Dear Friends,

You won’t want to miss Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Trinity, celebrated in full choral glory. We will also welcome new members at both the 8:30 and 10:30 AM services, followed by an epic (and historic!) all-age potluck to kick off our 250th Summer Celebration Season. (Sign-ups help us stay organized.)

We have been richly blessed by the choir’s gifts throughout the year, and we give thanks to God for all that they, together with Peter Lewis, our choir director, have accomplished. We look forward to special choral offerings throughout the summer, along with vocal and instrumental soloists.

As we move into summer, please note a few changes to our patterns of worship:

• Sunday Vespers at 5:00 PM will conclude its weekly schedule this Sunday and shift to a monthly rhythm (see below for details).
• First Friday Compline on June 5 at 9:00 PM will continue through the summer, then pause for several months in the fall.

Our Sunday Brunch Revolutionary Texts Lecture Series begins on June 14 as part of our special history offerings. Later in the month, on June 27, we will host the 250th Saturday Night Brass Mass in partnership with the Lancaster Conservancy.

Yours in Christ,

David+

Sunday, May 31 | 11:30 AM

Parish Potluck Celebration

Parish House Forum Room

Join us for a grand celebration of our parish's life and history with fun for all ages as we begin a summer of marking our country's 250th Anniversary!

There will be fun activities for all ages, including a scavenger hunt and appearances by historic Saint James parishioners. We will also have several baked goods available for sampling from the cookbook of Mary Ross, the great-granddaughter of George Ross, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Mary must have enjoyed potluck dinners, as last year, one of her descendants gifted Mary's recipe book to Saint James. It includes not only her family recipes from the colonial era but also those she collected from other parishioners.

Click here to let us know you'll be attending.

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

Forum Hour This Sunday

There will be no Forum hour

on May 31st.

Join Randall Zachman on June 7th when he'll share his thoughts on John Witherspoon's contribution to Religious and Civil Freedom in the Revolutionary Era.

Sunday, May 31 | 5:00 PM

Evening Vespers at the Urban Well

In the Chapel



Join us for Vespers at Saint James, a warm gathering that embraces Christian prayer traditions. Enjoy uplifting singing and moments of silence in your preferred posture with cushions, yoga mats, or chairs. We celebrate Holy Communion on the third Sunday of each month. Everyone is welcome—come as you are! 

Vespers Summer Schedule

During the summer months, Vespers will meet on the following Sunday evenings:

June 21: Pride Celebration & Holy Eucharist (in the sanctuary apse)

July 26: Patronal Feast & HE

August 23: Introduction to Tai Chi with

Frank Hollingsworth

Beginning Sunday, June 7th

Summer Fellowship Before and

After the 10:30 AM Service

Stop by the narthex Sunday, June 7 to Sunday, September 6 for coffee, lemonade and treats between services or after the 10:30 AM service. Enjoy this casual time to greet friends, catch up with long-time parishioners and introduce yourself to someone new!

Want to take part in this hospitality ministry? All you need to do is simply be present at the cookies/lemonade/coffee table to greet parishioners and visitors. Saint James will provide the coffee, lemonade and treats. Click here to sign up for this ministry. Have questions? Click here to email Andrew Flinchbaugh

Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary

~ Upcoming Events ~

Tuesday, June 2 | 7:00 PM

Contemplative Tuesdays

with Mission and Justice 

In the Chapel and via Zoom

Through June 16th

In this series, we continue to explore what Walter Isaacson calls "The Greatest Sentence Ever Written"—the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal...”

We'll read alongside three men who carefully crafted this revolutionary document and reflect on how we can apply similar attention to drafting our own lives by examining the gaps between ideals and reality—not as failures, but as opportunities for growth in our relationships with God, ourselves, and the world.

Copies of the book are now available ($16) in the Parish House Office. Click here to register.



Sunday, June 14 | 11:30 AM

Sunday Brunch Revolutionary

Texts Lecture Series

Parish House Forum Room

Catered by the Hamilton Club

Many texts containing “revolutionary ideas” have shaped American history and identity, not just one. Our Christian calling as citizens of this great country is to help Rejoice, Repair and Renew our national life. In a special Sunday Brunch Lectures series in honor of the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, thought-leading social historians and theologians will reflect on a range of radical texts that challenge, expand or declare unfulfilled the rights and aspirations set forth in the Declaration of Independence.

Registration is required for catering, with a suggested donation of $25 for adults. Click here for more information and registration.



Saturday, July 4 | 10:00 AM

Reading of the

Declaration of Independence

In the Churchyard

Join us for brief morning prayers, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and a singing of our National Anthem.

Sunday, July 5 | 2:00 PM

Reading Frederick Douglas Together at Bethel AME 450 E Strawberry Street 

We meet at historic Bethel Church, a center of Black Christian liberation, to read together with the African American Historical Society, Frederick Douglass’s prophetic call to American churches, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Sunday, July 12 | 11:30 AM -1:30 PM

Revolutionary Texts Lecture Series No. 2 

In the Parish House Forum Room

Catered by the Hamilton Club

Join parishioner and vestry member Dr. Drew Hermeling to explore the Two Row Wampum Treaty of 1613 between the Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) and the colonial Dutch government, which is spiritually and culturally important to indigenous social history and American socio-political understanding.

Registration is required for catering, with a suggested donation of $25 for adults. Click here for more information and registration.

Celebrating Our

2026 Graduates

Do you have a high school or college graduate in your family this year? Are you graduating in 2026? We would love to honor all graduates during both the 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM masses on June 7th. Please let us know if you or a loved one is graduating in 2026.

To share your graduate's name and details, click here to email StephJo Wise, Director of Children, Youth & Families. We ask that you submit your graduate information by June 2nd. Thank you!

Sunday Morning Children's

Chapel and Nursery to Pause June 7 - July 12

Children's Chapel, offered during the 10:30 AM service during the school year, will pause from June 7th through July 12th.

Parents are welcome to visit our kids' cache of coloring books,

crayons and fidget toys located in the bell tower!

Children's Chapel and nursery will resume on July 19th.

Wednesday, June 17 | 3:00 PM

Holy Eucharist at Willow Valley

Residents of Willow Valley are warmly invited to come together with clergy and staff from Saint James and Holy Trinity Lutheran churches to celebrate Holy Eucharist in Manor North Auditorium on the third floor of the main building in Manor North. All are welcome to partake in this meaningful occasion; feel free to bring a friend!

Saturday, June 20 | 8:30 - 10:30 AM

Upper Room Men's Group

As summer approaches, we are reminded of childhood memories and adventures, including time spent in treehouses. Our discussion on June 20 will center on "What does your life's treehouse look like?"

Many of us imagine a treehouse as a sanctuary—a place for refuge, perspective, friendship, imagination, and sometimes even solitude. In many ways, our lives resemble a treehouse, something we build over time through faith, relationships, work, experiences, struggles, and purpose.

Together, we will reflect on our foundations: what gives our lives stability, whom we invite into our inner circle, the type of shelter we provide for others, and which parts of our lives may need repair or rebuilding.

Back by popular request, shrimp and grits, biscuits, coffee and juice, along with scrambled eggs, will be served. Looking forward to a meaningful and insightful time together!

July 13 – 17, 2026

Intergenerational Service Trip & Retreat at Brookland Retreat Center

Saint James youth, adults, and families are invited to join us for an intergenerational service and retreat experience at the Brookland Retreat Center in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Northern Tier. This trip is open to rising 7th graders and older.

Now in its fifth year, Saint James folks and friends will return to Potter County to partner in meaningful service projects focused on conservancy and restoration, alongside learning on indigenous sacred grounds and engaging in contemplative practices. Together, we will live, work, pray, and play in a place known for its forests, streams, state parks, and wide-open skies.

In addition to service, the week will include time for hiking, swimming, stargazing, and community building. Service and retreat experiences like this can be deeply transformative, strengthening our connections with one another while working to assist the lives of others.

Interested in joining? Please Click Here to email StephJo ASAP to express your interest and to learn more!

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



May 29 | Friday summer office hours begin, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM

May 31, 11:30 AM | Parish Potluck

May 31, 5:00 PM | Vespers at the Urban Well

June 5, 9:00 PM | First Friday Compline at the Urban Well  

June 14, 11:30 AM | Sunday Brunch Revolutionary Texts Lecture Series

June 16, 7:00-8:00 PM | Contemplative Tuesday

June 17, 3:00 PM | Holy Eucharist at Willow Valley

June 19 | Offices closed in observance of Juneteenth

June 20, 8:30 - 10:30 AM | Upper Room Men's Group

June 21, 5:00 PM | Summer Vespers  

June 27, 5:00 PM | Saturday Night Brass Mass

June 28, 10:30 AM | Saint James Voices

July 3, 9:00 PM | First Friday Compline at the Urban Well

July 4, 10:00 AM | Reading of the Declaration of Independence in the Churchyard  

July 5, 2:00 PM | Reading Frederick Douglas Together at Bethel AME 450 E Strawberry Street 

July 12, 11:30 AM -1:30 PM | Revolutionary Texts Lecture Series No. 2 

July 13 - 17 | Intergenerational Service & Retreat Journey

July 18, 8:30 - 10:30 AM | Upper Room Men's Group

July 19, 10:30 AM | Nursery and Children’s Chapel Resume  

July 25, 5:00 PM | Saturday night Mass with April Hartman of Apes of State 

July 26, 5:00 PM | Summer Vespers 

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ministries, events and programs?

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• Children, Youth & Families
• Mindful Yoga
• Mission & Justice
• Urban Well
• Women's Gathering