I need your help. First of all we need to name some good leaders to serve on vestry for the next three years. Will you look around and ask your fellow parishioners if they are willing to serve? I also want to hear your creative ideas of ways we can reconnect after the past few years of keeping some distance. Let me know your thoughts and how you could be part of that. I also want to thank you for the way you welcome folks just discovering St. James. Keep up the good work.
Leadership, connection, and welcome are important as we move forward in ministry. We continue to seek your pledge for our capital campaign. I am excited that many of the proposed features will help us be more welcoming. The lift will help folks get upstairs for choir practice and meetings. Chairs in the nave will create better access for folks on wheels, walkers, and actually any of us. Your gift helps us make that happen.
A great opportunity for connection is the upcoming parish picnic on September 17. Look for information in this email and sign up. Our youth can join the youth of Good Shepherd at 6:00 PM for a cookout. See the announcement below to learn more. I am excited about both of these opportunities and hope you can find some welcome there.
Thanks again for being the welcoming folks you are. Thanks also for entertaining my requests for some help. We work together to share God's love.
Peace,
John Mark
OUR PAST . . .
100 YEARS OF MINISTRY - The special oral documentary being produced to commemorate our centennial has now successfully recorded and edited close to 400 soundbites and stories shared by more than 20 members of our church family. "100 Years of Ministry at St. James" will feature these recorded voices as they reveal some of the history, impressions,ongoing work of our ministry over the years. We hope to have a beautifully edited 100-minuteAUDIO file completed by the end of September. Parts of the finished documentary will be shared during our Neighbor Day Celebration (Sep/Oct) and during the Old North Knoxville Holiday Home Tour (Dec 3 & 4).
THE PRESENT . . .
Psalm 50:11. I know every bird in the sky, and the creatures in the fields are in my sight.
I love to watch the birds and hear their unique calls. I treasure the sight of the first hooded merganser in the wintery days. I like to watch the sandpipers dance on the shore. I always marvel when I see an osprey dive straight down into the water to pull out a fish. I love to hear the raspy call of the great blue heron flying overhead and to see them fish intently in the shallow waters on the edge of Long Island Sound. I am especially fond of cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, egrets, herons and raptors. I see cardinals and blue jays fly past my window as I work, and I often hear the songs of the mockingbirds before I see them. The variety of birds on the earth is shrinking, and it worries and saddens me. God knows all the birds of the air. God sees and loves the chipmunks, the mice, the voles, the deer, the foxes, the coyotes, the insects and all that move in the fields. Let us cherish these creations and protect all that God has made. source: Forward Day by Day
FOR A FRIEND AT THE ARRIVAL OF ILLNESS - This portion of a blessing by the Irish teacher and poet John O'Donohue was lovingly shared this week by Mary McGavock:
Now is the time of dark invitation beyond a frontier you did not expect Abruptly, your old life seems distant. You barely noticed how each day opened a path through fields never questioned,
Yet expected, deep down, to hold treasure. Now your time on earth becomes full of threat, before your eyes your future shrinks.
You live absorbed in the day-to-day, So continuous with everything around you that you could forget you were separate; Now this dark companion has come between you.
Distances have opened your eyes. You feel that against your will a stranger has married your heart. Nothing before has made you feel so isolated and lost.
When the reverberations of shock subside in you, may grace come to restore you to balance.
YOUTH COOKOUT - This Sunday, September 11, 2022! Grades 6-12 can join others at The Church of the Good Shepherd on Jacksboro Pike at 6:00 pm. Email Fr. John Mark and let him know if you are coming jwiggers@stjamesknox.org.
YOUTH MINISTRIES LEADERSHIP MEETING - The Diocese of East Tennessee is calling all youth to apply to be a Youth Representative at the Province IV Youth Ministries Leadership and Network Meeting, December 1-4, 2022, at The Cathedral Domain, in Irving, KY. Three youth for the Diocese of East Tennessee will attend this conference to listen to one another, share ideas and develop ministry opportunities for Province IV which is made up of 20 dioceses in the Southeastern United States. Applications are due October 1, click this LINK for the application.
YOUTH EVENTS - St. James Episcopal Church is in the process of developing a youth program that will re-energize the children and teen programs. In the meantime, St. James participates in The Episcopal Youth Community of the Diocese of East Tennessee, ETNyouth, a passionate and dedicated group of youth from over 50 worshiping communities throughout East Tennessee. This Fall, ETNYouth is holding great programs that may be of interest to you and your children. September 9-11, ENTYouth Fall Retreat for youth grades 6-12. November 11-13, Happening #82, a spiritual awakening and renewal weekend for high school students, grades 9-12. November 18-20, College Retreat. All events are at Grace Point Camp. For additional information review The Episcopal Youth Community website at this LINK. For information and assistance with scholarships, please contact Fr. John Mark Wiggers, jwiggers@stjamesknox.org.
PARISH FAMILY PICNIC - Rescheduled from July and celebrating 100 years of women's contributions, the St. Janes Episcopal Church Women will host the St. James Parish Family Picnic on Saturday, September 17 2022 at 11 am in the Parish Hall & Playground. Even if you previously signed up to attend, please register your plan to attend again. The ECW will provide protein and beverages, with COVID safety in mind and there will be activities for the kids. Please let us know you're coming by calling the church office (865-523-5687). For more information, please click THIS LINK, see the September newsletter. or contact Kitty McNamara (865-310-3065) or Nancy Pullen (415-722-0139).
FREE NEIGHBOR DAY CONCERT - St. James Episcopal Church, 1101 N. Broadway, invites you to a FREE Outdoor Concert, Tuesday, Oct 4, 6:00 pm. Sean McCollough will perform “Hear John Henry’s Hammer Ring—Moving Beyond Black and White Images of Appalachian Music.” With guitar, banjo, and mandolin, he will play and sing while demonstrating the history of Appalachian music, including British ballads and fiddle tunes, the story of the African banjo and Black string bands, coal mining songs, and contemporary Americana. Please bring your own chairs. Food trucks will be there, too!A Love Offering will be collected in support of St. James Outreach ministries in the North Knoxville community. CLICK HERE to view, print, and/or share a stunning poster to help promote this event!
OUR FUTURE . . .
SPONSOR A CHAIR - Soon, our old pews will be replaced with new cathedral chairs which are being built especially for St. James. Each chair will be made from solid oak with a wood back and an upholstered seat. They will also have front & rear book racks along with comfortable kneelers. These chairs will offer much greater flexibility in seating arrangements. Five or six chairs aligned in a row and secured with ganging clamps will retain the look and feel of traditional pews.
Family, friends, and organizations are invited to "sponsor" individual chairs by making a $500 cash contribution to St. James Episcopal Church specifically designated for this purpose. In exchange for your cash contribution, the backside of each chair you sponsor will be fitted with an engraved brass plate, (approximately 5" W x 2.5" H), commemorating your gift. The engraved message may memorialize a loved one, or recognize someone else of your choosing. The flexible arrangement of our new chairs in the Nave will ensure your thoughtfulness and the person(s) you memorialize will be noticed by a much wider audience than brass plates affixed to the ends of traditional stationary pews.
Please click THIS LINK to access the form you may use to sponsor a chair and submit a payment. If you have additional questions about sponsoring one or more cathedral chairs, please contact kevin@stjamesknox.org or jwiggers@stjamesknox.org for more details.
OUR CENTENNIAL PRAYER
Lord Christ, the shepherd of the sheep, we give thanks for those
who have built up the work of St. James over the past 100 years.
Give us grace to continue in their faithfulness
by doing justice and mercy in this community.
Grant us generous hearts to support and build the resources
that will strengthen and continue our work of feeding and tending your sheep.
May we do all these things to your glory, you who reign with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Visit sjNeighborday.com to browse this year's selection of auction items!
Thursday Study Group (Parish Hall and Zoom) 10 am - 11:15 am
Reading and discussing "The Inner work of Age Shifting from Role to Soul" by Connie Zweig , Ph.D.
Contact: nepullen@gmail.com or call 415-722-0139 for the link.
Praying the Anglican Rosary (Zoom) 7 pm - 8 pm
Cynthia Thornburg hosts 1 hour of praying the Anglican rosary. All are welcome!
Meeting ID: 836 8961 2206 | rosary
Contact: Cynthia Thornburg or Margaret Bickley
SUNDAYS
Sunday Morning Christian Formation (Conf Room A) 9:15 am - 10:15 am
"Episcopal Basics" - Some of the basic distinctives about being Episcopalian. We'll start by taking a look at the Book of Common Prayer, then look at our liturgy and let the conversation be guided by your questions. If you have been around for a while or just looking to learn more about the Episcopal way, join us.
New Class! Bible Study -- The Acts of the Apostles (Zoom)
Sundays, 6:00, Beginning October 9.
The book of Acts tells the story of the followers of Jesus after his ascension as they live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Narrow escapes, jail breaks, a ship wreck, and more. Life with the Holy Spirit is exhilarating, dangerous, and rewarding, but never dull!
Contact: Marie Cantrell for Zoom link
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 Discussion Group(Zoom) 11 am - noon Exploring current events in the light of our faith. Interested individuals are invited to join us via Zoom.
Meeting ID 816 8271 5668 and Passcode 481655.
Contact: Margaret mbick7@gmail.com, or call 865-384-7422 for assistance.
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.
We apologize for any errors or omissions that may have occurred in this publication at press time.
For questions related to any content, please contact referenced ministry leaders or email: kevin@stjamesknox.org.
St. James Episcopal Church 1101 N. Broadway St. Knoxville, TN 37917
I need your help. First of all we need to name some good leaders to serve on vestry for the next three years. Will you look around and ask your fellow parishioners if they are willing to serve? I also want to hear your creative ideas of ways we can reconnect after the past few years of keeping some distance. Let me know your thoughts and how you could be part of that. I also want to thank you for the way you welcome folks just discovering St. James. Keep up the good work. 
100 YEARS OF MINISTRY - The special oral documentary being produced to commemorate our centennial has now successfully recorded and edited close to 400 soundbites and stories shared by more than 20 members of our church family. "100 Years of Ministry at St. James" will feature these recorded voices as they reveal some of the history, impressions, ongoing work of our ministry over the years. We hope to have a beautifully edited 100-minute AUDIO file completed by the end of September. Parts of the finished documentary will be shared during our Neighbor Day Celebration (Sep/Oct) and during the Old North Knoxville Holiday Home Tour (Dec 3 & 4). 
Psalm 50:11. I know every bird in the sky, and the creatures in the fields are in my sight.
FOR A FRIEND AT THE ARRIVAL OF ILLNESS - This portion of a blessing by the Irish teacher and poet John O'Donohue was lovingly shared this week by Mary McGavock:
YOUTH COOKOUT - This Sunday, September 11, 2022! Grades 6-12 can join others at The Church of the Good Shepherd on Jacksboro Pike at 6:00 pm. Email Fr. John Mark and let him know if you are coming 
YOUTH MINISTRIES LEADERSHIP MEETING - The Diocese of East Tennessee is calling all youth to apply to be a Youth Representative at the Province IV Youth Ministries Leadership and Network Meeting, December 1-4, 2022, at The Cathedral Domain, in Irving, KY. Three youth for the Diocese of East Tennessee will attend this conference to listen to one another, share ideas and develop ministry opportunities for Province IV which is made up of 20 dioceses in the Southeastern United States. Applications are due October 1, click this 
N. Broadway, invites you to a FREE Outdoor Concert, Tuesday, Oct 4, 6:00 pm. Sean McCollough will perform “Hear John Henry’s Hammer Ring—Moving Beyond Black and White Images of Appalachian Music.” With guitar, banjo, and mandolin, he will play and sing while demonstrating the history of Appalachian music, including British ballads and fiddle tunes, the story of the African banjo and Black string bands, coal mining songs, and contemporary Americana. Please bring your own chairs. Food trucks will be there, too! A Love Offering will be collected in support of St. James Outreach ministries in the North Knoxville community. 
