Weekly Letter, 07/27/2023
The Rev. John Mark Wiggers • July 31, 2023

Dear Friends,


"Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Matthew 13:52


As we move toward the completion of our renovations, I think about the place of St. James in this community over the past 100 years. We continue to hold our Episcopal identity rooted in ancient traditions while engaging what is new. I believe that being good stewards of our property can (at our best) only strengthen our ministry. We are not preserving a museum of faith. We bring out the treasures of the faith and embrace what is new and emerging. 


Some of the "new" for us will be found in the subtle ways that changing our space influences how we worship and do ministry. The flexibility of our space calls us to use it faithfully to share what is old and what is new for the kingdom. I encourage us all to dream of ways to share God's love in a world that is anxious, afraid, and hopeless. Let us dream together. 


While we dream we also gather in many ways. Remember that our 100-year anniversary celebration is on September 17. Bishop Cole will join us to bless and dedicate our renovations. Before then, we continue to feed and tend God's sheep. You will find opportunities to pray, study, and serve in this newsletter. 


Thank you for all the ways that you bring out what is old and what is new in order to share God's love with others. May we dream with God a vision of hope, healing, and love. 


Peace, 

Fr. John Mark

Weekly Letter, 06/12/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • June 12, 2025

Weekly Letter, 06/05/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • June 5, 2025

Weekly Letter, 05/29/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • June 5, 2025

Weekly Letter, 05/22/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • May 22, 2025

Weekly Letter, 05/15/2025

By John Mark Wiggers • May 15, 2025

Weekly Letter, 05/08/2025

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.

Weekly Letter, 05/01/2025

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.

Weekly Letter, 04/24/2025

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.

Weekly Letter, 04/17/2025

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.

Weekly Letter, 04/10/2025

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.
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