This Christmas Eve our beautiful sanctuary — adorned by exquisite flowers and illumined by glowing candles — will be fully captured by a professional film crew for an unforgettable worship experience. The church will ring with the sound your favorite carols:
“O come, all ye faithful,” “Angels we have heard on high,” “Hark! the herald angels, sing,”
“Away in a manger” and “Silent night,” sung by candlelight on the steps of the church.
The service will be streamed at 4 pm and 8 pm on Facebook and www.doers/live.org
and available thereafter on YouTube. 
 
A beautiful at-home Christmas Eve liturgy will also be available on the church website (doers.org/christmas-eve-at-home/) for use in your home or by your House Church group during the twelve-day season of Christmas. 
The Church will be closed, Dec. 24 - Jan. 4, 2021

Sunday, December 27th, worship service will be with the Diocese of Virginia.
Scrolled down for details and links to the service.
We will be back with our normally scheduled worship and Sunday fellowship on
Sunday, January 3rd.

While the parish office is closed, you can still reach us.
For pastoral emergencies, please call the clergy on their cell phones.
Rev. Dr. John McCard, (404) 408-8241; Rev. Hilary Streever, (276) 451-8809;
Rev. Dr. Robert Friend, (804) 310-5713; Lay Chaplain Blake Singer, (423) 298-4907
Worship for December 27th

Spend the First Sunday after Christmas with the Bishop
St. James’s will have no Sunday services on December 27, but the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia will be hosting a Christmas Festival of Lessons & Music, starting at 8am.
Bishop Goff will preside and the service will feature Scripture readings and music
from congregations across the Diocese. 

You can watch on YouTube or Facebook. The service bulletin is available too.


And the link to the service bulletin

Help St. James's continue to meet the moment.
We know December is the time of year when so many of you complete
your giving commitments and also make plans for the coming year. As you consider
your gift to St. James’s, please think about what St. James’s has done in just the past
few weeks to bring hope, community and light to this challenging Christmas season.

There was the virtual choir performance that went out earlier this week and was viewed by hundreds of you. We opened up the sanctuary this past Sunday to many happy parishioners. There’s the beautiful Christmas Eve service we dearly hope you’ll attend tomorrow night—
and the consecrated communion wafers we’ve made available to everyone.
There was the powerful Service of Hope that brought comfort and perspective to so many. We’ve organized House Churches, a program that will get even bigger in the new year.
Our Children's Ministry produced a lovely Christmas Pageant video that featured sweet and entertaining moments from all the way back to 2002.
We’ve had a robust and passionate Adult Education program, plus our Wednesday Night Fellowship. And our Church Virtual School has been a refuge for
our Middle and High Schoolers. 

This church, despite the challenges of the last nine months, has worked incredibly hard
to meet the moment. If you haven’t made your pledge commitment,
now is your chance to meet the moment too. 

It’s far more important to make a gift of any size than to not respond to this invitation to give. Thank you in advance for making an annual gift commitment for 2021 by clicking on doers.org/give or by calling Suzanne Hall at 355-1779 x335 to make your pledge.
You may also text Doers to 77977.
Looking ahead to 2021 ...
Mary, Joseph & the Baby Jesus
are still looking for a room - can you
help them out during the 12 days
of Christmas?
The wise men are also on their way, and they’re planning to arrive at the end of the 12 days on January 6 (Epiphany). 
The creche figures will be provided by the church and delivered to the first hosts. Hosts or ‘innkeepers’ will share the fun with a photo of their guests on our social media accounts.

Learn more and sign up now to host the Holy Family or the wise men here.

Sponsored by the Invite Welcome Connect ministry. 
Adult Forum: Jan. 3rd, 11:00 am via Zoom
Big Fun Epiphany-at-Home Workshop
with Jerusalem Greer
Wondering what to do now that Christmas is over? Never fear! Epiphany is *almost* here! You’re invited to join Jerusalem Greer, lay minister and author of 
A Homemade Year, for an hour of festive Epiphany traditions and crafts, in preparation for Twelfth Night and Epiphany. We’ll even make Paper Bag Stars and Crown Cakes alongside Jerusalem! Learn more about Jerusalem click here.

For a list of what to bring, register by
January 2nd, here!
If the effects of the pandemic are taking a toll on you, you're not alone, "Mental Health and Care" is a faithful and thoughtful four-part webinar series from Amplify Media. The host, Justin Coleman, along with therapeutic and pastoral panelists will tell the truth about the difficulties of life in these times and offer tips from their own experiences. 
 
You're invited to watch the series, then join the Revs. Ray & Laura Inscoe Thursdays at lunchtime in January for a discussion of each episode. Read more and watch the series here.

Register for the discussion group here by Monday, January 4th, click here.
Dismantling Racism: A Youth Curriculum January - March 2021
The Episcopal Church has developed a Christian formation program specifically for youth called Dismantling Racism: A Youth Curriculum.

Our very own Mary Beth Abplanalp is certified to teach this 6-session curriculum designed to help middle and high school youth and their parents have conversations about race, become allies, and build relationships to address systemic racism in their context. The goal is to help youth connect their faith with racial healing in our communities.

The sign-up deadline is January 3rd. Get all the details and register here.
Church Virtual School
Virtual school is closed.
But it reopens January 4th and you can join in. 

Get a glimpse of how amazing this program is by clicking here.
Do you have our App?
Make sure to check out the new updates on our App. On the App, You will find tools like giving, streaming, and the bulletins. It is highly recommended to use the app as an alternative to paper bulletins.
St. James’s Episcopal Church | DOERS.ORG | (804) 355-1779