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Weekly e-Epistle
from
St. James' Mill Creek
Wilmington, Delaware
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October 17th, 2021
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.
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Here is a PDF of this Sunday's bulletin for you to enjoy. |
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Father Ben Update
Father Ben and his family are excited to get to Delaware and are doing everything they can to get here as soon as possible. Their house in Mobile has been sold and all of their belongings have been packed. Erin, Father Ben's wife, has even found a job in the area working remotely. The only thing missing now is a house in Delaware. Unfortunately, the housing market is very tough for buyers at the moment. Houses are in short supply and people are paying way over asking price in order to be able to get a house. They are continuing to put in bids and are hopeful something will break soon for them on the house front. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Thanks for your continued patience and flexibility as we work through this process.
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10/3/21 Stewardship Sermon (Val Brunson)
This year our Stewardship campaign theme is ‘Nothing will separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus,’ which is from Romans 8:38-39. However, if you are not familiar with the chapter I highly recommend you read it (Romans 8), it is pretty inspiring. I know it spoke to me.
In the NIV version it says, and I am paraphrasing some parts:
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? And I would add pandemic here
No 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We have seen that demonstrated through the way we have pulled together as a parish during this past year. Even socially distanced we were able to accomplish some amazing things through our ministries.
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We served approximately 1400 people through our work with Emmanuel Dining Room.
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We fed six families and helped them find permanent housing through Family Promise.
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We delivered roughly 495 meals to seniors in Murray Manor through Meals on Wheels.
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We delivered clothing, sundries, and food to the Hope Center.
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We adopted 20 seniors without family support to provide them with Christmas gifts.
This coming year, not only will we continue to strive to stay connected and focus on our ministries to help those that are less fortunate than we are, we will also be welcoming Ben our new rector and his family. This is truly an exciting time in the life of this parish. I fully believe that God has work for us to do and continues to call us to be His heart and hands in the world.
As we look to the future, where will you want to direct your time, talent, and treasure? How will you want to be God’s heart and hands in the world? In the next week or so, we will be sending out stewardship letters to ask you renew your commitment to God’s work through St. James’. We ask you to prayerfully consider your commitment, and like last year we are asking everyone to proportionally give. Your commitment is an essential gift that fuels St. James’ ministries and allows us share the good news of the gospel that Nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
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Upcoming Visiting Clergy
Sunday, October 17th The Rev. Edward (Ed) Pease, Jr.
Sunday, October 24th The Rev. Canon Martha G. Kirkpatrick
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2021 St. James’ Bazaar Update
The Bazaar Ladies have finally moved back into their Workshop and are busy making new items for our IN-PERSON BAZAAR to be held Friday & Saturday, November 5th & 6th. We had a late start creating items, but there will be some of your favorite things and some new creations.
It will be different this year. All of the rooms will be set up in the Parish House Dining Hall. Unfortunately, there will not be a Luncheon or Turkey Dinner. Hotdogs, Chips, & Drinks will be available.
We hope you will be able to attend our Bazaar. It will be a great time for fellowship with family and friends. You may even find a few gifts. The Bazaar Ladies are looking forward to seeing and chatting with friends they haven’t seen in quite a while.
Please watch for more information about this year’s Bazaar events.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Shirley Alexander (302) 738- 5331 or Nancy Patterson (302) 239-7649
Hope to see you in November,
The St. James’ Bazaar Ladies
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Tree Removal due to Emerald Ash Bore
DelDot will be removing several trees in the graveyard along Old Capital Trail in the next 6 - 8 weeks. There is an Emerald Ash Bore infestation in that area and the trees they are removing have died as a result. There is no charge to the church and DelDot will take every precaution to protect our property in that area. If you have questions, please feel free to ask your Junior or Senior Warden.
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Notice of Oak Tree Removal
The oak tree next to the Parish House is dying and needs to be removed. It was a wonderful tree but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to save it. Therefore, we need to remove it before it comes down, potentially causing damage to the Parish Hall. Removal will be scheduled for late this year, early next year. If you have any questions, please call Val Brunson. Thanks.
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Help us welcome Fr. Ben and Family
The Welcome Committee (for planning activities to welcome our new priest, Father Ben Rockwell, and family) is putting together a "Getting to Know Us" booklet for Fr. Ben and his family that will include individual and family pictures of our parishioners, answers to three “Getting to Know Us” questions and contact information of members.
We are asking for your help to add a picture of yourself (or your family) and answer these three "getting to know us questions" to be included in the booklet.
1. What attracted you to St. James' Mill Creek and how long have you been here?
2. What ministries do you actively participate in, or have you actively participated in at St. James?
3. What's your favorite memory or activity at St. James?
RE: pictures
· You are welcome to submit a picture that you have. Please send one that we can see your smiling face (without a mask). We can return your picture if you'd like.
· For those who would like to have their picture taken on Sunday or at another time please let Cindy Fauerbach know. We will be taking pictures at the Lemonade in the Circle after our services or we can set up another time.
We would like to have this booklet for Fr. Ben soon. So, please email or mail your responses and pictures as soon as possible to the parish office: office@stjamesmillcreek.comcastbiz.net or 2106 St. James’ Church Road Wilmington, DE 19808.
THANK YOU for helping welcome Fr. Ben and his family.
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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.
· Also, during this time of transition, if you need a priest, we will help with that, too.
· 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.
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“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.
Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
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We are grateful for the support that enables us to serve lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room and provide needed clothing and food for 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 Sunday, October 31st, 2021. We continue to deliver our lunch items and extra bottles of water. We hope we will be able to actually serve our guests in the dining room sometime this fall.
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 St. James' can help:
Review the list below and see if there are items you could provide.
Drop the items off:
· Monday-Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 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 1:30 p.m.
· Weekly, we will take the donations to Friendship House
Items needed:
- Diapers - all sizes - Urgent need for size 5 & 6
- Uber/Lyft Tickets in $25 increments
- Washable Mesh Laundry Bags with drawstring
- individual size creamers for coffee
- Snack bags - pretzels, chips, or goldfish
- Powdered Drink Mixes - Iced Tea/Lemonade
- Small containers of peanut butter and tuna fish (easy open)
- Microwaveable one-dish meals
- Quart size/ Gallon size and sandwich size Ziplock bags
- Fruit cups, apple sauce, and pudding
- Individually wrapped crackers, granola bars, and cereal bars
- $5 gift cards - Target, Acme, Wawa
- Hot Chocolate mix
- Baby wipes
- Non-alcohol hand sanitizer
- Non-refrigerated milk and powdered milk
- NEW Underwear, and socks - all sizes, children through adult
- New or gently used t-shirts and light jackets
- New books for adults and children
- New puzzles, crossword books, and puzzle books - adult/children
- Art kits, adult and children coloring books, colored pencils
- Sunscreen
- Umbrellas
- Hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap (regular and travel size)
- Tide pods or other laundry pods
- Containers of ground coffee (the staff brews coffee daily for the guests)
Thank you,
St. James' Outreach Ministry
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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 prayer ZOOM gathering will be in the EVENING and will include the evening prayer service (found on page 109 in the Book of Common Prayer)
November prayer meeting -- Sunday, November 14th at 5:00 p.m.
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Psalm 150
1 Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy temple; *
praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts; *
praise him for his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the blast of the ram’s-horn; *
Praise him with lyre and harp.
4 Praise him with timbrel and dance; *
praise him with strings and pipe.
5 Praise him with resounding cymbals; *
praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath *
praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
Find more Morning Psalm and prayers please visit
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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.
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For Access to the News of the Diocesan Publications |
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St. James' Mill Creek
2106 St. James Church Road
Wilmington, DE 19808
302.994.1584
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