Announcements October 1, 2023
Please turn off your cell phone before worship begins.
Please wear a mask while receiving communion at the altar rail and at your discretion at all other times.
Welcome, Everyone! Two restrooms are located in the front of the church, through the double doors to the left of the altar area. There is also a baby changing table that accommodates a child up to 50 pounds. “Buddy bags” for children are available behind the pews containing crayons, coloring paper and other materials to help keep little ones occupied during the service.
Altar Flowers Altar flowers are given today by Rick Keller in loving memory of Jackie Keller and to the glory of God.
S.O.M.E. to-go Meals Thank you to the volunteers who planned, shopped, prepared and packed 50 to-go meals of salad, roast pork, potatoes, vegetable, fruit, dessert, and a drink. Volunteers are needed on the last Wednesday of each month from 4:00 – 5:30 pm. Please sign up on the sheet on the table behind the pews each month you are available. Thank you!
Coffee Hour Please staff for fellowship after the service today. Thank you to Dotti Hardy & Joanne Pizzullo for providing the goodies! If you would like to take a month, the sign-up sheet is on the table behind the pews!
Thank you from United Way of Bucks County to St. James for the tremendous support of Stuff the Bus this year! Together with all other donators 3,300+ children went back to school prepared to learn and ready to succeed.
Thank you from Bristol Ministerium to St. James for the donation for Vacation Bible School. It was greatly appreciated as it blessed the staff with the ability to hold this event to spread the word of Jesus! God loves you!
Bible Study Our Bible Study, “Parables of Jesus”, will be held on Oct 9, 23, Nov 6, 20, Dec 4. Dates for 2024 will be determined. The evening gathering will be at 6:30 pm at participant’s homes. The daytime gathering is at 12:30 pm in the Parish House. Bring your lunch!
Church Fundraisers OK – We’re VERY close to the dates for these fundraisers. Please mark your calendars, Fallsington Day, October 14th and Historic Bristol Day, October 21st! We STILL need more volunteers at our tables and/or in the church on these dates. Please sign up on the sheet behind the pews. There is a box on the table also for Lottery Tickets. Your donations and help will make for successful fundraisers!
Boscov’s Friends Helping Friends Fundraiser The shopping day is Wednesday, October 18th ONLY from 8 am until 11 pm. Shopping passes are $5.00 each. The pass entitles you to 25% discount off most in-store purchases. The $5.00 donation is kept by St. James. Please ask family and friends to purchase passes also. Joanne Pizzullo has the passes for purchase.
Parish Ministries Additional people are needed for altar guild and usher. The “more the merrier” and “many hands make light work!” No more than one (1) hour is needed in a month for each ministry. Please consider joining these ministries. There is a sign up sheet on the table behind the pews. Thank you.
Bristol Borough Sunday Stroll The last Sunday Stroll on Mill Street will be 10/29 from 12 to 4 pm. There will be over 25 different food vendors, live music , over 100 Crafters and Artists, Entertainment for the whole family. You want it, you got it!
Food Donations We were hoping to have collected 10,000 lbs for neighbors in need by the end of this year … We have met our goal!! Our latest food donation to United Methodist Church was 242 lbs for a total of 10,084 pounds! Thank you everyone who has contributed to this ministry over the past 12 years! A special Thank you to Rick Keller whose donation of 162 lbs in the name of his mother, Jackie, pushed us over the top 3-months ahead of our end of the year goal. God bless you, everyone!
Pew Plaques Pew plaques are given in memory of or thanksgiving for a loved one as a forever remembrance. The cost is $250. A payment plan is available to purchase pew plaques. If interested, please speak with Jim Lombardo.
With the blessing of the Diocese, wine is served at communion. Eucharistic doctrine affirms the simultaneous presence of Christ's body and blood in each of the eucharistic elements. The doctrine of concomitance upholds the truth that the fullness of communion is available by receiving either the consecrated bread or wine. The Eucharistic ministers will sanitize their hands and do a quarter-turn wipe after each communicant. We are using high alcohol content wine. At Bishop Gutiérrez direction, intinction (dipping) of the bread into the wine is strongly discouraged. Anyone who doesn't feel safe drinking from the communal cup can leave the rail after receiving the bread. Wearing a mask is at your discretion.
Pastoral Need? Please contact the parish office with your or others’ pastoral care needs, such as being placed on the prayer list, requesting a home Communion, reporting a death, alerting us to a hospital stay and so on. We regret finding out after the fact that someone was sick or in the hospital. Reverends Cathy Kerr, Michael Ruk, and Sean Slack will provide pastoral care for us.
Prayer List The prayer list in the Sunday bulletins is for people with immediate needs and conditions. If you want someone to be on the Sunday list, please contact the office. Names remain on this list for up to a month then, if still needed, they are moved to the Intercessory Prayer list. See below.
Intercessory Prayer People with long-term, chronic illnesses: Michael, Ella, Lourdes, Doris, Evelyn, Ellie, Sonya Mia, June, Cindy C., Ciara, Bill, Julie, John, Stephanie, Denise S., Joan H., Susan S., Amanda and their families. The names are on slips in a basket on the table behind the pews. If you would like to pray for one or more of these people, please take a paper and include the name(s) in your daily prayers for a week or as long as the name remains in this space. After a week, you can return the slips to the basket. This will spread prayers beyond Sundays.
Covid 19 CDC recommends up to date vaccines to prevent COVID for everyone ages 6 months and up; for moderately to severely immunocompromised people; for all people who are pregnant, might become pregnant in the future, are trying to get pregnant now, or are breastfeeding. A booster from Pfizer for the variant currently circling the globe is now available.
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The St. James Mission Statement follows. Let us say it together…
St. James exists to Gather as God’s people.
Know the love of God in Christ.
Grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Give to the world what God has given to us.
St. James on Facebook and Wikipedia St. James has its own page on Facebook, the world's leading social network: http://www.facebook.com/stjamesbristol. Also, St. James has its own entry on Widipedia, the Web's leading encyclopedia.
You're Invited The Diocese of Pennsylvania now has its own closed Facebook page just for the people and clergy of the diocese. Bishop Gutiérrez says that it "...will better allow us to share our great ideas, be in prayer for one another, nurture our mutual love for ministry, promote programs and activities in our parishes, and build deeper community with one another." To join, go on Facebook and search for Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Click on "like."
