7 from Kevin - May 2023
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • April 30, 2023
- Thanks to John Mark & Liz, Carol & Butch, Kevin & Drew, Barbara H, and Gail for helping in the preparation and serving of chili cheese hot dog burritos to inspired church members who drove through our parking lot on their way to the Justice Knox Nehemiah Action in April.
- Your Centennial Committee has been working tirelessly for over 2 years, (since Feb, 2021), planning our Centennial Celebration and Capital Improvements. This has included seeking and prioritizing input received from the congregation and ministry groups, assembling a qualified design team and developing fundraising strategies to raise the necessary funding . Their work is not through, but we appreciate all the work being performed by Katharine Criss, Mark Abell, Hoyt Canady, Lee Creech, Duane Dunlap, Bea Emory, Drew Harper, Sarah Rimer Moss, Kevin Jeske-Polyak, John Mark Wiggers, and Carol Yates, among others.
- Since the day Project Manager Rick Blackburn was named to head up our centennial capital improvement project, he has provided everything we could have hoped for to help us realize our dream. He has listened very closely to our needs, produced realistic project proposals, and masterfully coordinated resources to ensure we stay on schedule.
- We appreciate the work Supervisor Wayne Wilson has been doing in coordinating the activity of the professionals who have been working diligently to complete our renovations. Their efforts to complete the work as smoothly as possible with the least amount of inconvenience for everyone has been refreshing.
- Among other talents, our brother Troy Burns is an exceptional woodworker. We are so blessed he is offering his time and talent to assist us in removing and shortening the old pews in the church. If you are interested in owning a piece of history by purchasing one of the old pews, contact kevin@stjamesknox.org before it’s too late.
- Justice Knox is a coalition of faith-based organizations committed to seeking justice for underserved and marginalized neighbors by addressing systemic problems in our community. Kudos to the many members of our St. James family who contributed to the power of people during the 2023 Justice Knox Nehemiah Action at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium & Coliseum.
- Compassion Coalition is a coalition of faith-based organizations committed to providing mercy to address the immediate needs of underserved and marginalized neighbors in our community. In addition to supporting the long-term initiatives of Justice Knox, St. James is a proud member of Compassion Coalition. Through its association with CC, St James is committed to forging relationships with other churches to perform mercy work.
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.