Sunday, April 13th: Palm/Passion Sunday
9:30am Processional Eucharist
Wednesday, April 16th
12:00 Noon Eucharist
12:40pm: “Unlikely Moses and the 9 Commandments” Bible Study
Thursday, April 17th: Maundy Thursday
The Day of Jesus’ Last Supper
12:00 Noon Eucharist
Friday, April 18th: Good Friday
The Day of Jesus’ Death
7:00pm Worship
Saturday, April 19th: Easter Vigil
Prayers as Jesus Lies Entombed
7:00pm Worship
Sunday, April 20th: Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of Our Lord
9:30am Easter Festival Worship
11:00am Children’s Easter Egg Hunt
4:50pm Easter Jazz Vespers
From the Pastor’s Desk …
“But Mary stood outside the tomb and saw …” –John’s Easter story
This month we celebrate what Mary saw on Easter morning, or better yet, did not see. The empty tomb meant Jesus was resurrected.
At St. James we too stop occasionally to see. In 2013 a group of nine looked to our future St. James ministry and prepared a roadmap titled “Vision 20/20.” Amid changing circumstances like a pandemic and a $3.2 million building upgrade, portions of that vision have been implemented. Today we stand strong with a congregational membership of over 225 members, annual giving and income of $500,000, and an Endowment of $2 million. So what’s next? What’s ahead as we celebrate our 135th anniversary of ministry this July?
Your St. James Council and I are forming two short-term task-forces to look two directions at once. We will:
- LOOK BACK WITH GRATITUDE.
On Sunday, July 27th we will gather for Anniversary Worship with invited guests, a festive meal, a new anniversary banner and giving the green light to St. James member and historian Friedrich Schuler to write a 1990 – 2025 history to supplement our purple “Book of the Century: St. James The First 100 Years.” - LOOK FORWARD WITH EASTER JOY.
We will view our current-day ministry and review our Mission Statement to offer changes and new visions. President Sue Hammond and I will form a standing visitation team to assist in caring for members and neighbors through visits, listening and providing care and resources. A Ministry Fair on October 12th will feature our 22 active ministries and how you can offer your time and skill. The Easter story of hope and new life will guide us. Like Mary at the early morning tomb, we may see things we did not expect. I can’t wait to see them with you.
–Pastor David
“Unlikely Moses and the Nine Commandments” …
Pastor David continues his mid-week Bible Study that explores Moses’ life each Wednesday immediately after our 30 minute Noon Eucharist Service in Pioneer Chapel.
Who was Moses? Is there archeological evidence that he lived? How many people crossed the Red Sea? Do non-biblical writings mention him? How many commandments did God give Moses? Are those commandments relevant today? Here are the upcoming topics of discussion:
- Wed. April 2nd “The Exodus: Crossing the Red Sea”
- Wed. April 9th “Moses and Bonhoeffer”
- Wed. April 16th Wednesday of Holy Week: “Moses and the Passover”
- Wed. April 23rd “The Nine Commandments”
- Wed. April 30th “The Nine Guardrails”
Beautify Our Church Building …
Lent is a time to prepare our hearts for Easter joy. But let’s also prepare our St. James building. We will gather at 9:00am on Saturday, April 12th to prepare our worship space for Holy Week. Bring your dust rag. A light lunch is being prepared by Charlotte Cook.
Upcoming Opportunities to Walk with St. James …
The time has come to sign up for the walking teams for the CROP Hunger Walk later this month and Lutheran Ligaments Portland to Coast in late August.
- CROP Hunger Walk – The date is Sunday, April 27th, starting at 2:00pm at First Christian Church. Go to https://events.crophungerwalk.org or look up “Portland CROP Walk”. If you would like to join our team, click “Join or Register a Team” and search “Soles of St. James” under the “Find an existing team to join” bar.
- Lutheran Ligaments Portland to Coast – The annual race is August 22nd-23rd from Portland to Seaside. Signups are available from now until May. Contact Larry Larsen to join.
Bach Cantata & Parkside Piano Series Dates …
Mark your calendars! Watch for these upcoming musical events at St. James:
- Choral Cantata Vespers – on Sundays May 25th and November 2nd at 5:00pm
- Parkside Piano Series – Fourth Sundays at 4:00pm on June 22nd, July 27th, & August 24th
Reaching Out In Love …
This year marks the 80th anniversary of our worldwide ministry know at Lutheran World Relief (LWR). We will celebrate in two ways:
First, by preparing Personal Care/Health kits that will aid those in need in 16 countries. Our St. James Social Ministry Committee will purchase new hygiene items, organize them into kits, box them, and deliver them to a semi-truck. They travel by train to a LWR warehouse in Maryland, and then to where there is need. We call this our “Boxcar” project and you can make this happen by your special gift of money.
Secondly, in a few months we will gather funds for a financial gift for LWR’s ongoing work. Our Endowment Committee has encouraged us with their gift of $4,000 to begin our fundraiser.
