7 from Kevin - September 2022
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • September 15, 2022
- More than 20 parishioners have sat for audio interviews recounting their history with St. James and the reasons why they enjoy being a member of our church family.
- So far 40 parishioners have prayerfully considered donations to the St. James Centennial Capital Campaign totaling $430,666 - equal to 21.5% of our $2M goal.
- Although Kevin has been working from home during this tough period of cancer treatments, Linda, Drew, and Marilyn have been so gracious in helping make that possible. They have also generously handled matters that had to be handled in real time at the church.
- Theresa, Rick, Linda, and Marilyn have been sharing needs and providing helpful numbers to assist Kevin in developing proposed administrative budgets to share with the finance committee in early September.
- Carol, Beverly, and Marilyn have been extremely cooperative and helpful in pulling things together to enhance and promote our Neighbor Day Concert in the Park(ing) Lot.
- Thanks to the Centennial Centipedes coached by Mark Abell, they will be operating the Moe’s Southwest Tex Mex concessions stand at Neyland stadium this year, St. James will receive 10% of all sales generated through that stand, plus they will receive 100% of all tips and some remarkable public exposure.
- The Doorstep Ministry group exceeded a
single day lunch distribution record
last week, satisfying the immediate needs of so many of our neighbors. St. James is looking at ways to expand the effectiveness of our contact with these neighbors that we serve.
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.