Blessing of the Animals

Celebrate the Birthday of Saint Francis.  11 a.m. Worship service Sunday, September 28, 2008.  Everyone is invited; bring your pets!  Large and Small.  Service will be outdoors weather permitting to accommodate those animals that are not “church broken”.

Cultivating the Economics of Generosity and Mercy . . .

This week, during service Don shared the Parable of the Generous Farmer
Matthew 19:16- 20:16
A man approached Jesus saying “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
And he said unto him, “Why to you call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: butt if you will [...]

Xtreme

Sunday, Don opened his sermon with a wonderful commentary. I’ve returned to it several times in the past couple of days.
Over the years things like skiing and biking have developed into new things. New Xtreme Olympic sports. Generally speaking, people look at these things and cringe. Horrified that young people, or anyone for that matter, [...]

Moving Into New Territory

I am so very thankful to have found the Wednesday Mindfulness Meditation Group at St. James United Church of Christ.  I probably started attending in February or March of 2008.  In December of 2007, my mother gave me The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy & Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh [...]

Silence is Golden

Excepts from the Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith
“SILENCE. Even speaking the word seems to violate its meaning. 
In reality, silence is almost nonexistent.  If we stop speaking and turn off our telephones and televisions and radios and computers, there is always some sound of technology at work, nearby or far off.  A refrigerator [...]

Looking Back to Laramie

The following essay was published in the current issue of Plainviews. It is reproduced here with the permission of the author, a cherished member of the St. James community.
St. James will commemorate the tenth anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s murder during our worship service on Sunday, October 17.

Rev. Penelope Thoms on a chaplain re-called
Almost ten [...]

Sunday School Resumes Next Sunday Sept. 14th

Next Sunday we resume our educational format beginning at 10:00AM.  St. James will have classes for children from grades K through 7th along with an Adult Discussion.
September 14, 2008 Study Topics:
Continued Discussion A Sacred Conversation on Race Adults
Celebrating Differences The Gift of Differences for Grades 1-6
Jesus Welcomed All the Children for Pre-K & K

According with Nature

“Who once was in attentive
But now is not,
Illumines the world
Like the moon set free from a cloud.”
           – Dhammapada 172
Excerpt from “The Issue at Hand: Essays on Buddhist Mindfulness Practice” by Gil Fronsdal
“According with Nature
All spiritual practice involves change, or a wish for change: to go from a state of suffering to a state without [...]

News From St. James

Greetings! 
We know the summer is coming to an end when the calendar shows the starting of Sunday school classes again and Lovettsville’s Oktoberfest. Please add both of these items to your calendar:  Sunday School on September 14 at 10:00; Oktoberfest on September 27.
 
However, these are not the only dates to include!  This Sunday, September [...]