A Note from Penny; REAL Life project; Picnic directions; Squirrels Game; EfM; and more!

A NOTE FROM PENNY

Dear friends,

As we continue to move through this season of reflection in the life of St. James’s, I’d like to invite you to another series of conversations on Sunday mornings this summer. For three Sundays in June and three in July, we will meet in Valentine Hall after the 10 a.m. service for about an hour each session. These sessions will be a bit different from the ones we engaged in during the spring gatherings to focus on a different topic each week. This is your opportunity to talk about what you value at St. James’s and also your opportunity to hear what your fellow parishioners value. We’ll talk about priorities, frustrations, sources of conflict, occasions of meaningful learning or experience. You can come to one session or all of them - the more the better, but I know many of you travel in summer. So if you are in town, please plan to come to church and stay for conversation after the service.

When I first arrived at St. James’s in July last year, and a couple of times since, I've tried to set out how an intentional interim period tends to flow, and I realize that this is a new thing for most of you. I know that a few of you are frustrated at what feels like a delay, or you're concerned that we may lose candidates because we’re not taking names yet. But others have expressed hope that we can take the time we need to shore up our operating systems and smooth out some bumps and do some repairs, both physical and systemic, and eliminate as many potential stumbling blocks as we can to give the next rector of St. James’s the best chance of a successful tenure. This is what we all hope for, and it doesn’t happen magically.

So these conversations, combined with previous ones, and also the Holy Cow survey that we will engage in later this year, are all designed to identify areas of concern (so that we can address them) as well as areas of strength. Through them we are articulating who we are and what we believe God is calling us toward, which is vital for putting together a profile that will be honest and true and gives both the future discernment committee and potential candidates what they need to make a good match. We are not just going to look for a rector, we are going to look for the rector who is the right one to lead this parish in this time of its life.

I’ve also had some conversation with some who have expressed a hope that we will not rush through this process or that leaders will feel pressured to move quickly in the face of anxiety about the future. We are God’s people and we trust in God’s care. We trust that God is preparing even now someone to lead us when the time is right and when we are ready for such a leader. In the Bible, we often see that something took 40 days - the flood, the time of temptation in the wilderness, the time that Joshua and Caleb and others spent scouting out the Promised Land while the Israelites waited in the wilderness, the time between Jesus’s death and his ascension into heaven. That’s not necessarily meant to be a literal number; in the Bible 40 days is often shorthand for “the time it takes for something to be completed.” In the same way, we try not to lay out a transition time and rector search in an absolute timetable. We will move through the process deliberately and thoughtfully and not to make or beat a deadline but to take the time it needs to take. We will be discerning a relationship, not simply filling a position. The Promised Land takes time to scout out.

Please join me this summer in our continuing conversations on June 9, 16 and 23 and July 7, 14, and 21.

Blessings,

Penny

REAL LIFE Service Project TOMORROW

The REAL LIFE gardening service project is this Saturday, June 1 from 9 to 11:30 am. The forecast is sunny -- perfect for gardening.

We'll meet at 1839 Thomas St., Richmond, VA 23220 to build raised bed gardens.

No need to sign up, just come help beautify someone's home. The residents of REAL LIFE are looking forward to this.

The REAL LIFE gardening service project is for All Ages.

The Picnic

is this Sunday.

The forecast for Sunday is Picnic Weather. We’re so excited for the Parish Picnic. And we hope you are too. We suggest you bring a folding chair and/or a blanket.

Don't forget your side dishes and desserts you signed up to bring.

Here's the directions to Rock Bottom.

Have you signed up for the Picnic?

If you’re planning to come, we encourage you to buy your tickets here today so we have an accurate headcount when we order food.

If Sunday comes around and you decide you want to come but haven’t bought tickets, you can pay with cash or a check when you get there.

St. James’s is going to

Flying Squirrel's Game in June!

This event happens Saturday, June 8 and the whole parish is invited! It takes the place of our June Young Family Social.

We hope you’ll join us for this fun fellowship activity for all ages. The Squirrels will take on Altoona at 6:05 pm, and yes, there will be fireworks!

Please click here to purchase your general admission tickets to the game. We will be sitting in the General Admission section, above section 205 (marked with X on diagram).

Saturday, June 1

REAL LIFE Gardening Service Project for All Ages - 9 am to 11:30 am

1839 Thomas St., Richmond, VA 23220

Wednesday, June 5

Living Faith Bible Study - 10 to 11:30 am

Currently on Zoom

For details and contacts see the DOERS guide

Thursday, June 6

Brown Bag Book Group - 12:00 pm on Zoom

June Book: The Wisdom of the Olive Tree by Corey Stewart (Fiction)

Here's what the Brown Bag Book group is reading:

July 11 — Mad Honey by Jodi Piccoult (Fiction)

August 1 — The Tee Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (Fiction)

For details and contacts see the DOERS guide

Formation Groups taking a summer break:

Tuesday Men's Bible Study

Women's Wisdom Bible Study

Women in Fellowship

ARE YOU SENSING A CALL . . . to deepen your faith and nurture your desire to serve others? Education for Ministry – EfM – is a program of study and reflection in a small group where we explore our relationship with God and with our baptismal call to serve others as lay ministers.

Here’s what one of our EfM graduates has to say: “You’ll come face-to-face with the central questions of existence, examine biblical criticism, and consider who God is and what God means to you. I now pursue these questions independently using the tools and resources I learned. You’ll do so, too.”

We have several spaces available for the coming year. To learn more, contact mentor Jane Dowrick at efmvirginia@gmail.com or 804-334-0117.

More info about EfM can be found here.

Why I recommend EfM by Bennette Burks:

My training in Christianity was a creole stew of childhood Catechism, miscellaneous lectures, and a smattering of books, pamphlets, and bible readings. I understood the basics—or so I thought—but shrugged at the rest. EfM changed all of that.

Yes, it’s a four-year commitment, but it’s worth every moment. The first two years are reviews of the Old and New Testaments. Lots of reading but a thorough grounding in the history, background, and context to our source document. The third year is a history of the Christianity to the present. Yes, the book is long and can be tedious in parts but is a treasure chest of knowledge. Don’t be surprised if you develop a strong interest int Roman and European history.

The first three years, for me, were a prelude to the fourth year, which is spent on pure theology. Great stuff! You’ll come face-to-face with the central questions of existence, examine biblical criticism, and consider who God is and what he means to you. I now pursue these questions independently using the tools and resources I learned. You’ll do so, too.

Did I mention the close friendships you will develop? EfM is a wonderful bonding experience of like-minded but diverse individuals coming together for a common purpose. Participants begin each year writing about their spiritual histories, which are read to the class. I was amazed at how I developed as the classes worked their magic. More importantly, I was honored to learn my classmates’ histories and observe their journeys just as they had learned and observed mine.

EfM is a commitment, no doubt about it. EfM is also a rewarding experience if you find yourself continually vexed by nagging desires to know more about the religion you practice. I urge you to consider it.

Bennette Burks

To see a larger version of the flyer, click here.

Members of the Financial Outreach Committee will be at Food Truck Night on Wednesday, June 12, recruiting new members and happily answering your questions.

The elevator is back in service.

We're happy to announce that the elevator has been repaired and passed all its inspections. You can confidently use it again. e

We are in the season after Pentecost in the Episcopal Church. It's known as Ordinary Time, or sometimes the "green season". It begins on the Day of Pentecost and lasts until the First Sunday of Advent, which marks the start of a new church year. During this season, Sundays are numbered in order and the liturgical color is green, which represents growth and God's creation.

This season of the church year invites us to think about how we live as Christians and how we live out the resurrection of Jesus Christ in our ordinary lives.