OUR HISTORY . . .
 

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY - The flowers on the alter on Sunday (March 27) will recognize the 16th Anniversary of the Prayer Shawl Ministry and honor all the people, (past and present), who have made and given prayer shawls. Compassion and the love of knitting and crocheting are combined in this prayerful ministry which reaches out to neighbors in need of comfort and solace, or celebration and joy. 

During a typical year, 75 - 100 handmade prayer shawls are blessed and presented to neighbors who are in ill health, having surgery, or who have been blessed with a new baby.  For more information, contact: Suzanne F sfarkas1926@gmail.com, 865-323-6212.


VINTAGE NEWSLETTERS - St. James maintains a robust digital archive of newsletters dating back as far as 2008.  As we prepare for a yearlong observance of our 100th Anniversary, we are striving to recover as many copies of "vintage" newsletters as we can.  No doubt, most exist as precious articles that were created on typewriters, cut, pasted, copied, and distributed by hand. Some may currently reside in your file cabinet. Others may be stashed in your grandmother's attic! 

Whether you own a single issue or a small collection of newsletters  published prior to 2008, we are interested in scanning them so we can share some of the interesting old stories.  Please contact kevin@stjamesknox.org if you think you may have some vintage newsletters you can share.



CENTENNIAL SENTIMENTS - If you have been a member here for any time at all, you have witnessed many of the wonderful ways St. James has performed its mission and some of the many challenges we have faced as a congregation.  You have some stories to share and we want to hear them.  

A dedicated telephone number has been set up especially for this purpose.  The number is 865-357-0703.  When you call this number, a recorded greeting will invite you to share your sentiments over the phone. Your recorded message will be saved and added to a special collection that will be presented at our website.  Selected messages will also be featured in upcoming editions of the St. James Sentinel.  

 

HISTORY OF ASH WEDNESDAY - Occurring six and a half weeks before Easter in the Christian church, Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the Lenten celebration. Commonly observed with ashes and fasting, it is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God.

In the early Christian church, the celebration began 6 weeks (42 days) before Easter. However, this provided only 36 days of fasting, (excluding Sundays). So, during the 7th century, 4 days were added before the first Sunday in Lent to establish 40 days of fasting, an imitation of Jesus Christ’s fast in the desert.

It was the practice in Rome for penitents and grievous sinners to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent in preparation for their restoration to the sacrament of the Eucharist. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and were obliged to remain apart until they were reconciled with the Christian community on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter.  Find out more about present day observances of Ash Wednesday by visiting THIS LINK. 
 

EASTER REMEMBRANCES - It is time to consider submitting Easter Remembrances in memory or thanksgiving for the life of a loved one. This year, as usual, there are three different fund options: 

Clergy Discretionary Fund. Allowing the Clergy at St. James to meet needs quickly and confidentially, including emergency housing, transportation, and health-related needs as well as such things as sending a child to camp.

Flower Guild. Providing Easter Lilies for the altars.  A minimum $16 donation is requested for each lily you wish to donate.

Bryant’s Bridge. Providing affordable housing and a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to prevent homelessness and promote growth in areas of education, employment, health and mental health to develop strength of character and promote healing and independence in a world where societal structures create obstacles and hinder support systems necessary to adequately navigate the transition from youth to adulthood. https://www.bryantsbridge.org

Please submit your Easter Remembrances prior to Monday, April 11th.  Submit them online by clicking “Easter Remembrances” under the "GIVING" tab at stjamesknox.org. Use the “Memo” field to provide the full name(s) for each memorial and thanksgiving and indicate whether it is to honor a "Memory" or express a "Thanksgiving".  If you prefer, you may download the Easter Remembrances form at THIS LINK.  Just complete the form and mail it along with your check to 1101 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917.

 
WORDPRESS EXPERTISE - The regular St. James website and our companion Neighbor Day website have both been built using the very popular WordPress content management platform.  Currently, our webmasters are looking for volunteers of any age who have experience with WordPress to assist in creating and uploading content at our Neighbor Day website.

Working from home at a leisurely pace, volunteers will create written descriptions of donated gift items and combine them with images to construct auction item "showcases" at the site. Some of the descriptive language will be provided, but resourceful volunteers will also use their web browsing skills to source additional descriptive information online.  Guidance and enthusiastic support will be provided by Kevin & Drew J-P. For more information, contact neighbor@stjamesknox.org.    


COVID UPDATES - As long as COVID continues to pose a significant public health threat, everyone at St. James will continue to benefit from taking appropriate precautions and making responsible decisions every day. The care and consideration St. James parishioners have demonstrated throughout this pandemic by wearing masks during in-person worship services has been extraordinary. 

Watch this space for updates pertaining to the most current CDC recommendations and how they may impact our worship activities and other events.

OUR FUTURE . . .

ST. JAMES VESTRY -   The St. James Vestry is comprised of a team of 12 dedicated parishioners who provide oversight and leadership in helping define and promote the mission of the church in six important ministry areas:, including: Service, Worship, Education, Evangelism,  Parish Life, and Stewardship.

Members serve 3-year terms with four new members selected each year. Each year, candidates are nominated by a committee made up of the outgoing class. New members are selected by lots at the Annual Meeting. The Senior Warden is named by the Rector and the Junior Warden & Clerk are selected by the Vestry.

This year, Scott Childs, Lee Creech, Tim Nichols, and Jennie Sullivan have joined Mark Abell, Stacy Hall, Drew Harper, Audrey Nitz, Susan Bain, Victoria Hawkins, Dee Turpin, and Butch Yates in serving on our Vestry.

SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION - During our annual Neighbor Day Celebration, St. James shines the light on the work performed by our outreach ministries as we raise money to keep them fully funded.  We also reach out to local business establishments we patronize to garner their support through donations of merchandise, gift cards, or cash for our fundraising auction. 

Please help by drafting a concise patron appreciation letter and present it to some of the businesses you patronize to let them know what you appreciate about the way they do business.  Click THIS LINK for some sample language you may wish to consider using to express your appreciation and request their support.



ST. JAMES AT NEYLAND STADIUM - Last year, The University of Tennessee invited St. James to participate in an extraordinary fundraising opportunity during the football season.  All we needed were 10 volunteers to operate one of the concession stands at Neyland Stadium to receive 10% of all the sales generated at that stand. The payout would have been provided at the end of each game!  

Unfortunately, COVID prevented us from recruiting the number of volunteers we needed last year, but UT has extended the invitation to us once again for the 2022 season!  Seven home games will take place on: Sep 3 (Ball State), Sep 17 (Akron), Sep 24 (Florida), Oct 15 (Alabama), Oct 22 (UT Martin), Oct 29 (Kentucky), and Nov 12 (Missouri).  If you are interested in volunteering this year, please contact Kevin Jeske-Polyak immediately for details kevin@stjamesknox.org.  This is a time-sensitive announcement.   
 

REAL MINISTRY -   Realm is our cloud-based "members only" church networking platform that helps us perform real ministry by working as a catalyst for engagement - 24/7.  Easily downloaded on any computer device or cell phone, it provides valuable church information resources and helps us all stay in touch with each other via telephone, real time chat, email, and urgent news feed alerts.

Realm helps our ministry leaders organize their communications, share content, and distribute task assignments within their groups.  It also helps to ensure new members are offered the resources they need to be put on pathways to achieve spiritual fulfillment.  If you have only heard about Realm, but you have not activated your free Realm account, reach out to the St. James Realm Orientation Crew (ROC):  realm@stjamesknox.org  Engagement will sustain our future.  Realm will help us become engaged most efficiently. 

Fr. John Mark's Blog  https://stjamesknox.org/rector/
featuring insights and comment on various topics
 

Centering Prayer  (Zoom)  6  pm - 7 pm 
Studying Radical Wisdom: A Feminist Mystical Theology by Beverly J. Lanzetta.
Zoom Link  Meeting ID: 813 3584 8679 | Pray


TUESDAYS