Friends and Neighbors, 

Thank you to everyone who was a part of all the St. James events over the past week. The ECW rummage sale drew a crowd of folks looking for a bargain. Some of us were downtown on Friday, showing how we could set up a chapel and have coffee hour in a parking spot. We had a fine celebration of the 10th anniversary of ordination for our friend, the Rev. R.J. Powell. Those were just a few of the activities. There was a great deal of time and energy put into making those things happen. Besides all of that, we were feeding our neighbors, praying, singing, and hosting neighborhood groups.

Each activity gathers around a purpose and has a particular mission to accomplish. All of those activities bring people together with their various gifts and interests. I also want to hold up that it is just nice to be together. Community matters, and being together is a valuable part of all the activities we do. It isn't always easy to be together. At St. James, we join in ministry with folks with different backgrounds and life experiences. As I see all those faces coming to the altar, I sometimes breathe a prayer I learned from the actor, Martin Sheen: "Lord, I am with them."

We are living in a time when some mighty loud voices want to claim that being a Christian is more about who we are against. I pray that in all of the rhetoric we can stand against divisive messages and love the people. Living out my faith with a community helps me because I can't always love so well on my own. Taking the time to pray together helps ground me in these practices that have been carried through the rise and fall of many empires. I also believe a pancake breakfast, unloading pumpkins, and passing out groceries are ways that we practice being the Body of Christ. You can join in any or all of those activities in the days to come. Check this newsletter for more information. I know that I have got to sign up to help in the pumpkin patch. You can too.

Thank you for all the ways you help bring us together to do good work and enjoy community.

Peace, 

Fr. John Mark