Last Sunday After Pentecost - Christ the King

Psalm 107:1-15

Zechariah 9:9-16

1 Peter 3:13-22

Matthew 21:1-13

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Officiants: Reverend Kathie Galicia and Cathedral/Diocese Staff Clergy

Preacher: Bishop David Rice

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Greetings Sisters and Brothers of St. James Cathedral:

Last Sunday, the Cathedral Chapter met and had conversation about the results of the survey pertaining to the prospect of returning to in-person worship. Firstly, many thanks for your thoughtful responses and affording us the opportunity to discern with you the most faithful and safe manner before us. Secondly, the number of responses indicating a desire to gather in-person prompted the Chapter to also respond positively to this Acting Dean’s (Bishop’s) decision to begin in-person worship on November 22nd. In our discussion, it was made abundantly clear that there was every possibility that this decision would need to be suspended due to the prospect of the county of Fresno returning to the purple tier, namely, returning to the suspension of public gatherings. And unfortunately, Sisters and Brothers of our cathedral community, that has come to pass. Fresno County, as we presume you know by now, returned to purple on Monday.

So, we will continue with our virtual worship with the intent of gathering in an in-person manner as soon as we return to red. Once we return to a safe condition, we will move to in-person worship consistent with our Diocesan guidelines, BUT know that for those who do not feel conformable for any reasons in returning to in-person worship, we will continue to provide a virtual worship opportunity. Also, the cathedral will continue to provide virtual meetings, fellowship and other church related activities, irrespective of our worship format. We have heard all your voices. As we noted when this pandemic first occurred, services may be virtual, but our church is always open for all. Your clergy and cathedral leadership continue their efforts to ensure this.

In the meantime, please know that we are grateful for your patience and with equal importance, the care you are extending to one another by observing protocols and guidelines. Diocesan Staff and your chapter members are here to offer any support or assistance we can. We ask that when you have questions or concerns or simply need to “sing out” because you have the need to do so, we are here.

We leave you with scripture recited in the Acting Dean’s (Bishop's) pastoral letter of March 17 announcing our virtual worship:

Blessings,

Bishop David

Acting Dean (Bishop)

Stan Boone

Senior Warden

Reaching into his Cherokee Heritage, Warren shares about finding a loving, accepting, and inclusive community here at St. James. Eight years ago, spiritually adrift; searching, Warren experienced God’s heart song fill him with an overflowing sense of acceptance and love. He broke into song. It was, he said, “as if I were the flute of God.” 

What he sang in that moment was not in a language known to him. It was Cherokee! Thus began a journey in search of his Native American father’s Cherokee roots; and a quest for a spiritual home. But not just any spiritual home. A home of acceptance. A place where he could sing and live out God’s heart song of inclusivity for all of God’s children.  

Without success, Warren tried out for two church choirs before coming to St. James. St. James welcomed him saying, “Come, we will teach you to sing.” Warren shares “I was off pitch 80% of the time when I first started, but it didn’t matter. St. James accepted me.”  

The Cherokee say of friendship that when two people realize they will be friends, they look at each other and say “friends it will be;” which means friends who will be brothers and sisters: Friends with the same thought. Friends forever. Friends united by the Spirit of God.

St. James, you have brought brother Warren joy because you welcome all with the embrace of Christ regardless of immigration status, voice quality, whom one chooses to love, or your roots. Warren not only sings the talk, we walks it too! Retired and in his 70’s, Warren walked the SJRaise walk from Fresno to Sacramento on behalf of immigrants because he knows, first-hand, how fiercely God desires all to be included. Your faith-filled generosity provides the resource for such inclusive justice making through St. James. 

Please join us in congratulating Joseph Camaquin-Vigil, Paul McGeary, Karen Simmons Gillian and Aaron Stillmaker whose election by the congregation was confirmed on Saturday, November 14 by delegates to 61st annual Diocesan of San Joaquin Convention. Our newest members will join our chapter for their 3-year term beginning at annual meeting of the cathedral in January 2021.

We also wish to thank our delegates and alternate to the convention: Aaron Schuelke, Tim Marion, Paul McGeary, and Evelyn Todd-Johnson. They expended their time, effort, and service to our congregation at not only the convention, but also several quarterly deanery meetings. Thank you for your commitment and service to St. James Cathedral.

If you feel called to be a delegate for our cathedral for the 2021 year, please consider it. Delegates are elected at the congregation’s annual meeting in January. If you have any questions about the process or what it means to be a delegate, please inquire of the clergy at clergy@stjamesfresno.org or the senior warden at srwarden@stjamesfresno.org.

St James is looking to reconstitute the Buildings and Ground Committee for our continued beautification and the long-term maintenance of our cathedral campus. This is an important committee for our cathedral campus and we are looking for people with ideas, thoughts and organizational experience. This re-constituted committee will be asked to assist in areas involving the buildings and grounds of the campus, including: devising a comprehensive campus map, vendor management, security applications and a comprehensive maintenance plan with considerations geared towards environmental and economic considerations.  We need you.

The Bible is full of gardens and beautiful Holy spaces; please help us replicate that beauty on our campus when we return to in-person worship.

Now is our time. We need people to maintain this energy and interest. Help us keep our campus beautiful and ever growing.

If you are interested in this important ministry, please contact the Senior Warden at srwarden@stjamesfresno.org.

The committee will meet via Zoom.

St. James offers Sunday worship each Sunday at 10:00AM on our YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, and Website. Archives of these services are available.

Starting this Sunday, we will once again begin offering digital service programs. Visit the St. James website to download the program. If possible, for our creation care work, please do not print the program.

To help us improve our digital church experience, please evaluate your experience of our "live stream service," by taking a moment to complete a short survey following Sunday's service.

Some families depend on the deep discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to be able to afford essentials. For many, though, Black Friday and Cyber Monday can become a frenzy of consumer culture and unnecessary purchases. If you need to make a purchase on a discounted item, please do so with intention. If you don't need to make a purchase, consider joining the movement to go for a walk: #OptOutside & #FindYourPark. This alternative can allow you to use the precious holiday season to spend quality time with family and friends.

To participate, log into the Cathedral Coffee Hour on Zoom. The meeting password is "james4147". You can also join the conversation by phone. Call (669) 900-6833 and enter the meeting ID 821-8772-3828. You will be prompted to enter the phone password "492292".

Meets the first Saturday of each monthly at 9:30AM on Zoom. These gatherings are open to all. To join via Zoom, click here. There is also a call-in option: (669) 900-6833 - Meeting ID: 894 7483 4226 - Passcode: 230840797.

The clergy of St. James remain deeply committed to offering pastoral care and support to members of the Cathedral Congregation especially during this difficult time. If a pastoral need arises for you or someone you know in the congregation, and you want to contact the clergy, please either email us at clergy@stjamesfresno.org or call the Cathedral office at (559) 439-5011 and select option 5 to leave a message for the clergy.

Against a backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic and social, economic, political and racial upheaval – including conflicts over policing in the United States – Episcopalians and Anglicans from across the African diaspora gathered virtually to proclaim: “We are woke and ready to go.”

President-elect Joe Biden announced he will raise the number of refugees allowed into the United States to 125,000 in his first year in office, a major reversal from President Donald Trump’s steep cuts to the U.S. refugee program.

A Caring Place didn’t start as a feeding ministry. When the upstart nonprofit in Lexington, Kentucky, was founded last year by members of two closely aligned Episcopal and Lutheran congregations, its primary mission was to alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness among senior citizens in the area.

In last week’s general election, LGBTQ candidates made history with milestone victories around the United States. Among them was the Rev. Kim Jackson, a priest in the Diocese of Atlanta, who is now the first out LGBTQ person ever elected to the Georgia state Senate.

If you have any feedback, comments, or questions for the Midweek Missive Editors, please email us. Submissions to the Midweek Missive are welcomed and must be submitted to midweek@stjamesfresno.org by Tuesday at noon.