Friends and Neighbors,
Heavy on the hearts of many of us is the devastating impact of hurricane Helene on our neighbors so near. You can see Bishop Cole's remarks here . You can give financially to help folks at the following links:
Donate to East Tennessee: https://onrealm.org/dioet/-/form/give/2024flood
To donate to the Diocese of East Tennessee relief efforts, complete the Realm online giving portal. For questions, please call 865-966-2110.
Donate to Western North Carolina: https://secure.accessacs.com/access/oglogin.aspx?sn=148858&f=4
Please read before clicking: To donate to the Diocese of Western North Carolina, click on the above link, then, in the "to" field where it will likely say "Seminarian Fund", click on that box and change it to "Partners in Mission" and in the "optional memo field" type Hurricane Helene.
As always, to give on a broader scope, please visit Episcopal Relief and Development to donate to the wider Southeast.
We have kicked off a month of festivities here at St. James. The animal blessing and Pride Mass are this Sunday. Don't forget, if you’d like to walk with the Episcopal Diocese in the Parade, please try to arrive at the staging area by 6:00 pm. The staging area is located at E. Hill Ave (in front of the Blount Mansion). The pumpkin patch is live and the gourds are selling. Don't forget that the online auction ends SATURDAY night. So many opportunities are available for us to be together.
Even in the midst of terrible things happening in our world, we come together as a community. We don't deny that things are hard. We name that God is with us and that we are empowered to bring hope and healing. I will bring my sadness and grief to the altar this Sunday. I also bring my joy at being in a community that seeks to love God and neighbor in ways big and small. Check this newsletter out for all the ways to get involved this month.
Peace,
Fr. John Mark