OUR HISTORY . . .
 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE & RECOLLECTION - St. James is creating a section in our Centennial brochure highlighting some of the significant milestones that have taken place at St. James during the last 10 decades. We need your help compiling a LIST of as many of these as we can before the end of May.
You can help by clicking THIS LINK to access a St. James History "Quiz" that will test your knowledge and recollection skills. If you don't know the answers to some of the questions, don't worry - some of your sisters & brothers will! And, if you can think of some other interesting or important milestones that have not been included, please feel free to add them at the end for "extra credit". :)
 865-357-0703 - Your interest in this publication demonstrates your affection for St. James and our mission. As we prepare to celebrate our centennial, we want to hear some of the reasons you love St. James and/or brief stories you can share about some of the wonderful ways you have seen our ministries perform God's work.
Please consider taking a moment to call 865-357-0703 and share your sentiments. A recorded greeting will invite you to share them over the phone. Each recording will be saved and added to a special centennial celebration audio collection. Please call more than once to share your stories!
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THE PRESENT . . .
 OLD NORTH KNOXVILLE - Last week, St. James met with Donna Spencer representing the Old North Knoxville Neighborhood. During the meeting, the broader meaning of the words "neighbor", "neighborhood", and "ministry" were discussed. Moreover, Donna was encouraged to share information about the many ministries of outreach that exist at St. James with all the neighbors in area code 37917. This was not for the purpose of recruiting new members at St. James. Rather, it was an effort to help link neighbors in our immediate vicinity with meaningful activities consistent with their own values and interests. This could include participation in ministries like Justice Knox, Neighbor Day, Helping Hands, Doorstep, St. Francis Guild, and our Music Ministries to name a few. St. James has become a subscriber to the Old North Knoxville electronic newsletter and Donna has become a subscriber to the St. James Sentinel.
 PRIDE MASS - The Episcopal Church in East Tennessee is excited to announce this year’s Pride Mass will return to St. James on Friday, June 3, (6:30 pm - 8 pm), to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ siblings. All are welcome to attend! This year’s guest preacher is The Rev. Kim Jackson, Episcopal Priest and Georgia State Senator. In addition to serving in her political capacities, Rev. Jackson serves as the Vicar of the Episcopal Church of the Common Ground, an innovative and creative community without walls serving the unhoused in the heart of Atlanta. Rev. Jackson lives on a small hobby farm in Stone Mountain with her spouse, Trina, along with two Great Pyrenees dogs, goats, bees, ducks, chickens, and a cat. (From www.kimforgeorgia.com/meet-kim) This year’s recipient of the offering collection and donations is Bryant’s Bridge Gender Affirming Care fund. Bryant’s Bridge envisions a world where all youth have access to full acceptance, safety, honor and understanding of self, and freedom to develop into the individuals they are meant to be, regardless of societal structures that marginalize and present obstacles to that end. Bryant’s Bridge offers a range of support options for LGBTQIA+ youth in Knoxville.
 COMPASSION COALITION - Nearly 30 people associated with St. James attended the 3-hour Compassion Coalition Frontline I Training class presented in our Parish Hall by Gina Whitmore and Carolyn Hanson. Topics discussed included how we define poverty, what we can do when someone asks for help, recognizing the difference between being "person-driven" and being "need-driven", three distinct objectives for providing financial assistance (relief, rehabilitation, & development), providing referrals and understanding the process for accessing financial & housing assistance, knowing when saying "no" is appropriate, and 10 best practices for working with those in need. Elements of the training will be shared in smaller bites in future editions of The St. James Sentinel.
 STRUGGLING WITH POVERTY - Poverty is a complex problem that often seems impossible to get out of. The constant pressure of simply living through each day results in a cycle of endless struggle. St. James works to pull many resources together with the love of God to address this multifaceted problem. Besides Doorstep Ministry providing lunches, Helping Hands providing groceries, and Justice Knox advocating for Justice, we will now be offering financial literacy sessions to neighbors struggling with poverty. Helping Hands clients, Love Towers residents, and Doorstep guests will be invited to participate in a 5-session series of 1-hour classes in June & July. Presented by Susan Bradford, MSSW, (Training & Education Manager, CAC), and Drew Jeske-Polyak, the series will be hosted at St. James in the Parish Hall on Wednesdays at 1 pm. The course material will explain basics on budgeting and goal making, dealing with bills, starting to save, meal planning, and how to use other community resources. Access a flier at THIS LINK. Space is limited. Contact Drew to register jeskepolyak@gmail.com.
 MINISTRY FAIR - Would you like to suggest some ideas or help plan a St. James Ministry Fair to be held during the month of September, (perhaps Sep 3 or Sep 10)? Some of the ideas being floated include: holding it on a Saturday, inviting our neighbors who reside in the Old North Knoxville neighborhood, spreading our exhibits throughout our buildings like an "open house", allowing ministry volunteers to enjoy casual interaction in the physical space where they ordinarily work, encouraging volunteers to serve as "cocurators" providing guided tours, and offering light refreshments along the way! If you have some additional ideas or would like to participate in a planning meeting, please contact kevin@stjamesknox.org. There is no better time to hold a St. James Ministry Fair during this century than this year!
 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.
I CE CREAM "TEETS" - There will be an after-church coffee hour on Sunday, May 22! Sharon and Scott Teets would like to invite everyone to share a pre-packaged ice cream treat after church in the Parish Hall (or perhaps outside if weather permits). Scott and Sharon wish to thank all the people of St. James for more than 50 years of love, support, and encouragement and especially during the last few years after Scott's diagnosis with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a rare neurodegenerative disease that has no known cause, treatment, or cure. Why an ice cream treat? CurePSP.org, the primary organization advocating for research and awareness for PSP and CBD (corticobasal degeneration), has established May as PSP Awareness Month with the Ice-Cream Challenge. They encourage everyone to eat ice cream, post it to social media, and then reference CurePSP. So, come join us to celebrate St. James with gratitude for our beloved community and with hopefulness for research and development!
 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.
 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.
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OUR FUTURE . . .
 MAKE A TREE - On a chilly winter afternoon in February of 1913, at his home in New Jersey, poet Joyce Kilmer penned the opening lines of a new poem called "Trees" - “I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree.” First published in the August 1913 issue of Poetry Magazine, the poem was included and featured in his second book of poetry, Trees and Other Poems (1914). As you may recall, the poem concludes with these memorable lines - “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.” While it is certainly true that only God can make a tree, find out what roles we can all can play in contributing to this early rendition of the St. James "Tree of Engagement" illustrating the importance of our Centennial Capital Campaign by clicking THIS LINK.
 HEAD COACH NAMED - We are pleased to announce Mark Abell has been named Head Coach of our team known as the St. James "Centennial Centipedes". This enthusiastic squad of St. James volunteers 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 permitted to have a vessel to collect additional donations for our centennial capital campaign! Hence, the name - Centennial Centipedes. Click THIS LINK to view a brochure that provides a description of the opportunity for fellowship. Kickoffs for each game 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 the team, please contact kevin@stjamesknox.org or contact Coach Abell directly at Mabell3368@sbcglobal.net. Even if you cannot commit to working all 7 games, your availability for a good number of them would be extremely helpful.
 REASONS WHY - The focus group study and subsequent parish-wide survey administered last year provided remarkably consistent feedback and clear consensus in helping to shape the elements of our capital improvement plan. Three important reasons for conducting our centennial capital campaign emerged: (1) To preserve our mission, history, nave, parish house, parking lot, memorial garden, environment, and legacy, (2) To enhance accessibility, flexibility, traffic flow, physical comfort, energy efficiency, the nave, the parish hall, and the kitchen, and (3) To cultivate neighborhood engagement, community collaboration, expanded ministry, social justice, storytelling, membership growth, current giving, and planned giving. 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.
 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 or Library, on fourth Monday) 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: mbick7@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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Dear Friends, 
