Rector – Summer at St. James’: Fellowship & Formation
Summer is nearly here, and with it comes vacations and more time away from our St. James’ family – so this year we’ve planned several opportunities for fellowship and formation.
Sundays at St. James – We’ll continue to gather weekly for worship at 9:30 am
Faith @ Home Reflections – Look for an email every Sunday with a link to a pdf that offers a brief read–reflect–respond practice for one of the day’s scripture readings. It will include practices for adults and small children, adults and elementary age children, adults and youth, and just adults. Whether home or away, take some time during the week to encounter scripture.
Prayer Hikes – Join us on 7/7 and 8/25 for local hikes that will include prayer! On 7/7 we will hike to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, and on 8/25 will hike along the C&O Canal (this one’s doable with strollers!). We’ll meet up at designated locations for each hike and be ready to head out at 3:00 pm. For each hike we’ll begin with prayer, stop part of the way through for a brief reading and reflection, and then close with prayer at the end. Invite your friends!
Brené Brown’s “The Call to Courage” Watch Party – Gather with folks from St. James’ on 8/3 to watch the new Netflix documentary about the work of Brené Brown. Using humor and empathy she discusses what it takes to choose courage over comfort in a culture defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty. You can watch the trailer here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-WvA7uFDQ] Lynda and Bill Ellis have graciously offered to host this event at their home. We will gather at 6:30 pm; the film is a little over an hour long, and then we will have some time for reflection and conversation.
Time-Out Together: Picnic by the Playground – Bring a blanket and your picnic basket for play and conversation after the 9:30 am service on 8/18. As summer is coming to a close, spend some time connecting with other St. James’ families. The playground will be open, bring Frisbees or other toys for the field, and giant bubbles will be on hand!
Summer Book Discussion Group – Grab a copy of Rachel Held Evan’s Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again for your summer read, then meet up on 8/27 at 7:00 pm at The Mt. Airy Tavern for conversation and reflection.
Look for further details and sign-ups for all of these opportunities as the summer progresses. Prayers for refreshment and safe travels in the coming months.
Yours in God’s peace,
Kristin+
Formation
SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS
We received a lovely letter from our friends at A is for Africa.
Choir/Music
Hi everyone! Even though the choir is taking off for the service, we’re still going to keep talking about the history of church music in our Shell Newsletter. This month, we’ll talk about the role of harmony and the acceptance of the organ in the church.
In the Middle Ages, we start to see the development of Organum. While it sounds like a type of organ, the term actually has to do with adding harmony to plainsong chant. In this recording of an Alleluia, you’ll hear a plainsong Alleluia, followed by a version with an Organum-style harmonization:
This led to the development of polyphony, or the singing of multiple parts (like we do in most of our hymns today). Here you’ll find a recording of singers from the country of Georgia, singing in a very similar style to that of the Middle Ages:
The organ was also introduced in the Middle Ages, and was warmly welcomed because of its lack of Pagan connotations. Originally, the organ would play one line of music and congregants would respond, similarly to a call and response style. Later, it would develop to assist the congregation in singing polyphonic music, very similarly to what I do at our services today!
Next time we’ll talk about Martin Luther and the dramatic changes he made, both literally and musically, to Christian worship services.
As always, we’re always inviting more members to join our choir and music ministries — NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about this article or the music ministries at St. James’ (music@stjamesmtairy.org), and have a wonderful summer!
Warmest, Richard
WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Office Schedule for the week of June 9.
Monday through Thursday 10-4.
QUARTERMANIA IS THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!
Please make your plans now for our Spring/Summer Quartermania event in just TWO short weeks at the church on FRIDAY, JUNE 7th; the doors will open at 6 pm with the games beginning at 7 pm. Delicious refreshments will also be available for purchase throughout the evening, including amazing desserts being sold by our Youth Group to help finance their outreach projects.
For those who may not know, Quartermania is a game that can be played by anyone from three to 93–a great family activity! Imagine a game that combines Bingo and an Auction using only quarters with lots of prizes to bid on! This will be a great night to begin your summer by gathering with your family and friends to win special items for yourself and your loved ones.
E-mail judysquartermanias@aol.com or call Judy @ 240-674-1961 to advance reserve a seat for $5 (a $3 discount!); admission fees will be collected at the door. Come join us to begin your summer with this fun and entertaining game!
Prayer Rotation
Please join the Daughters of the King in praying for each parishioner in rotation during 2018 by taking this notice home and by posting it where it will remind you to pray on a daily basis for the needs and blessings of:
Sanjay and Jen Krishnaswamy (Sandhya, Dhruva)
Robert and Karen Larrimore
Ed and Tonya Lee (Brooke, William)
A member of the Daughters of the King will be contacting you this week for special prayer requests.
| Lectionary readings for the Day of Pentecost, June 9, 2019 (Year C, RCL) Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Romans 8:14-17 John 14:8-17 |
| This week’s Commemorations (A Great Cloud of Witnesses, 2019, Church Publishing Group)
June 9 Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597 |
