volume 10 issue 10 st. james episcopal church the...

Volume 10 Issue 10 THE NET

December 2017

The Net

St . James Episcopal Church

St. James Mission Statement

St. James is called to serve God, Christ, and the community of Greater New London.

From the Rector’s Desk Waiting and watching for the Christ child

It was a greyish morning and I was on a pastoral visit, gazing for a moment outside of the

panoramic window. I said to our parishioner, Carla Woodward, with a hopeful sigh, “there is

so much beauty in the world.” And without skipping a beat she said, “and so much of that

beauty comes from flowers.”

It was a poignant conversation on a day which seemed, at least on the outside, so painfully

dismal. It was grey, grey and more grey. If you hadn’t known it, one might have thought

that I was stretching to say “there is so much beauty in the world,” and yet it wasn’t a stretch

of the imagination. If you looked from a purely spiritual level, there was an unquantifiable

beauty.

And yet - it takes eyes to see the Realm of God breaking into the world. Eyes and maybe our

own patience, a little bit of waiting and watching. Maybe it’s our eyes that need to be

brought in more intentionally. God knows it only happens sometimes for me. In such a

kinetic world, waiting and watching seems so anachronistic, words from a different time and

place. They happen to be difficult things for human beings to do, in a world that is so often

on the move and beckoning us to react to new challenges.

But as we move very deliberately into the Advent season, we find ourselves gifted with an

opportunity - to open our eyes to the birth of the Christ child. We are invited to wait and

watch, to pay attention to what is right in front of us. As the English mystic, Evelyn Underhill,

says “oh, but for a lack of attention, a thousand lovely things pass by us every day.” This

Advent, let that lovely thing that we miss, not be Christ. We can create an inn within our

hearts for the Christ child. This waiting and watching, is active, as we seek to make space.

Over the course of 2017, have we crowded our hearts with grudges and resentments? This

season allows each and every one of us the chance to do the intentional work of making

“space.”

Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, says that grace is something that is

always before us, drawing us deeper into whom God would have us be. And yet it is up to us

to create intentional time of allowing silence to cascade in our relationship with God.

THE NET Volume 10 Issue 10

The Net …

is the newsletter of St.

James Church, New

London, Connecticut. It is

published eleven times a

year (September through

June and a summer issue)

for the information and

edification of St. James

members and friends.

Submissions are always

welcome and should be

submitted by the tenth of

the month before

publication. While your

submission is always

welcome, we would

prefer to receive it by

e-mail or memory stick in

Microsoft Word format.

Please continue to

forward your submissions

to the church office or

email them to: [email protected].

We also welcome your

comments and

suggestions. This is your

newsletter.

76 Federal Street

New London CT 06320-6601

860-443-4989

www.stjamesnl.org

Rector’s Desk cont’d With a consumerist mindset, more often than not, we willingly

fill this time with other activities. As Quaker, Daniel P.

Coleman says, “contemplative practice is a real struggle for

us Westerners, and maybe even more so for Protestant

Christians because we are so used to consuming information

as the primary aspect of our spiritual life.” In silence, we

have the opportunity in the space of grace to bring

questions before God, to be in intentional relationship.

My friends, as we move more deeply into this season, I invite

you to take the time to switch it all off, and on a day to day

basis, truly set aside time to simply be. This Advent, let’s not

consume; but just rather be and let God’s presence swim

over us.

By moving in this direction of contemplation, we allow our

hearts, souls and minds to be emptied, to walk more deeply

into kenosis, which is all about self-emptying. When we

intentionally empty ourselves of the dependencies that we

have accumulated over the past many years, we have

more space for Jesus to find his home in our hearts.

Advent Blessings,

Ranjit

Immigration Forum On Sunday, December 3rd, we will host an immigration forum

at noon with Mr. Mike Doyle, Esq. of the Immigration and

Advocacy Support Center (IASC) here in New London.

Attorney Doyle will give a brief presentation of our present

system and how it impacts the day to day lives of New

London residents.

He will then take questions from our parish community. If you

have friends who are interested in learning more about the

topic, please let them know.

My friends, the impact of immigration on our country is a

deeply spiritual issues, I hope you will join the discussion.

Faithfully,

Ranjit


5 Johanna Kuruvilla

6 Joan Jones

6 Elizabeth Ahnell

8 Sade Velez

9 Victoria Brennan

13 Nicholas Streeter

15 Carole Shores

16 John Dillon

18 Ines Granville

19 Hayden Fraser

22 Joy Hewitt

23 Mary Hulme

27 Anaya Collins

December Birthdays The names on this list reflect the information as recorded in the Church database. Is your

name (or a family member’s name) missing? If so, please contact the Church Office and

provide us with the accurate information!

An Evening with Author and Parishioner

Marci Alborghetti Wine, cheese, and books! What could be better? Join us at Thames River Wine & Spirits &

Greenery at 70 State Street in New London on Friday, December 1, from 5 to 7:30 PM, for a

festive evening of wine and cheese with New London author, Marci Alborghetti, who will be

signing and chatting about her books, including her Connecticut-based Christmas novel,

The Christmas Glass, and many of her other works.

The January-March, 2018 lector and chalicist schedule is being set now. If you would like to

be added to or deleted from the schedule, please contact Fred Smith by email

[email protected] or phone 860.460.9652 before December 15, 2017. Indicate the

service you are or wish to be connected to, and email contact information. This will help us

greatly in having effective coverage of our services.

Lectors and Chalicists

Spark the Gift of Making

Come visit a show featuring handcrafted affordable art by local and regional makers/

artists including our very own Johanna Kuruvilla at the Hygenic Art Gallery located on Bank

Street in New London. The show opens on November 25 and lasts until December 31. Hours

are from 2:00 to 7:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday.

mailto:[email protected]


Dear friends,

This Advent, I invite you to slow down and take in the exquisite gift that we are given in this

season of waiting and watching. Starting on Wednesday, November 29th at 6:00 PM and on

the three subsequent Wednesdays please join me in the parlor as we gather to read

“Simply Wait: Cultivating Stillness in the Season of Advent” by Pamela C. Hawkins.

My hope is that this will give all of us a space to ponder the Christ child, his meaning in our

lives and the way in which Christ’s birth is still teaching us.

I hope you will join this conversation.

Faithfully,

Ranjit

Preparing for Advent

Inter-faith Happenings at St. James As we move into this season of waiting and watching, I have invited a friend of mine, Imam

Mujadid Shah and some members of Dergah al-Farah in New York City to spend some time

with us in early December, mutually learning about each other’s spiritual traditions. They are

a part of Nur Ashki Al-Jerrahi Sufi order, which has a focus on Islamic Mysticism.

On Saturday, December 9th at 5:00 PM in the sanctuary, Imam Shah and his congregation

will offer a Dhikr prayer service to members of our parish and then we will enjoy a potluck

dinner in the parish hall with conversation. For those who don’t know, Dhikr is a short ritual,

where we focus on cultivating the love of God within ourselves.

On Sunday, December 10th, at Noon time, Imam Shah and I, will lead a forum during

coffee hour. It is my sincere hope that engaging in such inter-faith events, will help us

bridge the gap that exists within our Abrahamic traditions.

Even though our religions come from the Abrahamic tradition, there is much that our

respective congregants don’t know about each other. Let this be one event, where we

work collectively to understand each other better.

I hope you will join us, as we seek the face of Christ in each other.

In peace,

Ranjit


As we enter the holiday season, the Parish Office will observe the following holiday schedule:

Monday, December 25 through Friday, December 29—Christmas

holiday—office closed.

Monday, January 1—New Year’s holiday—office closed.

Regular Parish Office hours resume Tuesday, January 2, 2018.

Regular Parish Office hours are 9:30 AM -12:30 PM and 1:30 PM–3:30

PM.

Holiday Parish Office Hours

Advent Advent begins Sunday, December 3

The calendar during

Advent is much more than

the place to count down

Christmas shopping days.

“Give us grace to cast

away the works of darkness,

and put on the armor of

light.”

from The Collect for the First

Sunday of Advent,

The Book of Common Prayer,

p. 211

Church School Holiday Schedule

Merry Christmas to all our students! May you enjoy a blessed and healthy Christmas season!

We will be taking a brief vacation from classes in honor of Christ’s birth on Sundays,

December 24 and December31. We look forward to seeing you back in class on Sunday,

January 7.


Prepare the way, O Zion, your Christ is drawing near!

You are cordially invited to join us at 5:00 PM on Sunday, December 10th, for our annual

“Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent,” here at St. James. This tradition of over two

decades represents the Singers’ adaptation of the famous “Festival of Nine Lessons and

Carols,” sung each Christmas Eve by the world-renowned King’s College Choir,

Cambridge University. This year we will dedicate our service to the memory of our

beloved founding director, Marianna Wilcox, who died on October 20th.

As befits this time of preparation, the Singers will perform carols and motets which reflect

the watchful waiting and hopeful expectancy that Advent symbolizes. These pieces are

drawn from the Baroque era up to the 21st century: from J.S. Bach, to James MacMillan.

Interspersed throughout the service will be scriptural readings, prayers, and

congregational hymns. Afterward, there will be a reception in the parish hall, featuring

sumptuous treats.

At 4:30 PM on December 16th, Simon Jacobs and the Singers, for the third year in a row,

will lead a concert of Christmas carols, hymns, and organ works at St. Paul’s Episcopal

Church in Westbrook.

Be present with The Anglican Singers as we joyfully await the miracle of the Incarnation.

Respectfully submitted,

Anne Carr Bingham

Secretary, The Anglican Singers

Advent Lessons & Carols


New London Community Orchestra

Shoreline Ringers Advent/Christmas Concert

The Shoreline Ringers will perform their popular

concert of Advent and Christmas music here at St.

James on Sunday, December 3 at 3:00 PM. The

bell choir, under the direction of Jane Nolan, draws

a large audience for its Christmas concerts. If you

plan to attend, arrive early or you may be standing

in line! A free will offering will be collected to help

offset expenses and allow for future events. You

are invited to greet the bell ringers and enjoy

holiday refreshments in the parish hall. immediately

following the concert.

Music on Whale Oil Row


Christmas Poinsettias and Greenery Now that Advent has arrived, we think of many tasks that have to be done in our own lives

and in our Parish life. One of these takes place on Friday, December 22 at 4:00 PM with the

Greening of the Church. There are a number of ways that you can participate in this

tradition, but one way is by giving memorial donations for friends and family or thanksgiving

donations for the blessings in your life. These donations are used to purchase the Christmas

decorations. The memorial envelope is attached but if you should mislay it, we will have

more in the Church or the Office—the deadline for inclusion in the Christmas list is

Wednesday, December 13. Thank you.

The Altar Guild of St. James

Together, we can make the church beautiful

and bring a splash of color into the otherwise

drab wintertime. The altar guild will acquire

everything we need, then they just need our

help hanging and arranging it. Bring gloves,

garden shears, and comfortable clothes – and

join us at 4:00 PM on Friday, December 22. A

light supper will be available.

Part of the wonderful tradition of the

Anglican Church is the “greening” of the

church, in preparation for Christmas on

Friday, December 22 at 4:00 PM.

Evergreens, representing the ever-

flourishing life found in Christ, are arranged

throughout the Church: in small clusters, in

roping, in wreaths, and occasionally even

in whole trees.

Volunteer for Flower Delivery to Shut-ins

If you would like to help brighten

Christmas for members of our

parish family who are

homebound or in healthcare

facilities, how about taking one of

the poinsettia plants from our

Christmas decorations to him/

her? Select someone who is near

to your home or office, and it

won’t take much time at all!

A sign-up sheet can be found in

the parish hall. Please put your

name next to the name of the

person to whom you’d like to

take a plant.

Plants may be delivered

immediately following the

Christmas Day service or

anytime during the week after

Christmas Day.

Greening of the Church


Christmas Wish List for Adopted Families The Christmas Tree in the parish hall is decorated with ornaments. Please select an

ornament with a requested item that you will then purchase, wrap, and label with the

ornament attached.

All wrapped gifts should be brought to church any Sunday or dropped off at the parish

office. The deadline for final intake of gifts is Sunday, December17. Gift distribution will

begin on Monday, December 18.

For anyone who may not have the time to shop, monetary donations will be accepted.

Please make checks payable to St. James with “Christmas Wish List” in the memo line.


Deanna Bossdorf and Pat King,

Giving Tree Committee

Hats, Mittens, Gloves, and Scarves Wow! Thank you doesn't seem enough to say about how much we appreciate all your

donations. We were especially fortunate to have so many wonderful items made by the

fabulous knitters in St. James. It was a blessing to be able to deliver so many sets to the

school children of New London Elementary, the Covent Shelter and our adopted families at

Christmas. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.

Sue Chojnacki, Chair

Barbara Skinner

This holiday season, we are requesting donations of new white socks for the Homeless

Hospitality Center Shelter guests (male and female). Our goal is to “gift” each guest with

three (3) pairs of socks. They may be wrapped (please note on the outside of the package

the size and if they are men’s or women’s—if unisex, no marking needed) or unwrapped. All

donations should be received by Wednesday, December 13. If you would like to help with

sorting and wrapping the socks, please contact Ellen in the parish office at 860.443.4989.

Socks for the Homeless Hospitality Center


St. James Quilters

Our mission is to make quilts for the children at the Covenant Shelter and for the Visiting

Nurse Association (VNA) Nurse Family Partnership (which cares for new mothers).

We meet on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

New members are always welcome. You do not have to know how to quilt as our

experienced quilters will be happy to teach you. If you have any questions please feel free

to contact Mary Chartier at 860.443.0590.


Margaret Murallo, Member

Jumble Shoppe News

The Jumble Shoppe is fully stocked with seasonal clothes and holiday decorations. Come

visit us. You’re sure to find something you’ll want to buy! Donations of winter clothes,

household goods and jewelry are now being accepted during shop hours on Tuesday and

Saturday, 10:00 - 1:00 PM. For other drop-off times, please contact Dorothy Sieburg at

860.710.1649.

Proceeds from the bazaar will be

“seed money” for the purchase of

air conditioning units for the Parlor

and Choir Room on the main level

of the Seabury Center. Think

about how you can help with this

and watch for sign-up sheets in the

parish hall.


Dorothy Sieburg,

Manager

We are sponsoring a Christmas

Bazaar on the weekend of

December 2nd/3rd. This would be

an open-to-the-public event on

Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00

PM. Items will be for sale in the

parish hall during Sunday coffee

hours. The St. James Quilters will

also be participating in this event.

Volunteers are needed on Friday,

December 1 from 4:00 PM to 6:00

PM to set-up. Pizza will be served

to all helpers.

The Nativity

O nata lux de lumine:

begotten of thy Father’s Light,

reflect through us that Light, we pray.


intensify the darkling night


come radiant Son of Heaven bright,

thou dawning of eternal Day!

Anne Carr Bingham


First a huge thank you to all who have been kind enough to bring in your Sunday paper

coupons for The Lord's Pantry. To update you, the coupon board is a huge success and

people gather around it immediately when they come in the door.

This nutrition initiative also includes poster boards in English and Spanish about how to eat

healthier and how to save money at the grocery store. In the future, there will be

education materials on diabetes and heart health. We have also been providing

"cooking classes" to help the folks use some of the produce and goods with which they

are less familiar. Our first demonstration used kale, garlic, olive oil, and a little bit of

sausage in a stir fry. It was very popular so the intent is to make this a monthly

occurrence.

If you get a chance, come on down to see what's going on. And, volunteers are always

needed! Again, thank you so much for your support of this ministry.


Deb Downes

Nutrition and Coupon Ministry

for The Lord's Pantry

The Supper Group of St. James Please join us for our December gathering

of fun, food and fellowship!!!

Come join the fun! Been thinking about it? Now’s the time!

Next Gathering: Sunday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve) at 6:00 PM

Where: Steak Loft Restaurant 27 Coogan Blvd., Mystic

Who: All of us who enjoy spending a fun evening with new and old friends.

Sign-up Deadline: Wednesday, December 29 Rides available AND encouraged! RSVP (name, # attending, and if you would like a ride) by contacting Lori Sarkett 860.701.0481 or by email at [email protected].


Caring for Creation Committee

The Faith in Action Committee continues to meet monthly to plan visitations to our shut-in

sisters and brothers. We also review the work of various outreach ministries, including our

new ministries with refugees and immigrants. The committee also makes decisions about

disbursements of earnings from the Jumble Shoppe. In our October meeting it was decided

to help with travel expenses for Grace Barnum and David Higgins , who have been invited

to attend the Convention of the Episcopal Church in Ecuador. We also voted to purchase

a flat screen TV and DVD for the parish. St. James presently has no effective way to do

visual presentations for educational forums.

The next meeting of the committee will be Thursday, December 14, at 5:30 PM. Parishioners

interested in lay visitation and other outreach ministries are encouraged to attend.


Dorothy Sieburg, Chair

Faith in Action

The new Caring for Creation committee is off to a busy start. Since our first meeting in

October, we’ve gotten the church active in recycling and organized a neighborhood litter

pickup and hike. We’ve met with Terri Eickel, an organizer for the Interreligious Eco-Justice

Network, a Connecticut group that helps churches with solar panels and other

environmental projects. Look for more announcements in the weekly bulletin and more

activities in 2018. Please join us at upcoming meetings and activities. For information, email

Judy Benson, chairwoman, at: [email protected].


Judy Benson, Chair

A Special Thanks! Our annual fall clean up took place at St. James on Saturday, October 28. Twenty hard

working parishioners gave up their Saturday morning to help out cleaning the church,

sprucing up the grounds, taking care of minor repairs and replacing four “very high”

spotlights within the church proper.

Many thanks to: Tim Breitenstein, Nina Butler, Betty Chapman, Dave Downes, Fred Driscoll,

Diane Dusza, Mark Enoch, Peter Hewitt, Dave Higgins, Nancy Higgins, Dhruv Mathews, Fr.

Ranjit Mathews, Margaret Murallo, Tonya Royall, Lori Sarkett, Anna Shaw, George Shaw,

Mike Spence, John Umland and Mary White who contributed their time and talents to work

as a team to accomplish so many tasks in such a short amount of time!

A special thank you goes out to Walter Chojnacki for supplying the donuts, coffee and

pizza to help nourish a very hungry crew!

Lori Sarkett, Junior Warden

mailto:[email protected]


Vestry Highlights The Vestry met on Tuesday, November 7. Highlights of the meeting are as follows: (1) A

discussion of the need to adjust the budget for 2018 in light of declining pledge income

and ways to meet the 2017 deficit. (2) A discussion of a proposal from the Drop-In Learning

Center requesting to expand their program to include a preschool as well as a program for

middle school teens. (3) Fred Smith is the St. James representative to the Board of the

Covenant Shelter. (4) “Caring for Creation” was made a formal Committee of the Vestry.

(5) An informational talk was given by Immigration lawyer, Michael Doyle, who is the

Executive Director of the Immigration Advocacy & Support Center in New London, about

his organization and how they lend support to immigrants.


Jan Dargel, Parish Clerk

Stewardship Thanks to all who have already submitted their pledge forms! It’s

heartening to hear from folks ready to help St. James maintain its worship

and good works here in New London. If you have not sent your 2018

pledge sheet in, please pray about your gift and ask the Holy Spirit for

direction. As you well know from your own experience with household

budgets, a budget must be in place to plan for the next year. Please

send your pledge form to the parish office or drop it in the plate in the

Sunday collection so that the vestry can plan for 2018. Pledge packets for

2018 are available in the narthex and the parish hall.


Stephanie Brandon and Dave Downes, Stewardship Team Members

The grant recipients for 2017 are Educational Resources for Children, Inc. and the New York

Haiti Project. Each recipient has sent their heartfelt gratitude for the support of the White

Envelope program.

Please be sure to submit all 2017 White Envelope contributions by December 31, 2017.

All contributions will be added to your annual pledge statement being mailed out in mid

January, 2018.


Jean Rogers

White Envelope Chair

White Envelope Program


Is your current (2017) pledge up

to date? Please make sure that

your 2017 contributions are

caught up as we approach the

busy holiday season.

Contributions cannot be posted

for 2017 after January 31, 2018.

The Vestry and Stewardship

Committee ask you to prayerfully

consider the ways—Time,

Talent, and Treasure—that

you can support St. James as

it seeks to do God’s work in

our community and the

world in 2018.

Alma Peterson & Greg Rice,

Co-Pledge Secretaries

Pledge Up-to-Date?

Each year, beginning in September, the Vestry establishes a Budget Committee to prepare

and propose an Operating Budget for the upcoming calendar year. The Operating Budget

projects the cost of Mission, Programs, Salaries, Benefits, Maintenance & Operations, and

Office expenses required to operate the church. This Operating Budget is approved by the

Vestry in December and presented to the parish at the Annual Parish Meeting in January.

The amount of money received from pledges, parish facility use, and other donations is

never enough to fund our Operating Budget. To balance the budget, we withdraw money

from the Parish investment account, known as the Endowment. This account has been built

from the donations of past parishioners, usually as a remembrance in their will. To prevent

the Endowment from being depleted, the Vestry set a maximum annual withdrawal limit of

five percent per year (see the "Stewardship" section on the St. James webpage for more

information on the"5% Rule"), many years ago. For more than ten years we have operated

the parish without exceeding this five percent limit.

However, we anticipate the need to exceed the five percent withdrawal to balance to

2018 Operating Budget. This is due to salary and benefit costs for a full-time rector for the

full year (which we have not had since 2014), other unavoidable general cost increases,

and projected pledge receipts at around 2016 levels. Since 2013, pledge receipts have

dropped more than twenty percent. As a result, we will need to withdraw an additional

$15,000 to $20,000 from the Endowment to balance the 2018 budget.

Although the Endowment has ample funds to cover this additional withdrawal, we may be

seeing the start of a trend unless we can increase our pledges in future years. While this is a

challenge, we are better off than many other parishes, where withdrawals of more than ten

percent form their endowment fund are needed to balance the budgets.


Jerry Miller, Treasurer

A Message From Your Treasurer


ST JAMES CHURCH

TREASURER’S REPORT

November 7, 2017

This report covers from January 1, 2017 through September 30, 2017.

Total Income:

Budgeted Amount: $199,876

Actual Amount: $173,184

Amount Actual is Under Budget: $26,692

The primary contributor to budget underrun is Pledge Income, which is $24,067 below the

budgeted amount.

Total Expenses:

Budgeted Amount: $306,521

Actual Amount: $288,040

Amount Actual is Under Budget: $18,481

The primary contributor to this expenditure underrun is Clergy Benefits, which is $17,234

under the budgeted amount.

Net Ordinary Income:

Total Income: $173,184

Total Expenses: $288,040

Net Ordinary Income: -$114,856

Endowment Income Applied $106,650

Net Income -$8,206

Summary: As of September 30, 2017, we are $8,206 behind where we expected to be

based on our 2017 budget.

Investment Summary:

Balance 12/31/2016: $2,949,951

Balance 09/30/2017: $3,187,083

Total Value Change: $234,132

Withdrawal 5%: $106,650

Withdrawal-Elevator Repair $23,788

Change Pre-Withdrawal: $364,570

Summary: Our pre-withdrawal investment value has increased by $364,570, about 12.3%,

through September 30, 2017. After factoring in the 5% withdrawal and the withdrawal for

the elevator repairs, our investments are up $234,132, about 7.9% through September.

Please note that a bequest of $48,150 from the William Ezell estate was deposited in the

investment account this month and is reflected in the balance above.


Gerald F. Miller, Treasurer

Parish Financial Update


Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

New London, CT 06320

Permit No. 236

St. James Episcopal Church

76 Federal Street

New London, CT 06320-6601

Postmaster: Time Sensitive Material, please deliver immediately.

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED.

Schedule for Christmas Celebrations

Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24

5:00 PM Festive Holy Eucharist with Christmas Music and Children’s Homily

(Planned for those with children, or those who simply want to get home early.)

10:45 PM Choral Prelude

11:00 PM Festive Choral Eucharist

Christmas Day, Monday, December 25

9:00 AM Holy Eucharist (with music)

As Sunday, December 24 is also the Fourth Sunday in Advent.

There will only be one morning Holy Eucharist at 9:00 AM.

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