The Window – St. James' Episcopal Church: Recent Episodes
Saint James Episcopal Church, Fremont, CA
While we are not requiring masks or proof of vaccination for indoor gatherings, we encourage all those eligible to get their vaccinations and boosters and respect each individuals choice to wear a mask. Sacramental wine at communion is once again offered from the common cup. Please, no intinction. You can read Rev Lori’s email of May 2nd 2023 below. We offer livestreamed services for those who are unable to attend church in person and you can join our online congregation by going to our website homepage.
Awareness of COVID protocols and risks has been the responsibility of all our church community and is overseen by our Regathering Team. We thank everyone for their vigilance since we regathered in 2021. If we are made aware of a positive COVID case after a church event or service (by a phone call or email to the office or a member of staff) it remains our policy to inform anyone who sat close to the individual that they may have been exposed. We do not share the name of the person who had a positive test. This policy will continue until Palm Sunday, March 24th 2024.
Covid Protocols & The Common CupDear Community of St. James’,
We have traveled a long road from March 2020 to today. The road has taken many turns and iterations. We have gone from a complete lock-down with video-taped services, to going “live” in an empty sanctuary with all of you worshiping at home, to registration-based in-person services, to proof of vaccination, to today, praising God together as One Body. We rejoice in the ability to be together as well as the unexpected blessing of virtual worship realized as a result of the pandemic.
At my request, the Regathering Team met late in April to discuss changing a few of our COVID protocols.
Effective May 28, on the Feast of Pentecost, we will be returning to sharing wine from a common cup at both the 8:00 and 10:30 services. This follows the example of Grace Cathedral and other parishes in our diocese. Additionally, we will move from using hosts to using bread for Holy Communion at the 10:30 service. At both services, we will discontinue the act of intinction (dipping the bread/host) completely. The only way to consume the wine will be to drink from the cup.
I would like to address the likely concerns about the common cup.
Studies show there is minimal risk of virus transmission through drinking from the same vessel (see resources below), and there have been no documented cases of Covid-19 being passed from one person to another through a shared cup. This concern was widely studied in the 1980s during the AIDS pandemic and it was determined then, and reaffirmed today, that virus transmission is unlikely. In fact, it is well known that intinction, the dipping of the bread or host into the chalice, is less sanitary than drinking from the cup. There are more bacteria on our fingers than on our lips, and while each person is careful, it is not uncommon for fingers to hit the wine in the act of dipping, thus contaminating the wine for those following. From a theological point of view, drinking from the cup is preferable to intinction, as we are called to receive communion, not to take communion. It is for these reasons we will no longer be intincting.
I want to stress that consuming just the host or bread, communion in one kind, is to receive full and complete communion. I trust you will make decisions as to the best practice for you and your family. If you opt to not take the wine, you are invited to move to the chalice, cross your arms over your chest, and the Eucharistic Minister will offer you the words, “the Blood of Christ, the Cup of Salvation” as a symbolic gesture of communion in both kinds.
Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to navigate the changing landscapes of this time.
In Christ, Lori+
May 2nd 2023
Resources:
(1) COVID-19 and the Common Cup, July 30, 2021. This source summarizes data outlined more thoroughly in resource 3 below.
(2) COVID-19 and Holy Communion, August 20, 2020, National Library of Medicine.
(3) The Common Cup and SARS-CoV-2 Infection Risk, March 29, 2022
The Reverend Michael Garner MSc MDiv, Public Health Advisor to the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa
The bishop is considered the “Chief Pastor” of the diocese (a geographical area). In the Diocese of California (that’s us!) we will be electing a new bishop to serve as our leader.
On December 2, our diocesan convention will gather to elect the next bishop. All canonically resident clergy and delegates elected by each congregation can vote. We have four delegates representing us.
On November 4, you will have a chance to meet the three candidates that are running to be our next bishop. This “meet and greet” event will be held at St. James’ from 6:00-8:00pm. It will also be live-streamed should you not be able to be with us in person.
On May 5, 2024, we will consecrate and install our new bishop and she/he will begin leading our diocese.
Since we will be electing a new bishop, it is important to know what a bishop is called to do. The Book of Common Prayer’s Ordination of a Bishop and The Episcopal Church’s Canons outline the duties of a bishop.
The ordination service asks each person if they believe they are persuaded by God to proclaim the Gospel, to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church, to administer the sacraments, to ordain deacons and priests, and to participate in the ordination of bishops. It further asks if they are called to share in the leadership of the Church throughout the world. In her/his daily life, the bishop is expected to be a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ.
Practically speaking, a bishop is to make a visitation to each church every three years as dictated by the canons. On occasion, the bishop may issue a Pastoral Letter to the clergy and people of the diocese and may ask the clergy to read out loud the letter to the congregation. At the diocesan annual convention, the bishop is to report on the “State of the Diocese” and is to include the names of the congregations visited, the number of persons confirmed and received, the names of those admitted into the process to become ordained, and those suspended or deposed from exercising ordained ministry.
One of the symbols of a bishop is a staff, often made of wood. This is similar to the staff held by shepherds as they guide their sheep, ever reminding us that our bishop is our shepherd, leading us into the future to do God’s work in the world.
You can learn more about each candidate at the search committee’s website: https://diocalbishopsearch.org/slate/
Please pray for the candidates, for our diocese, and for a process that is infused with grace and the Holy Spirit, bringing us the person who will partner with us in ministry.
Lori+
Dear St. James’ Family, We are blessed to have effective vaccines and booster shots to combat and minimize the results of the COVID19 virus. We give thanks for the science and scientists who have worked diligently to find an adequate response to what would otherwise continue to be a deadly illness. We have come a…
Mandatory proof of vaccination required at indoor worship services and gatherings for vaccine eligible participants
Our 2021 Annual Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 24 at 9:15. We will begin with a coffee hour at 8:30. Following the Annual Meeting will be our regular Sunday service at 10:30 with the Rector's address and video slideshow.
We realize there has been a lot of wondering as to when we might regather or how our church lives might look in the near future. We have established a Regathering Task Force that is made up of the the Rector, the Children & Youth Minister, the Music Director, the Senior Warden, Dave N. to…
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On Sunday we begin Holy Week in a way we’ve never begun Holy Week. The altars at St. James’ will stand bare and the pews will not be filled.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating Morning Prayer for the Fifth Sunday in Lent from St. James’.
This Sunday is the last Sunday in Lent, next week we will celebrate Palm Sunday. Our lesson this week continues our early journey through the Holy Week story so we can share our art and models with the congregation to help tell the story during Holy Week.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating Morning Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Lent from St. James’.
Join Rev Lori Walton in celebrating Morning Prayer from St. James' with the video on this page.
A recording of worship from the 10:30am service on March 8th. The service bulletin can be found here. Readings Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 121 Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 John 3:1-17 The lessons sheet can be found here.
Some of the best tips around are in the St. James’ Gardening & Cooking Book published I believe in late 2017 for our 150th anniversary. Another way is the check with the local stores of Dale Hardware and Regan’s Nursery. They have a lot of native plants that require much less water than other ornamental…
Our annual John McCutcheon Concert on Monday, January 20, 2020, was another great success. We had a large crowd of over 240, with around 70% non-parishioners. John McCutcheon and the Red Tail Ring gave us a very entertaining evening. Ticket sales totaled over $7300. The prize drawing, with 18 prizes donated by 12 generous parishioners,…
St. James’ Church celebrates Easter Sunday on April 12th this year. We will once again have lovely Easter Lilies decorating the church for the Easter Sunday service. Please help us with the decorating by providing a plant or plants in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a loved one. The names of…
One does not have to look far to find examples of everyday human beings, people like you and me, encountering God with open ears and open hearts, listening and watching in such a way that the encounter compels them to do something bold. From the ordinary to the extraordinary. Imagine Abraham standing under a night…
Be Bold, Be Strong,For the Lord your God is with you.I am not afraid,I am not dismayed.For I’m walking in faith and victory, Come on and walk in faith and victory,For the Lord your God is with you. When I hear the phrase ‘Be Bold’ I am quickly transported to a Christian summer camp I…
Who will win the Golden Halo? Once again we follow along with Lent Madness, an all-for-fun “competition” among various saints of the church to see who will win the Golden Halo for 2020. The poster will be in the Parish Hall this weekend, and if you want to vote for your favorite saint, please sign…
At the September 22, 2019, dedication and celebration of the Little Church, Lori, with the help of Bruce Roberts and John Maloney, put together a list of gifts given to the Little Church over the years. With the help of Mary Casas and Jan Brandt, an update list was put together. If you have any…
Back in the Sixth Row, Right Side – McCutcheon, Red Tail Ring Review – Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday, 2020 From where I sat the show surprised me. From the opening “Rank Stranger” by Ralph Stanley to the closing “Come on People” by the Youngbloods, every song felt like something new. John had fun playing…
This five-week program encourages individuals and groups to explore the riches of our worship traditions, liturgy and sacraments, and the art and architecture of our worship spaces, revealing the full meaning of these signs, deepening our experience of Christian vocation and guiding us toward ongoing conversion. Rev. Lori will spearhead teaching the class. Learn more at: https://www.signsoflife.org/ .…
A sense of community that welcomed Lauren and me with open arms is what drew us to Saint James’. It did take some adjustment on our part because we were both raised as Roman Catholics, as were our children. But when we became “empty nesters” we drifted away from regular church attendance and we became…
In the southeast portion of Washington state, along highway 260, traffic came to a standstill for 10 hours on New Year’s Eve. It wasn’t snow, it wasn’t rain, it wasn’t a big accident that caused the standstill. Instead, what forced miles of cars to stop driving were hundreds and hundreds of tumbleweeds. Tumbleweeds. Like in…
While the event will have passed by the time you read this article, the day that I am putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is the day that our country is voting on whether or not to impeach the 45th president of the United States. It does not matter where you stand on…
In 2001 my family began attending church service at St. James’ after relocating from the Peninsula. Initially, we attended service when we could not commute to our former church located in the Peninsula for Sunday service or for other activities. However, we later decided to make St. James’ our home church due to convenience. Our…
I thought long (several months!) and hard on our topic and just came to the conclusion that St. James’ chose me. I happened to church one Sunday and listened to Pastor Lori’s prayers for Aleppo, Syria and asked her if we do other prayers for this country. I realized then that this would be the…
Following the liturgical calendar, the one that matters most in the life of an active Anglican (or in the life of a church nerd like myself), Christmas begins with the great Christmas Eve celebration and extends for the twelve days of Christmas, ending on January 5 so that the Feast of the Epiphany on January…