The MAY 2020 Connection
St. James Episcopal Church
Amesbury, MA

The Rev. John A. Satula

Due to concerns about Coronavirus/Covid-19,
all in-person Church services, meetings, classes, and events are cancelled until at least May 31. These days, find us online! Check us out on Facebook , and visit our website .
A message from our Rector

Dear St James Community,

I hope everyone is safe and healthy. While our Church building remains closed at this time, please follow us on our webpage , Facebook , and Youtube, and join our 11am Zoom Coffee Hours every Sunday. Our services are posted to these sites and can be viewed at any time. Linda is also posting Christian Education offerings to our website and Facebook. Please know I also am available for pastoral care at any time.

The clergy have bi-weekly Zoom meetings with the Diocese as well as our monthly regional clergy meetings. I will keep everyone informed as to the different decisions and initiatives as they happen. Our Bishops are putting out weekly reflections on the Diocesan webpage every Friday during this time of pandemic to help them stay in touch with everyone. 

Our Vestry also continues to meet via Zoom. St James, like many of our sister parishes of the Diocese, has applied for the Paycheck Protection Program which is part of the CARES Act. This is a loan from the Federal Government that will be forgiven as long as the loans are used inline with the loan guidelines. We are also keeping up with our bills and maintenance expenses as well as looking ahead to to the day when we are able to reopen our doors. We are considering how best to reopen in ways that will keep everyone safe as we move forward.

Again I hope everyone is healthy and enjoying the spring weather. You all remain in my daily thoughts and prayers.

Yours in Christ,
Our office at 120 Main Street is physically closed for the time being, but email and phone messages, the website, and these emails are all being attended to off-site.
Please continue to reach out to us .

Vestry Meeting
St James' Vestry will meet virtually on May 12, at 7pm.
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
Online Services - and More!
Newest worship services posted every Sunday. 
Fr. John and others o ffer services of Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline, sermons, Christian education activities, and more - online . Links are posted on our website: stjamesamesbury.org and on Facebook .
Zoom Coffee Hours on Sundays at 11am - bring your coffee, cocoa, OJ, or just yourself and join our online Zoom Coffee hours every Sunday at 11am.  We may not be able to gather  in our Church  as a community but we can still gather together -  virtually.  Come hear how our fellow parishioners are doing, and what we are up to during this time !

Zoom is free and easy to download.  Our Zoom coffee hour link for every Sunday is the same  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82810430027 . You can also join us by phone.   Please call 1-646-558-8656, and enter the meeting ID 828-104-300-27 when prompted.  We miss you a latte!
COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund

The Diocese of Massachusetts has established a COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to help meet emerging, urgent needs in congregations and affiliated organizations, and in support of collaborations with ecumenical, multifaith, and community partners. The fund will address critical community needs and congregational sustainability during the time of the pandemic.

The fund is now open to receive online gifts at  www.diomass.org/give-now .  Please give as you are able.  A grant application with more guidelines will be available soon.

Episcopal City Mission is also launching a  rapid response grant fund  for grassroots organizations and Episcopal faith communities, to support staff and constituents losing income, for rent control direct action organizing, local justice efforts and other emergent needs. Learn more  here .
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

May 7 is our National Day of Prayer.
You are invited to offer your prayers at noon
or at any time throughout the day.
Offer the Lord's Prayer, or others, or join in Noonday Prayer (BCP, p.103) .
As a parishioner noted, if you happen to live in Amesbury, the noon whistle can serve as your call to prayer every day!








Our proposed mission trip, July 19-25, 2020 will most likely be postponed. We hoped to be serving the needy through The Church of the Pilgrims in Washington, DC.
Missioners, we'll keep in touch.
St James chapel with prayer Rejoice in hope Endure in Affliction Persevere in prayer
Your prayer requests are requested. Please email St James' office at stjames.office@verizon.net .
May birthday greetings and blessings to:
Jon Miller, Jr; John Veal, Nick Bennett, Dan Holt, Andrew Poor, Dom Bondar, Jacob George, Andy Olsen, Carol Crane, James Eastman, Malcolm Courchesne, Valerie Gates, Laurie Dawe, Bob Wiley, Dan Bennett, Edith Poor, Arthur Yarranton, Peter Greenfield, Susan Esco Chandler, Simone Courchesne, Emily Smedstad, and Joe Fahey.

May wedding anniversary greetings and blessings to: J oshua & Laura Potts, Susan & Cliff Entrican, Bill & Charlotte Hallett, and Cindy & Donnie Janik, and we remember and honor Arthur & Eleanor Yarranton's anniversary.
The Adventure Group:
activities are on hold for now.

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!
Women on the Journey is hosted by Kimberly Potts. Our meetings are cancelled for the time being.

For questions or comments, call Kim at 978-397-8233 (please leave a message) or click here to send an email. Blessings!
Christian Education at St James: Wonder, Love, Encouragement!
St James' Youth are still meeting twice a month - for 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!
It might only be spring, but we're already 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. (No electronics, please.) Your unused gift certificates would also make a great addition to our famous raffle table.
Let us know if you have any donations. Email Meg Grant for information about our "socially distanced" drop off at church in the days ahead.
Craft Table for our Holiday Fair
During this time of social distancing, we give thanks for our computers, telephones, and our hobbies! Pat McBride and Kimberly Potts are busy brainstorming ideas for our Holiday Fair, and are looking for good quality craft items, 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!
April 29, 2020

Dear Saint James Episcopal Church,

I hope you and your loved ones are well. These are trying times. Our routines and personal connections have been disrupted, leaving many of us feeling frustrated, sad, and yearning for life to go “back to normal.” Hopefully, our faith and our connections to those we love will help us move through this moment in time with as little pain as possible and with a whole lot of gratitude.

Here at Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity, we are feeling the disruption very strongly. In order to follow physical distancing guidelines, we can only have two or three persons at a building site. Consequently, progress on home construction is moving at a snail’s pace.

We understand the stresses that our homeowners-to-be at Lupine Road in Andover, and Old County Road in Salisbury, are feeling. We also understand the irreplaceable time and energy that you volunteers contribute to our builds. We hope that you can soon -- and safely -- return to that work. Whenever that time comes, we will be thrilled to see you, and we will have all the necessary precautions in place to ensure everyone’s safety.

We want to say thank you for all you have done to help. And, we need to ask for financial help. Every little bit helps -- whether it’s $20, $50, $100, $1,000 or more. With these donations, we can complete the planned purchase of land for our next homes in Lawrence, buy construction materials to make all five homes weather-tight and prevent damage, pay the contractors who are completing licensed work, and be ready for that time when building with groups restarts. Please, give what you can. You can click on this link:
Or you can mail a check to Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity, 60 Island St., Lawrence, MA 01840.

At least two of our homeowners who were quite ill with COVID-19 are now on the mend. And one of the things that helped their recovery, I’m sure, was having a safe and affordable place they can call home. We understand that there are many needs out there during this time, and many requests from many different groups. Our request is grounded in the belief that a decent place to live is a fundamental need for a healthy, happy, resilient family.

Please stay safe and well. We look forward to seeing you when we are allowed to start building with groups again.

Blessings,
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.