The next in a series of irregular updates to the parish.
January 10, 2020
The holidays brought a pause in transition activities, but much is now on the table.
At its meeting earlier this week, our Consolidation Team developed a plan and timeline for making a recommendation to the vestry of which parish—St. Luke’s or St. Mary’s—St. James will join in a full-press effort toward consolidation. At its January meeting, the vestry will receive that plan, along with ideas of activities to engage all St. James members in that decision. Watch for details and dates to come.
You already know that the Team is focusing on seven areas: worship, education, service, music, finance, governance and property. Shared worship, joint meetings of consolidation teams, meetings with individuals & committees at each church, and December Informal Conversations at St. James—all are leading the Team to a comprehensive picture of the opportunities provided by each parish for the people of St. James to sustain our mission and create our future.
In the meantime, of course, St. James will have the privilege of welcoming St. Luke’s to worship and learn with us this coming Sunday, January 12—and St. Mary’s the following Sunday January 19. These are opportunities for both to experience first-hand life at St. James: worship at 8:00
AM
, coffee and conversation at 9:00
AM
, adult forum at 9:30
AM
, worship at 10:30
AM
and coffee hour at 11:30
AM
.
Finally, a critical piece in our transition process is a documented list of St. James members and, therefore, of qualified voters. Grounded in our parish by-laws, Fr. William and office administrator Beth Harvey have completed that list. Watch for more information from the vestry as it prepares for the Annual Meeting on January 26.
Ruth Anne Olson,
Transition Coordinator
