THE REV. BETH FRANKLIN
At the heart of our life as the community of St. James’s is a commitment to live into the words inscribed over our altar, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.” The visual reminder is both grounding and aspirational. Truthfully, I am more interested in the words we have inscribed on our hearts. The ways in which we worship—including the words of Holy Scripture and hymns, the visual reminders, the actions of receiving the body and blood of Christ, and praying for one another—are meant to shape how we move through every hour of every day.
Likewise, all we do as a community is meant to provide deeper connection to God, to one another, and to our calling to build God’s kingdom in the world. Our Outreach commitments are certainly one aspect of faithful living, and a core value to the St. James’s community in particular.
You may have heard we’re discerning a few things, like how we hope to use our space moving forward, and the next chapter of our music ministry. Practicing our commitment to be doers of the word is very much a part of this season of discernment. I want to be sure these conversations about outreach and missions get the bandwidth they deserve. We will begin these discussions in earnest in January.
To name the obvious, the ways in which society behaves have changed over the last fifty years. More immediately, the internet allows us instant access to nonprofits serving those in need, meaning the church no longer acts as a central clearinghouse for all generous impulses for parishioners. COVID further modified how many prioritize time on a weekly basis. Holding together these truths, along with our particular season of new life at St. James’s, is important as we map out our way forward. We will continue to practice generosity of time, resources, and presence as we seek to live into our commitment to be doers of the word. The question we will tend to is: how do we want to live into those commitments?
The rest of this email contains details about how we are living into our commitment to serve the greater community currently. Please take the time to appreciate that we were able to give away over $69,000 to nonprofit partners in 2026, thanks to your generosity! Your participation in contributing to FeedMore in the month of November and volunteering for the new Joy Circle makes a tremendous difference.
It is inspiring to serve among each of you—committed and faithful disciples of Jesus.
Financial Support of Local Organizations
Over the summer, the Financial Outreach Committee, consisting of Ben Crowley, Yvonne Gibney, Marisa Trible, and The Rev. Dr. Kyle Babin, met to discern how to allocate $69,000 of outreach funds (a portion of which was raised by the 2026 Mardi Gras event and a portion of which was budgeted for 2026).
Nine local organizations were considered, based on grant awards made in previous years: ACTS, CARITAS, SupportWorks Housing, Circle Center Adult Day Services, Peter Paul, ReWork Richmond, REAL LIFE, Safe Harbor, and SCAN. These organizations provide community support in several broad areas—transitional housing, upward mobility, elder and dementia care, and care for the victims of abuse.
The Financial Outreach Committee prayerfully decided to prioritize funding for three organizations with whom St. James's has developed deeper partnerships in recent years (CARITAS, Peter Paul, and REAL LIFE), as well as for the Circle Center Adult Day Services, since St. James's was a founding church along with other churches in the current Stuart Circle Pastoral Council. St. James's is also embarking on a new initiative of supporting Joy Circles run by the Circle Center to provide places of social engagement and support for those in the early stages of memory loss and for their caregivers.
In addition to the funding awarded to the above-named four organizations, funding was also given to ACTS, SupportWorks Housing, ReWork Richmond, Safe Harbor, and SCAN. Grant checks were issued in mid-October.
Joy Circle Comes to Monument Avenue
Is someone you love living with dementia or memory loss? Joy Circle, a free ministry of the Stuart Circle Parish Council, begins Thursday, November 12, at First English Lutheran Church, 1603 Monument Ave. Each Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 pm, adults with early- to mid-stage memory loss enjoy music, conversation, games, and gentle movement with trained volunteers. At the same time, their care partners meet in a support group with others who understand the journey. Joy Circle is offered in partnership with Circle Center Adult Day Services. There is no cost, but space is limited, and registration is required. Whether you’d like to volunteer or you know a family who could benefit, click here to learn more.
St. James’s is partnering with fellow Stuart Circle Parish Council Churches to offer this weekly Joy Circle. Please click here to email Nancy Warman for more information.
2026 Thanksgiving Food Drive
We’re thrilled to support Feed More yet again with our Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive! You can pick up grocery bags from the narthex this Sunday, November 8. Please bring back your bagged food donations to the narthex during worship on Sunday, November 15 and 22, or Thursday, November 26.
The Taste of St. James’s: A Bridge Year
For many years, the Taste of St. James’s has been a beloved communal tradition that created an opportunity to share food and fellowship and generated a generous contribution for community outreach partners. Since hiring our new Director of Hospitality, we’ve been working diligently to create sustainable processes for weekly and special events. Leadership is actively working to form a Hospitality Working Group that will walk alongside Chef John in articulating our vision for this ministry—both within and beyond our walls. We want to be intentional about everything that comes out of our kitchen! We are thankful to have the opportunity to take a step back and thoughtfully build on this beloved event.
We have not had the bandwidth to give The Taste the attention it deserves this year. During this transition period, Chef has been hard at work testing recipes and has soups to share. In place of the previous weeknight event, pre-made, frozen soups will be available for sale during Wednesday Night Community Dinner and Sunday Coffee & Fellowship Hour throughout November. All proceeds will go to support Feed More, which addresses food insecurity throughout Central Virginia.
Soups are available for purchase from Chef either as you walk through the dinner line on Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings at coffee hour.
Save the Date: Mardi Gras 2027
Please mark your calendar and plan to join us on the Saturday BEFORE Mardi Gras, February 6, 2027. Stay tuned for more details about the ways in which this event will benefit our non-profit partners and how to be a part of this memorable evening.