GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY -  First mentioned in 1916 Vestry meeting minutes of the Church of the Epiphany, membership in the Girls'Friendly Society (GFS) included girls and young women from the ages of 5-21, and older women who served as mentors.  Originally founded in 1846 in London, England and sanctioned by the Episcopal Protestant Church, the Society was one of service and personal development. By 1921, the GFS had become an active service organization at the "Friendly Church on Broad Street", as St. James Church was known, with memberships exceeding 50 girls and 6 older women. Miss Loeda Rule was the Chapter's first advisor. 

The GFS "worked very hard" in 1925 to raise $1000 for the construction of our church building. At the time, our parish was meeting at the Haynes House located south of our current church building and was used for many GFS socials and societal instruction.  During September of that year, over $100 was raised by selling "bricks" which were hard candies. As stated by Mrs. Snapp, then Chapter Advisor: "During Lent, each girl tried to earn as much as she could by self-denials, and our offering was $21.50. Within 5 years, the GFS had fulfilled their building fund pledge. Read more about the growth and activities of the GFS through 1931 by clicking THIS LINK to  read Frank Laszlo's full article.
 

UNCLE FRITZ - 

CENTENNIAL SENTIMENTS -  If you have been a member at St. James for any time at all, you have witnessed many of the wonderful ways St. James performs God's work and some of the challenges we have faced through the years. You have stories to share and we want to hear them.  Please call 865-357-0703 to share them. A recorded greeting will invite you to tell your stories over the phone. Each story will be saved and added to a special collection at our website.  Selected stories will also be featured in upcoming editions of the St. James Sentinel.

Recently, Carroll Minor shared a wonderful St. James Centennial Sentiment.  In case you missed it, click THIS LINK to listen to her heartwarming story. 

Celebrating 100 years of feeding and tending God’s sheep in 2023.

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT - In the corporate world, they seem to always be looking for one person who can perform the job of two people.  For reasons related to cost saving, persons who  can efficiently perform the jobs of two are highly coveted. That  being said, why shouldn't we consider flipping the script at St. James? Finding two people who can perform the job of one person could actually be more valuable!  It lightens the volunteer workload, ensures consistency, and will provide continuity in the years to come. Most importantly, it promotes higher levels of engagement. Increased engagement in activities at St. James will be the key to our sustained relevance and future growth.


ST. JAMES ON WBIR - If you did not attend any of the puppet maker sessions at St. James, click the image to the right to watch a very short VIDEO produced by WBIR News describing one way St. James is participating in the Krewe du Cattywampus Parade & Street Festival which will kick off at 1 pm this Saturday. 

The parade is not just for kids! Individuals, families, schools, neighborhood groups, and community organizations are all encouraged to participate.  It will feature all kinds of folks who have made their masks, puppets, and costumes, as well as dancers and musicians.  This year's theme is "wildest dreams & visions" - for ourself, our community, and for the world. What is the impossible we can make possible? What can we dream into existence together? Here is a link to the PARADE ROUTE.

EXTRA TABLES NEEDED - Please bring your square or rectangular table(s) to the parish hall, Saturday, 11 am, or Sunday after the 10:30 service to help us set up the long-awaited St. James Rummage Sale. Please be sure to include your identification so we can return them properly.  

Donation of CLEAN household items will continue through Fri, Apr 1. Bring your donated items to the Parish Hall during the following times:

 

JUSTICE KNOX RALLY - Justice Ministry network members are reminded that the Annual Rally is Apr 4 at 7 pm at Church Street United Methodist Church.

This rally is one of the events network members commit to attend and is important as we will hear what we will be asking for at our Nehemiah Action.

Come join us for this event that leads to our Nehemiah Action on May 2.


NEW ST. JAMES WEBSITE UNMASKED - Grab a cup of coffee and take a look at the new design of our church website featuring a fresh look with integrated features made possible through Realm.  Access your daily "Forward Day by Day" meditation, our live & recorded video streams, the  activities calendar, and timely articles related to our worship & spirituality, neighbor  outreach, inreach & pastoral care, fellowship, fundraising, and history.  Become eligible for a free $5 K-Brew gift card by being among the folks who will click THIS LINK to go directly to the website before  next  Thursday morning.  There is no need to register. Just click the link and your name will automatically be entered in the drawing.  The winner will be announced in the next edition of The Sentinel.


PALM SUNDAY PARADE: Bring your own noise maker and join the parade when we celebrate Palm Sunday on April 10th at 10:30 am.  After we gather in the courtyard for the blessing of palms, we will take a raucous walk and then process into church to continue our worship as we begin Holy Week. Our tradition will continue on Easter Sunday, (Apr 17), when we observe the custom of ringing bells when we say "Alleluia."  Bring your own bell or ring one of the small bells that will be provided.


BRIDGE REFUGEE SERVICES is looking for faith community volunteers who are willing to assist refugees by taking them to appointments, picking them up at the airport, or welcoming them to the Knoxville community. St. John's Cathedral is hoping to partner with St. James to form a Bridge Team.  Find out more by visiting THIS  LINK. If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please contact Liz Wiggers at elizabethwiggers@gmail.com or by telephone at 678-592-9179.


EASTER REMEMBRANCES - Please submit your Easter Remembrances in MEMORY or THANKSGIVING for the life of a loved one prior to Monday, April 11th. Submit them online by clicking “Easter Remembrances” under the "GIVING" tab at stjamesknox.org. Or, download the form at THIS LINK and mail it along with your check to 1101 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917. Fund options include: 

1. Clergy Discretionary Fund - providing emergency needs.
2. Flower Guild - providing Easter Lilies for the altars.  
3. Bryant’s Bridge - providing safe affordable housing for LGBTQ+ youth 


DEADLINES & CORRECTIONS - Thank you for reading the St. James Sentinel and helping us keep up with important changes, updates, and corrections.  Please send "publish-ready" content to Kevin & Linda well in advance of each weekly or monthly deadline.  Send information to be included in the events calendar, (Realm & Google), the  weekly Sentinel and the weekly announcements in the Sunday service bulletin to Kevin at kevin@stjamesknox.org. Send information to be included in the ongoing prayer list, weekly church assignments list, liturgy, & readings for the Sunday service bulletin, and the monthly newsletter to  Linda at lgoins@stjamesknox.org.  When in doubt, send content to both, Kevin & Linda. Remember, the deadline for articles and church assignments to be published in the April newsletter is Monday, Mar 21st.  

CHECK THE STATS - Not everything we do in life or ministry can be monitored or measured.  Still, there are many things that can.  When we take the time to collect and examine the data, it can cause us to think about what we are doing and inspire us to consider doing some things differently.  In this and future Sentinel articles, statistical information and trends related to population growth, age groups, cultures, economic indicators, education levels, family  structure, and housing types, within a 3 mile radius of St. James will be presented for consideration by the entire congregation.

Population Growth Rate - Generally, the faster a neighborhood grows, the easier it is to attract new people to a church. Of course, this is not the only variable, and even declining areas have opportunities for evangelism and compassionate ministry. Below, are the population growth statistics for our neighborhood within a 3 mile radius of St. James.

2014 (3 mile radius):                    104,812    
2019 (3 mile radius):                    105,702    
2024 (3 mile radius):                    106,109  (if current trends continue)
Growth Rate 2014-2019:                 0.2%    

The population figures above indicate the number of persons in the defined area at given years. In most of the United States, a church can be self-supporting if there are at least 4,000 people in its ministry area. A population over 25,000 would indicate the need for multiple churches.

Residence Change - People who are new to an area are often receptive to the gospel. Perhaps their attitude is "I am moving to experience a change in my life. Now that someone is telling me about Jesus, maybe this is the real change I need." Those who are new to an area are perhaps the most receptive. A large proportion of people who recently lived abroad may also call for specialized ministries: language assistance, help with government forms, adjustments to American society.

The figures above indicate the combined proportion of residents in the defined area who have changed their residence, (a different house in Knox Co., Tennessee, another state, or another country) from the year before is approximately 27%.  Providing great opportunities for "new beginnings".
 

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATORS - If one of your gifts is the  ability to create simple eye-catching illustrations that capture an emotion or deliver a message, this is an opportunity to share that gift in a very special way.  A  small team is preparing to launch an online eCard site with 100% of the proceeds from all sales to benefit St. James Episcopal Church. All costs associated with the design, promotion, and maintenance of this  e-commerce site will be donated along with free use of a licensed trademark.  Rights to the use of all illustrations featured on the eCards will also be donated as gifts to St. James. The themes and styles of the eCards will have broad appeal to a nationwide customer base. The site will be promoted heavily via social media and personal referrals.  If you are interested in helping with any aspect of this exciting fundraising initiative, please contact kevin@stjamesknox.org.


During the period of Nov 29, 2021 - Mar 1, 2022, 10 households raised a total of $26.11 for St. James through the Kroger Community Rewards Program and we are just getting started. Imagine how that will grow when YOU enroll in the program! After you do, Kroger will begin donating to St. James based on the shopping you do every day. All you have to do is swipe your Kroger Community Rewards card whenever you shop at Kroger. If you don't have a Kroger Community Rewards account, visit http://www.kroger.com to create one. Then, log into your account, click the Community Rewards tab, and select St. James Episcopal Church either by name or Organization Number JL286. NOTE: There are several organizations with the name "St. James". Be sure to choose the one with the Organization Number "JL286".

St. James has been issued a $19.76 donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation as a result of AmazonSmile our program activity between Oct 1, 2021 - Dec 31, 2021. This is a little misleading because we only became enrolled sometime in December. Imagine how that will grow when YOU enroll in the program! AmazonSmile offers the same items, prices, and benefits as Amazon.com, but with one distinct difference. When you shop on AmazonSmile, 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases are contributed to the charity of your choice, which now includes St. James Episcopal Church as an option. If you already are an Amazon Prime member, all Prime benefits will continue to be available at AmazonSmile. Once signed into AmazonSmile, just pick St. James as your charity. During future visits, AmazonSmile will remember your charity and apply eligible purchases towards your total contribution—it is that easy.

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.  Realm helps our ministry leaders organize their communications, share content, and distribute task assignments within their groups.  It also helps new members by offering 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 Realm Orientation Crew at realm@stjamesknox.org

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

Tuesday Morning Book Discussion Group  (Zoom)  11 am - 12 pm  
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World 
About a conversation between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama
Contact: mbick@gmail.com, or call 865-384-7422 for link.

Tuesday Evening Prayer  (Zoom)  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Zoom Link Meeting ID: 884 2912 1929 Password: Pray

The Soul of the Indian  (Zoom)  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm 
"Soul of the Indian" by Dr. Charles Eastman - understanding of the Native American culture
and how it has been affected over the last 400 hundred years.
Contact: rondmorton@gmail.com for link.