OUR HISTORY . . .

LAST STAINED GLASS WINDOW -  Today I’d like to talk to you about our last stained glass window.  It is dedicated to the Rev. Eugene Hopper, our long-time rector.  You may have noticed it above the narthex on the east wall facing Broadway. As early as 1955, the Connick Studio recommended a front window “rich and brilliant in color and significance. It is a theme we have often designed, and in many different ways.” We do know that during this time the Studio was experimenting with 20th century designs, and may have recommended those to us.  

During these preliminary discussions a price could not be guaranteed, and the matter was dropped.  Another attempt was made in 1968, but dropped for the same reason. In 1972 St. James was both financially and conceptually ready to award a contract to the Connick Studios with an installation date no later than March 1, 1973.  Connick’s recommendations were to complement the existing windows, including the use of brighter colors to further illuminate the nave.  Find out what unexpectedly happened next by clicking THIS LINK to read the rest of the story! - Frank Laszlo, Church Historian

EASTER SUNDAY ATTENDANCE - Thanks to everyone who participated in the many different Holy Week observances that were held at St. James last week. On Easter Sunday, 291 neighbors attended morning worship services in person. In addition, 24 neighbors accessed our live stream via Youtube, bringing our total Easter Sunday worship service attendance to 315. Everyone knows how we have faced many challenges during the past couple of years due to the COVID pandemic.  Thankfully, we appear to be on the road to returning previous levels of engagement.

SHARE YOUR STORIES - Please call 865-357-0703 to share a story about some of the wonderful ways you have seen St. James perform God's work and some of the many challenges we have faced through the years. A recorded greeting will invite you to share your sentiments over the phone. Each recorded story will be saved and added to a special collection at our website at THIS LINK.  Selected stories will also be featured in upcoming editions of the St. James Sentinel Celebrating 100 years of feeding and tending God’s sheep in 2023. 

THE PRESENT . . .
 

BENEVOLENCE - Have you ever been approached by someone on the street or at St. James and been asked, "Can you help me?" Did the experience leave you unsettled, questioning, and/or wondering if you handled it well?

Helping people is what benevolence work is all about, but it can be tough. It can cause stress, burnout, and turnover among the volunteers in our ministries. Benevolence work can also be the most rewarding thing we will ever do. Compassion Coalition wants to help us alleviate this stress and make the most out of our benevolence work. That is why they will be providing in-depth training at St. James to share the tools we need to help us confidently respond to such requests for assistance.

Join us on Thursday, May 12th from 9 am to 12 pm in the Parish Hall for this Frontline Training, "Responding to Requests for Assistance", facilitated by Compassion Coalition. Learn about verification, 10 best practices, when ‘no’ is appropriate, and how to help without hurting. RSVPs for this training are REQUIRED. Contact kevin@stjamesknox.org today to reserve your seat.

UTO IN-GATHERING - By now, your little Blue Box might be bursting at the seams with all the thanks you have been giving this year! The Episcopal Church Women look forward to receiving and celebrating your offerings during the United Thank Offering (UTO) In-Gathering on Mother’s Day, (May 8). Just drop off your little Blue Box, or count your change and bring a check.

UTO is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, individuals are invited to embrace and deepen a personal daily spiritual discipline of gratitude. UTO encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO Blue Box. UTO is entrusted to receive the offerings, and to distribute the 100% of what is collected to support innovative mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion. 


GET TO THE POINT for Summer 2022! Spend a week of your summer kayaking on Watts Bar, tie-dyeing in the Art Barn, getting muddy at the mud pit, and so much more! Grace Point Summer Camp registration is open!  

Scholarships are available, including those from the St. James Episcopal Church Women! Contact Stacy Hall for information about ECW scholarships, srhall54@outlook.com, (865) 236-4473.

May 27-30 Family Camp (kids and families of all ages!)  $160 for a family of two, $80 per additional camper; Jun 2-7 Junior Camp (rising 4th-6th) $425; Jun 9-14 Intermediate Camp (rising 7th - 9th) $425; Jun 17-19 Adult Camp (ages 21+) $235; Jun 26-Jul 1 Junior Summer Session (rising 4th-6th) $425; Jul 9-14 Youth Camp (rising 10th-just graduated) $425; Jul 17-22 Intermediate Summer Session (rising 7th-9th) $425. Find out more about the Grace Point Summer Camp and register at THIS LINK.


NEIGHBORHOOD PLANT SALE - The North Hills Garden Club, established in 1935, is holding its annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 7 from 10 am to 1 pm at 2511 North Park Blvd. Several of our parishioners are involved, including Linda D!  Click THIS LINK to view the beautiful flyer that lists some of the activities that will be taking place during this event in addition to the actual sale of outstanding plants, including Heirlooms & Veggies!


MICAH 6:8 - What does the Lord require of you? To Do Justice, To Love Mercy, and To Walk Humbly with Our God. Micah 6:8  The mission of Justice Knox is to use our congregations' people power to influence community leaders to confront our city's injustices.  Join over 1,000 Knoxville neighbors from 20+ congregations, including St. James,  to demand justice on May 2nd from 7 pm - 8:30 pm at the World's Fair Park Amphitheater (seating opens at 6 pm).  The three prioritized issues to be addressed include Public Transportation, Gun Violence, and Education. Click THIS LINK for more information about these three issues. Park at Church Street United Methodist Church, UMC, 900 Henley Street. 


HOT DOGS FOR JUSTICE - Free hot dogs and cold beverages will be offered on Monday, May 2nd from 5 pm - 6 pm to the first 175 St. James Justice Knox network members and their guests who drive through the St. James parking lot on their way to the Nehemiah Action at World’s Fair Park. "Hot Dogs for Justice" will be smoked onsite at St. James by volunteers to assist in meeting our goal of bringing at least 175 people to the Nehemiah Action. Curbside delivery of the hot dogs will end promptly at 6 pm. Seating for the Nehemiah Action at World’s Fair park is at 6 pm so everyone will be settled by 6:40 pm. The Nehemiah Action program will begin at 7 pm.


NEWSLETTER DEADLINE - Remember, the deadline for articles and church assignments to be published in the May newsletter was Monday, (Apr 18). If you missed the deadline during a very busy Holy Week, do not worry - the deadline has been extended by a few days.  Please submit your publish-ready content to Linda lgoins@stjamesknox.org TODAY or Friday (Apr 23).

 

 

 

COVID UPDATE - As long as Knox Co. remains in the low risk range, wearing masks shall be optional when attending worship services or other events at St James. Please respect the decisions of others who may choose to continue wearing masks. St. James has resumed serving wine at communion. You may drink from the cup or light dip the wafer in the wine. Should the level of COVID increase, we will make appropriate adjustments. For the latest information on COVID in Knox Co., visit THIS LINK. 

OUR FUTURE . . .
 

CHECK THE STATS - Not everything we do in life or in our ministries 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. Click the graphs to enlarge.

   

Educational Attainment
Total Adults 25 or Older (3 mile radius):      61,442
 

Less than 9th grade:              2,414      (3.9%)
High School, Non-grad:         5,791      (9.4%)
High School Graduate:        18,786    (30.6%)
Some College:                     13,924    (22.7%)
Associate Degree:                 4,563      (7.4%)
Bachelor's Degree:                9,357    (15.2%)
Grad Program/Degree:          6,607    (10.8%)

Less education does not mean less intelligence, but may mean a different vocabulary is appropriate to communicate truth. The educational attainment of adults may indicate the need for focused ministry. A more educated community may expect more sustained reasoning during a sermon than the average congregation would prefer. Though a church ought to be open to all people, guests who find themselves surrounded by people with a different education may be less likely to stay. If a community has substantial numbers of people at different education levels, a second church may be needed to reach the entire area. What conclusions can we draw from the Educational Attainment data within a 3 mile radius of St. James?

Private School Enrollment
Total Enrollment (3 mile radius):    34,354

Public Pre-school:    1,986    (88.3%)        Private Pre-school:    264    (11.7%)
Public School:        10,817    (90.4%)        Private School:       1,155      (9.6%)
Public College:       19,264    (95.7%)        Private College:         868      (4.3%)

Private and public school enrollment ratios may indicate the economic level of a community. Even an affluent area may be low in private school enrollment if the public school system is considered very good. A low ratio of private school students could also indicate a lack of private alternatives. Religious schools are counted as 'private' by the Census Bureau. To learn of actual religious instruction, it is important to contact the schools directly. Home schools are included in the 'private' count. What conclusions can we draw from the Private School Enrollment data within a 3 mile radius of St. James?

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 providing 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