The tradition of observing the "Church Year" has deep roots. Prior to the birth of the Church, there was a Jewish calendar. "The remarkable aspect of the Jewish religious year was its transformation, in successive codifications of the Torah, into a series of historical commemorations associated with God’s deed in creation and in the redemption of God’s people" (see the Encyclopedia Britannica). For the Church, the religious year focused on the story of Jesus as Messiah and Son of God.

There are two poles or cycles to the Church year. The first developed around the celebration of Easter. The 40 day season of Lent was added prior to the festival, and the 50 day season of Easter was added after. The Easter Season culminates with the Feast of Pentecost, which we will celebrate on Sunday. (Please wear red!) This festival also has roots in the Jewish calendar where it celebrated the harvest and the gift of the Torah. In the Church Year we focus on the gift of the Spirit.

The second pole or cycle, which developed later, focuses on the Incarnation. We have a season of preparation with Advent, followed by Christmas and Epiphany. Both of these cycles help us to remember and rehearse the great story of salvation and hope.

In between these two poles or cycles is what has been called "Ordinary Time." Ordinary here refers to ordinal numbers which are used to mark the weeks (see Wikipedia). Ordinary time is anything but "average". Instead it is a time when we can focus on the application of the great stories of the faith in in our own lives.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, as we celebrate the great Holy Spirit festival of the Church year. May we go from strength to strength in a life of perfect service.

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

• 7:30am- Eucharist Rite II (with bagels & coffee to follow)
• 10:30am- Vinyasa Yoga with Lorie (in the pavilion)

Thursday, May 16, 2024

• 6pm- Hand Bell Choir
• 7pm- Parish Choir

Saturday, May 18, 2024

• 5-7pm- Supper Club in the Pavilion

Sunday, May 19, 2024

• 8am- Eucharist Rite I -outside in Pavilion
• 10am- Eucharist Rite II (music)
• 5pm- Choral Evensong

Monday, May 20, 2024

• 10:30am- Good Grief
• 10:30am- Vinyasa Yoga with Lorie (in the pavilion)

May Calendar

• 5/18- Supper Club
• 5/19- End of Program Year
• 5/19- Contemplative service-Evensong 5pm
• 5/27-Memorial Day- Office Closed

We have the best volunteers in the world! We are so grateful for you and all you do for this community! We couldn't function without you!

8am Service on Sunday OUTDOOR This Week

The 8am service will be in the pavilion this week. It will be 65 degrees at 8am this Sunday. We are excited to get back out there!

Wear Red on Sunday

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost. Don't forget to wear red!

Need For Service Streaming Crew

Since Covid, when we started streaming our 10:00 service, Stephanie has generously been single handedly working the iPad every….single….service! So, it’s time to create a streaming crew to help out!  We need approximately 5-6 volunteers to commit to one Sunday a month to help stream the service.  Does it sound difficult?  I assure you it’s not!  If you have ever zoomed in with your cell phone camera or streamed music to a speaker, then this will be a snap for you!  And we’ve created easy to follow, step by step directions which are absolutely idiot proof! ;)

Folks, this a spectacularly easy way to give back without taking much time out of your schedule – because you’re already at church anyway. Interested, but not quite sure you’re ready to commit to the challenge?  Then I invite you to sit with me during a service and I’ll show you just how easy it is. This is also a wonderful way for your middle schooler or high schooler to see that they too can make a difference by assisting you with this task if you find the idea a little intimidating. Please consider helping us out on this worthwhile mission to share our service with those who cannot attend in person.  If you have an interest then please reach out to Kasey or me and we will also have a sign up sheet on the bulletin board by the office.  Beth Baxter

Supper Club

Our last Supper Club before we break for summer will be all together in the Pavilion on Saturday, May 18th, 5 - 7pm. Please bring hors d'oeuvres to share. We could use a few helpers to set up and clean up. If you could help with that, please email Beth at bethbill@aol.com.

Come hungry, with a happy face, and bring your best Supper Club story to share. Water provided. Otherwise, BYOB. Regrets only to Beth.

Evensong

Please join us as the choir presents Evensong on Sunday, May 19th at 5pm. Reggie has designed a beautiful program. We hope you will join us.

Adult Sunday School

This is our final week. We will be studying, May 19: Christians and Romans (Acts 21:15-28:31)

We hope you will join us!

Shrine Mont Annual Retreat

We are thrilled to announce that we are taking our annual Parish Retreat to Shrine Mont on October 4-6, 2024. It is always such a restorative time of community and faith building. We hope you can join us! Please complete the form HERE or sign up in the hallway to let us know you are interested. 

The cost is $80 for children (ages 4-12), $95 for teens (13-18), and $180 for adults (18 +). If you would like to complete a Chenery grant request to help with the cost of your trip, please let the office know and we can get you a copy of the application, 804-798-6336. We don’t want cost to hinder anyone from this awesome experience. All are wanted and welcome!

Sunday Schedule:

• Children's Sunday School- Sundays 9am
• Nursery- Sundays 9am
• Children's Church- during the 10am service

The program year ends on May 19th, this Sunday. We will not have Sunday school, nursery or Children's church through the summer. We will be back with normal schedule in the fall. We hope you will bring your children into church.

Summer Programming

As we prepare to close down the Program year on May 19th. We look forward to family friendly events that will keep us connected through the summer.

• June 9th- Mario Kart Night- 6:30pm- Popcorn and Treats 
• July 21st- Family Lego Night- 5:30pm- Pizza and Ice Cream 
• August 8th- Flying Squirrels game (more information to come)

Vacation Bible School

This year we will not be offering VBS, however we have compiled a list of local churches offering VBS. Below are the links. Hope this helps!

Ashland Area:

St. Ann's Church- June 9th - June 15th

Slash Christian Church - July 22nd- July 26th

Gwathmey Baptist Church - July 15th - July 19th

Richmond Area:

St. Stephen's Episcopal - July 29th - August 1

Reveille UMC - July 15th - July 18th

Third Church - June 10th - June 14th 

The Expansion of SJTL Youth Group: Discerning, Teaming, and Planning 

We are holding four workshops in April and May to bring together those who want to see what is possible for the next phase of youth group at SJTL. These workshops are open to anyone who wants to spend time together discerning, teaming, and planning. We will meet in Brydon Hall. Bring a note pad or journal to write down and save your thoughts and ideas. For more information, text or call Aleta Meyer at 804-380-7832.

• Sun May 19, 6-7:30pm — Next Phase Workshop Four: What ideas do we have for our roles and overall plans for a next phase of youth group in 2024-2025?

Join us to celebrate an awesome program year following the 10am service on Sunday, May 19th! We will enjoy fellowship and popsicles.

• Sign up to bring meals for the Clinic Volunteers HERE
• Help stock our Emergency Food Pantry (outside the clinic)
• Send in your Pop Tops for McDonald House
• Bring in Hygiene or laundry items for Peter Paul
• Donate to ACES- Click HERE for current needs (we have a box in our hallway)
• Donate to Peter Paul Development Center. (box in our hallway)

Lord, we lift up this nation struggling with itself these days. Encourage us to faithfulness, righteousness, and compassion for all God’s Children. We lift up Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael, our Presiding Bishop, Mark, Dabney & Gail, our Bishops, Rock+, our priest, and Dawn+, our Deacon, Bo+, our supply priest. We pray for Bart, our Seminarian, in his formation. May they be strengthened and encouraged as the work with us to proclaim your Good News in this world. We pray for Joe, our President, Glenn, our Governor, and Steve, our Mayor, and all our elected officials. Guide them to lead us to the common good. 

We ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people. Remembering especially Gus Miller, Erin Yagla, Meghann Batten, Dennis Folsom, Court Warfield, Andrea Alexander McCallum, Joy Stevenson, Andy Newchok, Haden Hopkins, Kim Keene, Pam Bowers, Hilda Kelly, Harry Hassell, Bower family, Smith family, Lyde Longaker, Mary Ann Harris, Gini Dryden, Bob & Mary Lou Brown, David Bandas, Rone Deas, Diana Timberlake, Kristi Elles, Sharon Street, Pam Gillette, Joanne Watkins, Ruth Beaudry, Tom & Fran Burke, Dennis Ray, Dawn Haase & family, Tuck Davis, Kimette Cannady, Traci Smith, Jerry & Carolyn Peart, John Wagner, Alicia Wood, Lisa Capen, Heather Grande & family and Margaret Belyea.

We ask your prayers for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. We also ask your prayers for those serving in the diplomatic corps, the military, and as missionaries: Larson Flanagan, Kemper Jones, Greg Ericksen, Matthew Thomas, Philip Morison, James Ashley, Ellie Deas, Andrew Brunson, Liam Higgins, and Katherine Murphy. 

We ask your prayers for those who have died. We ask your prayers for those who grieve.  

Our citizens who live in Hanover County, the Board of Supervisors, School Board, and Manager. The print and broadcast media. The churches of metropolitan Richmond: members and clergy. All who live in poverty. All who suffer from mental illness. Our citizens who live in Ashland, Hopewell, Colonial Heights, and Petersburg, the town and city Councils and Managers. All who work in banks and finance; all making financial decisions for greater Richmond. Prisons and jails of metropolitan Richmond: prisoners and staff. All who are unemployed or underemployed. All public servants.

For all those who seek peace in the world and for ourselves, that we may bring about God's Kingdom here on earth. For our enemies, and for those who wish us harm.



Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored.

• Prayer List- Prayers of the People
• Giving Online- Click here to give online or text "GIVE2THELESS" at 73256 from your phone.
• Ask for prayer-Send in your prayer request (please acknowledge if the prayer is private or for our Parish list)
• The Collect Collective- Daily short prayer with Father Rock
• List of Local Food Pantries- Click here for a complete list of local food pantries.
• Fall Line Farms- A wonderful organization that supports local farmers. Click here to order food so you can pick it up here at SJTL on Thursdays.
• Self- Guided Ways Of Worship Brochure- It has wonderful ways of engaging with your own space (and the spaces around the church) to find the Holy, already present, within them.
• Father Rock's Blog- Access reading of all of Father Rock's Homilies.
• Blessings & Dressings- A copy of the SJTL Cookbook 
• End of Life Planning Kit- Help with estate planning from the Episcopal Church Foundation.
• Diocesan Creation Care Website- Creation Care Task Force

Saint James the Less Episcopal Church

125 Beverly Road

Ashland, VA 23005

(804) 798-6336

Staff: (click on the name to email them)

The Rev. Rock Higgins, tssf Rector

The Rev. Deacon Dawn McNamara Deacon

Reggie Long- Organist/Music Director

Miriam Smith- Christian Formation- Children & Youth Director

Kasey Buckland- Parish Administrator