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It’s that time of year again—Youth Group is back! Our first meeting will be a cookout on September 14 at 7:00 pm. All youth and their families are invited. This year we’ll be combining Middle School and High School youth groups, both of which will meet at 7:00 pm, and we’ll begin our fall programming together with Confirmation Class, taught by Deacon Jeff and the youth group leadership team. We’re also waiting on some bids for help with laying the 100th Anniversary Youth Labyrinth on the grounds; expect more information on this in the coming weeks!
As we begin this new year of programming, including youth group, with a Restart Sunday on September 11, some questions come to mind: Why be involved in youth group? What is youth group for? What are any of our ministries for? Many traditional answers, though not wholly wrong, are ultimately unsatisfactory: fun, commiseration, support, more church. What, then? Youth group and youth ministries are for JOY, as are all our ministries, a joy based not on happiness but on shared life and experiences of transformation. In a world of competing goods, participation in the life of the church, in youth group and in all ministries, is a statement about what we believe the good life is, where we believe meaning is found--in the humble life, the saving death, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, our friend and Lord. We come together in ministry to be friends to the God we worship, the God we see in each other, and the God that dwells in us, and to learn alongside one another how better to share with the whole world the life and love that this friendship is based on!
As we move forward with this year’s Youth Confirmation Class, learning more about the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement and about our God who calls us friends, and with our general program year on September 11, my prayer for us here at St. James is that we look around, find new friendships, strengthen old ones, and, in doing so, find new experiences of God’s love for us.
May God make us and keep us humble and wise, friends!
-Father Dillon Green+
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Our seminarian, Maddy Bishop, who is attending Princeton University for her education before ordination, is preaching for us this weekend. Additionally, there will be a spaghetti dinner fundraiser on the evening of Sunday, August 21 at 5:30pm to help Maddy with her expenses for life at school. Dine-in or drive-up and take away. Thank you to those who have already contributed to support the dinner.
A new session of Basic A is starting in September. The class will be held in the chapel on Tuesday evenings at 6pm from September 20 through November 20. Contact the parish office if you are interested in attending the class. For additional information, look under Parish News below, or find Basic A on the church website.
A Special School Supply Drive for the PANDO Initiative is underway. The Outreach Committee is collecting (for the month of August): Backpacks, Earbuds, Crayola brand markers, and Finance Calculators. For more information about PANDO, please view the handout HERE.
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Basic A is starting on September 20 |
Basic A is a short-term class introducing and exploring the Episcopal Church. People at any point on a faith journey are welcome in this group. Adults, and their guests, are invited to take part on Tuesday evenings at 6pm. These fun sessions, each about an hour long, are conversations for the curious.
Those to be confirmed as members of the Episcopal Church attend all sessions prior to their formal confirmation on Sunday morning, November 20.
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Our next Seasons Newsletter deadline is TODAY, August 19. Krystal won't be in the office again until Monday, so you have a few days to sneak an article in with no one noticing that it is late. This quarterly newsletter goes out to our wider St. James community, so let's be sure to showcase all the wonderful things happening at St. James! This newsletter will cover activities until Advent. Please send your articles to the office. If you'd like to receive the newsletter and are not currently, please call or email us. | |
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Creation Care Committee
Here is some information about the Inflation Reduction Act. (This analysis is by Jeff Stein, Maxine Joselow and Rachel Roubein of the Washington Post). The bill contains:
- $260 billion in clean-energy tax credits to incentivize solar, wind, hydropower and other sources of renewable energy.
- $80 billion in rebates for electric vehicles, green energy at home and more - Buyers of new electric vehicles would get a $7,500 tax credit applied at the point of sale. A $4,000 tax credit would also apply to purchases of used EVs.
- Other consumer rebates would subsidize the installation of more-efficient heat pumps and water heaters, up to as much as $14,000 in total rebates.
- Installation of home solar panels would be eligible for a 30 percent credit until 2032, when that would drop to 26 percent through 2034.
- $1.5 billion in rewards for cutting methane emissions.
- $27 billion for a ‘green banks’ - Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerators, commonly referred to as green banks, would be able to leverage public and private funds to invest in clean-energy technologies and infrastructure.
Consider EfM - Education for Ministry
This four-year study course is available to anyone interested in broadening their knowledge of the Bible and Theology. Through study, prayer, and reflection, EfM groups move toward a new understanding of the fullness of God’s kingdom. We will start up on September 14. If interested or for more information contact Dr. Paul Rillema or Deb Bagby
St. James/ St. Stephen's Book Club is reading Cloud Cukoo by Doerr. They meet every Thursday at noon and welcome new members to join. As of now, they are meeting via Zoom. Click here for the link. Questions, contact Mary Sloan.
Adult Forum meets every Sunday
Join us at 9:45 in the Guild Hall as we discuss the weekly readings in our series "Going off the Lectionary Grid."
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Pocket Change Ministry:
At this time we are saving toward a $500 gift to a special program for run-away and homeless teens. This program called Crossroads is located near St. Francis Hospital and is run by the Wichita Children’s Home. Each month Crossroads helps troubled youth find apartments and get settled with a new beginning. During our Suitcase Drive, we delivered 12 suitcases there. Crossroads will greatly appreciate our donation. They will use it to purchase apartment needs for their youth in transition. Thank you St. James for your continued generosity.
Outreach is still collecting water, socks,
non-perishable food, backpacks and school supplies!
MORE THAN A SACK LUNCH:
The Saturday lunch distribution at St. John's, for homeless people and those in need, sometimes includes more than the lunch bag and a bottle of water. The volunteers try to identify items which are greatly needed by the people they serve. St. James' liaison: Joan Bledsoe
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Year-around need: socks. Stretchy short socks are especially appreciated during the summer.
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Current need: Bags of dry dog and cat food. Any size is appreciated; the dry kibbles are divided into smaller bags for the pet owners. Just drop a bag off in the entryway.
SHOWER UP:
At several locations downtown, including St. John's and Breakthrough/ESS, the big Shower Up van pulls into a parking lot, connects hoses to a water supply and provides a private place for homeless people to have a hot shower. Volunteers assist with sanitizing after each shower and hand out soap, towels, razors and other supplies. Sometimes, there is even a barber to cut hair.
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Current need: GYM SHORTS; Men's Large, X-large, 2X and 3X gym shorts. Drop them off here at St. James.
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There is no Children’s Sunday School nor is there Children’s Chapel next month on Sunday, September 4 (it is Labor Day weekend). The first Children’s Sunday School and Chapel of the school year will be held on the first Sunday in October. | |
YAW (Young Adults Wichita) is a ministry of the Wichita Minster led by Father Dillon. It includes members from St. James, St. John’s, Good Shepherd, and St. Stephen’s. We meet weekly, currently Mondays at 6 p.m. (time/dates subject to change). If you know anyone interested in participating, please connect them with Dillon at 256-762-5110 or at dillongreen7@gmail.com. If you aren’t a young adult (18-35) and want to be involved, we are always looking for people to provide meals for the group each week. Instructions are to prepare for six to 10 people. If you’re interested in helping out that way, please contact Dillon.
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Parish Prayers for the Week of August 19 | |
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Parish Prayers
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer:
Pray for the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria
In the World Council of Churches Cycle of Prayer:
Pray for Liberia, Sierra Leone
In the Kansas Cycle of Prayer:
Pray for St. Bartholomew’s, Wichita
St. James Church prays for these individuals as well:
Our seminarian, Maddy Bishop;
Those serving in the military:
J. David Anderson-Lusk, Will Corkins, Maureen Tanner.
Thanksgiving for the birth of Parker Liam Mather, born Aug. 14 to parents Ashley and Taylor Mather and grandparents Vicky and Jim Petty.
Those who have recently died: Judy Wilkinson, Richard Coleman Clausen; Joyce Essmiller; Terry Downs;
And those who have died in Augusts past: Jewellean Alford; Jim Basham; Betty Blair; Robert Clark; Toby Graves; Lois Griffith; Brian Kahl; Nan King; Cathy Lawrence; Diane Lewis; Richard Lewis; Roger Nyenhuis; Duane Rector; Dean Ritchie; Cynthia Rutherford; Lloyd Tritle; Elisabeth Wannow; Brenda Wright;
Those in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness or any other adversity:
Janet R.; Martha F.; Lucy C. & family; Diana; Andy; Pat; Arnell & John; Peggy S.; Gary; Deb H.; Bill and Jeri; Tom T.; Tom G.; Jayne P.; Barbara H.; Dana F.; Suzy R.; Phil S., Helen B., Bill and Carolyn, Dave W.; Carole, Kitty; Laura S.; Bob and Sue; Marge R.; Pam M.; Dal; Gus; Joan J.; Martha L.; Betty; Sage; Joseph B.; Sam and Beth; Jerry M.; Joy J.; Jonathan
For the sake of privacy, we do not list the last names of those who are on our prayer list because of trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or adversity. We do our best to include last name initials in the event that two parishioners with the same first name exist.
If your prayers have been answered, let us rejoice with you. Please contact the office to let us know we can remove your prayer request. If you have prayers you would like added to the prayer list, please contact the office at office@stjameswichita.org or 316-683-5686.
Loving, Liberating and Life-Giving
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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