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We are a lively community of faith striving to serve
God as “Doers of the Word and not hearers only.”
We hope you will find at St. James's a church
where God is present, where God's love is active,
and where God's Spirit is always calling us to
follow Christ. There is much to be thankful for in this
life and there is so much to be done. Come and join
with us as we share in the life of faith and work together
to be the body of Christ.
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| Before leaving St. James's to serve as Rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Dana Corsello wrote this letter published in the Sunday Chimes on June 28, her last Sunday preaching at the parish she loves so much. |
I don't want to cry through my entire sermon so I am putting to paper my love for you. Andrew and I never thought we would fall so hard for St. James's and Richmond. We assumed we'd be here for three or four years but have stayed just shy of eight. Here's why: You became our family, most certainly mine. When my mother died three months after I arrived in December of 2001 you engulfed me in love and care and got me through the most devastating event of my life. And then when I finally got pregnant with Quincy, three months after my mother's death, the women of this parish nurtured me through my entire pregnancy and outfitted our nursery. I ended up having hundreds of mothers to care for me (and Andrew). The same thing happened when Casper was born two years later. Again, you stepped in as my family. And then when my father died in October of 2006, you were there to lift me up and wade with me though that grief. And we couldn't have raised our boys without the constant care and babysitting from Anita Lisk and Margie Gray and their families. Anytime Andrew traveled or I had to work they were there.
Here's the other most important thing: You let me be me. You tolerated my “liberal” bent; you were patient with my mistakes and you suffered graciously through bad sermons and encouraged me and praised me when I preached good ones. You traveled around the world with me and trusted me to baptize your children, to marry you, and to be with you in the most hallowed moments of your lives. And you let me love you the best way I could and for all of this I am eternally grateful. You raised a good priest and mother. Andrew and I both thank you. See you in S.F.!
Love you,
Dana |
This year's General Convention will take place July 8-17 in Anaheim, California. Center Aisle is the opinion journal of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, offered by the Diocese to help those who are not able to attend Convention keep in touch with the news, opinions and analyses coming out of Anaheim. The Diocese of Virginia will publish Center Aisle on-site at General Convention for the fourth time. Check it out now at the Center Aisle website.
Vacation Bible School is July 6-10, and this year's participants will be asked to bring in specific foods to support the Central Virginia FoodBank's Backpack Program to feed children in need in the Richmond area. Each backpack-ready meal kit includes:
- packaged fruit cups,
- 8.5-ounce pop-top cans of vegetables,
- one-ounce self-serve bowls of cereals,
- 7.5-ounce microwave meals, and
- small assorted packages of wholegrain snacks.
The Vacation Bible School goal is to collect enough food to fill 100 backpacks with weekend meals, which will be delivered to the Fairfield Court Boys and Girls Club to provide meals for children over several weekends this summer. But it shouldn't stop there: Vacation Bible School is challenging St. James's parishioners also to collect Backpack Program foods to help this most vulnerable population of hungry children. Parishioners are asked to bring in backpack foods Sunday, July 12, through Sunday, July 26. Donations may be left in the narthex or parish office. For more information about the program and donations, please contact Nancy Warman or Kent Duffey.
Vacation Bible School needs decorations to create “Camp E.D.G.E” this year. Camping gear and related materials are a big need. See the latest eChimes for a full list of what we need. Contact Kent (link to kduffey@doers.org) if you have any questions.
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News:
(6/07/09) Dana Corsello accepts call to be the next rector at St. Luke's Episcopal
Church in San Francisco, California. Read Randy's letter to the parish
(4/27/09) Story on Sudan Mission trip in Times-Dispatch today. Click Here
Sunday March 15, Kelly King Horne of Homeward, delivered a powerful presentation: “A Way Out: Ending Homelessness Now” (pdf)
Annual Report, 2008 (pdf)
This Week at
St. James's
-> News Archive
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*The Vestry of St. James's
has adopted the following four core values for the parish:
1. To celebrate God through worship that moves the spirit.
2. To be a welcoming, joyful and accepting community
by encouraging humility, faith in God, and faith in each other.
3. To serve one another and those in need through ministry
that transforms lives for Jesus Christ.
4. To nurture and raise our children in the knowledge
and love of Jesus Christ.
MISSION
STATEMENT
The mission of St. James's Episcopal
Church is to be a welcoming urban parish, proclaiming
the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Doers of the Word and not
Hearers only; challenging one another through Word and
Sacrament to grow in the knowledge of the Lord; answering
God's call to love and serve others; standing as a beacon
of Christ's light in the World. |
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