The JULY 2020 Connection
St. James Episcopal Church
Amesbury, MA
The Rev. John A. Satula
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Due to concerns about Coronavirus/Covid-19, all in-person Church services, meetings, classes, and events are cancelled until further notice. These days, find us online! Check us out on
Facebook
, and
visit our website
.
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A message from our Rector
Dear St. James Community,
I hope everyone is well and healthy and that your summer is off to a good start. I am looking forward to the day when we can once again gather within our beloved St. James building as we come together to worship God.
While Massachusetts is on a very good trajectory right now in containing COVID-19,
the Vestry and I feel it is still wise at this time to continue the suspension of all in-person services and activities at the Church throughout the summer months of July and August
. We take this action out of a continued abundance of caution and looking to our Bishops and sister parishes for guidance. While the Bishops are allowing us to open our Churches at this point, they have strongly encouraged us to continue on-line worship, and many of our sister parishes are not reopening at this time.
I am hoping by mid-September our doors will be opened once again.
In the meantime, both online worship and Coffee Hours will continue. I am hoping for
the Sundays between July 12-August 2 to livestream our services at both 8am and 10am, and have our Zoom Coffee Hour at 9am
. This will allow us the opportunity to engage in communal worship together. These services will be taped and put online for those who are unable to make these times.
There is also the possibility of gathering together for an outdoor service in late July. More information on this will be forthcoming. I will be away for a portion of August, however services will continue to be posted online for those Sundays.
I know these days are difficult but we are not alone. The presence of God continues to surround our world and although we cannot gather at St. James our togetherness is still tangible through our prayers and love for one another.
Please know as we slide into summer you all are always in my prayers and in my heart.
Yours in Christ,
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Our office at 120 Main Street is physically closed
until further notice
- email and phone messages, the website, Facebook, and Youtube posts all are attended to off-site.
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Vestry Meeting
St James' Vestry will meet virtually on July 8, at 7pm.
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Online Services!
New worship services every Sunday.
Fr. John and others offer services of
Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline, sermons, Christian education activities, and more - online
.
Note:
July 12 - August 2: services will be streamed live at 8am and at 10am via Zoom, and posted online.
Information on how to access these services will be forthcoming via email, and
also available on
our website
and on
Facebook
.
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Zoom Coffee Hours,
Sunday mornings!
We may not be able to gather
in our Church
as a community but we can still be together -
virtually!
You can also join us by phone. Please call 1-929-205-6099, and enter the meeting ID 811-017-433-95 when prompted.
We look forward to seeing you!
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Dear friends,
While we navigate these times, our building may be closed, but our Church isn't, and our financial responsibilities continue. In the past year, we made great progress in closing our deficit, and giving/pledging has been a wonderful gift. Please remember your continued support helps ensure our Church's financial responsibilities continue to be met. To keep up with your pledge or gift, please mail it to St James at PO Box 25, Amesbury, MA 01913, or use the link on
our website
or at the end of this newsletter. Thank you!
We realize that at this time some may be facing medical and other bills that are causing strain. Please know that if you need to adjust your pledge, just let
Val Gates, our Treasurer
, know. We are in this together and are here for each other, spiritually and emotionally. If these times are especially financially difficult, please
reach out to Fr. John
, as he has a discretionary fund and may be able to help with personal financial responsibilities.
Friends
,
we pray that we stay safe and healthy and enjoy the gifts this time has to offer.
Please feel
free to reach out
if
you have any questions.
Peace,
Senior Warden
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The conversations and learning continue.
The Diocese and other sources are adding many more resources and opportunities - check our Facebook page for links.
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July birthday greetings
and blessings
to:
Sean Michael Galvin, Ally Gould, Louis D'Ambruoso, Mickey Morrissey (turning 1!), Becky Eastman, Eloise & Virginia Ruggiero, Dawn Schmidt, Donnie Janik, Kate Mignone, Kelly Gould, and Vincent Maria
July wedding anniversary greetings
and blessings
to:
Matt and Linda Davis Siess (32 years!)
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The Adventure Group:
we're beginning to gather again - physically distanced - for outdoor activities!
Next up, on Wednesday, July 8 (depending upon the weather): a meet-up at
Kingston State Park,
124 Main St, Kingston, NH 03848. Pack your mask, sunscreen, bug spray & a picnic lunch - we can eat more-or-less together, go for a walk, enjoy the lakeside view, or go for a swim.
If you have questions, or suggestions for future events, please reach out to Karen at 603-382-7044, or Arthur at 978-918-3232.
Peace!
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Women on the Journey:
meets via Zoom for an hour
of inspirational sharing, readings, and conversation
each
Saturday morning at 9am during the month of July
.
W
e decided that we would read a book together this summer. Read at your own pace. We agreed to read "
The Book of Forgiving
" by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu.
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Meeting ID: 832 8261 5029 Password: Women
Please
email Kim
with any questions or suggestions.
Blessings and peace to all!
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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION at St James: Wonder, Love, Encouragement!
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Godly Play
is over for this school year, but
our virtual classes continue!
We miss you and pray for each of you!
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St James' Youth
(and you, too!) are invited - twice a month - to check out online self-led classes offered by Linda Davis Siess.
Each class is a mini retreat - take a look!
Click on a class to see what it's all about - you're invited to participate, too!
<- thanks to the Courchesnes for this Top Ten list!
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ALL AGES! Come to SUMMER CAMP!
(it's virtual, and it's free)!
Trinity Church
in Boston invites our diocesan community to join its virtual
Camp Trinity summer learning and fellowship opportunity for people of all ages, Wednesday, July 29-Saturday, August 1
.
The theme is “
One Body, Many Member
s
" - exploring connections, gifts, and responsibilities through
morning groups
(meeting in age cohorts),
noonday
community worship with music and reflections, and
afternoon
offline activities or intergenerational electives on Zoom; ending each day with an all-camp activity.
Four counselors from the Barbara C. Harris Camp - Michael Fenn,Tina Seng, Charlie Groves and Avery Nasworthy - are working with Trinity to plan the program.
There is no cost to participate, and all ages are welcome; sign up by July 9
here
!
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Aid 4 Amesbury
is an initiative created by the City of Amesbury in partnership with The Pettengill House, Inc., to help Amesbury residents who are economically vulnerable during the COVID-19 outbreak. With many businesses having to close their doors and many in our community who have been laid off or let go from their jobs, we know people are concerned about not being able to pay bills and su
pport the
ir families.
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Operation Backpack - Pettengill House
As summer moves along, The Pettengill House would normally be gearing up for our big
Operation Backpack
program, our annual community-wide drive to provide backpacks full of school supplies to hundreds of local stu
dents. This ye
ar, to adhere to safety recommendations during COVID-19, we are implementing this effort on a smaller scale.
Please consider participating by contributing funds by check or through our
donation page
.
Your generosity will enable us to purchase and distribute backpacks and supplies during the school year.
Please help support our local students in need:
- To contribute online, please visit the donation page. In the comment box of the donation form, please note "School Linked Services"
- To mail a donation, please make your check payable to The Pettengill House, Inc., 21 Water Street, Suite 4A, Amesbury, MA 01913, and note "School Linked Services" in the memo line. THANK YOU!
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We're thinking about our
Holiday Fair!
Many of you might be taking this time to clean out closets and basements, and
those items you no longer want or need might be someone else's treasures
. Your unused gift certificates would also be a great addition to our famous raffle table.
Let us know if you have any donations.
(No electronics, please.)
Email Meg Grant
for information about a "physically distanced" drop off.
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Craft Table for our Holiday Fair
During this time of physical distancing, we give thanks for our hobbies! Pat McBride and Kimberly Potts are busy brainstorming ideas for our Holiday Fair. They are looking for good quality crafts, and donations of supplies.
Do you have a hobby that you love to do?
Would you donate 3 - 4 items to our craft table?
We would love to have homemade items on our table! Last year we had requests for adult mittens, rice/corn bags, baby sweater sets, jewelry, candles, and soap. If you or someone you know makes these -
or other
- items and will donate them to our Fair, please let
Kim
or
Pat
know.
We're also requesting donations of these crafting items:
Mason jars, glass yogurt jars (all sizes), corks, embroidery floss, round black ceramic magnets .75 in/19mm (52 for $9.99 at Michael's), chenille yarn (wide, all colors), and cash donations to buy supplies (all receipts will be saved).
Please let Kim know
if you can help with donations of crafts for our table, or items for making crafts.
Thank you
for all you do for our Church and to make our Holiday Fair a huge success.
God bless us, every one!
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St James is a strong and loving community
that welcomes, encourages and empowers all
to grow in Christ and to do God's work in the world.
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