how his younger self learned about life through summer jobs. He describes formative influences, explains his difficult transition from corporate to Jesuit life, acknowledges his failings and asks for forgiveness.

If you are interested in a spiritual reflection on "bothering to love," please join us. Click here to email Lorraine Rollo for the Zoom link.

Saturday, November 14 | 5:00 PM

Saturday Night Mass Every Body Sacred

Join us for our next Celebrate Abilities Series event with, Every Body Sacred, a joyful, all-ages celebration of music and community! This Saturday Night Mass will feature the Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development’s rock and roll legends, The UnSinkables, alongside the United Disabilities Choir.

Bring your family, invite a friend, and be part of an uplifting evening celebrating the gifts, talents, and joy each person brings to our community. Come sing, celebrate, and experience the power of music to bring us together.

Everyone is welcome. We hope you’ll join us!

In person and via livestream. Click here to view the livestream.

In a Greater Light

We pray for the souls of Marian Spalding, whose funeral will be on November 21st at 10:30 AM, and The Rev. Elizabeth (Betsy) Meyers, who died on September 11th. Betsy was a deacon and priest of this parish, who served at Saint James as the first woman priest ordained in the diocese in 1977. 

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.



Mark Your Calendar

October 25, 9:00 AM | Saint James Voices

October 25, 11:45 AM | Fall Harvest Festival

October 27, 7:00 PM | Contemplative Citizenship

November 3, All Day | Chapel Open for prayer 

November 4, 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon | Churchyard and Gravestone Care and Cleaning

November 6, 9:00 PM | All Saints, All Souls Compline

November 8 | An anniversary celebration for Fr. Ron Jaynes and 60 Years of ministry

November 14, 10 - 11:30 AM | Women's Gathering

November 14, 5:00 PM | Saturday Night Mass with

The Unsinkables

November 14, 6:00 PM | Younger Saint James Meetup after Unsinkables Mass 

November 15, 9:30 AM | Newcomer Coffee in the Rectory

November 15, 5:00 PM | Youth Group

November 18, 3:00 PM | Holy Eucharist at Willow Valley

November 21, 8:30 AM | Upper Room Men’s Group

November 29, 9:30 AM | Women’s Bible Study 

November 29, 11:30 AM | Feast of Saint Andrew

November 29, 11:30 AM | Wreath Making

December 5, 5:00 PM | Saint Nicholas Mass with Live Nativity

Daily Prayer & Meditation

Monday: 6:00 AM (in person only)

8:30 AM (online & in person)

Tuesday: 8:00 AM (online & in person)

Wednesday: 8:00 AM & 5:30 PM (online & in person)

Thursday: 8:00 AM (online & in person)

Friday: 6:45 AM & 8:30 AM (online & in person)

Compline is said at 9:00 PM daily on zoom. 

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