Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

Psalm 92

Sirach 4:1-10

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Matthew 16:13-20

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Officiants: Reverend Luis Rodriguez and Cathedral/Diocese Staff Clergy

Preacher: Reverend Carolyn Woodall

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A new season is about to arrive…not just Fall, but a season of transition and new opportunities for our Cathedral community. Also, with the coming of Fall, we launch our stewardship campaign for 2021.

During the past year, despite so much disruption and uncertainty, we have been constantly reminded that God is still with us and working among us. Despite everything, our faith thrives, our Cathedral thrives, and our generosity will continue to be the foundation that empowers the mission and ministries of St. James Cathedral.

As we lean into 2021, with great hope and anticipation, we are calling together our Cathedral Congregation through our stewardship theme, “Faith-Filled Generosity.”

In the coming weeks, primarily through the Midweek Missive, we will celebrate the ways our Cathedral Congregation has persevered and lived out our mission during the pandemic. We have not stopped being the Cathedral of St. James! These vignettes highlight how our faith and generosity come together to exemplify the love of Christ. In these short video vignettes, we have asked members of the Cathedral congregation to respond to three questions:

Dean Ryan offers this week’s video vignette (click on video above). In his message entitled, “We are St. James,” Dean Ryan reflects on how St. James has embraced our 2020 stewardship theme “What Can We Be” despite the pandemic and offers a roadmap to the Cathedral for 2021 stewardship journey. Dean Ryan reminds us that the pandemic has tested our resolve, not our faith, and that the St. James Family is stronger and more resilient than ever.

The St. James Cathedral Chapter is pleased to announce the slate of four candidates to fill the available four spots for three-year terms beginning January 2021.

The candidates are Joseph Camaquin-Vigil, Paul McGeary, Karen Simmons Gillian, and Aaron Stillmaker. We invite you to read the candidates' statements.

At the end of October, the Cathedral congregation will vote on the slate. Due to the pandemic and the suspension of public gatherings, voting this year will take place electronically. Upcoming issues of the Midweek Missive will outline the voting process.

Pending the Congregational vote outcome, either the entire slate or individual candidates will be submitted to the Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. Per the Cathedral’s Constitution and the Diocese’s Canons, Convention is the Cathedral Chapter’s electing body. New members of the Chapter are officially installed during the Annual Meeting in January.

As members of the Cathedral’s governance body, Chapter Members are charged with shaping St. James’ vision for the future. Those called to serve on Chapter are expected to attend monthly meetings, actively participate in the life and leadership of the congregation, and prayerfully share their gifts and talents for the betterment of the whole Cathedral community.

All who can give something (no gift is too small) are invited to join St. James’ CROP Hunger Walk (Virtual in 2020) this Sunday, October 18, to provide more meals for the growing number in need here in our community and around the world.

Your gift will be shared by the Central California Food Bank (25%) for hungry children, adults, and seniors, and Church World Service, providing non-denominational no-strings-attached food, disaster, and development aid here in the U.S. (including the recent wildfires) and around the world (75%).

Thanks to some very generous donations, we’ve reached our modest goal (because of COVID-19) of $1000, but we want to provide more meals in our community and for long-lasting solutions to hunger around the world, including community gardens and small-scale farming.

Your donation online in ANY amount via credit card or PayPal is welcome. Thanks!

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.

Find out what your carbon footprint is and how you can reduce your impact. This calculator will show you how your lifestyle impacts the rest of the world and how you can make a positive difference.

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".

Currently meeting weekly, Thursdays at 6:00PM on Zoom. For more information please email Emily Niblick.

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.

he 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.

In November 1992, North Carolina Bishop Robert Estill received a letter marked “privileged and confidential” from The Episcopal Church’s Office of the Treasurer in New York.

Locked up in Elmwood Correctional Facility in Santa Clara County, California, Renee Lopez was a little annoyed when fellow prisoner Jack Fanning signed him up for a religious class without asking him. Today, he couldn’t be more grateful.

It was inevitable, heading into the October meeting of Executive Council, that the coronavirus pandemic would color much of the work of the church’s governing body.

As the United States struggles through a time of turbulence and tension, Washington National Cathedral will host a national interfaith prayer service on Sunday, Nov. 1 – two days before Election Day – featuring Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and other spiritual leaders.

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.