Weekly e-Epistle from St. James' Mill Creek

Weekly e-Epistle

from

St. James' Mill Creek

Wilmington, Delaware

April 14th, 2024

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.

https://www.facebook.com/StJamesEpiscopalChurchMillCreek/

Sunday Bulletin (April 14th)

When the travelers from the Emmaus road got back to their group and told the disciples about all they had experienced with Jesus, they likely didn’t expect to see him again that same night. Our Gospel for this Sunday, though, tells us that very story as Jesus meets with the disciples who were gathered together on that first Easter night. “Startled and terrified”, they didn’t know how to respond to Jesus’s presence, with Jesus even saying to them, “Ghosts don’t have bones or flesh!”

Even though we profess and proclaim a belief in the resurrected Christ, our reaction to Jesus’s presence in our midst might have been much like their reaction was. And when we feel a call or a commission from God, we may very well respond the same way that the disciples did: startled and terrified that God would need us, of all people, for doing the work of His Kingdom, when we are certain that others could do a better job of that same thing.

Jesus, though, doesn’t say, “Okay, I’ll find someone else.” He sticks with them, giving them a message to preach and to share. Knowing that the message of the redemptive work of Christ must continue, the disciples were empowered to share the message of repentance and forgiveness with the world. We continue in the apostles’ teaching in our own day, and though we may be startled and terrified at the very idea of it, Christ still needs us to preach repentance and forgiveness, especially after the miracle of Easter.

Prayer List Update

The Easter season is a time of rebirth and renewal. To this end we will be refreshing our prayer list on the Second Sunday of Easter. This means that the prayer list will be brand new, so if you’d like to add someone to the list, please call the Parish Office the week following our Easter celebration. Names will remain on the prayer list for three weeks, and if you’d like to add someone back after this three week period, please let us know. If you have a good news of healing to share for someone we’ve been praying for, please do share, and we would be happy to highlight that good news.

Please note that this does not preclude the ongoing ministry of our Prayer Team. They will continue to hold up and repeat our prayer list in their own prayers, and if you have an immediate need for them, we invite you to email your prayer needs and request to Carolyn Mack at cdmack37@gmail.com or call 302-565-8675.

The Annual meeting will be Sunday, April 28, 2024 following the 9:30am service. The Vestry will also provide brunch. During the Annual meeting we will be voting for 5 people to serve on the Vestry. Vestry members serve a 2 year term. The following people have been nominated for Vestry:

Ed Burdick

Val Hall

Chuck Haywood

Carolyn Joynt

David Niehaus

Announcement from Family Promise

Family Promise’s fundraising 5K Run & Walk to prevent & end family homelessness in Delaware

This is our 2nd 5K Run & Walk fundraising event, and together with University of Delaware’s sorority Alpha Xi Delta to help make this an amazing day of fun and to bring awareness to ending homelessness. This is a, fun, family friendly event! Registration is $30.00 which includes an event t-shirt and will help cover the cost of bedding for a child in our program.

The Family Promise 5K takes place at the Green at the University of Delaware. The 5K consists of three laps around the Green, that adds up to 5K. This means that you can join us for all three laps and walk a full 5K, or you could do 2 laps and walk about 3k or do a single lap and walk about 1.6k.The beauty of this, is that you can support Family Promise, by walking the amount that best suits you!

UPDATED INFORMATION:

St James has a team if anyone wants to join us for the walk or if anyone wishes to donate please direct them to the St James team.

For more information click here

From Kathy Jackson:

On June 1^st is the Epilepsy 5K Walk and Run. I would appreciate your support and request that you go into my Facebook page via the below link or use the QR code for the EFDE Fundraiser page to submit a donation by May 31st. If you prefer you can hand the donation to me directly. If you have questions please call me at 737-8142 or 690-3513.

Thanks, for your support!!

Kathy Jackson

https://www.facebook.com/donate/1144545023211071/

QR to EFDE website to donate

St. James' Mission and Outreach updates

Sharing God’s gifts with others

Reaching out to those in need

And serving them with dignity and respect…

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)
Individual sized peanut butter crackers, tuna, microwavable meals (pastas, soups, etc.)
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

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 the distribution center about every two weeks.

Thank you,

St. James' Mission/Outreach Ministry

Prayer Team Updates

The prayer team continues to lift up prayer requests shared by parishioners through emails or calls to the church office at 302-994-1584, to individual members of the prayer team, or requests left in the prayer basket in the church foyer. We collect the prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world. They are compiled weekly and then these requests are lifted up in the daily prayers of the team members. All are welcome and encouraged to share their prayers.

For those who have an immediate prayer need, we invite you to email your prayer needs and request to Carolyn Mack at cdmack37@gmail.com or call 302-565-8675

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.

· Make home, hospital, and Eucharistic visits.

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.