Vestry Corner ~ November 2022
Sweet potato casserole, Grandma’s apple pie, day-after turkey soup….laughing and playing board games with family and friends, watching football (& holiday movies), falling asleep on the couch….no doubt you can think about Thanksgiving and all of your senses have a memory. One piece of Thanksgiving that always stood out to me was how conversations around gratitude were highlighted on this day and the desire for that to be a year-round practice. I truly believe at St. James we focus on and emphasize gratitude. At the start of worship, meetings, and gatherings the Rev. Phillip Craig Jr. welcomes us with gratitude. His gentle reminders set the tone and speak to the heart of who we are as a Parish family.
Recently we have been sharing many meals throughout the week which has allowed us additional time to gather for fellowship and community. On Sunday mornings we eat breakfast before heading into worship. How grateful we are for this time when those coming from the 8 am service or going to the 9 am can gather over pancakes, chocolate milk, and coffee. Over the last several weeks there have been crowds for Wednesday evening suppers! A huge thank you to Brandon Tully for spearheading those incredible meals and our St. James Youth who assisted with cleaning up those nights. Wednesday evenings have been full of joy! There were many young children still doing legos, playing, and laughing even as the last tables were put away. How beautiful it is to watch friendships develop amongst our youngest members in addition to the needed moments for adults to gather and share news. There is so much thanksgiving in these moments.
During our October vestry meeting, we had a couple of special guests. Allen Trask, representing the Stewardship Committee came to share the great work they have been doing. The committee has developed several videos on the impact of stewardship through outreach, justice, and our community. Be sure to watch the videos as some of our youngest members are featured as well! (Do you know what 3-year-old Luke is thankful for at church?) Check out the links in the digital grapevine or go to the link on our website (https://www.stjamesp.org/blog/stewardship2023/) to watch the videos.
In addition, Ashley Walton and David Joyner from the Outreach Commission joined us to share updates and how we as the vestry can support the Outreach Commission going forward. The Outreach Commission is doing incredible work! Members of this group represent various organizations that we support throughout the year including the Help Hub, Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry, A Safe Place, and more. They are always looking for more leaders to help with their many initiatives. Most recently, RISE against Hunger was hosted by the Outreach Commission at St. James. This huge event was successful due to the many incredible volunteers! In addition to over 150 volunteers from St. James, there were many volunteers from other area churches and our Wilmington community as a whole. Together, with our neighbors, we packaged 50,000 meals to be sent to people in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic!
As we begin to close out 2022, I hope you take time to reflect with gratitude on the past year and offer prayerful thanksgiving to God for his presence in our lives. As Romans 15:13 reminds us ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’
Leslie Jarrett (Junior Warden)