Dear Friends,

“We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another.” (Romans 12.5)

On Sunday, I look forward to combining my preaching on Romans chapter 12 with the mid-year review Forum hour at 9:30 AM in the Parish House. We will bless the students' backpacks and pray for our teachers, academic staff and education administrators at our morning services. The last of our monthly Summer Vespers takes place in the chapel at 5:00 PM. Following our new pattern of 4^th Sundays being the all-come intergenerational Saint James Voices at the 10:30 Mass, anyone who wishes to take part can join Kate Umble Smucker in the chapel for a 9:00 AM rehearsal. The 8:30 Mass uses the exalted traditional language of the Book of Common Prayer (Rite I) and will be sung by a chamber configuration of our Saint James Choir. Ollie's Closet continues, and we will have the last Sunday of the ASPIE Art exhibit in the Narthex for people to purchase and take away any art that delights you or can be a gift that also gives artists with disabilities both great encouragement and greater financial independence.

Yours in Christ,

David+

Saturday, August 22 | 8:30 - 12:00 PM

Growing in Faith at Saint James

Are you curious about the Saint James Community and the Urban Well? Do you want to explore the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion in more depth? These sessions are an engaging way to share our faith journeys, explore Church history and its impact on our present practices, tour our beautiful campus, and learn more about our school of prayer and service in the Lord. Join us to discover what it means to be a member of this vibrant community!

Click here for more info and to register.

This Sunday

Sunday, August 23 | 9:30 AM

Mid-Year Parish Meeting

Please join Father David on Sunday, August 23, at 9:30 AM in the Parish House forum room for a special forum on our mid-year parish review. Together, we'll look back on all we've accomplished in the first half of the year and look ahead to what's coming for the rest of 2026.

Available in person and via Zoom.

Click here for the Zoom link.

Sunday, August 23 | 9:30 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, August 23 | 10:30 AM

Blessing of the Backpacks

As a new school year begins, we invite students, teachers and administrators to join us for our annual Blessing of the Backpacks during the 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM services on Sunday, August 23.

Bring your backpacks, lunch boxes, notebooks or lesson plans as we offer prayers for a year of learning and growth. During the service, students of all ages, along with teachers and school staff, will be invited to come forward to receive a blessing. Each participant will also receive a small gift as a reminder that your Saint James family is praying for you and cheering you on throughout the year ahead.

Sunday, August 23 | 5:00 PM

Vespers at the Urban Well

In the Chapel

Join us for a special Tai Chi vespers with guest leader Frank Hollingsworth. If you are thinking about participating in the fall Tai Chi series, this is a great opportunity to meet Frank and try some Tai Chi. Weather permitting, we will start outside, moving together to prepare our minds and bodies for prayer and meditation. We will then move into the sacred space of the chapel for the remainder of the service.

This contemplative service embraces Christian prayer traditions and nurtures our spiritual lives. Everyone is welcome—come as you are! In-person only at

the Chapel.

Sundays Through August 30th

Schools of Hope: Ollie's Closet Annual

School Supply Drive

Only 2 Sundays Left!

The beginning of the 2026-27 school year is just around the corner, and the teachers and students at Carter and MacRae Elementary School need our help.

Donating school supplies is easy. Look for the closet door in the narthex and pick a card from the door listing an item requested by the school. Add it to your shopping list and drop it off the next time you come to church.

Monetary donations to Ollie's Closet can also be made by check or online. Please make your check payable to Saint James with Carter and MacRae Elementary School in the memo line, and drop it in the offertory. Or, click here to give online.

PLEASE NOTE: The list of requested school supplies has changed! Click here to see what has been requested by Carter & MacRae teachers for the upcoming school year.

Each week of the Ollie's Closet campaign is an opportunity to go deeper into the systemic impacts of poverty, and to learn about organizations doing work to undo the harms poverty causes.

This week, we look at education: A CHILD'S FUTURE DOES NOT NEED TO BE INHERITED.

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? The same question applies to school success. Did your parents read to you? Was there a quiet place for homework, and a rule about screens before schoolwork was done? Chances are, without realizing it, you're passing that same pattern on to your own kids.

The other side of that cycle plays out in many homes across our city. Children in very low-income families often don't have a bed of their own, let alone a place to do homework — the apartment is simply too small. Their parents may never have been read to themselves, and the TV or a phone may be the only steady source of connection in the house. Nationally, low-income children start kindergarten already a year behind their peers in reading and math, and by eighth grade only 20% are proficient readers — a gap that tends to follow them for life. Just like you, the parents of kids at Carter & MacRae are repeating the life they were given as children.

If you would like to get involved by helping a student with reading, the School District of Lancaster has an informational meeting on Friday, August 28^th from 1:00 - 3:00 PM at Scheffey Professional Learning Center located at 1020 Lehigh Ave. in downtown Lancaster.

For more details and to register, click here.

Saturday, August 29 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Recovery Day, Lancaster

Saint James is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of Lancaster Recovery Day! Please join StephJo Wise at the Saint James table and participate in this day of festivities, including live music, games, crafts, and mouthwatering BBQ! Bring your friends and family for a day filled with community spirit in support of those on the journey of hope and healing.

Recovery Day Lancaster promotes a celebration of healing and helps to normalize addiction recovery as a healthy and contributing factor towards a strong community. Recovery is more sustainable in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Buchanan Park is located at 901 Buchanan Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603. Click here to learn more about the event.

Wednesday, September 2 | 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Choir Rehearsal Resumes

In the Sanctuary

Choir Rehearsal with organist and choir director Peter Lewis resumes on Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:30 PM.

Now in its 198th season of ministry, the Saint James Choir will begin this new music and worship program year on Sunday, September 13th with the liturgical music of William Byrd. (See more information below for this unique opportunity to sing some of his liturgical choral repertoire.)

An exciting and wide range of music is planned for the fall, and all are welcome to email Peter about singing in the choir. Click here to email Peter Lewis.

Beginning Tuesday, September 8 | 10 - 11:00 AM

Ignatian Spirituality with Pat Latshaw

A Transformational Program Based on the Teachings of St. Ignatius

Embark on a transformative journey with this 33-week program designed for those eager to deepen their connection with God and enrich their spiritual lives.

This is an invitation to commit to personal growth and encounter the divine in profound ways. Together, we will engage in daily and weekly spiritual practices, with the guidance and support of our spiritual director, Pat Latshaw.

Through the enlightening discussions of The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien, we will explore timeless techniques that have inspired seekers for nearly 500 years. Join us as we open our hearts and minds to the transformative power of faith and embark on a path toward spiritual renewal and enlightenment.

The course meets weekly from September 9 through April 28, 2027. Click here for more information and to register. Scholarships available.

Wednesday, September 9 | 7:00 PM

Bishop Visit and Confirmation

On Wednesday Sept 9, at 7 pm, Saint James is delighted that our Bishop Diocesan, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Audrey C. Scanlan, the chief pastor of our diocese and this parish, will visit to confirm and receive into full membership, members of Saint James and our sibling Episcopal parishes in the newly formed Diocese of the Susquehanna's Southwest Region.

If you are interested to learn more about this service, please be in touch with Father David and Mother Stacey for more details. All are invited to attend this special evening mass that will be followed with a reception in the Narthex.

Saturday, September 12 | 10:00 - 11:30 AM

Women's Gathering

Led by Lorraine Rollo, Women's Gathering opens its new season with James Martin's newly published memoir and spiritual reflection, Work in Progress.

In this confessional memoir, Father Martin humorously and compassionately shares how his younger self learned valuable life lessons through various summer jobs. He discusses the formative influences that shaped him, explains the challenges he faced as he transitioned from a corporate career to Jesuit life, acknowledges his shortcomings, and seeks forgiveness.

If you are interested in a journey down memory lane that may spark your own compassionate self-reflection side, please join us. Click here to email Lorraine Rollo for the Zoom invitation link.

Saturday, September 12 | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Sacred, Early Music & Chant Festival Weekend

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Lunch included

Join nationally recognized Duo Mignarda's Donna Stewart, mezzo-soprano, and Ron Andrico, lutenist, for a choral workshop on Gregorian Chant, including how to read chant notation and the singing technique for proper phrasing of this ancient music.

Participants will also explore William Byrd's Mass for Four Voices, and as an added bonus, will also have the opportunity to sing some of Byrd's choral repertoire during Sunday morning worship and/or Sunday evening Vespers.

Now in their 23rd concert season, American lute song duo Ron Andrico and Donna Stewart specialize in thoughtful programming illuminating the vibrant mingling of Renaissance music and poetry. Mignarda captures the intricacy of 16th-century music for voice and lute with warmth and style. One of the few professional lute song duos in the United States, Mignarda's fresh and engaging approach to historical music has set a new standard for interpretation, authenticity and musicianship.

Click here to register for this unique choral workshop. There is no charge for this event.

Saturday, September 12 | 7:00 PM

Concert & Reception

Duo Mignarda

Byrd Songes: English devotional songs by William Byrd, Thomas Campion and John Dowland.

Experience the intimate world of English song in a captivating program featuring lutenist Ron Andrico and mezzo-soprano Donna Stewart, performing the music of William Byrd, John Dowland, and Thomas Campion.

Rich in poetry and emotional nuance, the program explores the timeless themes of love, vanity, longing, melancholy, and the Divine. From Dowland’s hauntingly expressive songs to Byrd’s graceful lyricism and Campion’s elegant, intimate settings, the music reveals the wide range of emotion, poetry and musical expression found in the English Renaissance and Baroque periods. Join us for an evening of beautiful poetry, exquisite music and timeless human emotion.

7:00 PM

$25, students FREE

Includes reception

FREE to workshop participants

Click here to purchase concert tickets.

Saturdays, September 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3,

10:00 - 11:00 AM

Tai Chi Series with Frank Hollingsworth

Interested in reducing stress, improving balance, or enhancing your golf or tennis game? Tai Chi can help! Join us for a four-week introduction to the ancient martial art of Tai Chi Chuan.

You’ll engage in body opening, chi gong (energy work), and learn a short Tai Chi form. Wear loose-fitting clothing and bring an open mind!

Dates: Saturdays, September 12, 19, 26, October 3

Time: 10:00 AM

Cost: 4-class pack $60, individual class: $25

Click here to purchase Tai Chi sessions!

September 13 | 9:30 AM

Forum Resumes with Randall Zachman:

A four-week series on the

Book of Common Prayer

Every Sunday, we use the Book of Common Prayer for Holy Eucharist. But what role should it play in our daily lives? How should this book in particular inform our discipleship?

We will explore these questions in Forum this September and October, using as our guide, Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices, by Scott Gunn and Melody Wilson Shobe (Forward Movement, 2018). Fathers Ron Jaynes and Bud Hartley will also be joining us for this exploration. Available in person and via Zoom.

Sunday, September 13 | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Fall Launch Potluck

Join us as we kick off a new season together at Saint James! After the 10:30 AM service, we will gather for a potluck lunch to celebrate the start of our fall programs.

Whether you bring a dish or just yourself, we would love to have you there!

Click here to let us know you'll be attending and to let us know what dish you'll be bringing.

Feel free to drop off your dish in the church kitchen before the 10:30 AM service.

Tuesdays, Beginning September 15

5:30 - 6:45 PM

The Practice of Recovery

Yoga, the twelve steps, and a path for everyone to explore healing and

renewal in our daily lives

Tuesdays in September 15, 22 & 29 | 5:30 - 6:45 PM

Led by Sarah Shelton, Urban Well Yoga Studio Coordinator, and The Reverend Stacey Carpenter, Associate Rector at Saint James

Join us for this three-week series exploring recovery, healing, and embodied practice in everyday life. This series is rooted in the wisdom of the 12 Steps, something that the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous believed everyone could benefit from.

Recovery is not limited to one experience or one path. Many of us are recovering from something—alcohol or substance use, codependency, grief, stress, burnout, perfectionism, anxiety, illness, major life transitions, old patterns, or the places where we have felt disconnected from ourselves, others, our bodies, or a sense of meaning. No registration needed; click here to learn about what will be covered each week.

Memorial Altar Flowers: Remembering a loved one with the natural beauty of flowers

Adorning our church's high altar with flowers is a meaningful expression of worship and a cherished tradition that enhances our sacred space with natural beauty. Flowers serve as living gifts to the divine, representing beauty and creation. They showcase the vibrant colors and vitality of God's earth, conveying joy, honoring God, symbolizing life, and expressing gratitude for a family member or loved one.

If you'd like to remember a loved one with altar flowers, click here to learn more and get started.

Faith, Loyalty and Revolution

American Revolution Podcasts

The final episode of the three-part Contemplative Citizenship podcast series 1776 at Saint James: Faith, Loyalty, and Revolution is now available on Podbean, Amazon and Spotify.

In this episode entitled Independence for All but Only Liberty for Some, three contributors focus on the Patriots who worshipped at Saint James, particularly Edward Hand, who had a distinguished career in the Continental Army and George Ross, who was a signer of the Declaration. It looks at the paradox of fighting for liberty while being an enslaver, and tells the remarkable story of Dinah McIntire, a freed slave who is buried in our churchyard.

The episode invites reflections on the lives of the people featured in this series and asks what their choices might say about ours today. Click here to listen to the podcast.

August 23rd | Final Sunday

Experience the ASPIE Artists Exhibit

This will be the final Sunday to explore a beautiful exhibition of artwork by the talented artists of ASPIE, now on display throughout the Church. With more than twenty pieces on view, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, skill, and unique perspectives of adults with disabilities.

Be sure to stop by the Groff Room near the Narthex, to watch a video introducing the ASPIE artists and hear their personal stories. The exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity to connect more deeply with the artists and the mission of ASPIE, a nonprofit organization that empowers adults with disabilities by providing opportunities for artistic expression and sustainable income through the sale of their work.

As you make your way through the Church this month, we hope you'll take time to enjoy the artwork, learn about the artists, and celebrate the gifts they share with our community.

Interested in purchasing any of the art? Click here to email StephJo Wise.

Pastoral Care at

Saint James

Pastoral care ministries at Saint James support parishioners at life’s major turning points, as well as during extended periods of disability and recovery. A team of clergy and lay persons provide timely, professional pastoral care in an intimate and confidential manner. Our team respects parishioners’ rights to privacy and keeps strictly confidential all information about anyone receiving pastoral care. Click here for more information about pastoral care, or click here to email Kristle Evans, Pastoral Care Coordinator

In a Greater Light

We pray for the soul of Geraldine (Gerri) Johns, who died on August 18th. Arrangements are being managed by the family privately, but a Saint James time of prayer and thanksgiving will be scheduled later. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

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

Mark Your Calendar

August 22, 8:30 - 12:00 PM | Growing in Faith at Saint James

August 23, 9:30-10:30 | Forum Hour mid-year parish meeting

August 23, 8:30 & 10:30 AM Masses | Blessing of the backpacks, lunch boxes and lesson plans

August 23, 10:30 AM | Saint James Voices

August 23, 5:00 PM | Summer Vespers, Tai Chi with

Frank Hollingsworth

August 29, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Recovery Day Lancaster

September 2, 6:30 PM | Choir Rehearsal Resumes

September 8, 10:00 - 11:00 AM | Ignatian Spirituality begins

September 9, 7:00 PM | Bishop visit & confirmation service

September 12, 10 AM – 2:00 PM | Sacred, Early Music & Chant Festival Weekend