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 St. James Weekly eNotes
Friday, April 29, 2016 |
From the Rector
St. James is Debt-Free!!!
Dear people of St. James,
It is my profound pleasure to inform you that St. James' only remaining outside financial liability for the building of the parish life center and the siding of the church has now been paid in full. Today, Carolina Alliance Bank received payment in full for the outstanding note and mortgage on our property and will be forwarding to St. James a release of the mortgage.
Through bold vision, careful financial controls and cost-savings measures, your finance committee and vestry made it possible to pay off this debt of $45,447.01 so that St. James has more funds available for our outreach and mission. St. James is in a very solid financial position and your finance committee and vestry unanimously decided to use our own available funds to finance the repayment of the loan. In essence, we decided to invest in ourselves rather than paying a financial institution. Prior to the repayment, our non-operating funds had a balance of $360,607 and our operating fund had a balance of $115,128. We drew from our non-operating funds to pay off the loan and set a five year amortization schedule to pay ourselves back. Our monthly payment on this debt went from $2,185.00 to the bank, to $788.00 to ourselves.
I know that many of you contributed to the construction of the parish life center and you may have thought that this day would never come. Thank you to all of you for your love of this community, your commitment to love your neighbor as yourself, and for your continued financial support of St. James. If you haven't made a pledge for this year, it's not too late!!! You too can be a part of spreading the Kingdom of God by financially supporting St. James and our ministries to this community and to the world.
To celebrate this achievement, we will have a mortgage burning ceremony when the release of mortgage has been recorded. I will let you know when that will happen.
Well done St. James and full speed ahead!
Stephen+
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Items of Interest
Please click on each item for more information.
Coming Events: Save the Dates
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- Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension - Wednesday, May 4, 6:30 p.m.
- United Thank Offering (UTO) Spring Ingathering - Sunday, May 8
- The Day of Pentecost - Sunday, May 15
- Summer Two-Service Schedule begins Sunday, May 15 at 7:45 and 10:00 a.m.
- Graduate Recognition - Sunday, May 22 at 10:00 service
- Parish Fellowship Weekend - May 27-29
- Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network - May 29-June 5
- St. James Day at Faith Memorial Chapel - Sunday, June 5, at 11:00 a.m.
- St. James Annual Parish Picnic - Sun. June 5, 12:30 at Pleasant Ridge County Park
- Annual Attic Sale - New Date - Saturday, June 18 - Save your stuff!!
Emergency Info: In the event of a pastoral care emergency outside of regular office hours, you may contact the clergy at 864-907-6565 and leave a message regarding the nature of the emergency.
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| Articles |
From the Music Director and Organist:
Music for Easter 6 / Scholarship Singers
Our hymns and organ music for this Sunday, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, reflect several themes of the day. In addition to continuing the joyful music of Eastertide, we have included hymns that celebrate the Rogation Days, which are
"...the three days before Ascension Day on which the litany is sung (or recited) in procession as an act of intercession. They originated in Vienne, France, in the fifth century...In England they were associated with the blessing of the fields at planting. The vicar 'beat the bounds' of the parish, processing around the fields reciting psalms and the litany. In the United States they have been associated with rural life and with agriculture and fishing. The propers in the BCP (pp. 207-208, 258-259, 930) have widened their scope to include commerce and industry and the stewardship of creation...The term is from the Latin rogation, 'asking.'"
(An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church)
In other words, the Rogation Days are a time for springtime prayers that correlates with the autumn prayers of thanksgiving for the harvest. This Sunday (Rogation Sunday), our hymns "For the fruit of all creation" (#424) and "O Jesus, crowned with all renown" (#292) focus on these themes of plowing, sowing seed, and the growth of new crops.
Lastly, we are at end of the spring semester, and our Furman Scholarship Singers will be away for the summer. To recognize their participation this choir year, this Sunday we will sing two hymns that celebrate music itself, and the importance it has in our worship; "When in our music God is glorified," (#420) and "O praise ye the Lord!" (#432). One of our scholarship singers, tenor Alex Mason, is graduating May 7 and relocating to the Boston area. Please congratulate Alex and greet our other Scholarship Singers - Kristen, Ashton, Caroline, and Thomas - at the coffee hour after the 11:00 service this Sunday.
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From the Youth Minister: A Word from Tina
Several of my ministry/seminary peers have shared this Huff Post Video on Facebook over the last 24 hours. It's content is not dissimilar from what research was showing in the Sleep and Development class I took while I was in college.
In summary, the point the video makes is that if schools, specifically high schools, were to figure out a way to start later, intentionally giving students more time to sleep by accommodating the shift in sleep phase onset that happens in puberty, it would positively affect teenagers in a spectrum of areas. The change to accommodate more youth sleeping hours would impact everything from basic cognitive functioning during school hours, to decreased use of drugs and alcohol and decreased risks of car accidents.
To take a step back quickly, let me just make sure we are all on the same page about this developmental shift I am alluding too. Among the many changes that take place in the human body during puberty is the onset of a "sleep phase delay". This means your body transitions from telling you it's time for bed somewhere between 8-9pm to telling you its time for bed somewhere between 10-11pm. This creates a troubling space for teenagers trying to live into the natural functions of their body while keeping up with the 8-10 hours of sleep they are supposed to get a night for optimal health and cognitive restoration and development.
As those who guide, nurture, encourage, teach, and parent teenagers, it is helpful for us to be reminded of things like this. The increased level of academic expectations, extracurricular expectations, and now social networking expectations put our teenagers in a particularly vulnerable position. It is really hard to be a teenager. It is therefore up to those who care for, nurture, mentor, and parent teenagers to step in as advocates on their behalf. The implications don't stop with test scores and car accident rates: when teenagers aren't getting enough sleep, they are situating themselves to be less aware of God at work in their midst, too.
What then do we do with all this? What is our faithful response? When we look to Jesus, we see places in scripture where he intentionally protected both himself and his disciples, sending them ahead, having them situate themselves to the side while he prayed on his own, making sure they ate, and were known and loved. The comments quickly started flying in response to the Huff Post Video about either how great this would be, or how impractical it would be. I'm not writing this article to make a stance on that. I am writing this article to say that the statistics the video reveals should remind us of how hard it is to be a teenager, and that it is important for us to step in on their behalf and help them learn to navigate these waters. It might be helping them develop a healthy bedtime routine. It might be taking time around a table to share where everyone saw God at work during the day. It might be helping teenagers learn to say no to things if they know they are at capacity. Whatever we do, when we step in as advocates and mediators on behalf of our teenagers, we live into being incarnational witnesses of Christ's advocacy and mediation on behalf of us all.
Peace,
Tina Boyd
Youth Minister
St. James Episcopal Church
O: 864-244-6358
M: 770-361-8469
youthminister@stjamesgreenville.org
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From the Day School
Sunshine and Summertime
at St. James Summer Camp 2016
Camp Fun is for children ages 2-7. It goes from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during June and July. Cost is $25 per day, plus a one-time registration fee of $25. Each week has a different fun-filled theme.
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| Parish Prayer Lists |
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Remember In Your Prayers
Those who are sick, confined indoors, and others dear to us: Carole B., Muffin Barnes, Jack Barrett, *Lafa Black, *Nan Black, Eric Calder, *Lena Clary, *Don & Dorothy Doria, Susan Ellis, *Cynthia Faress, *Frances Funderburk, Hal Gober, *Nancy Harlan, David Hickman, *Ilse Holliday, *John Jones, *Suzanne Keenan, Carol Larson, *Jeff Leonard, *Harriet Littlejohn, *Lee Marr, *Will McMasters, *Lilly Mueller, RaeNae Nay, *Nancy Pilgrim, Tara Posner, *Phil Pressly, *Chip Preusse, *Jean Rhodes, Kurt Stevens, *Nick & Lani Strange, Tracy Summerhays, *Colleen Taylor, *Jody Thompson, *Gail Tomkins, *Bill & Elaine Wells.
* denotes member of the St. James community
Prayer list updates:
In order to keep our prayer list current, each name will stay on the printed list for four weeks and then be removed. If you wish to have a name added or returned to the list, please contact the office.
Resquiescat in pace:
We commend to the prayers of the people Mary Allen "Mallie" Marshall; Mary Fray; Constance "Connie" Elizabeth Carr Epton, mother of Laurie Howell; Carl D. Torsnes, father of Heather Cortés. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace, and may light perpetual shine upon them.
Missionaries in Ecuador: the Vivanco family: Roberto, Cameron, Graham & Liam.
Expectant parents: *Caleb & Lauren Stephens.
We give thanks for the births of Russell Mason Dickert, son of George and Abby Dickert, on Tuesday, April 26; and Frances Margaret Vivanco, daughter of Roberto and Cameron Vivanco, on Thursday, April 28.
Service men & women: Chad Arness, Steven & Jessica Bellue, Chris Goepper, Landon Hayes, *Patrick Holliday, Lee Kemp, David Mathews, Pamela Peigler, *Clarke Sumerel, Jeff Wright.
The Flowers on the Altar are given to the Glory of God and in thanksgiving for the safe return of the participants in the mission and visioning trip to South America.
If you would like to honor or remember your loved ones by giving the Sanctuary Candle during the month of May, please contact Carol Clark in the parish office.
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| Coming Events |
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Reminder: Voice Recital by Ashton Nicewonger
Tuesday, May 3, 7:30 PM at St. James
Ashton Nicewonger, one of our St. James scholarship singers, is performing a voice recital at St. James on Tuesday, May 3, at 7:30 PM. A voice student of Lisa Barksdale at Furman, Ashton also sings as a member of Furman's Chamber Choir and the Furman Singers. She has been selected to study in two special programs; Festival lyrique international de Belle-Ile en Mer this summer, and at Versailles, France in the fall. She is giving this special recital as a way to raise funds to enable her participation in these programs.
Ashton will be accompanied on the piano by graduating Furman music major Grace Odell. Ashton's personality and joie d' vivre will make this a memorable event - come lend your support and enjoy Ashton's fund-raising concert in our lovely church! Donations to support Ashton's studies will be accepted at the recital.
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Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension: Wed., May 4, 6:30 p.m.
Please join us for the Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension: In lieu of our regular Wednesday night Celtic Eucharist, we will celebrate the Vigil of the Feast of the Ascension (Rite II) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4. This feast commemorates Christ's bodily ascension into heaven and initiates a period of waiting for the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost. |
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United Thank Offering (UTO) Spring Ingathering: May 8
As we have celebrated the blessing of our Risen Lord and what He has done for us, let us all be thankful for the many blessings we receive on a daily basis. Every time we drop a coin into our Blue Box we lift up those blessings. These gifts fund new work throughout the United States and the world. Last year the Diocese of Upper South Carolina contributed $30,741! This year Gravatt Camp & Conference Center has applied for a UTO Grant to help build outdoor learning centers throughout their space. Please keep them in your prayers. The Blue Boxes can be found in the Narthex and the envelopes are in the pews.
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Summer Schedule begins May 15, 2016
- Summer Sunday Services will begin at 7:45 and 10:00 a.m. beginning May 15.
- Office Hours: St. James Parish Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Beginning May 20 the office will close at noon on Fridays.
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Graduate Recognition: Sunday, May 22, 10:00 a.m.
If you or someone in your family is graduating from high school or college this spring, please contact the office by Tuesday, May 17, and let us know their name and the degree being bestowed so they can be included in the bulletin. |
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Parish Fellowship Weekend: Friday through Sunday, May 27-29, 2016
Registration deadline is Monday, May 2! Please join us for an unplugged, relaxed weekend of family fun at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville NC. Activities include rocking chairs, swimming, fishing, canoeing, hiking, tennis, climbing wall, playgrounds, labyrinth and more. Cost includes two nights' lodging and six buffet-style meals. Commuters are welcome to come for the day on Saturday for $30 per person.
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Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN): May 29-June 5St. James will once again host families who are experiencing homelessness. We need help with set up and take down, meal preparation, laundry (bedding), activities and overnight hosts. Sign up sheets are posted on the bulletin board near the front entrance. Please join us in this important ministry. For more information, please contact John Kaup.
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St. James Day at Faith Memorial Chapel: Sunday, June 5, 11:00 a.m.
St. James Day at Faith Memorial Chapel: On Sunday, June 5, you are invited to Faith Memorial Chapel in Cedar Mountain NC for the service of Morning Prayer, Rite II, at 11:00 a.m. Please join us!
Annual Parish Picnic: Sunday, June 5, 12:30 p.m. Afterward, we will have our Annual Parish Picnic at Pleasant Ridge County Park, located just off Hwy 11, about halfway between St. James and Faith Memorial Chapel. We will meet at Shelter 1 between 12:30-1:00 p.m. for a covered-dish lunch. Please bring a dish to share which serves 8-10 people. Important note: Services at St. James will take place at the regular summer services times on June 5 at 7:45 and 10:00 a.m. |
| Items of Interest |
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The Sixth Sunday of Easter
Year C
Acts 16:9-15; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 5:1-9; Psalm 67
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Bag O' Beans Challenge
St. James collects one-pound bags of dried beans for United Ministries. They particularly appreciate pintos, northern and navy beans. Please add this to your grocery list and help us reach our goal of 300 bags each month. Thank you for your generosity and compassion for those in need in our community.
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April Birthdays
29 Jane Luthi
29 Bonnie Gossett
29 Marie Armstrong
30 Anna Notation-Rhoades
April Anniversaries
29 Andrew & Jennifer Walker
May Birthdays
1 Suzanne Keenan
1 Becky Walters
1 Ken Littlejohn
2 Leesa Brotherton
4 Sue DuBose
4 Martin Darby
4 Campbell Plumblee
5 Steve Coy
6 Tommy King
6 Jennifer Teague
7 Owen Wagner
10 Nancy LeDonne
10 Nicki Dillon
11 Melissa Radecki
11 Stephanie Knobel
13 Virginia Bassler
14 Calhoun Clark
16 Tom Nicoll
16 Tom Triplitt
18 Mack Burgess
18 Debbie Cockfield
20 Beate Kindervater
20 Katy Schneider
20 Lilly Mueller
22 Kyra Zollman
24 Lynn Martin
25 Judy Nicholson
26 Sam Hipp
27 Vicky Turgeon
27 Owen Anderson
27 Ellery Schneider
27 Alana Cortes
28 Carol Jennings
30 Dru Anne Filter
31 Sarah Britt
31 Bill Sauerbrey
31 Lauren Wilhoit
May Anniversaries
3 Ulrich & Beate Kindervater
11 Rick & Karen Wolfe
13 Luke & Reb Mitchell
14 Kent & Linda Satterfield
15 Lee & Nancy Ehlers
19 Mark & Amanda Decker
25 Brian & Melinda Davis Lux
25 Gus & Linda Osborne
27 Jim & Debby Edwards
28 Rourk & Marcy Freeman
29 John & Anne Shelley
30 Cam & Becky Walters
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St. James Episcopal Church Staff
Ms. Tina Boyd, Youth Minister, youthminister@stjamesgreenville.org
Dr. Karen A. Eshelman, Music Director and Organist, music@stjamesgreenville.org
Mrs. Dena Veazey, Parish Administrator, admin@stjamesgreenville.org
Ms. Carol Clark, Office Assistant, office@stjamesgreenville.org
Mrs. Beth Renninger, Day School Director, school@stjamesgreenville.org |
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St. James Episcopal Church
301 Piney Mountain Road ~ Greenville, SC 29609-3035
864.244.6358
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