August 24, 2022

Our Weekly News & Updates
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A NOTE FROM FATHER ROCK

Good morning, friends.


We are in the process of gearing up for our forthcoming program year, and we have done a lot of work recently getting ready for some new offerings. Our staff gathered last week for a time of prayer, planning, and preparation. You are blessed to have these leaders working so hard for our community.


We will continue to have our Sunday School class that Beth Harrison leads so well with pretty committed class members. We will also begin a second class that meets on Sunday mornings looking at a book about Episcopal beliefs and practice named Walk in Love. It is award-winning and comes out of the devotional publishing house Forward Movement. We will be looking at a chapter a week beginning September 11 and going up to Easter if we can maintain our schedule. This class will meet in Brydon Hall, 9 am to 9:45 Sundays.

Also, in our Thursday morning Book Club we will be looking at another award winner, The Divine Conspiracy​​​ by philosopher Dallas Willard. We will do a chapter a week here as well. I have taught this several times, and it has been highly influential to my thinking and ministry. It takes the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus in Matthew 5-7 as a foundation of learning to change the world, a "divine conspiracy" to establish the Kingdom of God. I encourage you to participate via Zoom with the group, or to keep up with the weekly recordings. 

These are just two of the exciting new things, and I hope you will jump in if intrigued. We have much more to share with you, and will in the coming weeks.


Pray for our church members. We have had some bad news with a lot of folks over the last few weeks and our family is hurting. Even if you do not know the names and details, God does. Let us hold each other close, and up in prayer. Much love to you all!


Blessings, 

Rock+

JOIN US THIS WEEK

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

  • 7:30am-Eucharist Rite II
  • Breakfast following


Saturday, August 27, 2022

  • 9am- Group Exercise Class


Sunday, August 28, 2022

  • 8am- Eucharist: Rite I Service
  • 10am- Eucharist: Rite II (music)
  • 5:30pm-Children's Ministry Orientation


Monday, August 29, 2022

  • 10:30am-Grief Group
Click Here to Watch Services Live or Later

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY ORIENTATION

Please join us August 28th 5:30-6:30pm. We will have a Back to School Orientation (including popsicles!) here at the church to give you more information about our exciting curriculum this year. You can also drop off supplies. It will be a time to ask questions and get answers for what the upcomimgn year has in store. We  are thrilled to get the children back

BACK TO SCHOOL

BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS


Please bring your children and their backpacks on Sunday, September 4th at the 10am service for a Blessing of the Backpacks. Each child will get a tag that can go in or on their backpack with a blessing that will be prayed over them. We want to celebrate, mark and champion these kids as they head back to school. This has been a tradition of St. James the Less for a long time and we are excited to bring it back.


SUPPLY LIST


If you would like to participate in the ministry by donating supplies from our Amazon wish list, please click the link and know we are grateful. It’s your support that makes this happen!


CHILDREN’S MINISTRY REGISTRATION


Are you and your family hoping to use the children’s ministry this year? Please sign up here and let us know you are coming back. We want to make sure we are prepared and ready to help you and your child in the transition of coming back. We will have the nursery open again this fall. We will have Sunday School for the kids at 9am and then Children’s Church during part of the 10am service starting the week of September 11th. We are gearing up for an awesome year!



J2A (YOUTH GROUP) REGISRATION


If you would like to register your youth for Journey to Adulthood (J2A) for this fall, please use this link. You will be first to find out about upcoming events. It is a regional youth program that will include youth (middle school and high schoolers) from other Episcopal churches here in Hanover that meets on Sunday evenings, starting September 18th from 5:45pm-7:30pm. They will eat supper together, play games, and learn some cool stuff. Sunday, September 11th we will have a meal for the entire family to learn about the program. We hope you will join us!


If you would like to volunteer to help with the youth, email Miriam. 

HOME VISITS

The Communion Table is wide and has an invitation to all. If you are homebound or unable to visit one of our in-person services, please email us or call the church (804-798-6336) if you would like someone to visit and bring Eucharist. We would love to do this for you. 

PARISH NURSE

We are so blessed to have the talents of our Parish Nurse, Bobbie Street, to lean on. If you or someone in your family have questions about a medical situation you are in, or would like to request meals from our Meal Train, please let Bobbie know. She is a wealth of knowledge and happy to help. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Our very own Bobbie Street will be taking over the Western Hanover Backpack Program. She will be looking for volunteers to help her with this. It  would be one day a week, just to pack food for the delivery.  This is a weekly program that sends food insecure children home with meals for the weekends when they don't have school to get meals. If you are interested in helping out, please reach out to Bobbie.  It will be a huge blessing to those families. 

BOOK CLUB

We are thrilled that book club is about to start again on Thursday, September 8th at 10am on Zoom. We will be meetings for 10 weeks on Thursday mornings at 10am, reading a chapter a week. This time we are reading The Divine Conspiracy, by Dallas Willard. The link to purchase it on Amazon is HERE. If you would like us to purchase it for you or need help with the cost, please let us know. We don't want there to be a barrier to you joining us.  It is a very special group!


The Divine Conspiracy has revolutionized how we think about the true meaning of discipleship. In this classic, one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers of our times and author of the acclaimed The Spirit of Disciplines, Dallas Willard, skillfully weaves together biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice, revealing what it means to "apprentice" ourselves to Jesus. Using Jesus’s Sermon of the Mount as his foundation, Willard masterfully explores life-changing ways to experience and be guided by God on a daily basis, resulting in a more authentic and dynamic faith. 

SHRINE MONT

We are thrilled to announce that we are taking our Parish Retreat to Shrine Mont on October 14-16, 2022. It is a restorative time for yourself and your family. It is also chocked full of community and faith building. We hope you can join us. There are multiple ways you can let us know you are planning on coming. You can fill out this online form HERE. You can call Kasey and have her sign you up at 804-798-6336. You can also sign up on the bulletin board in the hallway. 


The cost is $75 for children (ages 4-12), $90 for teens (13-18), and $175 for adults (18 +).  If you would like to complete a Chenery grant request to help with the cost of your trip, please complete THIS form. We don’t want cost to hinder anyone from this awesome experience.

CREATION CARE TASK FORCE

You are invited to join the Circle via Zoom on Sept. 1, 7 PM, as we talk about resilience in a climate challenged world. The Circle provides a safe space to acknowledge our feelings about climate change, and, together, we ponder a faithful, faith-filled response to the climate crisis. Led by the Rev. Mary Kay Brown and Kathy Ellis, we will again work with material from Debra Rienstra’s book Refugia Faith. https://debrarienstra.com/refugia-faith/ Join us from around the diocese as we continue to talk, pray, and vision together.  Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81764854557 . Contact the Creation Care Task Force at DOVA.CCTF@gmail.com for more information.

 

DOV CREATION CARE TASK FORCE: https://www.thediocese.net/resources/ministries/creation-care/

WAYS TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY

  • Sign up to bring meals for the Clinic Volunteers HERE
  • Help stock our Emergency Food Pantry (outside the clinic)
  • Send in your Pop Tops for McDonald House
  • Bring in Hygiene or laundry items for Peter Paul
  • Donate to ACES (see below)

Pantry: Oatmeal (smaller containers preferred),Canned fruit, Canned vegetables (all except corn), Canned meat (chicken, spam, salmon, etc.), Canned soup (all except cream based), Boxed potatoes (smaller containers preferred)


Adult Clothing: Men's Boxer Briefs (all sizes), Men's Athletic Shoes (all sizes), Men's Undershirts (sizes M - XL), Women's Underwear (sizes 6 - 8), Feminine Hygiene Products


Children's Clothing: Boy's shoes (all sizes), Boy's Underwear (size 10), Girl's Underwear (sizes 2 - 3) and (sizes 16 - 18), Boy's Socks (large sizes, 3 - 9), Boy's and Girl's Pajamas (sizes 10 - 18), Diaper's (sizes 5 and 6)


ACES is open on both Mondays and Wednesday from 8:30-11:30am. Thank you for your continued support!

PRAYERS

Lord, we lift up this nation struggling with itself these days, reeling from this pandemic and its repercussions. Encourage us to faithfulness, righteousness, and compassion for all God’s Children. We lift up Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael, our Presiding Bishop, Susan and Jennifer, our Bishops, the Bishop Elect, The Rev. Canon Mark Stevenson and family, and Rock+, our priest. May they be strengthened and encouraged as the work with us to proclaim your Good News in this world. We pray for Joe, our President, Glenn, our Governor, and Steve, our Mayor, and all our elected officials. Guide them to lead us to the common good. 


We ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people. Remembering especially Gus Miller, Erin Yagla, Meredith Moon, Meghann Batten, Michael Fox, Bill Blakemore, Chambers Cromwell, Dennis Folsom, Carter, Paul Robb, Debra Bernard, Smith family, Alex Gillette, Pam Gillette, Sally Budd, Jeff Lawrence, May and family, Melanie Fischer, Court Warfield, Pam Bowers, Rose & Mike Brown, Wendy Vaughan, Andrea Alexander McCallum, Matt & Megan Goff, Tom Ficklin, Betty Lee, Janet Taylor, Bower family, Curtis and family, Carolyn Moury, Sherry Gilmartin, Nicki Moon, Cameron & Camilla Sharma, Jessica and family, Joy Stevenson, David Turner, Carol Meacham, Pete Buxton, Kim Keene, Ronnie Atkins Jr. family, Patty Gleason, David Fritter & family, Meg & family, Brad Rose, Sara Reece, Richard Rennolds, Andy Newchok, and Allison Provencher.


We ask your prayers for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. We also ask your prayers for those serving in the diplomatic corps, the military, and as missionaries: Kemper Jones, Greg Ericksen, Matthew Thomas, Philip Morison, James Ashley, Andrew Brunson, Jordan Fox, and Katherine Murphy. 


We ask your prayers for those who have died, especially Wiley Hughes & Dabney Holt. We ask your prayers for those who grieve.  


We pray for governments and governing bodies of Metropolitan Richmond: For the Mayor and City Council of Richmond, the City Administrator, and all city employees.


For all those who seek peace in the world and for ourselves, that we may bring about God's Kingdom here on earth. For our enemies, and for those who wish us harm.



Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored.

HOMILY

Proper 16

August 21, 2022

WEDNESDAY FUNNY

August 26

Manning Leachman


August 27

Anne Rose

August 30

Zoey Altman

HELPFUL LINKS

Saint James the Less Episcopal Church

125 Beverly Road

Ashland, VA 23005

(804) 798-6336


Staff:

The Rev. Rock Higgins, tssf Rector

Reggie Long- Organist/Music Director

Miriam Smith- Christian Formation- Children & Youth Director

Kasey Buckland- Parish Administrator

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Weekly E-News Deadline:  If you have an announcement to be shared with the parish, please get the information in no later than noon on Monday.