A reflection from Sally Fleming, long-time parishioner, and Loaves and Fishes and Sunrise Cafe volunteer

Dear People of St Paul St James,

Prior to our weekly discussions about faith, I had often thought about my faith and what it is and how I demonstrate it. I am not a proselytizer, and don’t easily use faith talk. However I have long known that what I believe is summarized by Jesus’’ words in the Gospel of Matthew:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me…..Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”.

At a point of transition in my life, I needed to find a church that devoted its resources to the community –that looked beyond its walls.  The first time I visited then St. Paul’s, the priest’s sermon railed against the war in Viet Nam.   I soon learned that this was a church that stretched beyond the walls into the community and the world. So it is here that I have worshipped and worked since the last 40 years.

For those of you who are newer --and we are so glad you are here!, Loaves and Fishes began in the early 80s when Hanne Howard, our beloved elder, took $10.00 of her own money and bought canned food to give to those hungry people who knocked on our door. Her small beginning became a bona fide mission of the church and more recently its own 501C3, and now fills up to 1000 bags of food a week for those who come to our doors and for those in our community.

It has been a perfect place for me to demonstrate my faith. I am a Martha, the one in the kitchen preparing a meal for Jesus, not Mary, who sat at his feet listening. For all these years, I have helped prepare for Saturdays, leading and helping the busy Saturday welcoming of those who need clothes and food. Since Covid, I have mostly been in the Clothes Closet, finding trousers and coats for those who come to our door. It often takes patience and forces me to remember that those who come are children of God, no matter how they are dressed or how noisy their need is exhibited.

PJs has also opened me up to the spiritual side –surrounded by those who read and pray and who can articulate their faith in words that don’t easily come to me. This is my church and my community and it is here that I will continue to follow Jesus’ commandments.

Sally Fleming

A reflection from David Tate, Vestry Member

Dear siblings in Christ,

Lent is intended as a time of reflection. It seems there is so much upon which to reflect; mostly negatives. The senseless tragedy in Ukraine; the paradox of how Ukrainian refugees are being welcomed versus the treatment of Iraqi, Syrian, Afghani, Yemeni, Sudanese and other refugees; and at the same time African and Asian students encountering discrimination while trying to flee the horrors in Ukraine; and here at home growing violence against Asian Americans accompanied with legislative assaults on trans people, women’s reproductive rights and the very right to vote itself. It appears the evil one is busily at work undermining the core value of our faith which is hope.

Yet this is where I find the Spirit once again present and active. Yes evil does exist in the world and we are called to confront it. We as a people are called to follow Christ’s example as he humbled himself to God’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus submitted to unspeakable pains in order to fulfill God’s greater glory and make us whole. We too are called to sacrifice some part of ourselves in order that the Spirit may empower us for the greater good. We are called to reflect on ourselves and our lives.

Lent is the traditional time for us to take stock and engage intensely in that reflection. We do so knowing that this discipline is meant to draw us closer to God and prepare us for the Easter miracle. Even in the darkest times we are people of faith who know the Son will rise.

I have been a member of this parish for approaching 40 years and an Episcopalian Christian since baptism in infancy. I have been a Co-Warden of this parish twice and a member of vestry for more years than I remember. I have witnessed many transitions both positive and negative and watched us uplift many to ordained ministry including our soon retiring Diocesan Bishop Ian. I have also witnessed the Spirit’s power in the birth and growth of our lay ministries.

Around 1990 then Canon Jack Spaeth met with the parish and pronounced that, based on our finances, we had about five years before we could no longer sustain ourselves, leave alone call a full time rector. He has since passed to God’s glory. We remain; stronger than ever. Since that time we have begun revisioning our worship space and our relationships with the greater New Haven community. I truly believe the Spirit is active and God is continuing to use us as an instrument of grace.

Let us take the time to reflect with joy as we embrace the hope that God inspires in and through us. In the name of the One who was and is and is to come. Amen.

David Tate, Vestry

        Hello and welcome to The Episcopal Church of St. Paul & St. James!  We are an open and affirming community of faith centered around the Eucharist, and grounded in compassion and generosity - for ourselves, each other, and those around us.
         Our FAITH is expressed in loving-kindness to all whom we encounter. Our openness creates a safe space for those with questions of faith or complicated relationships with church.  We manifest our faith through the rise of lay leadership who have answered new calls during this transitional period, and through our apostles who daily go out into the world to serve their neighbors. Our lay Pastoral Care team reaches out to those in our community who are homebound, or who may not be able to get to church every week.
         Our WORSHIP is enthusiastic, spirited, and creative while remaining reverent with respect for tradition.  Our jazz music is vibrant, inspirational and founded on Christian theology.  We value sermons from a diversity of voices that are both theologically imaginative and practical. In addition to Sunday services, we continue to worship in-person on Wednesdays for noonday prayer, and online on Tuesdays/Thursdays for Compline. Our embrace of openness and adaptability is embodied in our recent decision to remove our pews, creating a flexible worship space in our sanctuary that is ripe with possibility.    
         OUTREACH into the neighborhoods around us is most visible in our support of and participation in the weekly Loaves & Fishes food pantry and clothing closet which happens in our undercroft.  Parishioners also support and participate in the daily morning meal served by Sunrise Café in the same space.  We recently launched “The Square at St. PJ’s Church,”  opening our building and resources to the community-at-large for celebrations, cultural events, sacred events, co-working space, and more. Given these strengths, we also have areas for growth regarding outreach; for example we intend to lean into our history and responsibility around racial reparation and reconciliation with all of our local communities.
         Our CHALLENGES as a community include solving such mundane issues as parking availability, in addition to the more spiritual matters of empowering disciples into action and initiating Christian education for our young children.  We also look forward to increasing our visibility as a faithful worshiping community so that we may grow in body and spirit.    
        Our next PRIEST-IN-CHARGE will delight to stand with us and thrive among us  – we are on this journey with Jesus together.  We are hoping our next Priest-in-Charge will help us to support our growing lay ministry to expand their gifts in areas including preaching and leading small groups.  They will provide spiritual leadership and help us to make theological connections in all that we do. The Priest-in-Charge will share church duties with the laity, and introduce more Christian Formation sessions. They will encourage us to look outside ourselves and increase our meaningful involvement in the neighborhood and the world.  

​“I invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word”

This prayer, from the Ash Wednesday service in the Book of Common Prayer, has
been offered by Sarah and Isaac while leading the Lenten Saturday series on
movement and meditation at St. PJ’s. The gatherings include yoga, meditation,
prayer, and scripture, all while circled on the new floor of our sanctuary. It offers a new perspective and a deeply moving experience in the sacred spaces of the Church.

“Self-examination” is also the next step for us to take on our transition journey as we seek a new Priest-in-Charge. Our Sunday Lenten series, “Episcopal Q&A” has provided folks who have any questions about the Episcopal Church or what it means to be Episcopalian, to have their questions answered, or at least discussed.

This Sunday we will change the focus from asking about the Church, to asking
about ourselves. The Diocese has provided us with a definition of a Parish in the
“new missional age”. This “new missional age” is now, when most parishes have a part-time Priest-in-charge, and so the members of the parish are called to take on many of the duties that were formerly the responsibility of a full-time Rector. The Diocese has also posed a series of questions. How are we living into this definition? What are our strengths and weaknesses? How do we see our new
Priest-in-Charge helping us to move forward?

Our completed “Parish Self-Study” will be provided to potential candidates for
Priest-in-Charge. We invite everyone to stay and take part in discussing the
questions and contributing to the answers. The full “definition of a parish” and
the exact questions will be printed out and inserted into the bulletin on Sunday. If you will not be attending on Sunday, you may access the full definition and
questions below, and forward your thoughts or answers to claire.cody@yale.edu or bfillmore1@gmail.com.

Our Saturday “Movement and Meditation” series meets at 3 pm in the sanctuary
and our Sunday “Episcopal Q&A” gathers right after the service. Both will
continue through Lent. Please join us.

Peace and Blessings,
Brian and Claire