St. James' News
Weekly Service Schedule
St. James Episcopal Church, Greenfield
Welcome to St James Episcopal Church
Come and worship with us! St.
James is a community that strives to be inclusive, sustain faith in God
and affirm that faith in action. All baptized Christians are
invited to the altar to receive the Holy Eucharist. Services this
weekend are Saturday at 5:30 p.m., Sunday at 8 and 10
a.m. Church School begins at 9:45 a.m. The Adult Forum
takes place at 9:00 a.m. in the Whiteman Room. A nursery is
provided during the 10 o'clock service. All services at St. James
are handicapped-accessible.
<>Monday Second Helpings are served in
the Parish Hall at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome.
Holy Eucharist is said at
7:15 in the Chapel, entrance on Church Street.
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December, The Reverend Dr.
John A. Cerrato
Dear Parishioners & Friends of Saint James,
As we move into the autumn season, we again face the glories of
nature’s change. With the turning of the seasons we are reminded
of the steady and reassuring cycles of life through which we all pass.
Parts of our yearly living once again go by in a familiar way.
One of the great spiritual masters of the western world Thomas a Kempis
wrote to his followers in the language of his day: sic transi t
gloria mundi, so passes the glory of the world. If Saint Thomas had
lived in a later age, he might have seen the new world of New
England, and have learned this lesson from a brilliant Massachusetts
fall. The many greens of summer will become the dazzling colors of
the fall, as they make their way toward the arrival of winter.
With the dawning of each new season comes the agenda of that time, the
things that need doing. For Saint James’ Church this means all the
activities and commitments of the autumn, as we pace ourselves toward
Advent and Christmas and the civil year’s end. Programs of the parish
start again, commensurate with the school year. The return and
re-gathering of the community from summer travels allows our worship
and life together to resume in its fullness.
Let me commend to you all these opportunities: invitations to selfcare
and to the service of others. Let me also highlight a few as of
special interest: one that will not happen again for a while and
another that is of vital concern to the whole parish.
First let me urge you to celebrate with Bishop Gordon Scruton, the
clergy of the diocese, the leaders and people of Saint James, and
with me, the Institution Service of a New Rector. This event is
announced for Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 7 p.m. It will be a
privilege for me to greet you at this liturgy of a new beginning,
followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. We will say prayers
together to mark our collaborative commitment to the service of Christ
in the years ahead.
Secondly, of vital importance to the life and health of the parish of
Saint James is our Stewardship appeal in October and November.
This year the Finance Committee and the Vestry are sculpting a Mission
Budget 2009. A Mission Budget differs from a Maintenance
Budget in that allows us to carry forward the work that we are called
to do, rather than try to survive with a diminished regard for
Christ’s instruction. We will present a well thought-out, basic and
clear report of our needs for the new year and ask the community as
a whole to respond.
The leadership and I will be speaking in the Eucharistic services about
how fulfilling it can be for all of us and each of us, even in these
challenging and changing times, to pledge ourselves to Christ’s
ministry in terms of our time, our talent, and our treasure. My promise
is that
we will do so gently, elegantly, appropriately, even humorously.
My prayer for our community is that God will continue to bless and
guide us, to lead us to the new and old places where we should be, and
to
grant us the grace of a vibrant ministry together, now and in the
coming years. The glory of the world passes, but the honor of Christ
does not. So I
wish you
God’s peace and blessing,
The Reverend Dr. John A. Cerrato
Library News
The Library Committee
Jack Kazar, South
Deerfield
Alice Kells, Greenfield
Susan Crawford, Winchester NH
Dot Hmieleski, South Deerfield
Beth Lorenz, Greenfield
A recent meeting of the new library committee brought out some fresh
and different ideas. We want to tell you what we have brought
into the library, have you use the library and have fun doing it!
Newly purchased books will be listed in the Epistle, upcoming bulletins
and look for us on the St. James Web site! That way you know what
has been purchased or donated recently. Checking out a book is
based on the honor system. Simply follow the directions in the
library and return the books in 2 weeks!
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Recent additions include:
Book
Title
Author
Beyond
Retribution
Marshal, Christopher
Lord I
Believe
Farrer, Austin
The Practice of The Presence of
God Brother
Lawrence
Christ on
Trial
Williams, Rowan
The First
Christian
Zahl, Paul
The Encyclopaedia of Celtic
Wisdom Matthews,
Caitlin & John
Anglo-Catholic
Worship
Buchanan, Colin
Open Mind, Open
Heart
Keating, Thomas
English
Writings
Rolle, Richard
The Minds Road to
God
Boas, George
The Inward
Pilgrimage
Christansen, Beruhard
Abandonment of Divine
Providence
Caussade, Jean-Pierre
The Passionate
Steward
O’Hurley-Pitts, Michael
So Winter
Solstice
Pilcher, Rosamunde
The Way of
Perfection
Peers, E. Allison
The Dance of
Hope
Frey, William C.
Tuesdays with
Morrie
Albom, Mitch
We will be asking you to look over your home library for donations
to
our library and/or providing for a fundraiser. In the past, a
book
sale combined with an art auction/sale has helped us to provide for our
purchases. We will inform you in the bulletin about our
collection procedure.
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Church. All Rights Reserved.