Weekly e-Epistle from St. James' Mill Creek

Weekly e-Epistle

from

St. James' Mill Creek

Wilmington, Delaware

August 8th, 2021

We'd love for you to join us!

We would be pleased if you joined us in person or online from the comfort of your home for church services via Facebook Live at 9:30am.

https://www.facebook.com/StJamesEpiscopalChurchMillCreek/

St. James Mill Creek Facebook page

Here is a PDF of this Sunday's bulletin for you to enjoy.

Sunday Bulletin (August 8th)

Upcoming Visiting Clergy

Sunday, August 8 The Rev. Canon Carl Kunz, Jr.

Sunday, August 15 The Rev. Emily Gibson

Sunday, August 22* The Rt. Rev. Kevin Brown, Bishop

* Confirmation

Sunday, August 29 The Rev. Emily Gibson

COVID-19 Restrictions

In accordance with the State of Delaware’s easing of Covid-19 restrictions, our bishop has also eased Covid-19 restrictions for churches, therefore:

The following easing of our restrictions will begin immediately:

· Social distancing will no longer be required.

· Pew separation will cease.

· Pews will no longer be assigned.

· You may choose your own seat!

· Coming up for Communion will no longer require separation and direction.

· We will no longer be taking contact information for contact tracing.

If you are not fully vaccinated these changes may NOT be safe for you!

PLEASE NOTE:

· For the time being, we will continue to require masks in church.

· Please use hand sanitizer before entering church.

St. James’ Family Promise Host Week Special Announcement

For everyone’s safety, Family Promise will continue to house families at one location, the Hospitality Center at Jesus House, to reduce contact for guests and volunteers. Guests will still receive all the same case management services they would have received previously, just not at the Day Center. Congregations are still needed to provide support in the form of evening meals, and other supplies, including breakfast and lunch.

August 29^th Host Week -

We are looking for volunteers to supply dinner to our guests the week of August 29th. There are 2 families in network, one in Cottage 1 and one at Red Roof Inn as they have a service dog. We will keep you updated as things change. If you are interested, Dave Perry will send an email shortly or you can contact him directly to sign up.

At this time, we are not asking for other donations. Supplies will be purchased after the coordinators have been in contact with families to determine their needs.

If you would like to participate but do not feel comfortable, monetary donations or gift cards to restaurants that deliver are always welcome.

As always, many thanks to our volunteers. You are the reason we are able to do this worthwhile ministry. Every family we support gets us that much closer to ending family homelessness. Thank you for all you do.

Dinner Delivery Details-

Location Details:

· Families are staying at Cottage 1 at the Jesus House at 2501 Old Milltown Rd, Wilmington, DE 19808.

Meal Drop-off:

· Meal delivery should occur between 5:30-6:30 PM.

· Families are expected to be at dinner on Sundays! Volunteers may choose to serve outside and utilize outdoor dining, or allow families to take meals inside. You can eat dinner with families only if they are eating outside, but that is your choice. There are picnic tables on the grounds. If you do not feel comfortable staying and eating, then feel free to just deliver food.

· Meals no longer have to be separated by family. Meals and supplies are for the whole Cottage to share. You may absolutely set aside a meal for anyone missing dinner.

· The families have use of the kitchenette in their cottage (refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, two burner cooktop, sink, coffee pot, dishes, utensils), but it is not a large area.

· The families will stagger their meal times to be able to distance. You will be serving Cottage 1. That is the one on the left as you’re facing them.

· Leave the food on the table outside and knock to let the families know the food is there. If no one answers, please call Val Brunson at 302-476-5067.

Coffee Hour Announcement

Gail Zimmerman will be stepping down as hostess for coffee hour in the fall. Volunteers are needed. She will gladly train whoever is interested in taking over so that we may continue to enjoy having Coffee Hour after church.

If you are interested or need more information please contact Liz at office@stjamesmillcreek.comcastbiz.net .

St. James' Pastoral Care Team

St. James' Pastoral Care Team continues to support our parish family and our community.

If you or someone you know is in need, we:

· send cards, make phone calls, and pray with you and/or for you.

· Also, during this time of transition, if you need a priest, we will help with that, too.

· For now, in an abundance of caution,, our home, hospital, and Eucharistic visits are on hold.

Please call the office (302-994-1584) and leave a message. Someone will get back to you. Messages are retrieved daily, seven days a week.

Please note: We are not always informed about parishioners entering the hospital. So, please call if you or someone you know has been admitted to the hospital.

Please let us know if you need us or someone you know needs us. We will not know if you do not tell us.

“Blessful” Meditations

We all know that life can be a little stressful and hectic sometimes. We hope that by reading this short bible passage and watching a relaxing video will help you take a moment and reflect on God’s gifts.

Psalm 16:9

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure."

2 HOURS of Relaxing Clouds & The Best Relax Music ~ Sleep, Study, Meditation, Relaxation

We are grateful for the support that enables us to serve lunch at the Emmanuel Dining Room and provide needed clothing and food for those being served at the Hope Center.

EMMANUEL DINING ROOM

Providing a daily lunch to those in need in Wilmington

Our next date for providing lunch for Emmanuel Dining Room will be Tuesday, August 31st, 2021. We continue to deliver our lunch items and extra bottles of water. We hope we will be able to actually serve our guests in the dining room sometime this fall.

New Castle County HOPE Center

for Individuals and Families in need of temporary housing and support services

What started as temporary housing during the cold weather of 2020-2021 has grown into a permanent center that provides housing and support services for individuals and families who are without adequate housing in New Castle County.

New Castle County (NCC) purchased the former Sheraton Hotel on Airport Rd (now named the New Castle County HOPE Center) and kept the hotel management staff to keep the facility running.

Working together, many non-profit organizations including Family Promise provide various services and support for individuals and families to obtain emergency and more significant housing and medical, psychological, and job skills opportunities as well.

The hotel can accommodate 400 and suites and adjoining rooms are given to families and enable households to stay together. Housing is coordinated through the Delaware Housing Alliance.

If you know of anyone who needs this housing, please ask them to call 1-833-FIND-BED (1-833-3463-233) and leave a message.

How St. James' can help:

Review the list below and see if there are items you could provide.

Drop the items off:

· Monday-Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the parish hall porch

Please place your donations in the bin labeled Donations for HOPE Center on the porch of the parish hall. Liz will bring in the bin and any donated items at 1:30 p.m.

· Weekly, we will take the donations to Friendship House

Items needed:

Diapers - all sizes - Urgent need for size 5 & 6
Uber/Lyft Tickets in $25 increments
Washable Mesh Laundry Bags with drawstring
individual size creamers for coffee
Snack bags - pretzels, chips, or goldfish
Powdered Drink Mixes - Iced Tea/Lemonade
Small containers of peanut butter and tuna fish (easy open)
Microwaveable one-dish meals
Quart size/ Gallon size and sandwich size Ziplock bags
Fruit cups, apple sauce, and pudding
Individually wrapped crackers, granola bars, and cereal bars
$5 gift cards - Target, Acme, Wawa
Hot Chocolate mix
Baby wipes
Non-alcohol hand sanitizer
Non-refrigerated milk and powdered milk
NEW Underwear, and socks - all sizes, children through adult
New or gently used t-shirts and light jackets
New books for adults and children
New puzzles, crossword books, and puzzle books - adult/children
Art kits, adult and children coloring books, colored pencils
Sunscreen
Umbrellas
Hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap (regular and travel size)
Tide pods or other laundry pods
Containers of ground coffee (the staff brews coffee daily for the guests)

Thank you,

St. James' Outreach Ministry

Prayer Team

On the first Sunday of every month the members of the prayer team hold a “virtual” ZOOM prayer service at 11:30 a.m. (focusing on the prayer requests shared by parishioners through calls or emails to the church office or to individual members of the prayer team.) We lift up these prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world.

During this time of Covid-19, the prayer team is holding ZOOM prayer team gatherings twice a month. Also, weekly we share the prayers and petitions that have been given to us and they are lifted up daily by members of the team. All are welcome to participate in these services.

Next Prayer: Next meeting will be Sunday, August 15th.

For those who have an immediate prayer need or would like to receive the ZOOM codes and join the prayer team service, we invite you to email your prayer needs/requests to Sister BJ Brown at: sisterbjbrown@gmail.com or call Cindy Fauerbach 302-584-8053