11th Sunday after Pentecost

Psalm 90

Judges 16:15-31

2 Corinthians 13:1-11

Mark 5:25-34

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Officiants: Rev. Bob Woods& Cathedral/Diocese Staff Clergy

Preacher: Rev. Canon Anna Carmichael

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9:30AM | ZOOM

Sisters and Brothers of EDSJ,

I am aware that pastoral letters from my hand and heart reached you in March (two separate), April (again, two), May and June. The last correspondence came to you on June 2nd. Immediately following the issuing of that pastoral letter, a diocesan working group, as you know, put together recommendations for diocesan guidelines and protocols in our response to the pandemic. Subsequently, those recommendations were discussed and endorsed by Diocesan Council and Standing Committee and then made available to you.

Since June‘s pastoral letter, much has occurred. We spent the month of July in the largest social platform gathering in EDSJ’s history. Over one hundred gathered for five consecutive Wednesdays exploring and discussing realities of white supremacy, entitlement and privilege. We discussed the prevalence of institutional racism in our midst and explored how we might move from complicity to holy action. I know you join with me in thanking Constance and Dain Perry for facilitating this important work with us.

Additionally in July, it was my absolute pleasure to ordain Rev’d Angela Lerena and Rev’d Nelson Poveda to the priesthood. This was an unprecedented and unique occasion for EDSJ as we exercised social distancing, we wore masks and much of the service was pre-recorded. And through it all, God was there and God made the extraordinary occur as God does. Congratulations to both Angela and Nelson.

Since June we have progressed well on our diocesan-wide solar project. We are now thoroughly into Phase 1 and beginning to move towards Phase 2. Panels have been installed at St. Anne’s, Stockton and construction is beginning at ECCO.

And last week, we announced the arrival of Rev’d Julie Kelly at Church of the Savior, Hanford and Rev’d Ryan Eikenbary, at St. Anne’s, Stockton. Julie will also be serving at St. James Lutheran, Hanford and Ryan will also serve at Zion Lutheran, Stockton. This is the first time EDSJ has engaged in our full communion relationship with our Lutheran Sisters and Brothers. This is truly an important “ecumenical moment” for EDSJ. I know that you will join me, laity and clergy, in welcoming Julie and Ryan.

And other developments to note since June include the continued progress of our Creation Care Commission under the leadership of Deacon Terrance Goodpasture and the movement towards a Racial Reconciliation Commission. We have continued our weekly “Clergy Cohort” zoom gathering and this week we begin our “Weekday Virtual Visitations” which will ultimately include every Faith Community. And of course, socially platformed worship continues through our cathedral and diocese.

Lastly, concurrently released with this Pastoral Letter, our Diocesan Commission SJRAISE has launched a must see video on “Uncaged Art.” Please take the time see this important piece displaying the art of young people confined to Detention Centers. Please visit: diosanjoaquin.org to view.

So, Sisters and Brothers of EDSJ, we have not been still since my last pastoral letter. We have not remained still in these summer months. And we have not been still through this horrific pandemic. Much has occurred and yet one thing remains. God is with us and God has not been still during these inordinately challenging days of COVID-19.

On occasion, I have had clergy and laity recount this question posed to them, “Why have I seen people walk into the church, down the street, on a Sunday morning, or gathering outside the church, and we’re not.” I cannot answer for the church down the street. I can, however, remind us of our caring, cautious and conservative response from the moment we first became aware of this pandemic. I can remind us that God perpetually calls us to consider the safety, the well-being and the health of those with whom we share community. I can remind us that listening to health care professionals and the scientific community has also been and will continue to be integral to the development of Episcopal ethos, theology and practice. And I can remind us that you and I are called by God to actively pray along and walk through the Way of Love, that is the Way of Jesus, and that most definitely includes wearing masks, social distancing and consider how our decisions impact everyone in our personal and communal orbit. And lastly, I can remind us, as I have suggested, that God is with us and God continues to move in our midst.

Stay well and safe EDSJ.

Blessings

+David

St. James Sunday School launches digitally on Sunday, September 13th. The kick-off session will begin with student check-in at 9:00AM and the lesson will begin at 9:15AM. The first day of Sunday School is designed for the whole family to join-in. The morning will include the blessing of the teachers and the students.

During the digital church period, St. James Sunday School is open to all school-aged children in the Diocese. Registration is required to participate!

We invite you to check out the St. James Children’s Ministry web page for more about our ministry with children and our curriculum Weaving God’s Promises.

Teacher recruitment period is now! If you feel called to the ministry of the spiritual formation of children, please send an email to teach@stjamesfresno.org. Teachers can be members of any Episcopal congregation in the Diocese, but we definitely need members of the Cathedral Congregation for both the digital Sunday School experience and when we return to public worship.

Prior to the first session, Dean Ryan and the Sunday School Committee will host via ZOOM an Orientation and Training session for all interested teachers. No prior teaching or Sunday School experience is required—all that is required is a willing and committed heart to educating the next generation of the Church. In addition to the Orientation and Training session, teachers will be required to take an online training module called Safeguarding God's Children--an in-depth educational and training program for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in everyday life and in ministry.

Classes are Sundays at 9:15AM on ZOOM. Registration for Sunday School opened August 1st. Please visit St. James website for link to registration. The first session is Sunday, September 13th and the whole family is invited to participate.

Weaving God’s Promises is a comprehensive, three-year Christian education curriculum for children developed and written exclusively for the Episcopal Church. Weaving God’s Promises' 30-minute lesson plans are accessed online. There will be a “take-home” paper, Threads, that will be emailed to every family after each lesson. Threads allows families to continue the conversation and theme throughout the week.

TEACHER COVENANT OF COMMITMENT (Developed by Sunday School Committee)

The new home for the St. James Food Bank will be located in four "classrooms" on the western-end of the education building. The newly renovated space will allow our Food Bank to better serve the community. Our goal is to provide weekly updates.

Additional funds to complete the Food Bank transformation are still needed and welcomed. If you would like to make a donation to the project, please visit our online Cathedral Donation page or send a check to the Cathedral Office.

On August 5th, in the Fresno Bee, Deacon Nancy Key joined Sukaina Hussain (Council on American-Islamic Relations), and the Reverend Tim Kutzmark (Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno), to publish an article calling for action in Fresno amid a new chapter in the Civil Rights Movement. Each took an opportunity to address the questions:

We invite you read this powerful article and call to action.

Plastic, it is a major part of our lives. Our food is wrapped in it, toys are made from it, it is found in devices we use everyday. But what you may not know is we are not only using plastics we are also ingesting them.

When you eat a bite of food or even take a sip of water you may be taking in tiny plastic particles along with it. Some researches believe the average person consumes about 5gm of plastic every 7 days. That's like eating a credit card every week.

Humans have produced more than eight billion metric tons of plastic mostly since the 1950's, and less than 10% of it has ever been recycled. There is so much plastic all around that we likely breath in tens of thousands of tiny plastic fragments or fibers every year.

Why is there so much plastic in our food, water, and the air around us? Plastics are very durable materials. Things made out of plastic can last quite a long time. However, they are not perfectly durable. Which means plastics can degrade through normal wear and tear. Just think about all the ways in which plastics are used. Everything from food containers to cell phone cases. The wear and tear from repetitive use can produce tiny microscopic fragments, which are called mi-cro-plastics. Over time, these micro-plastics make their way into the environment. Like our lakes and rivers, the soil, and even into our oceans. These materials ultimately end up contaminating our food and water supply.

We don't completely know for sure what effect ingesting all the micro-plastics might have on us. More research is needed to determine at what levels exposure becomes particularly dangerous. Experts recommend a precautionary approach.

Here are six tips you can do to reduce your exposure to micro plastics.

If you follow these tips you can remove the amount of plastic in your life and in your body.

During the month of July the St. James Youth group will be meeting weekly on Tuesdays at 6PM. All youth ages 10-18 are welcome to join. The Youth Group has begun a new Bible Series on the Parables of Jesus.

If you're interested in joining, email Kourinthia at sjyouth@stjamesfresno.org

St. James offers Sunday worship each Sunday at 10:00AM on our YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, and Website. Archives of these services are available.

Starting this Sunday, we will once again begin offering digital service programs. Visit the St. James website to download the program. If possible, for our creation care work, please do not print the program.

To help us improve our digital church experience, please evaluate your experience of our "live stream service," by taking a moment to complete a short survey following Sunday's service.

Go outside and pick up trash. You can invite a friend or small group from church to join you. You can enjoy fellowship and increase the amount of garbage collected.

The Midweek Missive has launched a new occasional feature called, Gospel Perspective.

In this section, we will feature images, cartoons, video clips, and quotes intended to inspire reflection, discernment, conversation, and prayer--imagine a very brief, midweek sermon for your heart and mind.

We also invite you to submit content for "Gospel Perspective" by emailing us.

To participate, log into the Cathedral Coffee Hour on Zoom. The meeting password is " james4147". You can also join the conversation by phone. Call (669) 900-6833 and enter the meeting ID 821-8772-3828. You will be prompted to enter the phone password "492292".

Currently meeting weekly, Thursdays at 6:00PM on Zoom. For more information please email Emily Niblick.

Meets the first Saturday of each monthly at 9:30AM on Zoom. These gatherings are open to all. To join via Zoom, click here. There is also a call-in option: (669) 900-6833 - Meeting ID: 894 7483 4226 - Passcode: 230840797.

he clergy of St. James remain deeply committed to offering pastoral care and support to members of the Cathedral Congregation especially during this difficult time. If a pastoral need arises for you or someone you know in the congregation, and you want to contact the clergy, please either email us at clergy@stjamesfresno.org or call the Cathedral office at (559) 439-5011 and select option 5 to leave a message for the clergy.

An earthquake that shook northwestern North Carolina awake on the morning of Aug. 9 caused minor damage to a church in Sparta, the town closest to the epicenter.

In the aftermath of the devastating explosion that caused widespread damage across Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, Episcopalians are reaching out to their Anglican counterparts in the region to assess their needs and offer assistance. The explosion, which killed at least 135 people, injured more than 3,000 and left 300,000 homeless.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry joined Rabbi Shoshanah Conover, senior rabbi at Temple Sholom of Chicago, Illinois, and Mohamed Elsanousi, executive director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, to discuss how faith communities have responded to the crises of COVID-19 and racial unrest, and what we can learn from their experiences.

The Rt. Rev. Sam B. Hulsey, former bishop of the Diocese of Northwest Texas and assisting bishop in the Diocese of Fort Worth, died on Aug. 6, 2020, at Selby Hill, his beloved family homestead in Parker County. He was 88 years old. A memorial service will be held when it is safer to gather.

If you have any feedback, comments, or questions for the Midweek Missive Editors, please email us. Submissions to the Midweek Missive are welcomed and must be submitted to midweek@stjamesfresno.org by Tuesday at noon.