Friends,

As we end our season of Lent in the coming weeks, we ponder what we have learned. I hope you take some time to reflect and ponder with God what you are missing in your life. What is it your heart longs for? How can you make it real for you?

This Sunday we have our Blood Drive at the Church. If you are eligible to give, we hope you will consider it. A link to sign up is below.

We are gearing up for our big annual fund & friend raiser, St Jimmy's Jam. We need you! There are jobs with people. There are jobs avoiding people. There are jobs sitting, and jobs without chairs in sight. Sign-ups will soon be out. If you helped last year, would love to have you jump back in, especially if there is something in particular you liked doing. Jim Allen is our ringleader for volunteers. Andy Newchok is organizing and soliciting sponsors to cover our expenses so that as much of what we raise is profit. 

Now is also the time for you to reach out to neighbors and friends and have them join in the fun. That is where the real work of events like this happens. 

St Jimmy's Jam

May 4, 11:30am-5 pm

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

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

Thursday, March 14, 2024

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

Sunday, March 17, 2024

• 8am- Eucharist Rite I (no music)
• 9am- Sunday School (Adult & Children)
• 10am- Eucharist Rite II (music)
• 8am-12pm- Blood Drive
• 5pm- Contemplative Service

Monday, March 18, 2024

• 10:30am-Good Grief
• 10:30am- Vinyasa Yoga with Lorie
• 7pm- Dream Group (Harrisons)

March Calendar



• 2/21- 3/20- Lenten Program (Wednesdays 7-8pm)
• 3/16- Supper Club
• 3/17- Blood Drive 8am-12pm
• 3/17- Contemplative Service 5pm
• 3/28- Maundy Thursday Service 7pm
• 3/29- Good Friday Service 7pm
• 3/30-Noon- Holy Saturday Service,
• 3/30- 7:45pm- Easter Vigil
• 3/31- Easter Service (8am outside, 10am inside)
• 3/31- Easter Egg Hunt 11am

How blessed are we to have such a lovely community! Thank you to our choir and Reggie who does such a wonderful job! We are grateful to our lectors, LEMs, and acolytes as well. You make such a difference in our worship.

This past Sunday, we met the Rev. Bo Millner (top center in picture), who will be filling in for Father Rock while he is on Sabbatical. While he will be missed in our community, we are in great hands. While he is with us, we can help him by getting back into the practice of wearing our nametags. (If you need a new one, or a correction, please let us know) See his bio below to learn more.

If you have a prayer request, health update or concern you would like to discuss or get support with while Father Rock is away, please reach out to the office (804- 798-6336) and we will make sure you get the support you need. Our team is prepared and ready to step in however might be needed.

The Rev. Bo Millner Biography

Born August 3, 1954 in Richmond, Va. Grew up in Kinston, NC, being baptized at St. Mary's on November 14, 1954. Graduated from high school in Kinston in 1972. Graduated from University of Richmond in 1976 with a BA and from the Virginia Theological Seminary with an MTS in 1979. Prior to ordination in 1984 in the Diocese of NC, I did further work (4 semesters) at the Duke University Divinity School. Served churches in NC, Christ Church Raleigh as a DCE, St. Stephens, Durham, as ordained Assistant. Then went to St. Johns at West Point Va. as Rector. Followed by 11 years as Rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rocky Mount NC. Served GHTC as Rector for sixteen years, beginning in 2003 and ending with retirement in August 2019.  

I am grateful for all the opportunities these churches provided, with my work with Circles RVA being a particular highlight. I was a founding Board member and first President of the Board. In retirement I enjoy working at the St. Thomas Food Pantry, continuing to advocate for Circles RVA, and as a Board member of Sophia Theological Seminary. Also in retirement I have enjoyed pursuing photography. I had a solo show at the Imperial Centre in Rocky Mount, NC in 2022 and in June 2024 will have a solo show at Art Works in Richmond. In retirement I've also had a few articles published in The Anglican Digest.

I married Katherine Kelly in July 1976. She is a retired art school teacher and maintains her own painting studio in Richmond. Two children, Bollin (1985) and his wife Gabrielle, live in London, and Tom (1987) and his wife Kai'li live in Charlottesville Va.

Easter Flowers

As our tradition goes, we honor loved ones with the flowers in the service on Easter Morning. If you would like to dedicate Easter Flowers in a loved ones name for Easter Sunday, please email Kasey with the name of the beloved(s) you would like to honor. They can be "in memory of" or "in thanksgiving of". The cost is $25. They will be assorted types of Easter and Spring flowers. It will be so beautiful to see our sanctuary filled with remembrances of our most cherished saints.

Contemplative Service

We hope you will join us for the Contemplative Service on Sunday, March 17th at 5pm. It will be a beautiful time of reflection and quiet. Come join us as the Rev. Deacon Dawn McNamara leads us.

Mark your calendars for Sunday, April 7th. We will have a delicious catered lunch following the 10am service to send Father Rock off on his Sabbatical. We are so happy for him and wish him a peaceful time away with his family.

Triangle of Hope Meals

We are so looking forward to hosting the youth and chaperones of Triangle of Hope in Ashland, VA July 24- August 4 at Randolph Macon. While they are here we will need some help supporting them with meals. We have asked other churches and groups from our Diocese as well. Some meals will be dropped off to them at their dorms at Randolph Macon in individually bagged breakfasts/lunches. Some meals will be prepared warm at St. James the Less. If you, your church or a group of friends and family would like to sponsor a meal, please review the available slots HERE and click on the button to sign up. There will be around 50 people (34 youth, 16 adults) 



Please also bring plates, utensils, napkins, cups and drinks with your meal if you can. If you are bringing a "Grab & Go" meal you are welcome to put them in brown bags. Please include the utensils and napkins needed in the bags. 

Thank you! We are so grateful for your support of this community! We couldn't do it without you!

Creation Care

ADDRESSING ECO-GRIEF: Many Christians have deep concerns about damage done to God's creation and our future in it. Creation Care Alliance of N. C. offers a well-structured, virtual, 7-week place for discussion and support. A new session, led by the Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri and Connie Burns, LCMHC, will begin March 21. Learn more here. Send questions to: Connie Burns

SEIZING AND PREACHING HOPE: a webinar with the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care, Episcopal Diocese of Western Mass.

We learn daily of environmental changes and political unrest: how do we discern God's plan for us? how do we find hope for the future and speak it? The diocesan Creation Care Committee offers a virtual hour of reflection and conversation with the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas on April 11, 4 PM, SEIZING AND PREACHING HOPE. All are invited to join the conversation. Learn more and register here.  Send questions to: creationcare@episcopalvirginia.org

Lenten Series

This Lent, the Diocesan Community is invited into a journey to commit in new ways to becoming Beloved Community and growing loving, liberating, life-giving relationships across the human family of God. We make the journey not only as individual Christians and congregations, but as a whole church, seeking to make a commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice. We will be meeting 5 weeks on Wednesdays 7-8:30pm. February 21st will be the first class. There is no class Holy Week. Our Seminarian, Dr. Bart Natoli will be leading us for this incredible series.

In the ministry of racial healing and justice, none of us walks a straight line. We enter the labyrinth wherever God has provided an opening – telling the truth about our church’s story around race; discerning and proclaiming God’s dream of Beloved Community where we are; learning and practicing Jesus’ way of healing and love; and bravely working to transform systemic racial injustice. We keep moving from one quadrant to another and back. No one is ever really finished. That is the way of ongoing spiritual formation. And so, this Lent, we will “walk” sections of this labyrinth, gathering as a group, engaging with the scriptures, and reflecting on our experiences. 

Blood Drive 3/17

We will be holding a blood drive in our Parish Hall on Sunday, March 17th from 8am -noon. If you would like to sign up for an appointment, you can do that HERE. If you have donated before and are in the system, you can call the office to sign up for a time. (We just can't register first time donors). We have filled 17 of the 37 appointments. Spread some "luck" on St. Patty's Day and save some lives.

They have updated their guidelines so that more folks can donate. Check HERE to see if you are a candidate.

All who come to give will receive a $10 e-gift card to a pet supply merchant of choice. Plus, they’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a $3,000 gift card. There will be five lucky winners! Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Pets.

Sunday Schedule:

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

Children's Supplies -Help us get ready for the annual Easter Egg hunt and Lent preparations. Click the link HERE to see the needs for our youth and children’s programming. Thank you all so much for your continued support!!!

• 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. (we have a 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. 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, Meredith Moon, Meghann Batten, Dennis Folsom, Court Warfield, Andrea Alexander McCallum, Joy Stevenson, Andy Newchok, Rebecca Hottman, Haden Hopkins, Kim Keene, Pam Bowers, Hilda Kelly, Harry Hassell, Joel Blunk, Holly Rison and family, Bower family, Gavin Yonce and family, Smith family, Lyde Longaker, Mary Ann Harris, Michele Parks, Gini Dryden, Bob & Mary Lou Brown, Kay Kemper, David Bandas, Rone Deas, Wilson Loving, Phil Edmonds, Diana Timberlake, Kristi Elles, Sharon Street, Betz Martinez, Pam Gillette, Ray Tyson, Lillian Espinoza-Gaia, Joanne Watkins 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.

Lent 4 Homily

Click HERE to read the sermon

• 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