The Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew
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Special Appeal: Sound/Video

4/25/2021

 
Dear People of Saints James and Andrew,

We are overjoyed that in this Eastertide, as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, conditions will soon allow us to resume limited in-person worship.  The last year has been hard in many ways, but despite the challenges we’ve faced, we have demonstrated resilience as a faith community.  We have all learned much more than we ever thought we might need to about navigating technology in order to participate in virtual worship, coffee hour, and the like. 

Many of you will remember having difficulty hearing when attending worship in the main sanctuary prior to the pandemic.  Others will remember what difficulty we had with sound as we began to livestream our worship from the chapel and main sanctuary during the early days of the pandemic. The clergy and vestry have spent considerable time and energy trying to resolve these issues over the last year; our investigations have brought us to the conclusion that we must look to the future and invest in an entirely new and comprehensive sound and video system.

Vestry Members Andy Levchuk and Reynolds Whalen took on leadership of the project and met with two vendors as we explored our options, and we were immediately taken by the outstanding work Small Town Sound and Photo has done with other area churches, including St. Francis Episcopal Church in Holden, Massachusetts. (If you want to get an idea of what our new livestream worship will look and sound like, we encourage you to watch a service of St. Francis’ here.)   The Vestry has voted to accept Small Town Sound’s proposal to install a new system costing $15,000; it’s our hope that the installation work will begin soon.

We feel called to undertake this large scale capital improvement in order to provide a quality livestream worship experience long after the pandemic fades away. We have come to understand live streaming to be an important way that we can include those who for various reasons are not able to worship with us in person:  we see it as a tool for pastoral care and for spreading the good news of God’s love well beyond Franklin County. 

This project will enhance the worship experience of both those who are gathered in person and those who are watching from home. We are drawing from our savings accounts to initially cover these expenses.

We invite parishioners and friends of the parish to prayerfully consider making a special one-time gift to this project, in thanksgiving for God’s blessing as we resume in-person worship. It is our goal to raise $15,000 and replenish our savings during this year in which we are already facing a deficit budget. 

If you are moved to make a contribution, we encourage you to send donations earmarked for ‘sound/video’. We also can accept donations through our website. 

You will find a video from Vestry member Reynolds Whalen on Facebook, who will help lead a new team of Digital Ministers, explaining this project in a bit more detail. We encourage you to watch it to learn more. 

Thank you for your faithfulness throughout this past year, and for your generosity as we seek to invest in the future ministry and worship of our faith community. 

Yours,
Clergy & Vestry of Saints James and Andrew​

Updated Health Metrics

4/20/2021

 
What are the Public Health Indicators that it is safe to resume in-person worship?
  1. The Department of Public Health’s weekly report indicates that Greenfield and the majority of area towns where our members live (such as Bernardston, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Erving, Gill, Leverett, Leyden, Montague, Northfield, and Shelburne) are deemed grey, green, or yellow zone. If yellow, we will advise parishioners cases are on the rise and to use caution in deciding to attend in-person worship.  Should we be deemed red, we would return to remote worship temporarily.  
  2. Rapid testing and contact tracing is widespread. Healthcare system well-equipped. 
  3. Limitations on size and type of gatherings may remain. 
  4. Vaccines distribution has reached the general public (i.e. when the Department of Public Health opens Phase 3 of the vaccine distribution plan). 

All COVID-19 & Reopening Updates (view here)

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​Mission

We believe God is calling us to cultivate a community of love, joy, hope, and healing. Jesus is our model for a life of faith, compassion, hospitality, and service. We strive to be affirming and accessible, welcoming and inclusive; we seek to promote reconciliation, exercise responsible stewardship, and embrace ancient traditions for modern lives.

Office Hours

Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Our church, gardens, and labyrinth are open daily for you to rest, pray, be.
Donate

Contact Information

8 Church St. Greenfield, MA 01301
office@saintsjamesandandrew.org
413-773-3925

Worship Times

10 a.m. In-Person Worship & Livestreamed 
View worship services. 

​We Would Love to Have You Join Us Soon!

  • Home
  • About
    • Become a member
    • Important Updates
    • In the News
    • Meet the Team
    • Parishioner Portal >
      • Annual Report
      • Whiteman Windows
  • Worship, Grow, Serve
    • Worship >
      • Livestream Worship
      • Worship Leaflets
      • Sermons >
        • Teaching Sermons
      • Worship Schedule
      • Baptism, Confirmation & Reception
      • Marriage
      • Burial & Legacy Giving
    • Grow >
      • Kids & Youth
      • Adults
      • Green Team
      • Health Ministry
      • Labyrinth
    • Serve >
      • Serve in Worship
      • Serve in the Parish
      • Serve in the Community
  • Meals and More
  • Events
    • Spaces Available to the Community
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
  • Donate
  • Contact
    • New? Tell us about yourself by filling out this welcome card
    • Submit Your Prayer Requests
    • Submit Your Memorials and Thanksgivings
    • Fill out our Online Pledge Card
    • Read the latest news at SsJA
    • Subscribe Newsletter
    • Amazon Smile