Volume 11 Issue 5 THE NET Page 1 St. James Episcopal Church...

Volume 11 Issue 5 THE NET

May 2015

The Net

St . James Episcopal Church

St. James’ Mission Statement

St. James is called to serve God, Christ, and the community of Greater New London.

Adopted by the Vestry May 2001

From the Rector’s Desk

“All may, none must, some should.”

The quote above may sound familiar to some of you. In all the references I’ve seen, it is a

quote that relates to the sacramental act of Confession and Absolution (see

“Reconciliation of a Penitent” BCP 447). Yet it is a quote that has become part of the ethos

of the Anglican communion, especially the part located here in North America—The

Episcopal Church.

The quote has been attributed to many different people; throughout history it has been

credited to a people like Thomas Cranmer, Queen Elizabeth I, some even claiming it was

first said by Martin Luther. While often misunderstood, Confession is for Episcopalians one of

our sacraments—which is usually translated as “an outward and visible sign of an inward

and invisible change”—although one of many (five) frequently overlooked or considered

“lesser” sacraments (like confirmation, ordination, marriage, etc.).

In The Episcopal Church we usually focus on two primary sacraments:

Baptism and Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper). Our reason for

doing this is these are the two commended to us in the Gospels, and

considered “ordained” by Jesus Christ.

In addition to sacraments, there are a variety of other “practices” that

can or may be used by some portion of our Church. Over the past

few years, we at St. James have experimented with some of these,

and others we use regularly. During the Christmas Eve service and the

Easter Vigil service we usually use incense—appropriate for “special”

occasions. For a period of time during the 10 o’clock service, we used

a Sanctus Bell. And, if you look around during any service, you’ll see

some people genuflect (that’s lowering one's body briefly by bending

one knee to the ground, as a sign of respect) as they leave or enter a

Vestry Highlights 3

Birthdays 4

Thanks 5-6

Parish Activities 7

Music 8

Outreach 10-

11

Financial Information 14-

15

Inside this issue:

THE NET Volume 11 Issue 5

The Net …

is the newsletter of St.

James’ Church, New

London, Connecticut.

It is published eleven

times a year

(September through

June, and a summer

issue) for the

information and

edification of St.

James’ members and

friends.

Articles are always

welcome and should

be submitted by the

tenth of the month

before publication.

While your input is

always welcome, we

would prefer to receive

it by e-mail or CD-ROM,

in Microsoft Word

format.

Please continue to

forward your

submissions to the

Church Office or email

them to: [email protected]

We also welcome your

comments and

suggestions. This is your

newsletter.

76 Federal Street

New London CT 06320-6601

860-443-4989

www.stjamesnl.org

pew. You’ll see our lectors “reverence” the altar as they

enter the chancel area to reach the lectern. You’ll see

others, at various times during a service cross themselves

(often at the announcement of the Gospel, or during the

Blessing at the end of the service). You might see some

bow during a portion of the Nicene Creed, when we

mention Christ’s death and burial.

There are other “events” which aren’t part of our Sunday

services, such as the weekly offering of Morning Prayer and

Evening Prayer. There are the Lenten Stations of the Cross.

And, of course, there is the availability of a mid-week

Eucharist.

For actions like these (and there are others as well), the

larger church believes they should be available, for

anyone interested in, or whose spiritual life needs or is

supported by them. But, the same church believes that

not everyone must use them, do them, or even take

advantage of them.

For me, the one “disadvantage” of the Episcopal Church is

that it welcomes and encompasses so many people with

so many traditions, that few of us have everything we

want, or everything we were used to having in our worship.

All of us should be prepared to accommodate ourselves to

some variety of practices—assuming that any action taken

just might be critical to someone else’s relationship to God.

As I talk about this, I immediately think of the early 1980s

when I was first began attending the Episcopal Church.

Despite the “new” Book of Common Prayer being adopted

in 1979, many parishes were holding on to the previous

book (1928) and its practices. Many of our parishes still had

Morning Prayer as their primary Sunday service, and for

music-lovers it was a great service—it seemed like a sacred

concert each week, with most of the “work” done by the

clergy and choir.

But with the “new” Book of Common Prayer, and a desire

to return to the historical and liturgical roots of the early

church, the weekly celebration of the Eucharist was once

again made the primary service on Sundays. There was a

renewal of the ancient practice of exchanging The Peace

(shalom), with the congregation shaking hands or hugging,

Rector’s Desk cont’d


and offering “peace” to each other during the service. And Baptism, not Confirmation,

once again became the “entrance rite” into the church.

If one experienced a Rip Van Winkle-moment in their lives (i.e., fell asleep for forty years, or

weren’t attending an Episcopal Church regularly during the early 1980s), a return to the

then current Church probably caused confusion, if not frustration. The focus was no longer

on setting quietly and unmovingly in your pew, no longer centered only on the priest/

preacher’s words and actions, no longer focused solely on one’s own salvation. Instead the

focus was on the community of worshippers, gaining biblical knowledge and liturgical

experience, worshipping as a community, spreading the good news, and seeking salvation

for all.

When it comes to things we do around the Church, we try to be clear that we invite all to

participate—“all may.” And, in our welcoming, remind ourselves and others—“none must.”

But, for our own spiritual well-being and that of our community of faith—“some should.”

Worship (and the sacraments) is not just about us individually, and rarely an impediment to

worshipping God, but is rather about Christ’s call for each of us to “Take up our cross, and

follow him,” and to “go and make disciples of all people.”

Rector’s Desk cont’d

Vestry Highlights

The Vestry met on April 7. We were reminded the Vestry Retreat will be held Friday evening

and Saturday, April 24 and 25.

In lieu of a May Vestry meeting, Sprigs and Twigs, Inc. will present their landscape design for

our grounds on Tuesday, May 5, at 6:00 p.m. All parishioners who have an interest in the

beauty of our physical plant are encouraged to attend the meeting. There will be a

Question and Answer session immediately following the presentation.

Proceeds from our Lenten Fish Dinners are being designated towards the purchase of a

new snow blower, allowing us to better remove snow from our sidewalks. This should

facilitate our snow removal with the help of our snowplowing contractor.

Three Palmer Fund Grants were awarded to St. James totaling $42,500 . The money is

disbursed with $35,000 for roof repairs for the south Church roof, $5000 for Music on Whale

Oil Row, and $2,500 for the Community Meal Program.

Respectfully submitted,

Jan Dargel,

Clerk


The next “official” date for Parish baptisms will be on Pentecost,

Sunday, May 24. If you know of someone–-child or adult–-who

is ready to become an “official” member of the Christ’s Church,

now would be an appropriate time. Anyone considering infant

baptism, would need to have both parents and godparents

attend a pre-baptismal counseling session, while adults being

baptized are asked to have their sponsors attend with them.

The pre-baptismal counseling session will be Saturday morning,

May 23, at 2:00 p.m. Please contact Fr. Michel for more

information, or to schedule a place in the class.

Baptisms

May Birthdays

The names on this list reflect the information as recorded in

the Church Database. Is your name (or a family member’s

name) missing? If so, please contact the Church Office and

provide us with the accurate information!

25 Judy Benson

25 Caleb Sieburg

26 Gary Evans

27 Janet Kepner

27 JoAn Collins

28 Marcus Velez

29 Ainsley Pinkowitz

31 Helen Benoit

31 Theresa Bokoff

3 Barbara Calkins

5 Rose Kydd

5 Anne Carr Bingham

7 Fred Driscoll

7 David Percival

8 Ellen Merrill

9 William Sieburg

10 Arthur Boulanger

10 Emily Brewster

12 Carol Bunting

14 Margaret Murallo

14 Barbara Skinner

14 Thomas Goebel

17 Elizabeth Traggis

18 Karen Hatcher-Sneed

20 Ryan Brennan

21 Donovan Dunning

25 Thomas Clark


Happy Mothers’ Day! —May 10

Treat Mom to our

Parish Brunch at 11:30 a.m.

Then, bring Mom to

Evensong at 5:00 p.m.

To the Altar Guild for all their efforts during Holy Week and Easter.

To Mary White for her coordination of the Easter flowers.

To the Adult Choir, Associate Organist Travis LaCombe and our Organist/Choirmaster

Andrew Howell for their excellent musical leadership during Holy Week, Easter Vigil, and

Easter Day.

To the many who enabled our Holy Week and Easter services: Acolytes, Chalice Bearers,

Counters, Greeters, Lectors, and Ushers,

To All who contributed to our Good Friday Offering, which benefits the Diocese of

Jerusalem and the Middle East. We collected $158.

To All who attended the Seven Last Words. $100 was raised to support L + M’s Chaplaincy.

To All who delivered Easter Plants to shut-ins.

To Jan Dargel for coordinating the Easter Egg Hunt for our children.

To Officers and Vestry Members for dedicating a weekend of their lives to attend the

Vestry Retreat.

Thanks to the students at Connecticut College who organized the 8th annual walk to end

homelessness which benefited the Homeless Hospitality Center and to the St. James

walkers: Walter Chojnacki, Tom Clark, JoAn Collins, Fr. Michel, Lori Sarkett and Ron Steed.


Lent has come and gone and so have our Lenten Fish Dinners. I’ve been told the food

was outstanding and the fellowship was enjoyable.

My thanks goes out to my helpers, Dan Ivey, Krissy Bath, Florence Bath, Lily Beeler, Lillian

Rosario, Fred Smith, Joela Depass (a student from New London High School), Mathew

Calkins, Ellen Merrill, and Fred Driscoll. The dinners couldn’t take place without the

wonderful people that helped me but also the faithful people that came out to enjoy the

good food and fellowship.

A special thanks to Ms. Lillian Rosario for all the wonderful desserts she made and also for

setting the tables and keeping Fr. Michel and Ellen from tasting the deserts before it was

time.

I’m pleased to say that we made a profit this year of $1007. There are so many groups and

places in our Parish and community that could use this money. It was very hard to decide

where the proceeds should go. With help from Fr. Michel, we made the decision to have

the money goes toward the purchase of a new snowblower for our Church.

Hope to see you at our Lenten Fish dinners next year.


Beverly Driscoll

A Word of Thanks …


Next Gathering: Friday, May 8 – 6:00 PM

Where: Longhorn Steakhouse 850 Hartford Turnpike (Crystal Mall)

Who: All who enjoy spending a fun evening with new and old friends

Sign-up Deadline: Wednesday, May 6

Informal dining, open menu; order what you want No big commitment, just join us when you can

Rides available AND encouraged! RSVP (name, # attending, and if you would like a ride)

Call Ellen at the Parish Office 860.443.4989. or Lori Sarkett at 860.701.0481

Join us for fun, food, and fellowship!!!

Come join the fun! Been thinking about it?

The Supper Group of St. James

St. John the Divine Cathedral New York City

St. James—New London

Invites you on a Deanery-wide bus trip

Saturday, June 13, 2015.

We leave St. James (76 Federal Street, New London)

at 8:00 a.m. and return to New London at 8:00 p.m.

We will attend Holy Eucharist at 12:15 p.m. A guided tour will follow. Meals are on your

own. There will be plenty of free time to explore, eat, and shop.

Cost of trip is $40 per person, based on a full bus, and includes transportation, gratuity, and

guided Cathedral tour. (Price will increase if bus not filled.)

Advance reservations required and will be taken until bus is filled. Payment is due at time

of reservation. No cancellations or refunds. Contact Lori Sarkett at 860.701.0481 or Ellen in

the parish office 860.443.4989 for information and reservations.

Bus Trip to St. John the Divine Cathedral


Choral Evensong

Sunday, May 10 at 5:00 p.m.

Please join us for the final Evensong service of this program year at St. James on May 10,

when you can listen to beautiful works by John E. West and Edward Bairstow. We will also

present William Walton’s unique and exciting Chichester Service (this piece was originally

programmed for April, but there were a few too many basses with travel plans for that

weekend … ). Yes, May 10th is Mother’s Day—and what a nice outing that would make, to

bring your favorite maternal person to Evensong after taking her out to lunch or afternoon

tea!

There will be a reception after the service; please join us there, and chat with the

choristers, Simon, and Jonathan over refreshments and a glass of wine and a nosh!

We hope to see you at Saint James on May 10!

Additional Greeters are needed for the 8:00 a.m. Sunday

service.

Sadly, we recently lost one of our faithful long-time greeters,

De Maiorana, and are now down to 3 greeters.

If you can spare one Sunday morning a month to say

"welcome", please call Sue Chojnacki 860.440.3427. Thank

you.

Greeters Needed

Farewell dear friends …

March Enders

Emily “Niikki’ King

Blanche “De” Maiorana

Stacia Wojtkiewicz


When: May 23 from 9:00 a. m. - 12:00 p.m.

Purpose: Church Clean-up Day

Reward: Donuts and coffee with a pizza party after the

work is done.

Contact: Sign-up sheet in Parish Hall or call Walter

Chojnacki 860.440.3427.

Parish Spring Clean-Up

Annual Bike Blessing


Jumble Shoppe News

Despite some winter weather closings, sales have been good at the shop. We have been

able to make disbursements to a number of charities, among them the Bishop’s Fund for

Children. We sent $500.00 to this fund, which supports organizations serving needy children

around the State. Close to home, the Bishop’s Fund supports an early childhood program

in Mystic and the Thames River Family Program in Norwich. If you have a favorite charitable

concern you would like the disbursement committee to consider, please contact Fr. Michel

or Dorothy Sieburg. If you would like to be a part of the decision-making for Jumble

Shoppe proceeds, please join our committee! We would love the input. Other volunteer

opportunities include: sales desk on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; sorting

and pricing, also during open hours as above; working on advertising flyers (on your own

time); planning for a Fall fashion show at the library (just beginning); helping get unused

items to Good Will in Groton. Donations of housewares, linens, and summer clothes are

now being sought. The Jumble Shoppe provides the majority of funds for all our Outreach and Mission

endeavors. Please support us in any way you can. Thanks to John Russell we’ve gotten

some fine bed linens, which are selling very well. Thanks also to David Downes for Good Will

runs. And of course a big Thank You to all our regular, faithful volunteers!


Dorothy Sieburg,

Co-Manager

Ecuador Mission Trip

The Seabury Deanery and the Diocese of Ecuador Central

Partners in Mission

It is back to La Mision San Pedro we go in August to be with our brothers and sisters-in-

Christ in el Paraiso de Pupusá. This year we will be working on the church AND helping

develop the community’s fish and chicken project. The community’s long range plan of

having sustainable income inches closer as we all work side by side.

Five people representing St. James will be part of the 2015 mission group. So, we’ll need

your support and your prayers! Watch for more information.


The Ascension Day UTO In-

gathering will be on Sunday,

May 17. The UTO, originally an

offering of the Episcopal

Church Women, has

expanded to include all

members of the Church.

The original purpose, to give

thanks for our daily blessings

by dropping a coin in a UTO

Blue Box has not changed,

and continues to this

day. Please pray and reflect

on all of our blessings this past

year and offer up a thanks

offering to this worthy cause.

Please convert your coins

from the Blue Box into cash

or a check and use the

envelope inserted in this

copy of The Net for your

offering. Also, envelopes

and Blue Boxes can be

found at both the entrance

to the Church and the

entrance to the Parish Hall.

Respectfully Submitted,

Dean Hantzopoulos,

UTO Coordinator

United Thank Offering Ingathering

Bishop’s 5K Race You can now click on a

link from the home page

of the Bishop's 5K for Kids

run/walk, www.bishops

5kforkids.org, to register

for the May 9 event.

When you register, you'll

have the option to

check a box so that

fundraising pages will be

created for you. Team

leaders can create

pages as well (see the

"Become a Fundraiser"

pages on the active.com

website). Then ask your

family and friends to visit the

pages, select the name of

the individual or team from

the drop-down list, and

make a donation to support

your efforts to help kids at

risk!

The event takes place at

Webster Hill School, West

Hartford.


Adult Ed

This year, our Godly Play classes will conclude on Sunday, June 7.

Since that is still a good month away, I’m not going to thank our

Assistant Teachers (just yet!). Our gathering, and learning will

continue each week—all the way to the 7th.

When this program year draws to a close, we will keep you

posted in future Announcements and articles in The NET regarding

our planning and when classes will start in the fall.

Godly Play (Church School)

Our latest Adult Ed series begins Wednesday, May 6, 2015. You’re invited to join a group

of your fellow parishioners as we spend four Wednesday evenings exploring the “Good

News” from St. John’s unusual perspective.

In the Gospel According to John, Jesus never tells people that they are healed. He never

says, “Your faith has made you well.” He never spits on the ground to make mud nor lays

his hands on anyone nor notices anyone laying hands on him. And yet, he heals no fewer

than five people over the course of the Gospel. How can this be? How can Jesus heal

people without speaking a word of healing or letting them know that they are healed?

And how do the healings speak to the lives of contemporary Christians?

We’ll be using materials developed by the Rev’d Adam Thomas, Rector of neighboring St.

Mark’s in Mystic, titled “Unusual Gospel for Unusual People—Studies from the Book of

John.” The course offers a video segment for each session, along with a personal

reflection guide (and daily delivered digital-content offering additional study materials). It

blends traditional Sunday School with modern, daily-delivered digital content, which will

keep readers connected with the material throughout the week. Between the daily

communication and the group gatherings, participants will immerse themselves in the

Good News.

You’re invited to join fellow parishioners for Evening Prayer in Hallam Chapel at 5:30, then

head to the Parlor for a potluck dinner at 6:00, and the course begins at 6:30. We will finish

around 8:00 p.m.

A sign-up sheet is in the Parish Hall, or you may register by contacting Ellen in the Parish

Office (860.443.4989). The registration fee, which includes the personal reflection guide

(also available as an e-book) and daily digital-content subscription is $10. Join us for this

“unusual” look at an unusual Gospel!


Capital Improvement Committee

With the arrival of Spring our agenda and the temperature are warming up. By the time this

issue of The NET is published, our roofing contractor will have already erected staging for,

and begun the renovation of the south roof; the third and final stage. Like the north roof,

we are improving the drainage with more and larger downspouts. Following the roof

completion, the south courtyard will need new landscaping and the drainage will be

improved to get the water away from the Church and the Rectory.

The roof renovation (along the final—Lyman Allyn—stained glass window work) is the last

major project which we planned from the inception of the Capital Campaign. This is not to

say that nothing else is needed. We will take a careful look at our available funds and

other needs in order to make recommendations to the Vestry by mid-summer.


Bruce Skinner,

Chair

If you regularly buy items on Amazon.com, you can now support St. James whenever you

make a purchase! Amazon.com has a program called “Amazon Smile” that allows you,

whenever you make a purchase, to select a charity to support, and St. James Episcopal

Church in New London is now one of those choices.

Instead of the “regular” Amazon homepage, go to Amazon Smile: http://

smile.amazon.com/, scroll down to St. James Episcopal Church (make sure you find the

New London one (currently on page 2)), then make your purchase. For any purchase you

make through Amazon Smile, a small contribution will be made to further the ministries of

the charity. You can purchase what you want, and you’ll help St. James out!

Thanks for your support!

You can support St. James on Amazon Smile!

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aAsONUWcY6YgsjQxnAmMRGWzlt8FHEHtj9oXT91Q4wHYAffEcp_FXTk0oA4u5LhivbFI-XZSGtYbXSv8ZPh_t13QkSiIRG0QbeyRd0CBq4GJILlNr3fEnq7jnUZAKc-dWLO0misBlTudMv_daxtvJWXCX_lIym7VOwtSMtYZF_g=&c=XVEfqvn1OOxJWM5gU4hAYO54WmWmR0e_QMUzz60-X9RFWEuir9xVs

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001aAsONUWcY6YgsjQxnAmMRGWzlt8FHEHtj9oXT91Q4wHYAffEcp_FXTk0oA4u5LhivbFI-XZSGtYbXSv8ZPh_t13QkSiIRG0QbeyRd0CBq4GJILlNr3fEnq7jnUZAKc-dWLO0misBlTudMv_daxtvJWXCX_lIym7VOwtSMtYZF_g=&c=XVEfqvn1OOxJWM5gU4hAYO54WmWmR0e_QMUzz60-X9RFWEuir9xVs


Pledge Envelopes

Each year, we offer those who pledge a set

of envelopes. These make it easy for

pledgers to stay current with their pledge

(each envelope comes with a date on it).

They help St. James track pledge

payments, so we can issue a statement

declaring the amount you’ve donated to

the Church (an Internal Revenue Service

requirement for any donation over $250, to

legally deduct your donation—if you

qualify—from your income tax returns). So,

they keep us all “on track.”

In each box, there are three “special”

envelopes. The first is a “Birthday”

envelope, to make a donation to St. James

honoring your birth (might I suggest $1 for

each year of your life?). The second is for St.

James Day (July 25th), when you celebrate

the Feast Day of St. James, for whom our

Church is named. And the third, enables

you to offer something for our Parish

Anniversary (September 26th), the founding

date of St. James in 1725. Must you give?

No. Will you? That’s a question only you

can answer!

By the way, a set of Envelopes is available to

non-pledgers as well. It offers you and St.

James a way to track your giving—and,

then, we can send you a statement you can

use for your income tax returns as well!

Tax Credit for Pledges. Did you know that you may or might be able to take an itemized

charitable deduction for your pledge payments to St James? If you are pledging, you

receive quarterly statements of your payments, along with a year end statement for tax

purposes.

If you support our Parish with cash in the offering plate, we would be happy to give you a

set of pledge envelopes for 2014 for your cash so we know who to credit. That way we can

send you a quarterly report for taxes. Please see Alma Peterson or Ron Steed for details.

Charitable Contribution—Tax Deduction

Each Sunday we adorn the Altar with flowers (except during Lent),

light a Sanctuary Candle, and consume bread and wine. The Altar

Guild pays for these from gifts given by members, family and friends of

St. James. If you would like to assist one week, an Altar Flower

donation is $45; sanctuary candle $5; and, communion wine or

communion wafer, $10 donation. Your donation can be made as a memorial honoring

someone deceased, or as a thank-offering to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other

special event in your life. Contact the Parish Office or an Altar Guild member for more

information.

As always, more than one person can make their offering in any given week. If you’d like

more information, speak to any member of the Altar Guild, or contact the Parish Office.

Some Giving Opportunities


Parish Financials ST JAMES CHURCH

TREASURER’S REPORT

April 7, 2015

This report covers from January 1, 2015 through February 28, 2015.

Total Income:

Budgeted Amount: $45,917

Actual Amount: $40,167

Amount Actual is Under Budget: $5,750

The primary contributor to this income overrun is Pledge Income, which is $6,685 under the budgeted amount.

Total Expenses:

Budgeted Amount: $67,634

Actual Amount: $66,562

Amount Actual is Under Budget: $1,072

Net Ordinary Income:

Total Income: $40,167

Total Expenses: $66,562

Net Ordinary Income: -$26,395

Endowment Income Applied: $21,800

Net Income -$4,595

Summary: For January and February 28, 2015 we are $4,595 behind where we expected to be based on our

2015 budget.

Investment Summary:

Balance 12/31/2014: $3,170.507

Balance 02/28/2015: $3,234.488

Total Value Change: $63,981

Withdrawal 5%: $21,800

Change Pre-Withdrawal: $85,781

Summary: Our pre-withdrawal investment value increased by $85,781, about 2.7%, through February 28, 2015.

After factoring in the 5% withdrawal, our investments are up $63,981, about 2.0% through February 28.


Gerald F. Miller,

Treasurer

Vestry’s Stewardship Statement The Episcopal Church teaches the biblical tithe as the standard of stewardship. The Vestry

of St. James believe that they and all parishioners strive to understand and meet that goal

as they personally are able. Adopted by the Vestry

November 15, 2004


Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

New London, CT 06320

Permit No. 236

St. James Episcopal Church

76 Federal Street

New London, CT 06320-6601

Postmaster: Time Sensitive Material, please deliver immediately.

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED.

On this Memorial Day (May 25) we honor

those who have served our country, as well

as those currently serving.

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