Retreat For Couples

The Romance of Our Hearts and Souls with God

For those of us that are in relationship, whether for eight days or 80 years, please plan to join us for a couples retreat. This is for any and all couples looking to broaden and deepen our relationship with Jesus and with each other. Come and spend a day in Lent to share some together time with Christ.

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012, from 9:00AM – 4:00PM

Where: St. James Parish House – come to the east Parish House doors and ring the bell on the left side of the door

What: Bring yourselves and open hearts; food and beverages will be provided

Cost: Suggested donation of $5 per person

Who: Minimum of five couples – bring your partner and have some fun as well as discussion and quiet time

How: Register with Donna Holmes in the parish office: stjamesmilwaukee@aol.com

We want to make this available for all, so if you need child care for the day, let us know and we will provide for that. And do not let the cost be an issue to not attend, either.  If you have any questions, please contact Dcn. Terry or Mtr. Lisa.

Haitian Coffee Sale

I am pleased to report that St. James parishioners supported the Haiti Project this year by purchasing $316.00 worth of wonderful “Singing Rooster” coffee. Anyone who has not picked up his or her coffee should see me after church on Sunday – we still have the coffee and I am still collecting payment.

Special to Haiti
The coffee project is special because it is part of helping Haitians help themselves and rebuild their agriculture, which has been damaged by both natural disasters and misguided political and economic meddling from outside Haiti. While we put on a coffee sale once a year, anyone reading this who wishes to organize a sale or just buy at least 12 bags of coffee can contact the coffee project directly via www.singingrooster.org. You will reach the very efficient Molly Nicaise, fill out the forms, send payment, and receive the coffee within 48 hours. Both the coffee and its distribution have improved since the beginning of this project!

The Singing Rooster coffee project is an offshoot of our larger efforts to partner with Haiti through the Episcopal Diocese. For almost 30 years, we have had a sponsor relationship with St. Marc’s Parish in Jeanette, Haiti. The parish runs a school and many Episcopalians sponsor children at the school. There are also working visits to Jeanette organized through our Diocese and the Diocese of Eau Claire. To learn more, to participate, or to contribute, please visit www.HaitiProject.org.

Rebuilding and Rejuvenation
This is a time of rebuilding and rejuvenation both in Haiti generally and at St. Marc’s in particular. It is two
years since the January 2010 earthquake. Haiti has a new president who says he is committed to economic
development, and St. Marc’s has a new Priest, Pere Wisnel. This is a very welcome development, and I hope everyone reading this will visit the Haiti Project website and become informed about and involved with this ministry of our Diocese.

Lucy Cooper

Fat Tuesday Celebration

I love breakfast food. I savor the syrup-collecting pockets in blueberry waffles and I jump at the opportunity to make French Toast with orange zest and cinnamon. But nothing is better than stack of hot, glorious pancakes! Fond memories of my childhood often include a Sunday afternoon with mom’s Bisquick pancakes, regular Aunt Jemima syrup, plenty of butter (good German roots on the Schnell side of the family!), sausage links, and a big glass of cold milk.

My love of pancakes gets me salivating over the pancake dinner on Shrove Tuesday, coming up on February 21. “Shrove” is a lesser-known English word meaning “to confess our sins and to do penance for them”. It’s appropriate that we enter into Lent on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday with the right mindset. At some point in history, human weakness dictated that a somber Lent should be preceded by indulgence; in other words, bring on festivities and rich food! Christians claimed they were just avoiding waste and “using it all up” before the fasting began. Right! This celebration led to Shrove Tuesday being better known by the name “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras” in French. Traditionally, meat, eggs, milk, and sugar were ingredients that people abstained from eating during Lent. Therefore, the meal most associated with Fat Tuesday is pancakes and sausage!

Let’s celebrate! We are going to have a Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday Celebration at St. James Church on Tuesday, February 21st at 6:00PM. There will be eating, celebrating, and playing games in the Parish House downstairs (The Gathering space). All ages are welcome! Please consider signing up for the cooking crew or the cleaning crew, or donating a few dollars to offset the cost of the meal! This will be a joyous and delicious way to come together as a community and celebrate before the season of Lent begins.

Robert Wilson

Shine Your Light

The season of Epiphany lasts for seven Sundays this year. I write this year because the length of the season changes every year, as the date for Easter changes. In the season of Epiphany, light is everywhere in our worship: scripture, prayers, music. We celebrate during this season, because Jesus, the light of the world, has come into our midst.

Together, we sing about light,

“I want to walk as a child of the Light, 

I want to follow Jesus. 

God set the stars to give light to the world, 

the Star of my life is Jesus.”

 

Together we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is upon you.”

How do you walk as a child of the light? How do you shine? How do we shine our light together?

A few years ago, I heard a great lecture on shining our lights. The teacher started out by handing us all a picture of a lighthouse. She said, “You are the lighthouse.”

What does a lighthouse do? A lighthouse is firmly planted on the shore, and shines light into a body of water. The light helps others to navigate, to see where there is safe passage or rocky terrain. The light may be a comfort in a storm or hope in the darkness. The lighthouse works best when on solid foundation, and when the light is shining through is not distorted (or blocked) by a soiled lamp. Those who maintain a lighthouse know the importance of keeping the lamp clean and the building on solid foundation.

So, if we are the lighthouse: How are we shining? What might be muddying up our lens? Are we firmly planted in Jesus?

In this season of Epiphany, let’s continue to shine the light of Christ brightly! Later this month, as we move
into the season of Lent (starting on Ash Wednesday, February 22), let’s examine our lens, and ask God to cleanse it so that others may see the light of Christ shining brightly through us. 

It is my great joy and privilege to shine my light with you,

The Rev. Lisa Saunders+

Christmas for our Homeless Neighbors

On December 17, Jesus in all His glory was in the house at St. James, as a multitude of His servants arrived, starting at 8:00AM to serve the homeless in our central city area.

Red Door Clothes served about 130 adults and provided clothes for 45 kids, in an atmosphere of joy. In the kids’ area was a long pew filled to overflowing with stuffed animals and dolls which was emptied, but for a couple of scraggly dogs at closing.

At 11:00AM, the doors of the main church opened to receive those who had come for The Gathering’s Christmas dinner. They were greeted by singers and instrumentalists from The Gathering’s board, St. Mark, and St. James, leading carols. Believe me, you knew Jesus was in the house as you heard our guests singing carols joined by a scattering of members of St. James in the audience.

The Gathering served 330 people a full Christmas meal that day, with a crew of volunteers from a Methodist church in Greenfield.

As the guests left, Sundries at The Gathering were on hand with the usual sundries, plus special items and goodie bags. One hundred and eighty-seven were served that day.

Thanks to the many servers who were on hand at Red Door Clothes, caroling, and Sundries.

Deacon Ned Howe

Walk With Me

Often when I arrive or am leaving St. James, I see someone out on the wall that is on my “nagging list.” I greet them saying, “Walk with me.” The walking may be short or long, depending on the person talking. It is a time for me to be silent and listen. It can be a time for me to question or praise or nag. Sometimes a referral is suggested. It is always a time to reinforce the person as a person and to remind him where the power is.

Leading up to that walk and conversation, at some time past, had been a meeting and encounter at some activity at St. James that made the person feel welcome and led to an initial conversation. This is not unlike what happens when someone enters our church for their first time. We greet them with love. We make certain they are comfortable with all the stuff we give them at the door. We follow up at fellowship to make sure they feel welcome and meet our family.

All the above is right on as far as it goes. We have welcomed them into the family we call St. James. We have then just begun to take our walk with this person. Our walk must now lead to the presence of Christ.

There is an old hymn that talks about walking with Jesus. It goes something like this: and He walked with me and He talked with me, and He told me I was his own… If we are icons of Jesus, then we can take this walk with those who come seeking a new way of life. If we ask our new friend to walk with us, we open the opportunity to share our love of Jesus. We offer our presence to help them into their own journey to Jesus.

Walk with me: tell me what you are seeking. I’m here to listen. What is your heart telling you. How can we help? Walk with me: let me share my walk with you. Let me share with you how having Jesus in my life has changed my life. Walk with me: I will bring you together with other members of our St. James family who will share with you and walk with you.

Walk with us and together we will do those things Jesus would have us do, serving in His name. Walk with us and be a part of feeding the hungry at the Gathering or clothing the needy at Red Door Clothes, or aiding with means of hygiene at Sundries. Or be present at the burial of those without family as representatives of Jesus by our presence so they are not alone.

You may want to walk with us in one of the myriad of activities that bring together our family at Sunday Eucharist. As we walk together serving Jesus in these many ways, we find ourselves growing closer to Jesus. We find ourselves feeling His love every time a guest says thank you or God bless you or just gives a big smile. For some of them, saying those words or showing a smile may be a big step out of the lonely world they exist in. This sharing is for me the ultimate proof of the love of Jesus in my life. Walking together we all can experience this love and grow stronger knowing it all comes from Jesus.

Any time I say, “Walk with me,” I never know what the result may be that particular time. Experience shows me that the important part is asking the question. In doing so, we have opened a door. What follows comes from Jesus.

Remember the words of Jesus to the fishermen: follow me. It remains the same today. We ask, Walk with me, so together we can follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Deacon Ned Howe

Vestry Notes for December 2011

St. James’ Vestry met for the first time under the leadership of our Rector, Lisa Saunders, on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. We enjoyed the new configuration of the lounge as a place to meet and be with each other, but more especially the presence and direction Mother Lisa provided.

Format Change
Our format has changed slightly, though it begins, after opening prayer, as previously, with a check-in as to where the various members find themselves. We were guided by an agenda that comprised the following sections: Formation (check-in and meeting format); Information (approval of minutes, items that have arisen as a general rector’s report, reports from the deacons and wardens, other reports); Discussion (a single topic each meeting inviting general comment rather than a decision); and Decision (items necessary for decisions, Treasurer’s report, this month the proposed budget to be presented at the Annual Meeting). As always, the meeting ended with a closing prayer, delivered by Deacon Terry.

Highlights of the Meeting
Information highlights included preparation for the Christmas services, announcement of the January 19th singalong “Sound of Music” at 6:00PM, and the possibility of having social work interns helping with our various outreach programs and grant-writing.

All in all, it was a generous, loving, and prayerful meeting: a positive move into St. James’ future with Mother Lisa.

Gust Olson

Reaching Out

Last Sunday as we were driving to church, Loraine asked, “I wonder what those poor people who do not go to church on Sundays do with their time?” While this was probably more of a rhetorical question, since there were no cars or pedestrians anywhere around, it generated some discussion.

I especially appreciated her use of the adjective “poor.” At St. James’ we have a wide range of financial means, and we know that we worship and fellowship and serve in the poorest zip code in the state. At the same time it is easy to recognize that St. James’ has an abundance of wealth – which is our love and spirit in Christ. The buzz and energy last Sunday during and after worship was blatant and rich. Jamesians enjoy being with each other – in worship – in fellowship – in service. God’s love is our affluence and our joy.

We have a focus on serving others by giving. We offer our time, our talents and our financial treasure in our calling to love God. This is wonderful and I encourage all of us to continuously consider how we might do this even better as we reach out to those in need.

Which brings me back to the “poor” people mentioned above – those who are scanty or impoverished in their faith and spirit. How do we reach out to them? The answer is simple to discuss, but maybe not so easily enacted, because the way to reach out to those who are lacking in faith is to share our own joy. Share our own faith. Share our own love of Jesus Christ and each other.

A wonderful way to share these things is by inviting others to join us in worship, fellowship, and service. After all, isn’t that where we experience the delight of God’s love – together? The easy thing about inviting those who may be weak in their faith is that we do not need to recognize who they are. Every person can be further enriched, no matter their current state, by the abundance of Christ’s love that we share.

All we can do is offer to share that love and joy that we have in plenty. When we invite others, they may say no. But they may say yes. They may be searching to fill a void in their lives of which we are unaware.

Let’s take advantage of Christmas, when it is probably easier because of the holiday, to invite others to come share in our love and joy – Who has come to us.

Deacon Terry Garner

Embracing Change

“In the beginning, God created . . .” It seemed only fitting, when the Vestry met for their retreat on December 3rd, that we began the day looking at the creation story in Genesis. Even though we’re wrapping up a calendar year, there’s certainly a lot of birth and newness and creation in the St. James air. It’s Advent, the first season in the new church year. We’ve recently entered a new stage in our transition process as we welcomed a new rector. Even the old projects that we put aside for the last 20 months seem new again as we begin to prioritize the challenges that must be faced to maintain our presence here on 8th and Wisconsin. And Mother Lisa brings new eyes and leadership to help us do just that. So as the Vestry pondered the familiar words in Genesis, it set the stage for us to talk about the strengths of St. James that we want to maintain, but also consider what we might do differently in the future—individually and collectively—to build up our Body of Christ and, therefore, our ability to act in our community.

While multiple subjects and activities were tackled throughout the day, we probably spent the most time on that one: how might we build up our Body of Christ here at St. James? What are the positive outcomes that might result in a larger community, and what are the risks or challenges? As we brainstormed and dreamed and shared, our list of positives far surpassed the negatives. More people, more programs, more sharing of service, more worship, more opportunities . . . it went on and on. But the fears and challenges existed too. Because while it feels like we’ve finally reached the point in our transition we have eagerly anticipated, it is still transition. And, realistically, our period of change, with its contrasting emotions of anticipation and trepidation, is far from over.

This realization brought to mind one of my favorite Bible passages, Isaiah 43: 16-19. It reads “This is what the Lord says—he who made a path through the mighty waters . . . do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” I think one of the reasons I appreciate these verses is because they address the always relevant topic of change, and they speak to me—no matter what my attitude about an impending alteration. When I’m excited by the change in front of me, these verses communicate the excitement of transition: things are happening, springing up even! And new life is flowing where before there was only barren desert and wasteland. That sounds beautiful and thrilling; I want to be a part of that! Except, sometimes, change is scary. And when I’m intimidated or resistant to upcoming change, these verses reassure my fears as well. They remind me that the same God who made a way for the Israelites in the desert, parting the river Jordan when death or enslavement seemed imminent, wants me to trust Him with this new development—whatever it is. He’s on my side, it’s in His control, and it will be okay.

As we enter this next era of building our parish community, Mother Lisa and the Vestry invite you to ponder and pray and plan with us. Reread the creation story and be reminded of God’s creativity and desire for new life. Embrace the joys and process the fears that come with change. Share your thoughts with our church leadership. Consider how God might be calling you to be a part of this “new thing”. And take heart in remembering how each segment of the creation story ends: “And God saw that it was good.”

Susan Wilson