Our new Sunday schedule--now with 4 services.
The new program year is almost here--it starts next Sunday, September 12th--but here’s a heads up about the Sunday Schedule. There will be four in-person services, including our new casual and contemporary 5 pm service.
Here’s the IN PERSON schedule:
- 7:45 am in the Sanctuary - Eucharist Rite I
- 9 am in the Sanctuary - Eucharist Rite II
- 11:15 am in the sanctuary - Eucharist and Morning Prayer
alternating throughout the month
- 5 pm in the Sanctuary - Contemporary Rite II
And now that our new video equipment has been installed,
we’ll also be resuming the live-streaming of our 9 am and 11:15 am services,
so you can truly feel like you're in the church with us.
Here’s the ONLINE schedule:
- Live Streamed at 9 am and 11:15 am
Available to be viewed afterward on Facebook and Youtube
We’re also firming up plans beginning on Sunday, Sept. 19th,
to hold a short Eucharistic service outdoors (in the Memorial Garden)
that begins at 9:15am and lasts less than a half-hour.
This will allow anyone who wants to reduce your contact with others (particularly indoors)
to arrive and leave the church grounds while remaining outside the whole time.
However, and whenever, you choose to worship with us, we look forward to sharing
the love of God and the wisdom of Jesus with every one of you.
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Church Office Hours
The church office will be closed on Monday, September 6th in honor of Labor Day.
Emergency Pastoral Number: 804-762-0501
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Tuesday, September 7th
Tuesday Men’s Bible Study: 7:30 am
Wednesday, September 8th
Final Communion in The Garden: 5:30 pm
A short communion service in the Memorial Garden.
Thursday, September 9th
Men’s Bible Study Breakfast: 7:30 am
For more information about these events, go to the Calendar at doers.org.
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This week's eChimes features |
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- Welcome Sunday
- Sept. 19th - mark your calendar
- Brand New Service at 5pm
- Be a greeter or lector at 5pm
- Update on Masks
- Sunday Adult Forums
- Wednesday Nights at St. James's
- Be a Sunday greeter
- Bring people closer to God
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- Children & Youth Ministries Fall Open House
- Children & Youth Ministries Registration
- Be ready to be an acolyte
- Youth Confirmation 2021-2022
- Easy to give with Amazon Smile
- Be paperless - St. James's app
- Subscribe to YouTube
- In Our Prayers this week
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Let’s celebrate everything we love about St. James’s.
Join us at Welcome Sunday on September 12th.
Our new program year starts September 12th --aka Welcome Sunday--and we’re celebrating with an awesome street party from 10 am to 11:15am.
Come spend time outside with friends old and new, and enjoy live music, authentic homemade food (including ham biscuits, pecan cheese bits, cheese biscuits, mini quiches and sheet cake), games and body painters for the kids, and ministry info and sign-up tables for everyone.
We'll even a merch table with brand new St. James’s t-shirts, diner mugs and car coasters (all featuring our new logo!) that you can score when you make a donation (cash or check only, please).
So plan to stay after the 9 am or come before the 11:15 am and kick off our new program year in style.
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September 19th ....
the day to see what our new year has to offer.
Whether you’re a grown up looking to participate in our new Adult Learning format, or a family that wants to learn about our Children & Youth ministries, September 19th is the day to circle on your calendar. All three of these ministries will be hosting events from 10:15 am to 11am (between the 9 am and 11:15 am services) to introduce you to everything they have to offer.
- The Big Small-Groups Showcase--for Adults--will be in Valentine Hall and will introduce you to the new format we’ll be using for our wide-ranging Adult Learning program this year.
- The Sunday School Open House for Children will be in the Children’s chapel, and
rooms 202, 208, and 210 in Michaux House.
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The Youth Fall Kick Off will be in the basement of Michaux House.
All of our programs have been imagined and created with tremendous care and creativity,
and a deep devotion to the spiritual growth of everyone involved.
Come see how this new program year can be a transforming experience for you...
or your children.
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A different kind of service at a brand new time.
Our Fall worship schedule--which kicks off September 12--will include a 5 pm service that’s different from anything we’ve ever offered. More casual. More intimate. More modern. And focused on music that’s acoustic and contemporary.
Some people refer to this kind of service as “Ancient Future Worship” because it combines the intimate and personal qualities of original Christian services with more modern touches. Over time, we hope to include an opportunity to gather for food together after the service.
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If you’re interested in serving as a greeter or lector at this new service,
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Masks are now required when we meet in person.
Beginning this Sunday, September 5th, St. James’s will require that everyone 2 years old or older wear a mask to any indoor event, including our Sunday services.
• Since we returned to in-person services in June, Covid cases in the Richmond area have increased by at least 20X.
• To be as safe as we can be while still being together, we have decided to require everyone aged 2 and older to wear masks. We are also keenly focused on protecting our unvaccinated children, as we know you are.
• Beyond that, while the vaccines have been effective, the Delta variant can infect vaccinated people and vaccinated people can spread COVID.
For all those reasons, we are requiring masks, even for the daily activities of the staff of St. James’s. Our new website will have a COVID update page in the About section. Please check in periodically to keep up with our plans to address the pandemic.
And if you want to understand why we chose to require anyone over the age of two to wear a mask, please refer to this post from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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SUNDAY ADULT FORUMS
So much to learn about all there is to learn.
The Big Small Group Showcase in Valentine Hall on Sunday, September 19th at 10:15 am
We know how important small educational groups are for building a sense of belonging and enriching our relationships with each other and God at church. Sunday mornings this fall at St. James’s, in lieu of lecture series in Valentine Hall, much of our formation will be in Sunday Small Groups.
Come to Valentine Hall on Sunday, September 19th between the services to learn what topics are on offer for our Sunday Small Groups, and while you’re there learn about our weekday small groups too, including our Bible studies, book groups, and yoga!
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WEDNESDAY WORSHIP, STUDY & FELLOWSHIP
Last year our Wednesday Night programs attracted people from well beyond Richmond, so to make it easier to attract both out-of-town speakers and attendees, our Wednesday evening programs will continue to be entirely online this year.
Each Wednesday night is organized into three three simple sections. Evening Prayer begins at 5:30 pm, followed at 6 pm by our study topic, then continued conversation at 7 pm. You’re welcomed to come for all or part of our evening together.
The first get-together--called Welcome Wednesday--is Wed., September 15th.
After worship at 5:30 pm, we’ll continue with fellowship to catch up with each other since the summer.
You only have to register once for the entire Wednesday series. Register here.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This link will be emailed each Wednesday to all registered attendees.
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For every person who feels it’s essential for our church to be Welcoming.
St. James’s Welcome Team is recruiting Greeters for each of the regular services (9 am and 11:15 am) from September 12th - October 3rd.
The team is ready to welcome smiling faces who have a gift for making people feel welcomed, comfortable and at home. If you fit that description, click here to sign up.
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Bring people closer to God.
Wheels Ministry Volunteers Needed.
Imagine how great it could feel to bring truly grateful parishioners back to our beautiful sanctuary. Well, that’s how it feels to work in our Wheels Ministry.
This is a lay-led program where volunteers provide transportation each Sunday morning to Westminster Canterbury residents who attend the 11:15 am worship service. (If we are able to recruit drivers before the end of the summer, we may attempt to start this program with our 10 am summer service instead of waiting for the fall service schedule.)
Volunteers will work on a rotation and will be expected to drive to Westminster Canterbury, pick up the Westminster Canterbury van and transport approximately 6-8 WC residents to and from the service.
At this time, we are looking for several drivers, as well as a leader to handle recruitment and the driver schedule. If you are interested in volunteering and/or leading the team, please contact Mary Brown at mbrown@doers.org.
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The Fall Kick-Off is on. Come to our Open House Sunday, Sept 19th.
All children & youth and your parents, plus any other interested parishioners, are invited to the Fall Kick Off in the Michaux House basement Sunday, September 19th from 10:15-11 am Come mix and mingle with new and old friends, meet your Sunday School teachers, adult youth leaders, and learn about our children and youth plans for this year—including confirmation. The best part: All youth ministry registrations and payments will be processed online this year so there won’t be any PAPERWORK!!
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Registration. The easy way to get more out of our Children & Youth Ministries.
With this information we will more effectively be able to support you on your spiritual journey. Thanks!
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Be ready to be an Acolyte when we’re ready to have Acolytes again.
Becoming an acolyte is a great way to serve others, grow in your faith, and learn leadership skills within The Episcopal Church. We are so grateful to all our acolytes for serving in this important ministry. And we welcome any 6th-12th grader who is interested in being trained to becoming an acolyte.
Even though we’ve suspended the Acolyte Ministry for the time being, now is a great time to train new and current acolytes. So sign up now and let us know you’re interested.
Fall 2021 Acolyte Trainings
Sunday, October 3, 2021: 10 -10:45 am
Wednesday, October 6, 2021: 5:30-6:15 pm
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It’s time to register for Confirmation 2021-22.
The clergy and Youth Ministry are honored and excited to walk with youth through your confirmation preparation process. At St. James’s we like to think of Confirmation as “base camp” on your spiritual journey. It’s neither your point of origin, nor your destination, but a place to rest, grow, and be equipped for your spiritual journey.
Registration for our youth confirmation process is now open for the 2021-2022 program year. Students beginning in 9th grade are eligible to participate accompanied by at least one parent. If 9th grade doesn’t feel like a good fit, you’re welcome to come back any time later in high school.
For more information about Youth Confirmation at St. James’s, please contact our director of youth ministry Mary Beth Abplanalp (mbabplanalp@doers.org)
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Don't Stop Now, There's More News |
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House Churches have been canceled.
To everything there is a season, and for whatever reasons, Fall will not be a season of House Churches here at St. James’s. While House Churches were a source of love and fellowship in the Spring, now that we’re back in church, there was little interest among parishioners. We still think there’s value in the House Church model, so if there comes a season when it fills a need, we’ll bring them back. In the meantime, see you in the Sanctuary.
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The final Communion in the Garden
this Wednesday, September 8th.
We’ve loved celebrating the Eucharist with you in the Memorial Garden over the past few months. But as we return to our traditional worship and program schedule, it’s time to make room on Wednesday evenings for different ways to gather and be closer to our God.
Please read about the new Wednesday Night programs in
our featured article above - WEDNESDAY WORSHIP, STUDY & FELLOWSHIP
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Support St. James’s without it costing you a penny.
There’s an easy way to support St. James’s while you’re doing something else. When you're shopping on Amazon (which is probably often these days) go to smile.amazon.com, instead. Once you’re there, designate St. James’s as the program you’re supporting, then a percentage of every purchase you make on Amazon Smile will go the church. Easy-peezy.
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Want to be paperless?
Checkout the St. James’s App.
Want an easy way to watch the Sunday service on your phone? There’s an App for that. Want to read the eChimes, view the calendar or watch past sermons on your tablet? There’s an App for those things too. The St. James’s App has been updated and it’s ready to make your life easier. You can see the bulletins for the services, refer to the book of common prayer, even make a pledge. Click on your preferred button to download our app.
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Why Subscribe?
What you'll get:
Easy access to video recordings of recent sermons, services, musical performances, bible studies and more.
What St. James's gets:
Free access to enhanced video capabilities that includes live streaming and more.
Subscribing is easy.
Go to the St. James’s Episcopal Church Richmond page on YouTube.com - find the red "subscribe button" and instantly be one of the 99 who gets us to the finish line.
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Click here to see the names of those we're remembering in our prayers this week.
We do our best to keep this list current, but if you want your name added or removed, please contact Mary Brown or call her at 804-355-1779, ext. 313.
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St. James’s Episcopal Church | DOERS.ORG | (804) 355-1779
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