CELEBRATIONS AND LIFE TOGETHER

“Community” is a continuing emphasis for us at St. Paul & St. James. We believe that Christians both form, and are formed by, their brothers and sisters in the Church. Sometimes we call the development of Christian community, “Inreach,” and in this congregation it can occur during worship, fellowship, education, or work

Our experience of community often occurs in small groups, e.g., Altar Guild, Bell Choir, Chancel Choir, Crafters, LifeCycles, Light and Peace leaders, Loaves and Fishes teams, Youth Group, etc. However, larger, congregational events give us additional perspectives on community. And such events are usually accompanied by food in some form, for the pot-luck supper is nearly an art form at St. Paul & St. James!

Our program year generally starts on the second Sunday of September, on which we celebrate what we call Homecoming Sunday. It’s a time of welcoming new arrivals in New Haven and welcoming back those church members who have been away for the summer months.

We celebrate a colorful Blessing of the Animals on the Sunday closest to October 5, the official feast day of St. Francis, the saint who had a special way with animals. In inclement weather, we meet in the church’s Parish Hall. In good weather, we meet in the Wooster Street park behind the church. Each pet--there were fifty in 2003!–receives a blessing. Their “people” celebrate the goodness of God’s creation, mourn pets who have died in the previous year, and remember the breadth and depth of God’s love.

As in many churches, November at St. Paul & St. James is a time for the annual stewardship campaign. But here, we do it with some wrinkles: In 2002 we gathered in a temporary re-configuration of our Chapel space for Café St. PJ to begin our stewardship campaign. In 2004, the Stewardship Committee - determined from the outset to emphasize the understanding that stewardship includes time and talents as well as treasure - published a Time and Talents Inventory.

In November of 2003 some friends in the congregation organized a gala formal tea in celebration of the 90th birthday of Yvonne Yungblut. It was a bittersweet gathering, for Yvonne, who was ill at the time of her party, died soon after, in April of 2004.

In the Christian calendar, the last Sunday of November (the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day) is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Church year. Sometimes, we do Advent preparation with an Advent Party - we might make Advent wreaths, for example, or be entertained by a musical group. In 2003, however, we threw a bash: A Celebration of Ministry by all of our congregation.

Of course, Advent is followed by Christmas Day, Christmastide (the one or two Sundays following Christmas Day and before January 6), and Epiphany (January 6). More often than not, a variety show or some other production is presented on Epiphany, which marks the arrival of the Magi to see Baby Jesus.

The weeks after Epiphany draw to a close when Ash Wednesday ushers in the disciplines of Lent. The night before Ash Wednesday – called Shrove Tuesday – is the time for our zaniest party: Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras has featured some constants through the years: weird costumes, pancakes, hats, a much-anticipated recital of “Casey at the Bat.” Other aspects have to be seen to be believed.

Lent blossoms into Easter and its Great Fifty Days following. One year we celebrated the Great Fifty Days with an arts festival; in other years, Earth Day was a major focus for some of us. The Great Fifty Days end in Pentecost, and then begins the long six-month Season of Pentecost.

Through all of these times, we continue to learn how to care for, and be cared for by, each other as we live as the household of God. We invite you, “COME AND SEE!”