Weekly e-Epistle
from
St. James' Mill Creek
Wilmington, Delaware
February 13th, 2022

We'd love for you to join us!

We would be pleased if you joined us in person or online from the comfort of your home for church services via Facebook Live at 9:30am.


Here is a PDF of this Sunday's bulletin for you to enjoy.
Now that Jesus has called his first disciples his ministry of teaching and preaching and healing is set to begin. Early in Luke’s account we get what’s known as the “Sermon on the Plain.” In this section, Jesus has just come down from the mountain, and he’s preaching to the people “on a level place,” which has great significance to his message! Instead of a speaking as a prophet from on high, Jesus is speaking to them in their midst; he’s speaking to them in the middle of the lives they live every day.
 
This sermon is different from the one we’re familiar with, too. Not only do we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are you;” we also hear him say, “But woe to you.” These “blessings” and “woes” can make us uncomfortable, and they probably should make us uncomfortable, otherwise we’re missing the point of Jesus’s teachings. However, here’s the thing: we shouldn’t hear these “blessings” and “woes” as eschatological certainties. Said another way, we shouldn’t think of them as pre-ordained declarations of who’s in and who’s out, who’s saved and who’s condemned.
 
Instead, we can think of these words and teachings as reversals of the way we should see the world and how God sees the world. We can also use these words to re-orient how we understand our relationships with possessions and with God. And ultimately, we begin to understand how Jesus is calling us to see the kingdom of Heaven as it’s already being made known.
Upcoming opportunities for exploring the Bible, fellowship, and worship!

Please visit our webpage for updates about upcoming activities, including the following:

·      Following Sunday service – The Good Book Club will meet in the lounge. Come for the fellowship and discussion (having completed the readings is NOT required.)

·      Lectionary Bible Study: Monday's at 10:30 in the lounge.

·      Wednesday Holy Eucharist in the church at 10 AM
Delaware Offers Online Access
to Immunization Records


Delaware is one of the few states offering digital access to immunization records.

Upon completion of the online request form, you will have access to a digital record of your your immunizations, which may be downloaded and printed as well. The record also has a QR code which you may share with a trusted organization by letting them scan the QR code. You may access the form here
Serving those in need with dignity and respect…
 
We are grateful for your support that enables us to
serve lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room
and provide clothing, food, and other items
needed by those being served at the Hope Center.
 
EMMANUEL DINING ROOM
Providing a daily lunch to those in need in Wilmington
 
Our next date for providing lunch for Emmanuel Dining Room will be Thursday, March 31, 2022 and we will continue to deliver our lunch items and extra bottles of water. We hope we will be able to serve our guests in the dining room sometime this spring. For now, we offer “take-away” lunches. We will be serving meatball subs, fruit, chips, cookies, and a bottle of water again this year. When possible, we’ll also offer a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a snack/extra meal (for now--made by youth and adults in their homes.)
 
New Castle County HOPE Center
for Individuals and Families in need of temporary housing and support services.
 
What started as temporary housing during the cold weather of 2020-2021 has grown into a permanent center that provides housing and support services for individuals and families who are without adequate housing in New Castle County.  New Castle County (NCC) purchased the former Sheraton Hotel on Airport Rd (now named the New Castle County HOPE Center) and kept the hotel management staff to keep the facility running.  Working together, many non-profit organizations including Family Promise provide various services and support for individuals and families to obtain emergency and more significant housing and medical, psychological, and job skills opportunities as well. The hotel can accommodate 400 and suites and adjoining rooms are given to families and enable households to stay together. Housing is coordinated through the Delaware Housing Alliance. 
 
If you know of anyone who needs this housing, please ask them to call 1-833-FIND-BED (1-833-3463-233) and leave a message.
 
How can you help?
Review the list below and see where you might be able to help.
 
Current items needed:
 
•      Hygiene items such as deodorant, shampoo, and soap (regular and travel size)
•      Non-alcohol hand sanitizer
•      Tide pods or other laundry pods
•      NEW Underwear, and socks - all sizes, children through adult
•      New or gently used t-shirts and light jacket
·       New books for adults and children
·       Gift cards - Target, Acme, Wawa
 
Please drop the items off:
 
·        Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the parish hall porch 
Please place your donations in the bin labeled Donations for HOPE Center on the porch of the parish hall. Liz will bring in the bin and any donated items at 12:30 p.m.
·        On Sunday, there is a container in the foyer of the church.
 
We take the donations to Friendship House about every two weeks.
 
Thank you,
St. James' Outreach Ministry
Prayer Team

One Sunday of every month, the members of the prayer team hold a “virtual” ZOOM prayer service (focusing on the prayer requests shared by parishioners through calls or emails to the church office 994-1584 or to individual members of the prayer team.) We lift up these prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world.

Also, weekly we share the prayers and petitions that have been given to us and they are lifted in the daily prayers of the team members. All are welcome to provide their prayer requests and participate in these services.
 
For those who have an immediate prayer need or would like to receive the ZOOM codes and join the prayer team service, we invite you to email your prayer needs/requests to Cindy Fauerbach cindyfauerbach@verizon.net or call Cindy at
302-584-8053
 
NOTE: Our next ZOOM prayer team will be Sunday, March 6th at 5 p.m.
St. James' Pastoral Care Team

St. James' Pastoral Care Team continues to support our parish family and our community.
 
If you or someone you know is in need, we: 
 
·    send cards, make phone calls, and pray with you and/or for you.
·    For now, in an abundance of caution, our home, hospital, and Eucharistic visits are on hold.
 
Please call the office (302-994-1584) and leave a message. Someone will get back to you. Messages are retrieved daily, seven days a week.
 
Please let us know if you need us or someone you know needs us. We will not know if you do not tell us.
“Blessful” Meditations

We all know that life can be a little stressful and hectic sometimes. We hope that by reading this short bible passage and watching a relaxing video will help you take a moment and reflect on God’s gifts.  


PROVERBS 8:17

"I love those who love me; those who seek me will find me."
Prayer by Maya Angelou

Father, Mother, God,
Thank you for your presence
during the hard and mean days.
For then we have you to lean upon.
Thank you for your presence
during the bright and sunny days,
for then we can share that which we have
with those who have less.
And thank you for your presence
during the Holy Days, for then we are able
to celebrate you and our families
and our friends.
For those who have no voice,
we ask you to speak.
For those who feel unworthy,
we ask you to pour your love out
in waterfalls of tenderness.
For those who live in pain,
we ask you to bathe them
in the river of your healing.
For those who are lonely, we ask
you to keep them company.
For those who are depressed,
we ask you to shower upon them
the light of hope.
Dear Creator, You, the borderless
sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the
world that which we need most—Peace.
Amen.


Find more Morning Psalm and prayers please visit
https://delaware.church/psalms-and-prayers/
COVID-19 Restrictions

 
Our firm desire is to worship our Lord in beauty, holiness, AND safety! Please be assured that the St. James' leadership team has worked hard to have meaningful worship while at the same time making our environment as safe as possible for everyone.
  • Church entry time will be 9:15 a.m.
  • Please sanitize hands before entering the church.
  • Face masks are mandatory. 
  • At communion, please wait until you are back in your seat to consume your wafer.
For Access to the News of the Diocesan Publications
St. James' Mill Creek
2106 St. James Church Road
Wilmington, DE 19808

302.994.1584