Dear Friends,

We are in the midst of our annual Neighbor Week! St. James parish seeks to be a good neighbor in many ways. We literally feed our neighbors, We provide a beautiful space that is also useful for many community groups. We engage in many activities that are open to all. Many of our ministries serve others and provide opportunities to serve. 

We also acknowledge that partnership with neighbors helps us do good things. We can't tackle every community problem or address every need. We can join with groups like KARM, VMC, and the Compassion Coalition to serve others. We partner with over 20 congregations in Justice Knox so that we can effect change in our community. We need partners big and small to help us experience what it means to love God and our neighbor. 

Thanks to everyone who helped make our Tuesday night concert a success. Good music, good food, and good friends made it all a wonderful experience. Our Neighbor Day activities continue. Don't forget to place your bids online. The auction goes through Saturday night when you can catch me on our YouTube channel talking with some neighbors about mercy and justice. 

As I think about joining with neighbors, I am reminded of the ministry of Jesus. While Jesus was often depicted as going away to pray, he was also right in the mix of things. Jesus was feeding and healing people. Jesus then gathered a group around him and he then sent them out in groups to do the same. Faith is indeed a personal journey and it is a shared journey. I especially am reminded of this when we gather to receive the Eucharist. We all come to the altar with our various experiences and needs. Jesus meets us there and sends us out to be good neighbors, sharing the bread of life to all. 

Peace, 

Fr. John Mark