2023 Winter/Spring Ministries Guide

Our Mission

St. James’ sets tables of welcome where all can encounter Christ's love.

We are an inclusive, multicultural, and affirming community, grounded and rooted in our African American heritage.

Worship Schedule

Sundays

8:00 am Rite I Eucharist in person in the sanctuary

10:30 am Rite II Eucharist in person in the sanctuary (Live-streamed)

1:00 pm Misa en español (Live-streamed)

5:00 pm Evening Eucharist in person in the sanctuary (Live-streamed)

Mondays

5:30 pm Intercessory Prayer

Wednesdays

8:00 am Morning Prayer and Bible Study (Zoom)

Fridays

7:00 am Rosary (Zoom)

worship ministries

Liturgy Committee

The Liturgy Committee establishes our yearly liturgical calendar with its various special commemorations, thinks through how each liturgical season shapes our practices of worship, and develops ways to better welcome and include people of various ages and backgrounds in our liturgies. If you are interested in serving on the Liturgy Committee, contact The Rev. Eileen O’Brien (rector@stjamesaustin.org).

Altar Guild

The altar guild works behind the scenes to care for the altar, vestments, vessels, and altar linens of the parish If you are looking for a behind-the-scenes ministry that is meaningful to the life of a community that delights in the beauty of worship, contact Pam Daniel (pdaniel70@gmail.com).

Acolytes & Lay Eucharistic Ministers

Youth and adult acolytes and eucharistic ministers serve during our eucharistic services in partnership with clergy and ushers. Contact the church office (office@stjamesaustin.org) if you would like to join a team or brush up on your skills.

Lectors & Intercessors

At every service, lectors and intercessors proclaim God’s word to us through the readings and they assist us in speaking before God through the prayers of the people. Trainings are designed to offer interpretive insight into the readings and the prayers of the liturgical season ahead in order to deepen preparation. If you would like to be trained as a lector or intercessor, contact the church office (office@stjamesaustin org), and we will get you connected Functional fluency in Spanish is expected of lectors in Spanish

Ushers & Greeters

At each in-person service, ushers greet and orient those who come to worship. They are essential in welcoming people, orienting them so they know how to participate, and making sure they feel at home If you would like to be trained as an usher, contact the church office (office@stjamesaustin.org).

Music Ministries

10:30 Choir

This fall, the 10:30 choir will be regathering under the leadership of Music Minister HouFei Yang (houfei@stjamesaustin.org) and Pianist Sharon Coleman. 1 pm Coro

Our worship team for the 1 pm service works with Francisco Chavez (francisco.chavez.silva@gmail.com) to lead us on paths or rejoicing and return.

5 pm Choir

This fall, the 5 pm choir will be regathering under the leadership of Martha Pulkingham (mpulkingham@gmail.com).

Newcomers Groups and Gatherings

Each September and January, we form Journey Groups, small groups for those who are new to St James' or who want to discover more about the Episcopal and Anglican tradition, while getting to know other newcomers.

Quarterly Newcomer Gatherings invite long time members to gather with those who are new to St James' to get to know each other.

Small Groups

Small groups offer opportunity for deeper knowing of each other and sharing on the spiritual journey. Groups bring people together from diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise get to know each other by just sitting in the pews together.

Hospitality Guild

The hospitality guild plans receptions for Sundays, memorial services, and other special events, graciously gathering people around tables for life together.

Brushbusters

The Brushbusters help to maintain and care for our grounds, contributing valuable volunteer hours and making our physical environment one that nurtures the spirit and sense of welcome.

The Good Friday Project

The

The ministry of caring for each other through change and transition as an expression of God’s love is at the heart of the church’s life together.

The Community of Hope

The Community of Hope are trained lay chaplains who offer pastoral visitation as a ministry to our church membership and beyond The group convenes a monthly Circle of Care meeting, anchored in Benedictine spirituality, in order to support each other in pastoral work If you are discerning a call to this ministry, contact The Rev. Eileen O'Brien at rector@stjamesaustin.org.

Monday Intercessory Prayer Group

This group commits to praying the St. James' prayer list every Monday at 5:30 pm whether they are praying from their homes or together in the sanctuary Check the church calendar for the downloadable liturgy and the location.

The Meal Ministry

The St. James’ meal ministry provides support to individuals or families experiencing a moment of crisis or transition even as other sorts of pastoral care are provided Contact office@stjamesaustin org to be added to the email list or to notify the church of a need

Lay Eucharistic Visitors

Lay Eucharistic Visitors help us to extend our table of welcome into the community

Family members may be trained to take communion from our common table to elder members of their household, but we are also seeking individuals who can take communion to homebound community members. If you would like to be trained, contact the church office (office@stjamesaustin.org) to learn more about the process.

The Prayer List

The entire St James’ community is invited into the work of pastoral care through praying for each other through the Prayer List. This list includes members of the extended family of St. James’ who seek prayer for either short term or long term needs. You can add people to the prayer list by filling out a prayer card in your pew and putting it in the offering plate, calling the office (512-926-6339), or emailing prayerbox@stjamesaustin org

Emergency Pastoral Care Line

pastoral care caring for community

Your clergy and lay pastoral care givers at St. James’ want to be there for you and your loved ones in those critical moments. Be sure to reach out to the church office and let us know when you are having a surgery or if you or a loved one is in the hospital Even if you call after hours, the emergency pastoral care line (512-6777991) will connect you

Christian Formation

Children's Ministries

Nursery

To help provide a time of focused worship for parents and a positive church experience for our youngest children, we offer childcare during services and other scheduled events The nursery is available for ages 0-3 on Sunday morning beginning at 10:15 for the 10:30 service. Our professional childcare workers are all vaccinated for Covid-19, and have completed both a background check and Safeguarding God's Children training (child abuse awareness and prevention education). For more information about our nursery, please contact Diana Espinosa, office@stjamesaustin org

Godly Play

Youth Ministries

We seek to foster a nonjudgmental and compassionate environment where youth in grades 6-12 can grow their faith and relationships through the diverse community of St James’ and the larger Episcopal Church

We offer youth regular Sunday and weekday opportunities plus additional special events, for fun, fellowship, food, and formation. Friends and additional guests ages 12-18 are always welcome at youth ministry activities Youth are also encouraged to take on leadership roles in worship services and other activities in the life of the church.

Children (age 3 – 5th grade) are invited to join us for Godly Play in the Orange Building during the 10:30 am service or in Spanish at 12:30 pm prior to the 1 pm service. Godly Play is a Montessoribased program through which children become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives through parable, sacred story, silence, and liturgical action For more information about Children's Ministries, contact The Rev. Erin Hensley, Interim Children's Minister at erin@stjamesaustin.org. Our youth are accompanied on the journey by a dedicated group of adults, youth sponsors, who have completed both a background check and Safeguarding God's Children training, and who are committed to nurturing the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of young people.

For more information on youth ministry, or on becoming a youth sponsor, contact The Rev Eileen O'Brien, rector@stjamesaustin.org.

Christian Formation Adult Education

St. James' offers a variety of regular adult education opportunities: The Sunday Morning Forum, 9:15-10:10 am, hybrid This fall, we are reading the Old Testament with Ellen Davis' book, Opening Israel's Scriptures, and Judy Fentress-Williams' book, Holy Imagination

The Wednesday Morning Bible Study, 8-9:30 am, online This lectionary-based Bible study looks to the readings for the coming Sunday.

Education for Ministry, Monday and Wednesday Night Groups

This year ' s groups are already fully registered, but Education for Ministry is a 4-year program, meeting weekly during the program year to study Christian scripture, history, tradition, and theology and to develop practices of connecting these things to our lives today.

The Thursday Theological Reading Group (TREND), every other Thursday, 9:30-11:30 am, at Central Market on N. Lamar.

Sacramental Preparation

St. James' clergy offer periodic baptismal workshops to prepare parents, godparents, and candidates for baptism.

Adults seeking baptism, confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation are required to participate in the fall or spring Journey Group Journey Groups are small groups which orient newcomers to St James' and seekers to the basics of Christian faith and practice in the Episcopal Church.

Discernment for Ministry

St James' seeks to nurture each baptized person in their call to be an instrument of God's love in the world. Some feel called to particular ministries (eg Deacon, Priest, lay chaplain. In concert with the diocesan Discovery Retreat, discernment conversations with clergy and discernment committees accompany people of all ages in listening to God's call.

Welcome Table is a source of community for neighbors creating abundance together in East Austin. We honor each other by nourishing mind, body, and spirit.

Welcome Table faithfully advances a cycle of giving and receiving that began in 1941 with the founding of St. James Episcopal Church. Today our signature programs, Freedom Schools and Neighbor2Neighbor, demonstrate a deep commitment to Dr. King’s inclusive vision of Beloved Community

Neighbor2Neighbor shares food, diapers, utility assistance, and caring community with our lowincome neighbors in East Austin, with a special focus on our senior neighbors. In the last two years alone, we have generated 8,000+ of volunteer hours and shared over 320,000 pounds of food and more than 150,000 diapers with our neighbors

CDF Freedom Schools® Austin is a year-round culturally responsive family support network that culminates in a free six-week literacy and STEAM education program for scholars ages 6-11 Since 2014, almost 400 scholars averaged a 9-month increase in reading level during the program. Scholars’ trajectory for success is fortified with family support, a team of college-aged Servant Leader Interns, and professionals in the community who come together to support and celebrate their potential

Whomever you are and wherever you are, you are welcome at this table.

Get involved with serving the unhoused by joining the Trinity Center Sunday team The Trinity Center team prepares and distributes meals on select Sunday afternoons (roughly every other month). Check the St. James' Calendar page for dates or get on Trinity Center email list by emailing office@stjamesaustin org

Reading Buddies volunteers are paired with an elementary-aged student at Norman-Sims Elementary School, with whom they read for 30 minutes each week, for the duration of the school year Most of our volunteers work with two students for a total of an hour-a-week on campus

Throughout the school year, our teacher appreciation team supports and encourages the teaching and administrative staff. This year Norman-Sims is also in need of volunteers to help keep the library open To sign up to help this fall, email office@stjamesaustin org for the link

ministries of stewardship and governance

The Vestry

The Vestry of an Episcopal church is like the governing board of directors, which meets monthly to take decisions on financial, personnel, and infrastructural issues, but also to drive the implementation of the mission and vision of the congregation.

Each year our parish seeks and elects four new Vestry members. Each Vestry member also serves on one of the subcommitees

The Vestry Mission and Ministry Subcommittee

The Mission and Ministry Subcommittee of the Vestry is made up of vestry members and non-vestry members. This committee is charged with maintaining a strong and clear sense of our mission as a parish, ensuring that our ministries are aligned with that mission, and attending to the health of our varied ministries.

The Vestry Administration Subcommittee

The Administration Subcommittee of the Vestry is made up of vestry members and non-vestry members. This committee is charged with oversight of the maintenance of buildings and grounds, and policies related to campus safety (eg implementation of the emergency plan, COVID-related policies, etc )

The Vestry Finance Subcommittee

The Finance Subcommittee of the Vestry is made up of vestry members and non-vestry members This committee is charged with development and oversight of the annual budget, regular communication with the parish about the finances of the church, financial policies, and long-term financial planning for the health of the parish.

Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee is made up of vestry members and non-vestry members. This committee assists with personnel-related policies and procedures, advises the Finance Committee on pay scale questions, and advises the rector in personnel matters, while maintaining appropriately high standards of confidentiality

The Land Committee

The Land Committee is made up of vestry members and non-vestry members. This committee monitors development contiguous to our property and is charged with making suggestions to the Vestry about how to respond and adapt to our developing landscape.

Stewardship Committee

The Stewardship Committee takes the lead each year in our annual October/November pledge campaign to secure the needed operating funds to make the mission of St James' possible Planning starts in August and the last phone calls are made in January

partners in ministry

The Union of Black Episcopalians, Myra McDaniel Chapter

The Myra McDaniel Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians has its origins in the St. James' congregation, but it now reaches out to gather Episcopalians from all over the greater Austin area to its mission, which is: To unite the diverse cultures, concerns and gifts of Black Episcopalians by providing preparation and encouragement for living the Baptismal Covenant and fully participating in the mission and governance of The Episcopal Church.

Our local chapter of the UBE is particularly engaged in actions that nurture multicultural democracy, such as voter registration, voting rights advocacy, and voter education, as well as creating open spaces for people of many backgrounds to learn and share about race and to practice anti-racism.

To get involved with voting efforts, contact Chaz Nailor at chaznailor@gmail.com. To learn more about the One Human Race program, go to onehumanraceaustin.org. One Human Race is essential formation for being a part of the St James' community

Child, Inc.

St. James’ mission includes being a good neighbor in East Austin. As part of that goal, St. James’ partners with Child, Inc to provide a full-time preschool on our campus Child, Inc provides lowincome families with comprehensive early childhood education, including extensive child and family support services For more information, go to childinc org

Center for Health Empowerment (CHE)

St. James' is a clinic site for CHE.

CHE Center for Health Empowerment offers educational services and FDA approved medical treatments at little to no out-of-pocket cost. The CHE wellness clinic provides PrEP and PEP medications, STI screenings, prevention, treatment and continuing care

We work with community partners to help eligible participants find community resources for transportation, housing, mental health and substance abuse Our navigators provide personalized, caring support at all stages of care. For more information, go to checlinic.org.

Get Involved!

We hope that you will make the mission of St. James' your own!

How will you set a table of welcome for others who are seeking nourishment?

Where will you seek refreshment for your own spirit and to know and be known by those unlike you?

Where will you find clarity about your call?

If you aren't quite ready to jump in, set up an appointment with Rev. Eileen, rector@stjamesaustin.org, to think and pray about some options, to hear more about community needs and hopes, and to ponder where your gifts might be a God-send.