March 19th, 2023

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/

In this week's Gospel story when the disciples and Jesus come across "a man blind from birth," they ask the most natural question of their time: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Their question was, to some extent, based on a scriptural understanding of reward and punishment because, as far as they knew, someone's blindness must have been due to someone's indiscretions somewhere along the line; someone was being punished for the sins for generations past. Jesus, though, shuts down that way of thinking quickly as he says, "We must work the works of him who sent me; as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world," all while making a paste of mud to rub on the man's eyes before sending him off to wash in the pool of Siloam.

We know that bad things tend to happen, and while sometimes things do happen because of human negligence, we don't ever want to think of them as some kind of divine punishment because that puts us further and further away from the love God. Instead, we look to the redemptive love of Christ, the light that shines in the world, knowing that it's through Christ that the world is redeemed, that the world is healed, and we know that we are the ones who Christ works through to bring about this healing.

Please mark your calendars for a public nature program on Sunday afternoon, April 16 from 3-5 pm when St James' member, Dick Prettyman and his colleagues of White Clay Fly Fishers, will be the keynote speakers at the historic Hale Byrnes House.  

Some of you may remember the Boyce family who lived at Hale Byrnes House for 3 generations and are now buried at St James. This 18th century red brick house, now a state historic site is located immediately between White Clay Medical and Metroform Medical Centers on old Route 7, at 606 Stanton-Christiana Road, less than 2 miles southeast of St James. The White Clay, the Red Clay, and the Christiana Rivers merge in the back of the house.

$5 per person includes coffee & dessert. You may want to bring your lawn chairs--and possibly your fishing license! Well-behaved children are always welcomed at Hale Byrnes House. [http://www.halebyrnes.org/

Usher Announcement

We are looking for volunteers to usher on Sunday mornings and other special church services that may arise during the course of the year. Ideal circumstances would mean that you would only usher once every 2-3 months.



A few of the usher duties are: greeting folks as they enter the church, handing out bulletins and helping folks to their seats, collecting the offering, take a tally of the number of folks in attendance, ringing the bell - 15 minutes before the service and again when the service begins, putting up and taking down outside flags and getting the congregation from and to their pews during communion.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Any usher should be able to answer your ushering concerns. Please call the office if you are interested in ushering.

2023 Flea Market

There will be a Flea Market again this year, on May 20th 2023. Kathy Jackson is organizing it. You may drop off items to be sold at the Flea Market. Please leave them downstairs in the room to the right of the stairs.

We Will Accept:

Gently Used Household Items, Appliances, Toys, Jewelry, Hardback & Paperback Books.

We WILL NOT Accept Any of the Following:

Encyclopedias, Computers, TVs, Electronics, Clothes or Stuffed Animals.

Please do not bring in any of the unacceptable items. They can be donated to various local charitable agencies.

Electronic Items are accepted at the following Delaware Solid Waste

Recycle Locations:

Delaware Recycling Center                                   Newark Recycling Center

1101 Lambson Lane                                                470 Corporate Blvd.

New Castle, DE 19720                                             Newark, DE 19702

Monday-Saturday: 8:30am-3:30pm                      Monday-Saturday: 8:30am-3:30pm

Please contact Kathy Jackson (302-690-3513) if you have any questions or would like to help prior to, or during the Flea Market.

St. James’ Family Promise Host Week Special Announcement 

April 9^th Host Week

We are looking for volunteers to provide dinner for our Family Promise guests the week of April 9^th. If you are interested, please let Dave Perry or Val Brunson know.  

Donations of money or gift cards to restaurants are always welcome. Money will be used to buy dinner or other supplies.

Return to Service!

While not going back to guests staying in our Parish House, we will return to serving them a family style dinner in the Nazareth Room at Jesus House. This will be a wonderful opportunity to interact with the families again. The Family Promise coordinators will be available to help you set up and get familiar with the new process. Please come to our information session on 3/12 for dinner instructions and to see pictures of the facility. Field trips are available.

If you can provide a meal, but cannot stay for dinner, let Val or Dave know and we will find someone to serve dinner for you.

Family Promise Information Session: 3/12/23 after Coffee Hour in the Parish House Great Hall for new and returning volunteers

Thank You

Thank you to our volunteers. You are the reason we are able to do this worthwhile ministry. Every family we support gets us that much closer to ending family homelessness. Thank you for all you do. 

It’s Finally Time For A Fun Filled Bingo Night

The 2023 Claudia White Memorial Bingo Night will be held

on

Monday, April 24, 2023, in the St. James' Parish Hall

Games will start at 7:00 PM. Please mark your calendars. A detailed invitation will be sent out in a couple of weeks.

As in the past, there will be a $10 donation for 10 Bingo Games.  There will be prizes for game winners, everyone will receive a Door Prize, a 50/50 Drawing will be available, and there will be a variety of refreshments. 

Claudia White was Co-Chair of the St. James’ Bazaar for several years. She also organized the first Bingo Night. Claudia loved organizing and attending social events, especially if it was a fund raiser. After Claudia passed away in 2008 the Bazaar Ladies decided to continue Bingo Night in her memory. It was an annual event each year until the pandemic in 2020. April 24^th will be the first Bingo Night since 2019. 

All proceeds are donated to the St. James’ Claudia White Memorial Fund.  Repairs and renovations to the Parish House were very close to Claudia’s heart and the money raised is used to maintain the Parish House.

If you have any questions contact Nancy Patterson at 302-239-7649.

We hope you will join us for another fun filled evening with family and friends.

The St. James Bazaar Ladies

Millcreek Ecumenical Lenten Lunches

Continuing a longstanding Lenten tradition, St. Philip’s Lutheran Church will be hosting this year’s Lenten lunches. This is a wonderful opportunity to join together with our fellow churches during this holy season.

Our worship service will begin at 12 PM on Wednesdays at St. Philip’s during the season of Lent. Our worship will be followed by a lunch of soup and bread at 12:30 PM. St. James’ will provide the homily, music, and lunch on March 15, and if you’d like to volunteer, please contact the Church Office for more details.

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.  

Hebrews 11:1

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Lent



Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 Find more Morning Psalm and prayers please visit

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