OUR HISTORY . . .
 

REFLECTIONS - In addition to regular preaching, presiding, teaching, and pastoral care, some of the experiences Fr. RJ will forever cherish during his tenure at St. James include: serving as Priest in Charge during Fr. John Mark’s sabbatical, serving as Co-Chaplain at Tyson House – 6 ½ years, Weekly Worship & Bible Study, Pastoral Counseling, PrideMass, Mission Trips, Smokey’s Food Pantry on UTK campus, Room at the Inn ministry with Richard Wilson, Witnessing Wednesdays (Ama a tu Prójimo - Love Your Neighbor) at the ICE office, Monastery Retreats to St. Meinrad Archabbey, Lenten Quiet Days, Evensongs, City-wide Easter Vigils, St. James at Knoxville Pride, St. James Summer Films Series, and Zoom Church/Video editing during Pandemic. He will also cherish the opportunities he had to serve the broader church as a Member of the Bishop Search Transition Committee, General Convention LGBTQ+ Caucus organizing committee, Diocesan Clergy Disciplinary Board, Becoming Beloved Community – Anti-racism Taskforce, Diocesan LGBTQ+ organizing group, and Diocesan Acolyte Festival; Co-chair of the Diocesan Worship & Liturgy Committee; President of the Diocesan Standing Committee; and Deputy of the General Convention.

THE PRESENT . . .

FRONTLINE TRAINING TODAY - At least 30 people associated with St. James registered to participate in the new and improved "Responding to Requests for Assistance" Frontline Training that will be provided by The Compassion Coalition today (May 12) to help us make the most out of our benevolence. This in-depth training workshop, to be held in the Parish Hall, will provide the tools we need to learn about verification, 10 best practices, when ‘no’ is appropriate, and how to help without hurting. RSVP was REQUIRED for this training.




ORDINATION DATE CHANGE - Ashton Sims will be ordained a priest on Friday, May 27 at 7 pm at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge. Your prayers and presence are requested. 




ST. JAMES "COFFEE HOUR" - It has been a long time since we held St. James Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall following our 10:30 am Sunday morning worship services. As we are finally ready to entertain the idea of resuming this wonderful opportunity for fellowship, we are interested in hearing what you think we should consider doing differently? Click THIS LINK to let us know what you think.


1,000 KNOX - More than 1,000 people participated in the annual Justice Knox Nehemiah Action Assembly Monday, May 2nd.  With the enthusiastic support of all who attended, Justice Knox was successful in securing commitments from Mayor Indya Kincannon, District Attorney General Charme Allen, both candidates for Knox County Sheriff, the Knox Co. Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas, and Knoxville Area Transit Director Isaac Thorne.  Now, it is time to get to work on following up with our officials to stop the gun violence in our community; to end harsh and unfair discipline in our schools; and to create public transit that gets people to work so they can care for their families!


APPLE SAUCE SUNDAY - Did you know you this  Sunday, (May 15th), is "Applesauce  Sunday" at St. James? Donate a can or a jar of applesauce on Sunday to help replenish our Helping Hands food pantry inventory. Applesauce contains some carbs and sugar but is low in fat, salt, and calories. It is also low in most vitamins and minerals, but it may be a good source of antioxidants and plant compounds. Apples are the third most internationally traded fruit, just behind bananas and grapes. Applesauce is most commonly packaged in cups, jars, pouches, and cans. Applesauce cups are the largest segment of the applesauce market.
 

MINISTRY GROUPS - One of the most observable characteristics at St. James is the high level of engagement in the many different ministries of outreach and in-reach organized and led by members of our congregation. The number of organized ministry groups currently exceeds 40, and many church members are associated with more than one! If you want to know more about the ministries at St. James you can read about them right here in Realm. Just click the “Groups” tab in the left side panel. Then, click “Find Groups” from the dropdown menu . Select “St James Groups” for groups affiliated with St. James. Select “Outside Groups” for unaffiliated groups that meet regularly at St. James. If you are a ministry leader and you would like to update your ministry description, please send the updated description to me Kevin Jeske-Polyak through Realm or via old-fashioned email kevin@stjamesknox.org. I will make sure the description is updated in Realm, on the bulletin board in the Parish House, and in our printed booklet of ministries. If you would also be interested in helping to coordinate a neighborhood-wide ministry fair at St. James in September, please let me know. :)

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.


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.
 

OUR FUTURE . . .

CENTENNIAL CENTIPEDES - A team of St. James parishioners known as the "Centennial Centipedes" will operate a concessions stand in the shade of Neyland Stadium at 7 home games during the upcoming football season. St. James will receive 10% of ALL SALES generated through our concession stand and the payout will occur at the end of each game!  PLUS, we will be allowed to have a vessel to collect additional donations for our centennial capital campaign! Hence, the name - Centennial Centipedes.   

So far, 12 parishioners, including Mark Abell, Rick Bearden, Margaret Bickley, Judy Householder, Kevin & Drew Jeske-Polyak, Bill Shinault, John Mark, Liz & Elliott Wiggers, Beverly Wilcox, and Carol Yates have volunteered to serve on our team.  Kickoffs are generally scheduled at noon, 3 pm, or 7 pm, but the exact time is not known until about 2 or 3 weeks ahead. If you are interested in joining our team, please contact kevin@stjamesknox.org. Even if you cannot commit to working all 7 games, your availability for a good number of them would be extremely helpful. 

CENTENNIAL WEBSITE - Using input gathered from the Parish, our planned centennial capital improvements have been carefully considered and prioritized to preserve, enhance, and cultivate engagement in the work of our ministries by improving accessibility, flexibility, and comfort. Soon, a brand new website featuring relevant content, including photos, architectural renderings, and links to related resources will be unveiled to help us visualize and appreciate the scope of the project. 
 

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.


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