St. James Episcopal Church

Established 1812

8 Church Street (corner of Federal and Church Streets)
Greenfield, MA 01301

Phone: 413-773-3925
www.stjames-gfld.org

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We warmly invite you to a Sunday visit to St. James!
Holy Eucharist, Rite I is at 8:00 am and 10:00 am on Sundays

On Wednesday, Rite II is at 7:15 am and Rite 1 at 10:00 am, and on Saturday at 5:30 pm.

Sunday school: Children attend worship at 9:45 am on Sunday mornings, and the nursery is available at 10:00 am on Sundays.

Come and visit us! St. James warmly welcomes newcomers and visitors. All baptized Christians who are in love and charity with their neighbor are invited to the altar to receive the Holy Eucharitst.

Monday Second Helpings will be served at the United Methodist Church on Church Street at 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday the Holy Eucharist is celebrated at 7:15 and 10:00 a.m.in the Chapel, entrance on Church Street.

Thursday Morning Prayer is read in the Chapel at 8:30 a.m.

DIRECTIONS:

From the north or south:Take US Route 91 to Massachusetts Exit 26, the RT-2A exit. In 0.3 miles at the rotary, merge onto Route 2A east for 1 mile. At the stop light, turn left onto Federal Street/ Mass RT-10/ US RT-5 for 0.2 miles. Turn right onto Church Street, the Church is on the right.

From the east or west: Take Massachusetts Route 2 or US Route 90 to US Route 91, then follow the directions above.

Hear the Sermon Online

WORSHIP
Equal weight is given to the role of liturgy, sermon, music and prayers in worship services at St. James. Parishoners favor sermons based on Biblical text; they rank equally in second place Episcopal doctrine, personal experience and current issues as sermon topics, suggesting that, as a congregation, we are open to a variety of subjects along with our preference for Biblically- based preaching.

Members of the congregation are actively involved in the worship services as Lay Eucharist Ministers, Lectors, Acolytes and as members of the Altar Guild.

Rite I and Rite II are used in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Rite I at 8 am Sunday and at 10:00 am on Wednesday; Rite II at 5:30pm on Saturday, 7:15am on Wednesday and at 10:00am on Sundays.

A relatively formal liturgy has been the rule at St. James with an emphasis on the Eucharist. The enthusiastic exchange of the peace reflects the feeling of fellowship that exists at St. James. In discussions within the parish, people have expressed their hope that the number of young people in the congregation would increase. Some innovation in the services at St. James was seen as a way of reaching out to them.

MUSIC
Music has been a significant factor in bringing a number of adults and children to St. James. The adult choir sings during the 10:00 service three Sundays a month, the youth choir on two Sundays, and the handbell choir rings once a month. The youth and handbell choirs perform from time to time at local nursing homes as part of the outreach program, and the handbells have participated in Ecumenical rings. The organ has been refurbished recently. .

FELLOWSHIP
Members of the congregation come together through a variety of programs designed to provide opportunities for fellowship. A coffee hour follows the 10:00 service each Sunday provided by the various parish organizations. An annual weekend retreat at Camp Bement (our diocesan camp and conference center) draws a number of parishioners. The Barnabas Guild organizes parish dinners. The Quilters meet once a week. The annual Christmas Fair is a social as well as a fundraising event that involves extensive group activity in preparation for this popular event.

OUTREACH
St. James sponsors six Community Meals a year as apart of a Franklin County program. Parishioners cook, serve and wash the dishes for the approximately eighty guests that attend. The parish makes its facilities available for a number of community programs: the Bloodmobile, the Christmas Adopt-a-Family program, Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Franklin Mediation and the Boy Scouts.

Second Helpings is a program of cooperation between Deerfield Academy and St. James, where leftover food from the academies dinning hall is brought to the St. James kitchen and served by members of St James and volunteer students from Deerfield Academy to anyone in need of a hot meal. This program happens every monday night and volunteers should contact the church office to sign up to help.

Habitat for Humanity involves the congregation in building and supporting affordable housing. St. James is a Habitat sponsoring congregation. Work-days at homes, Habitat is building in the area, are scheduled from time to time between September and May.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Adult education encompasses a number of programs at St. James: Education for Ministry, Bible study, book discussions, and parent training. There is a desire for additional programs. Thirty children attend Church School at St. James. The curriculum we use is designed by the teachers to focus on the individual needs of the developing children in our classes. These activities include baking bread for the Survival Center and the Family Inn.

About St. James

St. James Church School Program

St. James is dedicated to educating the children of our parish in a broad and meaningful manner. Beginning in the pre-kindergarten years and continuing through Communion, children are taught the importance of the Word of God, kindness to others, and the value of community. We strive to present an engaging curriculum that will prepare each child to become an active adult member of our parish. The education of our students engages their hearts, their minds and their hands, preparing them for a lifelong relationship with God.

St. James offers weekly educational opportunities for children ages Birth to Grade 8. At St James, we understand that each child is an individual. As a result our teaching staff has worked to develop a curriculum that is as diverse as it’s students. Our liturgically based curriculum appeals to the many ways students learn. A visit to one of our classrooms might find the students illustrating the story of the Prodigal Son, creating clay sculptures to demonstrate the story of the parting of the Red Sea or learning some basic sign language while listening to the story of the woman and the lost coin. By varying the methods we use to educate our students we appeal to their different learning styles to increase their retention of the story and its message relating to the greater world. The children enter church just prior to the Eucharist and remain with their families until the end of the service.

We continue the education of our students outside the classroom as well. They are active in all aspects of the service including reading, ushering, acolyting, giving the sermon, volunteering with the Altar Guild and many other roles.

Church School begins Sunday, September 10, at 9:45 a.m. For more information, call the Office at 773-3925.

Children and Youth Programs

St. James News

This week at St. James, a Letter from the Rector, and Library News are available at St. James News.

This is the sixth season of our St. James Coffeehouse.

Posting # 1558 Expires: January 1, 2009