Sunday School
Sunday Schoool Classes
Spring and Summer Small Groups
An Overview
Here is a summary of the class and small group options available this spring and summer. Details follow below.
The Tuesday evening class led by Becky Stephenson on The Bad Girls of the Bible will end weekly meetings on May 5 then continue on the first Tuesday of the months of June, July, and August.
Tom Greener will lead a class starting April 15 on The Social Principles of the UMC. It will be a discussion of the intersection of faith and daily life.
The Truth Seekers will meet on Friday mornings from 10 to 11:30 a.m. through May 8. During the summer, movies will be shown on selected Fridays.
Also on Fridays, Pastor Tom Green will continue his book club, meeting from noon to 1 p.m.
Marianne Leventry will continue leading the Lectio Divina studies of Scripture with the Gospel of Matthew May 20. The summer study will focus on Ephesians and Philippians. The group meets Wednesdays at noon.
The Sunday School classes will continue through the spring and summer.
Classes
Circle 2
Susannah Circle
Pastor Tom's Book Club
C
Small Group
Small Groups and Classes
St. James UMC offers a variety of classes and small groups, including GriefShare, Covenant Bible Study, and Lectio Divina. For more information, contact the leader listed for each group/class below.
Mondays
Prayer Shawls
Share your gift of knitting or crocheting—or come and learn one of those gifts—as you create shawls bathed in prayer. These prayer shawls will then be given to people in our church, community, and around the world who will be blessed by knowing they are wrapped in God’s love.
Led by Lynn Gammell on Zoom
GriefShare
Losing a loved one to death takes a toll on us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. This group will help you get through this difficult time guiding you from mourning back to joy in Christ. You can join GriefShare at any time and come for as many or as few sessions as you want.
The cost of the series is $15.00. Scholarships are available; please email Joyce Day at joyce@stjconnect.org.
Led by Dane Sergeant, Janet Berry, and Jennifer Corbett on Zoom
Tuesdays
Caregiver Support Group
Monthly on the Second Tuesday of the month, 1 p.m.
The St. James Caregiver Support Group continues to meet once a month. If you have a loved one who depends on you for care–either at home or in a nursing facility—you may find great benefit from this group whose purpose is to provide encouragement and support and to share ideas for dealing with the challenges of caregiving.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Kathy Dosser at kdosser@suddenlink.net or (252) 916-2374.
Wednesdays
InStitches Quilters
This class is for persons of all skill levels, including beginners who want to learn. The group makes baby quilts for church families, items for Spring Fling, and other items.
Ongoing, 10 a.m.-Noon on Wednesday mornings, via Zoom
Led by Elizabeth Collins – elizabeth.b.collins@gmail.com
For Zoom, contact Carolyn Bagley – qbangley@gmail.com.
Lectio Divina
Social Principles led by Pastor Tom
Introduction to the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church
The Social Principles are a good faith response to what we believe God is already doing in our lives and in the public square. They are an expression of the common ground we share, reflecting our priorities and helping us learn about and advocate for vulnerable peoples and a vulnerable planet. The Social Principles express the United Methodist Church's official positions on societal issues, casting a vision for a just and equitable world.
Pastor Tom's class on Social Principles will meet at 5:30 p.m., starting April 15 and continuing for six weeks through the end of May. Location will depend upon the numbers of folks who register. Childcare will be available. Please register HERE for the class, and indicate if you will need nursery or childcare.
TGIW (Thank God It's Wednesday) Classes
TBA for the Fall soon...
Fridays
New Study for Truth Seekers
Truth Seekers will meet on Fridays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on April 24, May 1, and May 8, for a study of "A Theology of the Ordinary" by theologian Julie Canlis (right).
Canlis describes her book:
"This book emerged from an extended meditation on this cultural obsession with greatness and being ‘impactful’ (a new word that had cropped up in American usage while we were away) and how it was infiltrating the church. This has made me wonder … is being ‘ordinary’ the next frontier for the Christian?
"Has our culture’s emphasis on supercharged emotions and measurable success blinded us to Romans 12 and the fact that our ordinary lives are our “spiritual act of worship”? As it says in The Message, 'So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life –– your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life –– and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.'"
Pastor Tom Book Club ; April 10 at 12 p.m.
Discussion: Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness
As Christians, we need to understand who the church should be in this hurting world: people who are redeemed, filled with the Holy Spirit and equipped to serve to meet needs everywhere in Jesus’ name. That concept of the church will affect everything from the way the pastor preaches to the way the building is designed. It will direct the church away from the “professionals” and into the hands of laypeople. And as these laypeople step into
roles of service and admit their own brokenness, they will find that they can love, accept, and forgive those who are hurting around them and out the “welcome mat” in their community.
Please join me as we discuss bring hope and help to our community. For any questions, contact Pastor Tom at Tom@stjconnect.org.
Sundays
St. James Book Club
St. James UMC Book Club Meets Sunday, April 19, 4-5 p.m.
Book to Discuss: Ariel Lawton's The Frozen River
4 p.m. in the Parlor
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawton is a gripping historical novel inspired by the life and thirty years of diary entries of real life Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system of the time.
In 1789 Maine when the river freezes, it entombs a man in the ice. Martha Ballard is summoned to determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to the lives of many.
Midwives were part of a broad system of medical professionals; they did not just deliver babies at this time. The justice system was sparse, so Martha operates within that setting to find justice in the best way available.
For more information about the St. James UMC Book Club, contact June Parker at jdparker48@hotmail.com.
Prayer
The heart of a church is nurtured through prayer
At St. James, we value the prayers of our members and we seek to grow the prayer lives of all who want to have a deep, abiding relationship with God. Here are some of the ways we do that.
Prayer Group
We encourage everyone to share their prayer requests with us by calling the church, speaking with one of the clergy, or placing a prayer card in the offering plate or in one of the prayer boxes located in various locations around the church. These requests are then shared with the Prayer Group who faithfully prays for them each week.
Prayer Vigils
During times of crisis and challenge as well as during specific holy seasons and seasons of transition, we invite people to participate in a prayer vigil. Individuals or families choose a specific time when they will pray each day during the length of the vigil. In this way, we create a chain reaction of prayer that moves through time and into the eternal presence of God.
Classes in Prayer
Prayer is simply being in conversation with God, yet that can seem intimidating to us at times. God longs to be in relationship with all of us, and the conversation of prayer is an important way of nurturing that relationship. There are many different ways to pray, so at St. James we offer classes at various times designed to teach these prayer methods and to help us become more comfortable in our conversations with God.
Prayer Labyrinth
During Holy Week (the week just before Easter), we place a prayer labyrinth in our fellowship hall that is open to anyone who would like to walk it. A prayer labyrinth is simply a means of engaging our bodies as we pray. It is an ancient tradition designed to help us slowly let go of our worldly concerns so that we can focus more on the presence and will of God. If you would like to learn more about the prayer labyrinth, click here.
Methodist Women
Our Purpose
The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.
What does it mean to be a member of UMW?
UMW is any woman who commits herself to the PURPOSE and chooses to participate in prayer, giving, study, action and/or service. The organization celebrates a diverse and inclusive membership and welcomes all women who want to be members. We are a community of women who nurture and encourage one another in our spiritual growth and personal development. Over one million women have said yes to membership in UMW.
Why become a member of UMW?
Women join United Methodist Women to grow spiritually, educationally and intellectually; to be stimulated; to gain leadership experience; to meet other women; and to be involved in mission in a number of ways. Some examples are:
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Spiritual growth studies and renewal
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Mission education
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Biblical and theological study
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Women in Crisis programs
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Child advocacy
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Giving on behalf of persons in mission
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Legislative affairs
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Human rights issues
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Combating racism
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Reading Program
UMW is the group of women in each congregation organized for mission. Each local and district unit relates directly to district and conference organizations of UMW and to the Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries.
Methodist Men
St. James United Methodist Men
Our mission is to support spiritual growth among men, helping men to mature as disciples as they encourage spiritual formation in others.
Our goal is to empower the ministry of Jesus Christ through men within the congregations of the United Methodist Church.
United Methodist Men to Meet May 15
Speaker is Tom Quigley, Head of JOY Community Center
This month’s meeting of United Methodist Men is Sunday, May 15, at 7:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Traditionally, members of UMM meet the second Sunday of the month, except in May, which is Mother’s Day.
The speaker will be Tom Quigley, Director of JOY Community Center. He will speak about the new facilities at JOY and the plans for St. James UMC’s Lenten donation to the center, All men of the church are welcome.
The St. James United Methodist Men meet on the Second Sunday of every month at 7:30 am for breakfast and a meeting.
For more information, please contact:
Randy Davis, President
252-355-6752
crdavis1@hotmail.com
or
Ed Mann, Vice-President
252-717-3680
harveyebr@gmail.com
Women’s Ministry
Upcoming Women’s Conferences
THE ENCOUNTER TOUR with Lysa Terkeurst and Levi Lusko on Wednesday, April 8, from 7 to 9 pm at Reimage Church. We would love to get a group from St. James to go together to this local event. If we can get a group of 10 or more, the cost will be $30/per person ($5.00 off the regular admission price.)
If interested in going as a group, please register online by March 25 at www.stjconnect.org or call the church office at 252-752-6154.
THE RISE UP WOMEN OF JOY CONFERENCE will be held in Myrtle Beach, SC;
Pigeon Forge, TN; and Branson, MO. St. James is not planning to organize a group
trip, but we encourage our ladies to go to https://womenofjoy.org/2020-riseup/ to learn
more.
For more information about Women’s Ministry at St. James UMC, please contact
Kirstin Tart at kirstintart@suddnelink.net or Joyce Day at joyce@stjconnect.org.
TGIW
TGIW (Thank God It's Wednesday)
Besides Sunday School, the small group classes of TGIW (Thank God It’s Wednesday) and other small groups are opportunities to grow in faith at St. James. Most classes run from 6 to 7 p.m., preceded by a meal beginning at 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday evenings can be a terrific time of family fellowship over a delicious meal in the Fellowship Hall. Weekly meal sign-ups will be available throughout the Spring, many of them with menus that offer a variety of food.
Spring 2022 TGIW will kick off on January 18th. It will end on March 29th.
Please see the event on the homepage to sign up for meals and classes.
Opportunities for Service
Here are several ways to serve on Wednesday evenings:
Nursery volunteer—help in the Nursery or at the front desk
Youth or Children’s Classes Volunteer
Email Emleigh Appel to serve in those ways: (252) 752-6154; emleigh@stjconnect.org
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Kitchen volunteer—set up and/or clean up after each meal, cook a meal
Classroom volunteer—ensure classrooms are ready for the groups
Call or email Chris Garcia to serve in those ways: (252) 752-6154; chris@stjconnect.org
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
123-456-7890