July 17th, 2022

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/

After telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus continues on his way to Jerusalem and comes to the home of the sisters Martha and Mary. After inviting him in, Martha is busy with the tasks of hosting, and Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus.

We know how the story goes, right? Martha asks for Jesus to intercede, and he tells her that Mary is doing the right thing by listening to his teaching, but I wonder what might have happened if Mary had said to Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is busying herself with tasks instead of listening to you?”

I wonder if Jesus might have said, “Mary, I am a guest in your home, and Martha is making it so that I am comfortable here.”

At least I hope that’s what Jesus would say because it could help us see that, really, neither of them is wrong here. They each have something to offer to Jesus and to the kingdom of God, and they could learn from each other, too. If everyone is learning and praying, no one is working. And if everyone is working, no one is doing the learning or the praying. These actions are at least two parts of a whole, and we’re reminded that there are indeed growing edges for each of us as we continue to become who God is calling us to be.

Uptick in COVID Cases - Please Be Careful!

As we move deeper into summer, COVID cases continue to increase, especially with this new and more easily transmissible variant. Early indications are that prior infection does not prevent re-infection, and vaccination, while still proven to drastically reduce severe infection and death, offers little protection from contracting and spreading this new variant.

With all of this in mind, we continue to encourage and recommend masking indoors because of our intimate worship space. I also encourage you to re-assess your own risk level and that of our church community. If you are eligible for your second booster, please discuss with your healthcare provider whether it would be appropriate for you to receive that second booster at this time.

Finally, many people are presenting with no symptoms while still spreading this virus; so if you have recently been exposed but are not showing symptoms, please stay home. If you are feeling poorly and still test negative, please stay home. We will certainly miss you, and we will look forward to seeing you when you are feeling better.

Monday Morning Bible Study Takes a Summer Break!

Our Monday Morning Bible Study will be taking a brief break during the month of July. We’ll resume our meetings on August 1. Enjoy your break, and we hope you’ll rejoin us when we resume!

Wednesdays at 10 AM - Off For July

Our Wednesday morning services will take a hiatus during the month of July. Wednesday services will resume on August 3 at 10 AM.

St. James’ Night at the Ballpark!

Are you a baseball fan? Would you like to spend the night at the ballpark with members of our St. James’ family? Or would you just like to see fun fireworks show one Friday evening?

If you’d like to join us for a night at the Blue Rocks on July 29th, please contact the office at 302-994-1584 or Jerry Clark at 302-354-4839. Tickets will be around $14/person, and transportation will be dependent upon the number of people who sign up.

Please let us know by July 6 if you’d like to join us, and we hope to see you there!

Summer Prayer Team UPDATE

During the summer months, the prayer team will continue to lift up prayer requests shared by parishioners through emails to the church office at 302-994-1584 or to individual members of the prayer team. We collect the prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world. Then these requests are lifted up in the daily prayers of the team members. All are welcome to share their prayer requests and we hope you will consider joining us when our monthly prayer services resume in the fall on Sunday, September 11th. More information to follow.

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

Serving those in need with dignity and respect…

We are grateful for your support that enables us to

serve lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room

and provide clothing, food, and other items

needed by those being served at the Hope Center.

St. James' Mission and Outreach updates

Sharing God’s gifts with others.

Thank you all for your generosity and caring that made and make these offerings possible. 

Emmanuel Dining Room

In the past, we have served from 140-200 lunches to our friends at Emmanuel Dining Room on the 31st of the month (7 times per year). Covid brought new challenges and we were able to provide the lunch “fixings”, but not help in the kitchen OR serve the meals. From March 2020 until April 2022, guests were provided a “take away” lunch that they picked up outside the dining room and had to eat elsewhere.

We are happy to say, WE ARE BACK in the kitchen and serving guests in the dining room.

On our next lunch date—Sunday, July 31st, our guests will enjoy tuna subs, chips, bananas, and homemade cookies and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to take away for later. 

• Please join us in the Parish Hall kitchen on Saturday, July 30th at 9 a.m. to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as an extra snack or meal for later for our guests being served the next day. (Masks and gloves, please.)
• If you'd like to provide some homemade cookies (or store-bought cookies), please bring them to the Parish Hall kitchen marked EDR by Sunday, July 31st. You are welcome to put homemade cookies into the freezer to keep them fresh.
• Questions: please text or call Pat Minor 302-983-6299 or Cindy Fauerbach 302-584-8053.
• 
  

Hope Center and Friendship House

We continue to provide clothing items, snacks, food, toiletries and hygiene items, children's books and toys, diapers, laundry detergent, etc. for those being served at the Hope Center and Friendship House. Collection boxes are inside the front door of the church and Monday-Thursday a box is outside the Parish Hall.

Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels volunteers deliver lunch and some evening meals to our neighbors in Murray Manor. Our next week to deliver meals is June 27-July 1.

Family Promise

Our next week offering meals and caring to families participating in Family Promise is August 7-14. At this point, guests continue to live in the cottages at the Jesus House off Milltown Road. We’ll let you know if that changes and we are able to return to providing our families with lodging, snacks, and dinners in our parish hall.

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.

·        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.

“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.  

Colossians 3:13

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Prayer for Sunday, from A New Zealand Prayer Book

God,

you are our beginning and you will be our end;

we are made in your image and likeness.

We praise and thank you for this day.

This is the day on which you created light

and saw that it was good.

This is the day in whose early morning light

we discovered the tomb was empty,

and encountered Christ, the world’s true light.

This is the day you have made;

we shall rejoice and be glad in it.  Amen.

Find more Morning Psalm and prayers please visit

https://delaware.church/psalms-and-prayers/