1

St. James’ Episcopal Church

Newsletter January / February 2020

St. James’ Episcopal Church is a community of faith where we come together in Christ to

develop spiritually through worship and Spirit-led action. We experience the sacred through our liturgy, music, hospitality, and shared ministries. As part of our outreach mis-sion to the greater Clinton area, the parish campus is used by various community groups as

a place of meeting and fellowship. We are continually and prayerfully exploring ways to transform the world through loving faith-filled service.

Staff

Richard Lloyd, Minister of Music Mujo Salkic, Sexton Caitlin Richer, Office Administrator Terry Neil, Interim Treasurer

Vestry

vestry@stjamesclinton.org

Ken Iles, Senior Warden Pat Davis, Junior Warden Malinda Abraham, ‘21 John Crossley, ‘20 Mark Linderman, ‘20 Terry Neil, ‘20 Jennifer Potter-Hayes, ‘21 Gail Prentice, ‘21 Mary Seyse, ‘22

Leadership Group Chairs

Charles Abraham, Hospitality Malinda Abraham, Hospitality Chris Fox, Outreach Patty Fox, Outreach Patricia Jue, Altar Guild Greg Neil, Property Management Jennifer Potter– Hayes, Finance Investment

Guiding Team Members

learncom@stjamesclinton.org

Charles Abraham, Karen Anderson, Kathy Collett, Deb Mott, Terry Neil Church Office Hours:

M/Tu/W/F 9 a.m.– 12 p.m. Th 9 a.m.– 1 p.m. (315) 853-5359 office@stjamesclinton.org

The following sermon was given by Karen Anderson during the Advent III

services on December 14 &15.

Isaiah 35:1-10, James 5:7-10, Psalm 146:4-9, Matthew 11:2-11

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you

may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

If you have been an Episcopalian for a while, you are undoubtedly familiar

with the liturgy of our church. You know that no matter which Episcopal

church you are worshipping in, there will be a familiar routine. The service

will have readings from the Old and New Testament, we will say the Nicene

or Apostles Creed, we will pray together, confess our sins against God and

each other, and if the service has Holy Eucharist we will share in the sacred

meal of communion. There may be a choir present to enhance the worship

with anthems and choral responses. We may or may not join in the singing of

hymns.

One of the things many find comforting about the Episcopal Church is the fa-

miliarity of that liturgy, feeling we can worship in any part of the country (the

world even) and we will feel at home. Every year at Advent we rotate to one of 3 tables of the lectionary - that is

code for the verses we read from the Bible each week. We have, again, just

begun year A. What that means for us as listeners is the gospel we will hear

from the most throughout this year is Matthew. In addition to following the lectionary, the Episcopal Church designates mul-

tiple seasons of the year. Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week,

Easter, Pentecost. We follow these seasons over and over again, year after

year with the hope that each time we celebrate a moment in the story of God,

we will have an opportunity to see something in a new light. Even though we

have heard a particular Bible verse before, perhaps today, given the circum-

stances we find ourselves in, we will hear it differently than we did in the

past. Possibly this time, as we hear a homilist, or we sing a hymn, we will find

2

new meaning. The intent of this repetition is that we will be drawn closer to God, that we will be transformed through our

corporate worship and that we will leave this sacred space and live out lives so filled with the Holy Spirit

that we cannot help but spread the Good news of Christ Jesus to the world. Just as we have for the past 2 weeks, we began our service by lighting the Advent wreath. The wreath is

made of evergreens, signifying continuous life. Its shape is circular - with no beginning or end, symboliz-

ing the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ. There is one

candle for each of the 4 Sunday’s in Advent. Three of the candles are violet or blue as ours are - a liturgical

color that signifies prayer, penance and sacrifice. Today, for the first time this year we lit the rose candle. It

signals that we have reached the midpoint of Advent. This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday - which is the latin term for rejoice. We can rejoice because Jesus is coming

soon! Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah came there would be such abundance that even “the wilderness

and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom.”1 When this day comes the “waters

shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert, the burning sand shall become a pool, and

the thirsty ground springs of water.”1 Isaiah told of a time when all would be filled with joy and singing. He declared that weak hands and feeble

knees would be strengthened. That blind eyes would open and deaf ears would be unstopped. He pro-

claimed there would be joy and gladness, that sorrow and sighing would flee away. The prophet Isaiah was believed to have lived around 700 years prior to the birth of Jesus. Yet his powerful

imagery can have relevance in our modern world. As I heard this passage this week, I kept returning to the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. What if

our blindness is our inability to see another’s point of view? What if what we are deaf to is a voice that is

counter to our own? We often perceive ourselves as possessing a particular trait, when in truth, others find

us lacking that attribute. Perhaps, this reading for us at St. James’ this year is inviting us to self introspection. What is God calling us

to next? Who are we as individual children of God and as a collective congregation? How can we navigate

this highway “called the Holy Way”1? St. James’ has been my spiritual home for over 25 years. I am grateful for all of the folks who have an-

swered God’s call to shepherd us to be the best church we can be. Each of them has shared their unique

gifts and their faith and their vision for who we can become. Each of them has touched our lives and the

lives of those who came before us. I love this church. While I wish that we were more racially diverse, I am grateful for the diversity we do

have. I appreciate that we hold varying political views and we come from a broad spectrum of socio-

economic levels.

I love the fact that some of us are cradle Episcopalians and some of us came to this tradition later in life. I

am delighted that we have parishioners who have been here for many, many years, and those who are new

to our parish. I feel I am a part of the family of St. James. And like all families we are complicated.

Some days this family challenges each other, and some days this family lifts one another up. Some days

this family has disagreements and other days this family works together for a single purpose.

3

Outreach Youth Ministry

I do not know what our future holds, but I believe with all my heart that God has plans for each of us. So today, I invite you to rejoice my friends! Rejoice, for the birth of the Savior is close at hand! God is with us in our uncertainty, or our anger; in our sorrow, or our anticipation. The coming birth of Je-

sus is a renewed opportunity for us to see through eyes filled with compassion, rather than judgement, to

listen deeply to one another, to the world around us and to God. And most importantly, a renewed oppor-

tunity to love one another and gently hold each other in grace. “Be strong, do not fear!1” God will come and save us! Rejoice! Karen Anderson, Lay Preacher 1 NRSV Bible Isaiah 35:1-10

Thanks so very much to everyone who participated

in our giving tree over the holidays. All of the stars

were taken and fulfilled, and we delivered approx-

imately 30 fleece blankets and 20 dish towels to the

Country Pantry and many hats, scarves and gloves

to Hope House. These very worthwhile organiza-

tions were extremely grateful for our donations.

We will keep you apprised of upcoming events,

but we hope that everyone will consider joining

our group!

Chris and Patty Fox

Since Rev Bev and Father Mike and their lovable

puppets are no longer with us at St. James’, we are

working out our programming options going for-

ward. For now, we will continue to have Sunday

School class with a story and a craft on the first Sun-

day of every month. There will be Children’s Wor-

ship Bulletins and coloring pages and appropriate

activities available with clipboards and crayons at the

back of the church every week. We are working out

the details for a family, intergenerational evening

dinner and craft, but are not prepared for a January

dinner. We hope to have a dinner in February. More

information will follow for the coming months.

We would welcome any input as we determine our

needs and capabilities going forward. If anyone is

interested in participating, contact Jan Wilson by

email at wilsons1975@gmail.com or by cellphone at

315-223-1940.

Thank you and God bless!

Jan Wilson

A Prayer of Thomas Merton

God, we have no idea where we are going. We do not see the road ahead of us. We cannot know for cer-

tain where it will end. Nor do we really know ourselves, and the fact that we think we are following your

will does not mean that we are actually doing so. But we believe that the desire to please you does in fact

please you. And we hope we have that desire in all that we are doing. We hope that we will never do an-

ything apart from that desire. And we know that if we do this you will lead us by the right road, though

we may know nothing about it. Therefore, we will trust you always though we may see to be lost in the

shadow of death. We will not fear, for you are ever with us, and you will never leave us to face out perils

alone.

Thoughts in Solitude, pg. 83, adapted

4

From the Pew: Vestry as Servants of the People of God

by Patricia Jue As we approach our annual meeting, Sunday January 19, I ponder what this means for St. James’, Clinton,

this little yellow church on Williams Street. We will hear reports from various committees, learn about the

budget that the vestry has voted upon, and confirm the call of the vestry members to be servants of the

People of God. Wait, what was that? First, to be clear: as our elected fiduciary representatives, it is the ves-

try that determines and votes on the yearly budget. The budget is presented as a matter of information to

the parish; the parish neither votes on, nor approves the budget. As for vestry being a call, in a booklet

published by the Forward Movement Publications Heyward H. Macdonald writes, “Many…remember the

days when many vestry persons were selected either to represent a family or factional interest or to guard

the parish checkbook…parish politics and these elections often proved bitter and divisive….we borrowed

the process and language from the secular world, and they wondered why we felt and looked so secular.

Now…we no longer ‘elect’ vestry, we ‘call’ vestry,…we no longer ‘vote’, we ‘ratify’ the perception of call as

a faithful community…Gone is the expectation that vestry members represent any special interest group…

[rather] we [vestry members] are Christians, helping others to do the Lord’s work in love.” What a power-

ful concept!

An article in the January 2019 issue of the Vestry Papers reminds us that “as the elected lay representatives

of the parish, the vestry… is responsible for the missional, spiritual, strategic and fiduciary life of the local

faith community. Vestry service is holy and important work…However, maintaining an effective and func-

tional vestry does not happen automatically. It requires a thoughtful, prayerful and deliberate process of

discerning and responding to God’s call in very practical and specific ways.” Similar to the board of direc-

tors of other non-profit organizations, vestry members are responsible for the finances and management of

property and human resources. But even more, they are to actively engage in God’s mission to the world.

The vestry is to be called by the parish community to be spiritual leaders, always, but especially during this

Interim period, this time when St. James is between Rectors. This needs nurture and support, not only by

prayer and loving reading of Scripture by those called to be on vestry, but through the prayers of the pa-

rishioners. And so, as we approach the 158th annual meeting of St. James, please pray for our current ves-

try, and those about to be called as wardens and vestry, now and during the months to come.

This article represents the musings and options of one parish member on the Eve of the Feast day of the

Naming of Our Lord. It is not meant to represent the views of the Diocese of Central New York, and the

parish of St. James’ Episcopal Church.

Sources include “The Calling of the Vestry as Servants of the People of

God” by Heyward Macdonald, “10Mistakes Vestries Often Make” by Don-

ald Romanik at “Vestry as a Team” https://www.ecfvp.org/vestry-

papers/106/vestry-as-team and “The Vestry Manual of the Episcopal

Church in the Diocese of Central New York at https://

cnyepiscopal.org/resources/parish-resources/vestry/

5

Parish Events

Annual Meeting

The meeting will take place January 19, 2020, follow-

ing the 9:30 am service. The polls for voting will be

opened at the 4:00 pm service on January 18, to com-

ply with New York State law. Parishioners will be

able to vote following that Saturday service as well

as the following Sunday morning. We will be

providing advanced materials on those running for

Vestry prior to the services and Annual Meeting.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

On Tuesday, February 25th, St. James hosts a Pan-

cake Supper, open to the community. All proceeds

will be donated to a community non-profit organiza-

tion. If you can volunteer or would like to suggest a

non-profit organization, contact

communication@stjamesclinton.org or leave a note

with the church office. More information to come.

Episcopal Hockey Night

Friday, January 24th 7-10:00 p.m.

Join Episcopalians for a night out at the hockey

arena as the Syracuse Crunch face off with the

Binghamton Devils!

The game is held at The Oncenter War Memorial

Arena, 515 Montgomery Street, Syracuse.

Youth registered for the winter overnight the fol-

lowing day will have the option to stay overnight

at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church after the game.

Ticket purchase details coming soon,

Visit https://cnyepiscopal.org/event/hockey-2020/

Diocesan Events

Youth Winter Overnight

Saturday & Sunday, January 25 & 26

The Diocesan Youth Ministry invites youth in

grades 6-12 to enjoy a free weekend of winter fun.

We’ll volunteer at the Samaritan Center, a local

community outreach program, enjoy an evening of

skating at the Clinton Square Ice Rink in down-

town Syracuse, and spend the night at St. Paul’s

Episcopal Church before Sunday morning worship.

For more information visit https://

cnyepiscopal.org/event/winter-overnight/

Epiphany Party

Each year, St. James celebrates the Feast of

the Epiphany on January 6. Join us in the Parish

Hall, starting at 5:30 pm, for this festive gathering.

Bring an appetizer, meal dish or dessert to share.

Champagne and non-alcoholic beverages will be

served.

Wine and Cheese Fellowship

A wine and cheese fellowship will be held on Satur-

day, February 8th following the 4:00 pm service. The

evening is hosted by our hospitality committee and

all are invited!

Diocesan E-newsletter

Sign up for the Diocesan e-newsletter

to stay up to date with information!

To sign up click here.

6

Parish Communications

November / December Server Schedule

Date Lectors LEMs Ushers/ Greeters Altar Guild

Sat. 1/4

4:00 p.m. Kathy Heuss Patty Fox

Chris Fox

Kathy Heuss Karen Anderson

Sun. 1/5

9:30 a.m. Deborah Mott Mary Lou Iles

Ken Iles

Don Neil

Sat. 1/11

4:00 p.m. Patty Fox Chris Fox Patty Fox Karen Anderson

Pat Davis

Jan Wilson

Sue Hecklau Sun. 1/12

9:30 a.m. Diane Baldwin Brian Collett

Don Neil

Randy Wilson

Sat. 1/18

4:00 p.m. Chris Fox Patty Fox Chris Fox

Person Scheduled

Jan Wilson Sun. 1/19

9:30 a.m. Gail Prentice Bill Kistner

Karen Anderson

Wendy Seifried

Sat. 1/25

4:00 p.m. Malinda Abraham Charles Abraham Malinda Abraham Karen Anderson

Sue Hecklau

Pat Davis

Jan Wilson Sun. 1/26

9:30 a.m. Jackie Medina Kathy Collett Pat Davis

Sat. 2/1

4:00 p.m. Ted Johnson Karen Anderson Wendy Seifried Person Scheduled

Sue Hecklau

Pat Davis Sun. 2/2

9:30 a.m. Mark Linderman Barbara Swetman

Don Neil

Randy Wilson

Weekly E-news

Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter

to stay up to date about parish

news, read sermons, learn about di-

ocesan events, find out what's going

on in our community, and more! Click here to sign up or contact the

office at (315) 853-5359. The newsletter is sent out Friday

morning. The deadline to submit

content is Thursday

at noon. Please e-mail article sub-

missions to the office at

office@stjamesclinton.org

Church Directory

St. James has an on-line password protected directory for active par-

ish members.

Simply go to our website www.stjamesclinton.org and click on the

red Church Member Link square. Alternatively you can get to the

directory using www.churchmemberlink.com/directcommunicator/

sjec The username is your first and last name separated by the un-

derline character; for instance Mary_Smith. If you are uncertain of

your password, there is a handy “Forgot your password” link. If you are new and would like to be added to our directory, or are

uncertain about how to connect to and use the directory, contact our

church administrator, Caitlin Richer, or members of the Communi-

cation group, Kathy Collett and Patricia Jue. For our up-to-date calendar visit www.stjamesclinton.com/calendar.

7

Becoming part of the ministry of St. James: Ways to Serve

October Vestry Meeting Highlights Call to Order: The Vestry meeting convened on October 16, 2019, at 7:10 p.m. in the St. James’ Conference

Room. Father Gary opened with a prayer. Vestry Members/ Officers Present:

All wardens, vestry members and staff were present. A Day School liaison was present. Meeting Summary:

The September meeting minutes and Treasurer’s report were review and approved. Property Management

and Finance-Investment reported for their committees. The vestry and Day school discussed their relation-

ship with one another and an ad hoc committee was formed with the goal of clarifying the expectations

and roles of each organization, update the by-laws, and provide a recommendation to the vestry on what

should be done. The vestry discussed the 2020 budget. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Members of St. James Church are invited to serve as Lectors and Ushers. LECTORS: come to the Lectern to read the First Reading, typically from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testa-

ment). At the Saturday 4pm service, they also lead the reading of the Psalm. For the Sunday service, the

choir sings the psalm except during the summer when the lector leads. Caitlin, the office administrator

sends the readings to the scheduled lectors a day or two beforehand, so folks can practice. In the Episcopal

Church, no license is required for this lay ministry. However, since they read the Word of God to the par-

ish, lectors should approach this service as a sacred lay ministry. USHERS: come to church early and hang out the flags. They greet people and give them a worship bulle-

tin. Before the start of the service, they ring the steeple bell. During the service, they count the number of

people attending and record this on the provided paper. At the Offertory, this paper is brought up to the

altar, along with the Bread and Wine. Both ushers guide communicants during Eucharist. After the service,

they make certain the offertory gets to an official counter and put the flags away. New ushers are paired

with more experienced ones. Together they insure St. James is a welcoming place. While these tasks may

seem “mundane”, ushers are an important part of the first impression visi-

tors have of the St. James community. Equally, ushers serve as representa-

tives of the gathered congregation as they bring the gifts of the people (the

wine, the bread, and the offering) to God by bringing them to the altar. We hope that you prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry. If you

are interested, let Caitlin know (315 853 5859 or office@stjamesclinton.org);

she has an outline of the duties. Starting the beginning of this year, Caitlin

schedules the worship servers. If new, make certain to tell her if you prefer

to serve at the Saturday 4 pm or Sunday 9:30 am service. Heartfelt thanks goes to Gail Prentice who has scheduled our worship serv-

ers for the past two years.

The vestry minutes are available for parishioners to read in the library. The Clerk of the Vestry binder

is located on top of the bookshelf. Minutes will be available in the binder following their approval by

the vestry.

8

St. James’ Episcopal Church

9 Williams St.

Clinton, NY 13323

St. James’ Episcopal Church 9 Williams Street ∙ Clinton, NY 13323 ∙ (315) 853-5359 www.stjamesclinton.org ∙ office@stjamesclinton.org

Regular Services

Saturday 4:00 pm ∙ Sunday 9:30 am

@StJamesClinton stjamesclinton.org/