100 Years of Ministry
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • July 13, 2022

As part of our year long centennial celebration, a special video is being produced this summer to commemorate the occasion. "100 Years of Ministry at St. James" will feature the recorded voices of parishioners sharing some of the history and ongoing work performed by the various groups within the ministry at St. James. The final edited video will also feature a collection of images to help illustrate their groups. 


Currently, we are seeking at least one individual from each ministry group to sit for a comfortable recorded 15-minute conversation, (audio only), with Kevin or Drew Jeske-Polyak. These conversations will take place in the Library by appointment at convenient times during the week, or on the weekend if necessary. Ideally, all of the conversations will be recorded prior to July 31st to allow time for editing. The great thing about audio recordings is the ability to select the best segments and edit them together in a seamless fashion. Please suggest some times that would work for you to talk about the ministry group(s) with which you are associated. Contact Kevin at kevin@stjamesknox.org. What a GIFT your spoken word will provide to our congregation for many years to come!

By John Mark Wiggers June 12, 2025
By John Mark Wiggers June 5, 2025
By John Mark Wiggers June 5, 2025
By John Mark Wiggers May 22, 2025
By John Mark Wiggers May 15, 2025
By John Mark Wiggers May 12, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, This Sunday is Mother's Day and also Good Shepherd Sunday. Both celebrations have been shaped and changed over the years. Good Shepherd Sunday got the name as we do read the passage from John 10 about Jesus the Good Shepherd, and Mother's Day has roots going back to Mothering Sunday in England. The establishment of Mother's Day in the United States was motivated by the recognition of the work of Ann Reeves Jarvis, Julia Ward Howe, and Anna M. Jarvis. These women worked for sanitary health care for soldiers and were advocates for peace during the Civil War. They imagined a union of mothers who would call for peace because mothers knew so deeply the loss of their children to war. Mothering and shepherding call for similar qualities of protection and care.
By John Mark Wiggers May 12, 2025
We continue celebrating Easter as we move into a month full of celebrations and transitions. I am looking forward to just hanging out with folks this Saturday night at our spaghetti dinner. You can find details about that in this email. Please mark your calendars for the annual Justice Knox Celebration on May 19 from 6:30 PM- 8:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church. We will have dinner and share stories about the next steps. You will also be asked to consider making an investment in the work of Justice Knox. I hope that you will consider giving to this important ministry.
By John Mark Wiggers April 24, 2025
Alleluia. Christ is risen. We celebrated the resurrection with so much joy this past Sunday. The Easter feast continues for 50 days. Thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter Sunday so special. You helped people feel welcomed to this place where we proclaim the welcoming love of Christ in word, deed, song, Easter egg hunts, and something good to eat. We welcome others because we have known the love of Christ and want to share it.
By John Mark Wiggers April 17, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, As we journey through Holy Week, I encourage you to pause and consider those events that lead us to the joyful celebration of Easter. May that also be reflected in our lives. We walk through hard things and know that God is with us. We hold to the hope that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
By John Mark Wiggers April 17, 2025
Friends and Neighbors, As the weather teases us with warm days followed by chilly ones, we enter Holy Week. You have probably heard me encouraging folks to experience the journey to the cross and the grave so we might celebrate the resurrection with that insight. God has shared this human experience and is with us in the darkness and the light. Our liturgies of Holy Week take us on that journey with Jesus and remind us that God is indeed with us on our own journeys.
Show More