![]() Dear Friends of Saints James and Andrew, We tell the world who we are, and who we believe God is calling us to be, in our mission statement. This is included in the footer of all our correspondence, worship leaflets, website, and even on a banner outside the church. We have incorporated these values into our common life, and we strive to embody them in our ministry and outreach efforts. It’s a journey; one we make joyfully together in faith. Mission and Vision: 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. Here are some of the ways we lived into this mission in 2024. We created beautiful worship together and welcomed new members into our community. We blessed chalk; gardeners and their tools; bicycles; backpacks; and animals. We featured Stations of the Cross focused on overcoming racism, and offered a variety of teaching sermons. We introduced Pentecost and Advent services of Lessons & Carols. We launched a new regular bible study to support our Lay Preachers Guild in their sermon preparation. We continue to cherish our monthly Coffee and Conversation. We lived into the sacraments and sacramental rites of our tradition. We baptized Max Barbato, Wendy Herzig, and Emmalina Jones-Burke into the body of Christ. We bid farewell to members Audrey Arms; Ced Bannister; John and Betts Bednarski; Quentin and Mary Murrell Faulkner; Felicia Finck; Rick Gwosch, and Lorraine Penick - entrusting them to God and the saints in light. We successfully launched a new midweek eucharist led by our Missioner, Rev. Jimmy Pickett. Our Pastoral Care Team brought eucharist to those on our visitation list (27 visits) and many more pastoral check-ins. We witnessed the fruit of our two year holy experiment with Missioner Rev. Jimmy Pickett, whose work focuses on spiritual formation and will conclude in November 2025. There were opportunities for dinner church and book studies. Of particular note is our growing ministry to children and families. We began with monthly dinners and in Advent launched a new children’s chapel program. We welcomed Preciosa Pagan on staff as a paid childcare assistant, and Cara Hins, as the volunteer coordinator. We launched a successful new outreach ministry, Bach’s Lunch, funded by a one time diocesan grant. These free midweek concerts feature many of the professional musicians within our parish, and some beyond. People are invited to bring a bag lunch and enjoy the beauty of the music and the church. Each concert averaged about 50 people, and they have been well received by the wider community. With full hearts we have continued to offer two weekly feeding ministries, an essentials pantry, a fiber arts ministry, creation care programming, a companioning ministry, a community labyrinth, cheering at the Pride Parade, and we raised nearly $3,000 for St. Matthew’s School in Haiti. At times the need around us was so great, we nearly overwhelmed our own capacity. We will need to continue discerning how to adapt our outreach efforts to better reflect our current realities, as it relates to our human and financial resources. We navigated a variety of staffing changes with intention and care. We began a culture shift around how staffing supports our buildings, which house our mission and ministries. Some of these changes include: the retirement of longtime Sexton, Steve Hussey, and Interim Sexton, Deb Parker; expanding the scope of Parish Administrator Aaron McMurray’s role to meet current facility and property use needs; and onboarding Collective Cleaners to manage twice weekly cleanings of our entire facility. We had a successful year of sharing our space with the wider community through our property use program, where we welcomed Marietta Skeen into Upper Room 1 and Pioneer Valley Symphony music lessons into the Lower Level. We cared for our facility, as Property tended to both long term deferred maintenance and routine maintenance. There were sinkholes to fill, basements to seal, a courtyard to refinish, kitchen equipment that required replacing; and trim to replace (with a new material that will last 100 years!). A taskforce began exploring the future of the Strong House. The generosity of this community never ceases to amaze, as people share their time, talent, and treasure to help us embrace and embody our mission and ministry. Whether your work is visible or behind the scenes - thank you. Let us continue to walk in love. With peace and gratitude, Rev. Heather J. Blais, Rector
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2025
|