7 from Kevin - June 2023
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • June 6, 2023
- St. James is very fortunate and appreciative to have Reggie Hulsey be so instrumental in orchestrating the protection, disassembly, safe storage, & reassembly of the organ console, horizontal trumpet pipes, great division windchest (360 pipes), vertical pipes, and antiphonal pipes during the renovation of the Nave during the next few months.
- There's something brewing in the St. James kitchen besides coffee! Thanks to the dedication of our Kitchen Guild and the improvements that have been made to our kitchen space, there is a renewed commitment to keeping that space clean, organized, and functional. Serving on the Kitchen Guild is a great way to meet folks and an easy way to serve our faith community at St. James. Now that we are back in the kitchen, we look forward to forming several teams of folks who will serve on a rotating basis. Contact Carol Yates cyates0222@gmail.com for details.
- If you have been wondering what will become of the engraved brass plates that were affixed to the pews that have disappeared from the nave take comfort in knowing they are being respectfully cared for. They are currently in the custody of Jane Clift. Jane is lovingly polishing them for Troy Burns who will be mounting them on an oak panel salvaged from one of the old church modesty panels. When finished, the panel will be hung in a prominent place in the nave.
- Ordering and picking up food supplies from Sam's Club, (and Kroger) for our ministry groups requires great coordination on an almost weekly basis. A team which includes Mark & Susan Abell, Hoyt & Marilyn Canady, Patty Chase, Patricia Hammer, Kevin & Drew Jeske-Polyak, Nancy Pullen, and Mark Reddaway faithfully embrace this responsibility in serving the Doorstep, VMC Ministry Meals, Kitchen Guild, and Funeral Guild ministry groups.
- More than 250 names will be represented on the 2023 Centennial Quilt. Each will be hand embroidered by St. James volunteers donating their time and talent. The tedious process involves taking the signed pieces of fabric, selecting thread (usually two strands of embroidery thread), threading the needle, and using a selected stitch to trace each signature. When the pieces are finished, they are sewn to block colors. Thus far, the St. James volunteer quilters include Phyliss Muth, Elizabeth Young, Cynthia Thornburg, Kitty McNamara, Heather Glossup, and Bea Emory. If you are interested in helping, please contact Bea at beaemory@att.net.
- Daily maintenance of our building exterior and grounds requires great coordinated effort among our staff, volunteers and neighbors. This challenge has been increased recently with all of the dust and dirt being spread around during our renovations. Our breezeways and sidewalks are looking much cleaner now thanks to the help provided by neighbor Chad who performed some pressure washing this month.
- The
new altar in the Parish Hall was lovingly hand-crafted by Troy Burns using salvaged oak from the old pews in the Nave. The design is purposefully open and relatively lightweight, offering great versatility. After serving as our main altar during this summer, it will continue to be used for worship in various locations around the church.
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.