Blessed Trinity Sunday

While the concept of the Trinity--The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit-- is second nature to modern Christians, it was very different in the early days of Christianity. While Jesus said in his Great Commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" and Paul’s blessing said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all", there was for centuries no firm agreement on the relationships between Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. 
Things began to change at the Nicene Council in 325. But even then, the Holy Spirit was still not considered the equal of The Father and The Son. Later in that same century, 381 to be exact, the First Council of Constantinople expanded the Nicene Creed that we recite every Sunday to say, “the Holy Spirit is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son,” essentially saying that the “Three in One” are equals. 

This Sunday--Trinity Sunday---which has been celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost since the 10th Century, we honor the Trinity that we pray to, turn to for comfort and strength, and look to for guidance, inspiration and meaning in our lives. 

As our Lay Chaplain Blake will say in his sermon this Sunday, “In the Trinity we see a way where unity and difference can not only coexist, but depend on each other for mutual flourishing. We see a way where our differences never merge together but resonate, enrich, and enliven our common life together and further God’s purposes in the world.”
Monday, May 31th - Memorial Day
Community Yoga, Beginner: No class this week
Community Yoga Level 1: No class this week
Will resume on Monday, June 7th

Wednesday, June 2nd
Communion in The Garden: 5:30 pm
A short communion service in the Memorial Garden.
What’s on Summer Vacation?...And what’s not?

These groups will continue to meet during the Summer:
Brown Bag Book Club
Men’s Bible Study Breakfast
Community Yoga 

These groups will NOT continue to meet during the Summer:
Women’s Bible Wisdom Bible Study
Living Faith Bible Study 
Tuesday’s Readers
Lectionary Ladies

For more information, go to the Calendar at doers.org. 
Wednesday Night Fellowship is on hold for the Summer.

 Our Wednesday Fellowship program is on hold for the summer, as is Sunday Adult Formation. If you are interested in a small group such as a Bible study or book study over the summer, please contact The Rev. Hilary Streever.
This week's eChimes features
  • Summer Services
  • Baptisms are back
  • Communion in the garden
  • Parish Retreat registration
  • Help us say "Hello" on Sunday mornings
  • Stephen Ministry is here for you
  • Scholarship Opportunity
  • Education for Ministry - EfM
  • Help Us Research Our History
  • St. James's App is back
  • Amazon Smile
  • Subscribe to YouTube
  • In Our Prayers This Week
Our Summer Plans
The Sanctuary is opening up for Summer services.
We can’t wait to see you! 

Not only are we launching our Summer schedule NEXT Sunday, June 6th, but we’re also lifting restrictions in the sanctuary. No masks. No limits on singing. No registration required. And no restrictions on where you can sit. 

Here’s the Summer schedule (from June 6 to September 5):
9:00 am -- Church in the Garden
10:00 am -- Service in the Church

There will still be masks and hand sanitizer available in the church for anyone who wants them. And if you still feel uncomfortable about attending in person, our online services will continue to be broadcast at 8:30 and 10 am. 
Baptisms in the church are
also coming back. 

We’re very excited to announce that, based on the new Diocesan protocols--and the reopening of the sanctuary--baptisms will once again be offered as part of our worship services on Sunday mornings in August, October, and November. 

Please contact Becky Page at or a member of the clergy for more information about scheduling your child’s baptism.
Communion in the Garden will continue throughout the Summer 

For those of you who miss receiving communion, now there’s Communion in the Garden—every Wednesday at 5:30 pm—that’s 5:30--in our lovely Memorial Garden. The short service uses Holy Eucharist Rite 2. Hope to see you there.
June 1st is coming fast!
Get ready to register.

We’re thrilled to announce that the Fall Parish Retreat will be October 22-24 at Shrine Mont. But here’s the date you really need to remember: Registration starts this coming Tuesday, June 1.

So check your calendar, then prepare to be part of this amazing St. James’s tradition, which will definitely be more like retreats of old again. There will be lots of activities (“Pickleball, anyone?), time to slow down, and plenty of chances to reconnect with family, friends, and our Lord. 

The cost for two nights of lodging and six meals is $285 families (or two adults) and $185 for singles. Plus there’s free childcare! After all we’ve been through, this promises to be a retreat with way more treats than usual. 

Look for the registration LINK in a special email on Tuesday.
Calling all friendly cookie bakers!
Help us say “Hello!” every Sunday with homemade cookies.

Every Sunday throughout the summer we’ll be setting up a welcome/hello table outside the church where people can touch base and have questions answered about upcoming events, like the Fall Parish Retreat.

If you’d like to volunteer for this welcoming ministry (including baking cookies!) sign up here.

No limit. Volunteer as much as you’d like.
Other News
For those times when you need support, Stephen Ministry is eager to help.
 
Over the last year, nine members of St. James’s trained to become Stephen Ministers. They’re eager to provide caring, encouraging, Christian support for anyone experiencing difficult times, including you. Difficult times can mean a lot of things—like dealing with the stress of the pandemic, But it can also include other things like grieving a loss, being ill or unemployed, or maybe it’s a sadness you just can’t shake. Whatever it is, our Stephen Ministry is here to help.

Find out how to receive free confidential, Christian care by contacting our clergy or our Stephen Ministry Care Receiver Coordinator, Jane Dowrick,
College Scholarship Available for 2021-2022 Academic Year

Funding for the Scott-Taliaferro Scholarship is given through the generosity of Mrs. Thomas Branch Scott, Jr. and Lucy Nelson Taliaferro in memory of their parents and grandparents, and Dr. and Mrs. Richard Michaux.
 
The Scott-Taliaferro Scholarship was created to provide financial aid for the undergraduate college education of St. James’s members. The scholarship awards are based on need and service to the community.

Applicants must submit a personal letter which includes the objectives or purposes for pursuing a college education, financial need and any other sources of funding, a description of family (e.g. number of household members), and a description of service efforts (e.g. church, community, and school). Only one recipient is allowed per household.

Please submit application letters to John Conrad--Junior Warden, c/o Mary Brown, St. James’s Episcopal Church, 1205 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220. Letters may also be submitted electronically to mbrown@doers.org.

All application letters are due by July 1st
ARE YOU SENSING A CALL . . . to learn more about our Christian tradition, to deepen your faith or to discover a meaningful ministry that could transform your life—and the life of others? Education for Ministry—EfM—just may be the answer.

We’re currently enrolling new participants for 2021/22 for this powerful and enriching program. To learn more about EfM, go here.

If you have any questions, contact mentor Jane Dowrick at efmvirginia@gmail.com or 804-334-0117.
You can help us uncover
St. James's rich history. 

Do you have research or writing skills? Are you interested in the racial history of St. James’s and wondering how you can help? Our Racial Justice and Reconciliation Formation Team (RJR) is beginning Part II: Reconstruction & Post-Reconstruction (1865-1900) of our parish history project and would love you to join our ministry.

The work will include combing through records and documents in print and online from your home and/or at libraries and museums. We’ve already uncovered fascinating and revealing information about our history—and we look forward to learning even more with your help.
High schoolers and adult parishioners are welcome. 

Contact Alice Tousignant if you’re interested and/or have questions.
The St. James’s App
is back! 

Want an easy way to watch the Sunday service on your phone? There’s an App for that. Want to read the eChimes, view the calendar or watch past sermons on your tablet? There’s an App for those things too. The St. James’s App has been updated and it’s ready to make your life easier. You can see the bulletins for the services, refer to the book of common prayer, even make a pledge. Click on your preferred button to download our app.
Support St. James’s without it costing you a penny. 

There’s an easy way to support St. James’s while you’re doing something else. Whenever you shop on Amazon, go to smile.amazon.com, instead. Once you’re there, designate St. James’s as the program you’re supporting, then a percentage of every purchase you make on Amazon will go the church. Easy-peezy. 
Why Subscribe?

What you'll get:
Easy access to video recordings of recent sermons, services, musical performances, bible studies and more.

What St. James's gets:
Free access to enhanced video capabilities that includes live streaming and more.

Subscribing is easy.
Go to the St. James’s Episcopal Church Richmond page on YouTube.com - find the red "subscribe button" and instantly be one of the 99 who gets us to the finish line.

Click here to see the names of those we're remembering in our prayers this week.

We do our best to keep this list current, but if you want your name added or removed, please contact Mary Brown or call her at 804-355-1779, ext. 313.

Do you have our App?
You can always find the eChimes at doers.org/eChimes.