Weekly e-Epistle from St. James' Mill Creek

Weekly e-Epistle

from

St. James' Mill Creek

Wilmington, Delaware

May 14th, 2023

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/

Sunday Bulletin (May 14th)

There are many things in our lives that can be objections of devotion, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly: a well-curated collection items; our jobs; or our families. We have different ways of emphasizing this devotion, too, whether it’s through a well-lit display; hours spent in the office; or framed photos that remind us of the people we love. Sometimes, we are so close to these items and these pieces of our lives, we forget where they've come from or what they might represent.

In this week's reading from Acts, Paul tells the Athenians that he has witnessed their own devotions. He notes the structures and the statues they have, and he quotes some of the poetry and writings they’ve read, recognizing how extremely religious they are. And yet, he also points out that one of the items has the inscription, "To an unknown god."

Paul’s move from here is quite a deft maneuver. He connects the god that they view as unknown to the God that is made known through the words of the prophets and through the person of Jesus. He tells them that they are missing the point by trying to depict a god in such a limited manner when the good that can be attributed to God can be seen all around us. What Paul seems to be calling them to is a recognition that there actually is a connection between two groups (the Athenians and the growing Christian community) that may not have initially been evident. When those connections are realized, though, what once may have been seen as differences can now be seen as ways to find common ground.

Outgoing Vestry Class “Thank You”

Our thanks go out to the most recent outgoing Vestry class. Many of those members helped steer our parish through both a transition AND a pandemic, and they did this work with humor, grace, and faith in one another and in the love of Jesus. The members of the outgoing class include the following:

Ian Prescott

Margaret Russ

Bruce Vrana

Susan Winward

Thank you to the four of them for their work and ministry as members of the Vestry and for all of their work and support of the ministry of St. James’.

Note from Liz Lichtenstein:

As some of you know, the weekly e-Epistle typically goes out on a Wednesday. We're going to try sending it out a little earlier in the week, so if anyone has any announcements that need to go out please email it to me or let me know by Friday so that I can have it ready for the Monday of the following week. Thank you so much!

Calling all Graduates!

Let's take a moment and celebrate all those who are graduating this spring. If you would like to make an announcement on the e-Epistle please email the office at office@stjamesmillcreek.comcastbiz.net with information of your graduate by May 19. We’ll name and celebrate our graduates of all levels on June 4th, Trinity Sunday. Please mark your calendars, and we hope to see you there!

Pentecost Sunday - Coming Soon!

Pentecost Sunday (falling this year on May 28) marks the end of the Fifty Days of Easter and the moment when the disciples receive the Holy Spirit. This is a day of celebration, and the festival color for our worship is red. If you have something red to wear, set it aside for that day. This year, this feast day also falls on Birthday Celebration Sunday, so we’ll celebrate Pentecost and all of you were born in the month of May on this day. We hope you’ll join us!

Bingo Night Update

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time. The new scheduled date for Bingo Night is June 5^th 2023 at 7PM.

We look forward to seeing you all and enjoy gathering together for a fun-filled evening.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Nancy Patterson at

302 239 7649.

St. James’ Flea Market Bake Table

Saturday, May 20^th from 8AM to 1PM.

Items for sale may be dropped off from 7AM until noon. All items for sale must be clearly marked and priced. All items need to be secured in ziplock bags or foil baking pans with snap on lids.

Items needed for sale: baked goods.

If you are interested in helping please call the office.

Thank you, Sheron Hutcheson

Print a copy of flyer

St. James' Mission and Outreach updates

Sharing God’s gifts with others

Reaching out to those in need

And serving them with dignity and respect…

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 can you help?

Review the list below and see where you might be able to help.

Current items needed:

Hygiene items such as deodorant, shampoo, and soap (regular and travel size)
Individual sized peanut butter crackers, tuna, microwavable meals (pastas, soups, etc.)
Non-alcohol hand sanitizer
Tide pods or other laundry pods
NEW Underwear, and socks - all sizes, children through adult
New or gently used t-shirts and light jacket
New books for adults and children

Please drop the items off:

· Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 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 12:30 p.m.

· On Sunday, there is a container in the foyer of the church.

We take the donations to the distribution center about every two weeks.

Thank you,

St. James' Mission/Outreach Ministry

Prayer Team Updates

The prayer team continues to lift up prayer requests shared by parishioners through emails or calls to the church office at 302-994-1584, to individual members of the prayer team, or requests left in the prayer basket in the church foyer. We collect the prayer requests and other concerns of the parish, community, and world. They are compiled weekly and then these requests are lifted up in the daily prayers of the team members. All are welcome and encouraged to share their prayers.

For those who have an immediate prayer need, we invite you to email your prayer needs and request to Carolyn Mack at cdmack37@gmail.com or call 302-565-8675

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.

· Make home, hospital, and Eucharistic visits.

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 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.