7 from Kevin - August 2022
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • August 16, 2022
- The Insights and sentiments expressed by the participants in the audio project currently being produced to commemorate our 100-year anniversary are truly inspiring and reaffirming. Don’t miss this opportunity to lend your voice to this permanent record to be listened to by many generations to come. Set up an interview by contacting Kevin or Drew at kevin@stjamesknox.org.
- Now is the time of year when the leaders of our funded ministry groups closely examine the expenses related to their work to project what their needs will be in the coming year. It also provides an opportunity to consider planning for some things differently and/or expanding services in some ways.
- On Sunday, July 24th, St. James hosted a group of 30 boy scouts and their leaders for an overnight stay just before the National Order of the Arrow Conference being held at the University of Tennessee. Earlier in the day, they traveled from Newport News, Virginia where St. Stephens Episcopal Church regularly supports them by providing a space for the Local Wahunsenakah Lodge Leadership to meet. Special thanks to Marilyn C. and Rick B. for making sure they were well cared for.
- Have you ever wondered what it costs to prepare a nutritious bagged lunch like the ones distributed through our Doorstep Ministry group Monday - Friday? Well, the cost of 2 slices of bread, 1 slice of cheese, 1 mustard packet, 1 mayonnaise packet, 1 pudding cup, 1 fruit cup, 1 package of crackers, 1 bottle of water, 1 napkin, 1 spoon, 1 sandwich bag, & 1 carry-out bag comes to $1.27.
- So far, 29 centennial pledges plus 4 cathedral chair sponsorships totaling $397,166 have been contributed to our Centennial Capital Campaign, amounting to 19.9% of our goal. Help us make a giant leap forward in reaching our goal during the month of August by visiting stjames100.org and making your pledge TODAY!
- Special thanks to the volunteers who serve the A/V Ministry group. Those of us who routinely attend church in person but for one reason or another cannot attend are not able to aptly express how comforting it is to hear the spoken word, song and the faces, (even when masked) of our neighbors as we commune together on Sunday mornings. Even if from time to time there is a technical glitch in the livestream, Sunday Services at St. James are so good for the soul.
- Thanks to Carol Y and Rick B for the extra effort they have been making to clear clutter from our spaces around St. James - especially in high traffic areas and other corners where clutter distracts from the beauty and organization of our sacred worship space. There is still much clearing of clutter to be done, but we are making great progress.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friends and Neighbors, The annual Nehemiah Action is this Tuesday, April 8. We gather with over 22 congregations to ask our leaders to commit to taking action on important community matters. This year, we are asking for commitments on housing instability, homelessness, and transportation. Please invite others to attend. Having a large number of people makes a difference. You can find the details in this newsletter. Your presence helps us bring more justice to our city.
Lent is a season when we are particularly called to consider our sins and to amend our ways. Many of the messages we hear in our culture tend to focus on the sins of an individual. The witness of scripture places as much emphasis on corporate sins. In the story of Jonah, the whole city is called to repent. Prophets like Amos deliver the call for all those in power to stop mistreating the poor. In Nehemiah 5, we hear the story of Nehemiah gathering a great assembly to call for the leaders to stop the unfair lending practices harming their community. As faithful people, we are called to consider the ways that our life together touches the lives of others.
I am writing this on the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19). This character in God's salvation story has an intriguing supporting role. He chooses to protect Mary and the expectant child despite the possible scandal. Joseph finds himself fleeing for Egypt to protect the newborn Jesus. We don't otherwise hear much from or about Joseph in scripture. He is a faithful person who sought to follow God in tough situations.
Get ready to jingle all the way to the "Smoky Mountain Ring" - a sensational showcase of talent and community spirit! Join us on Saturday, April 5 @ 4:30 pm at Grace Lutheran Church, (9076 Middlebrook Pike), where The Bells of St. James will be ringing in harmony with several other talented handbell choirs under the expert guidance of clinician Brenda Austin. This vibrant concert is more than just a musical event; it's a heartwarming celebration of connection, inclusivity, and the joy of coming together as a community. We can't wait to see you there!