St. James is a parish that loves to give a party…and we give a good party, each with its own flavor and appeal.
In any given year, the Parish Life Committee organizes our on-going events (i.e. coffee hour, receptions, ECW) but also numerous social events giving parishioners a variety of times and opportunities to get together. In the fall and winter, our special events include Talent Night/Pot Luck Supper, Halloween Party, Hanging of the Greens to decorate our church “home” for Christmas and a Super Bowl Party. In the spring months, our opportunities for fellowship include the Pancake Supper, Lenten Soup Suppers, Game Night, our traditional and ever popular Progressive Dinner and June Parish Picnic.
The calendar of events does not stop when July brings us warmer weather. Over the summer, we have concerts on our “Village Green” or travel to West Point to enjoy music together under the stars. In August our parish will have a family night at local Brookdale Park and go to a Jackals baseball game, our local semi-professional team.
Here are more specific descriptions of our activities.
Coffee Hour
Coffee hour is held in the parish hall following the 10:30 worship service. This is an essential part of our parish fellowship, highly valued by all the community, and an open door for newcomers. On 10 summer Sundays, refreshments are served outside. Over 50 parishioners help by providing food to eat, setting up, brewing coffee and cleaning up.
Cooking Ministry
Currently 20-some people cook for various functions at Church. In prior years, the ministry cooked for the annual progressive dinner (80-100 meals), Church events and prepared frozen dinners to be delivered to parishioners temporarily in need.
Episcopal Church Women
ECW, in recent time, is comprised of 15 to 20 women who meet for a sandwich lunch on the third Tuesday of the month. A more extensive potluck lunch is served twice a year. Following lunch, the rector usually leads a short reading/book discussion.
Marriage Enrichment
The Marriage Enrichment group has met on one Friday evening each month for several years led by our former rector. An enjoyable evening of fellowship included a cocktail hour, potluck dinner and a brief reading/questionnaire for study and discussion.
Men’s Night
A group of five to ten men of the parish gather to socialize and play cards on the last Monday evening of the month.
Night Women
The Night Women group is open to all women of the parish and meets three times a year, each time at a different home to which attendees bring an appetizer or dessert to share. The Monday evening gatherings are primarily social and attendance averages 10-15 women.
Parish Weekend
The parish weekend has been held for three years at a camp in the Catskills. This gathering revolved around games, sports and swimming, and concluded with a Sunday morning Eucharist. Primarily a family event, the weekend attendance has been between 20 to 30 people.
“We’re proud of the parishioners’ willingness to give of their time and talents.”
Prayer Chains
This group offers intercessory prayers for those in need upon request of a parishioner or one of the clergy. A total of 16 people, divided into two chains, participate in this activity
Roosters
The Roosters are a group of men who meet for an hour on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 am. The format includes reading and reacting to the following Sunday’s Scripture passages, personal sharing and conversational prayer.
