OUR HISTORY . . .
ST. JAMES PARISH "HOUSE" - Our present day St. James campus includes two impressive buildings that were built and expanded at different times. The church itself, now nearly 100 years old, is shown in this picture on the right. The building on the left, known as the Parish "House" featured a quonset structure that provided space for church administration and ministry activities. A side view of the quonset structure is presented below. Later, the quonset structure was demolished and replaced with the more substantial structure that exists today including the Parish "Hall", kitchen, pantry and connecting breezeways.
 CANDLES - Candles have extensive ceremonial use in the Christian liturgical tradition. Lighted candles may be seen to symbolize the light of Christ, or the light of the gospel, or simply to remind the congregation that the time and space for worship are sacred. Candles provide illumination that enhances the beauty of the church, and may provide additional light for worship. Candles may be carried in procession by acolytes, and held as the gospel is said or sung. Candles may be placed on the altar, or on a reredos behind the altar, or on pavement lights beside the altar. The Book of Common Prayer provides for the lighting of the altar candles at certain times in special services. At the Easter Vigil, the altar candles are lighted after the Renewal of Baptismal Vows and before the Easter Acclamation, "Alleluia. Christ is risen". Candles are lighted after the dedication of the altar by the bishop at the Consecration of a Church. At the Order of Worship for the Evening, the lighting of the altar candles and other candles follows the Prayer for Light and precedes the hymn "O Gracious Light". Certain candles have special liturgical uses. The Paschal candle is a large, decorated candle that symbolizes the light of Christ who was crucified, died, rose, and ascended into heaven. It is lighted at the Easter Vigil, and at all services during the season of Easter. The Advent Wreath has four candles that represent the four Sundays of the season of Advent, and may also include a "Christ candle" that is lighted on Christmas Eve. A candle may be given to each of the newly baptized or a godparent after baptism. This candle may be lighted from the Paschal candle, and it serves as a reminder of baptism. Find out more about candles in the Episcopal tradition by visiting THIS LINK.
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THE PRESENT . . .
 THANK YOU - Thanks to everyone who stopped by St. James to pick up a hotdog and a cold beverage on their way to the Justice Knox Nehemiah Action Assembly this week. In total, 42 hotdogs were distributed! Special thanks to Liz W, Marie C, Rick B, and Kevin & Drew J-P for their assistance in cooking and packaging the dogs, and to Butch & Carol Y for coordinating the distribution logistics! Most of all, thanks to everyone at St. James who attended the Nehemiah Action to do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. The mission of Justice Knox is to understand problems facing the Knoxville community through person-to-person conversation, and to grow those conversations into prioritized, research-based action items. These action items are targeted and have a real impact on the lives of underserved—or not before heard—community members. CLICK the image below to watch Fr. John Mark Wiggers deliver crystal clear remarks about the progress that has been made and the work that lay ahead.
 ST. JAMES ACTIVITY CALENDAR - Did you know that nearly all of the scheduled events and activities that occur at St. James are posted in the calendar on the front page of the St. James website stjamesknox.org. This includes worship services and happenings of interest to the church-wide membership as well as meetings and events of interest to smaller groups. To use the calendar, just scroll to a certain day and click the "Show all" link. Instantly, you will see everything that has been posted on the calendar for that day. If you are a ministry leader seeking to reserve a room for a meeting or event, this calendar is the first place to check for availability, but Kevin kevin@stjamesknox.org is always eager to assist in making sure your activity is posted. Understanding that changes may occur, the first letter of each entry provides a clue to identify where the activity is scheduled to take place. Here is a key to what the letters mean: A: Cnf Rm A | B: Cnf Rm B | K: Kitch/HH | L: Lib | N: Nave | P: Parish Hall | R: Remote | V: Virtual.
 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Do you enjoy working with children? The Nursery and Children's Chapel are looking for anyone interested in helping with the kids of St. James. If you can spare a Sunday, we have many age groups that could use your help. Our Children's Nursery is provided every week for kids ages 0-5 that just love to play. Our Children's Chapel meets every other week providing spiritual growth opportunities for kids ages 5-12. We do crafts along with the lessons in the younger kids class. With the older kids ages 9-12, we talk about what the parents are hearing in church service that day, how they can relate to the scripture and how they can apply it in their everyday life? If you are interested please email Theresa at tde444@yahoo.com and type "Volunteer" in the subject line. No experience is needed and all materials are provided.
 FRONTLINE TRAINING UPDATE - More than 22 people associated with St. James have already registered to participate in the new and improved Frontline Training that will be provided by The Compassion Coalition to help us make the most out of our benevolence. Join us on Thursday, May 12th from 9 am to 12 pm in the Parish Hall for "Responding to Requests for Assistance", an in-depth training workshop that will provide the tools we need to learn about verification, 10 best practices, when ‘no’ is appropriate, and how to help without hurting. RSVP for this training is REQUIRED. Contact kevin@stjamesknox.org today to reserve your seat.
 UTO IN-GATHERING - UTO envelopes were placed in your announcements last week and will be in your pew rack on Sunday (May 8). Please write a check for the amount that you have collected in your Little Blue Box and put it in the envelope. If you prefer, you may simply turn in your Little Blue Box. Members of the St. James Episcopal Church Women will collect your contributions and present them at the altar for blessing. If you are not able to be in church, please consider sending your contribution electronically or via regular mail. Please make checks payable to St. James and indicate UTO on the memo line. UTO is entrusted to receive and distribute 100% of what is collected to support ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and 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. SCHEDULE: 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.
 LIFE LINE SUCCESS - Last week, St. James offered space for Life Line Screenings to provide community health screenings in the Parish Hall. Life Line's preventive health screening services are designed to identify risk factors that can lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses.  Nearly 50 neighbors from our community scheduled appointments and received screenings using three non-invasive methods - blood tests, ultrasound, & EKG. The lab-accurate results from these tests and recommendations will be mailed to the participants to review with their doctors.
 UKRAINE RELIEF - St. James is joining other congregations in collecting medical supplies for the people of Ukraine, which will be flown to Poland and then brought into Ukraine. Below is a list of supplies that are needed, most of which can be found at any local pharmacy or grocery. Please consider getting a few of these items and placing them in the large plastic bin in Conference Room A. If you would be willing to make a financial contribution to this effort, please write a check out to St. James with the words "Ukraine Relief" in the memo field. Thank you for whatever you can do! Please DONATE: ace bandages, large bandages, gauze, wound dressing supplies, batteries, splints, medical tape (meant to adhere to skin), diabetic test strips + glucometer, antiseptic such as rubbing alcohol, emergency thermal blankets, alcohol swabs/wipes, oxygen nasal cannulas, and tourniquets.
 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.
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OUR FUTURE . . .
 STEWARDSHIP challenges us as Christians to recognize that everything was created by God and we, as humans, are the custodians of these resources. Our ability to acquire wealth is a gift given to us by God. What we do with our accumulated wealth is one of the key ways we practice stewardship. We must use our financial resources to fulfill God’s work to further His kingdom and take care of others.
During 2022 & 2023, St. James will be receiving several major facility upgrades to ensure the continued success of our 100-year mission of "feeding and tending God’s sheep". The planned upgrades, to be completed in two phases, will improve the accessibility, flexibility, and comfort of our facilities. Ultimately, this will ensure the future sustainability and impact of our ministries for generations to come.
 GRADUATION - Do you know someone affiliated with St. James who is graduating from school, (at any level), this summer? Please let Linda lgoins@stjamesknox.org know so she can provide recognition in an upcoming newsletter. Please tell us about their achievement and what immediate or long-term plans they may have. If possible, please also provide a photo!
 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
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REGULAR HAPPENINGS . . .
Fr. John Mark's Blog https://stjamesknox.org/rector/
featuring insights and comment on various topics.
THURSDAYS
Thursday Study Group (Parish Hall and Zoom) 10 am - 11:30 pm
Studying the weekly lectionary readings at lectionarypage.net each week through May 29th.
Contact: nepullen@gmail.com or call 415-722-0139 for the link.
Praying the Rosary (Zoom) 7 pm - 8 pm
Cynthia Thornburg hosts 1 hour of praying the rosary on Thursday evenings. All are welcome!
Meeting ID: 836 8961 2206 | rosary
Contact: Cynthia Thornburg or Margaret Bickley
SUNDAYS
Sunday Morning Adult Formation (Conference Room A or Zoom) 9:15 am - 10:15 am
Discussions about resurrection appearances in scripture, the witnesses to them,
and what those stories have to do with us. Each week through May 29th.
Zoom Link Meeting ID: 882 1887 6476
MONDAYS
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) 6 pm - 7 pm
"Black Elk Speaks" by John G. Neihardt - the story of Black Elk,
an Oglala Lakota medicine man.
Contact: rondmorton@gmail.com for link.
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