St. James Episcopal Church

From the Reverend Kate Moorehead...

The sixth year of our ministry together is coming to a close. I feel as if we are turning a page and entering a new chapter in the life of St. James. This year, we will see how our new Guild Hall, kitchen, playground and Memorial Garden affect the life of this parish. And there is so much going on!

In order to describe to you where we are and where I believe that God is calling us, I want to talk of four major aspects of our life together. A practicing Christian must participate in four of these aspects of our life together if he or she is to grow in discipleship. These four elements are like the sides of a diamond. They are equally important, equally weighty, equally vital to our life together. These items are WORSHIP, COMMUNITY, PRAYER, and SERVICE. Let us look at our life together.

Worship

At the heart of all that we do is the reliving of the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Eucharist. We believe God feeds us at levels far beyond our comprehension. Each week, as we approach the altar, we find ourselves drawing near to God. All that we do springs from this crucial moment of intimacy with Jesus.

We offer five services on Saturday nights and Sundays. There is so much work, so much detail involved in every worship service. The building itself must be maintained, cleaned, modified. The music must be at its best. The sermons take hours to prepare. Children must be cared for. And, it takes hours of volunteer and staff effort to make sure that worship speaks of God with seasonal music and scripture, in a way that captures people’s hearts. We were blessed last year to add Dr. Bob Glasmann as our new choral director for the adult choir.

Our chorister program is in its fourth year of existence. Nowhere else in Kansas does an Episcopal Children’s Choir lead music every week. Our kids are amazing! We have developed a small Choir School this past year, teaching three levels of music to children 3-High School.

Community

A Church must do more than worship together. We are called to get to know one another intimately. God wants us to form small groups of disciples, where people can truly know one another and support one another along the Christian walk. It is community that leads us to grow closer to God and to minister to those in need. Together, we usher in the kingdom of God when we love and serve one another. Currently we offer the following groups and activities in order to build community:

• Basic A
• Bible Studies on Thursday morning and Wednesday evening
• Grief Support
• Cancer Support
• Spiritual Disciplines
• Mom’s Group
• Education for Ministry
• Post EFM Class
• Breakfast Club
• Episcopal Church Women
• Daughters of the King
• Life after Divorce for Women
• Campus Ministry Task Force
• Youth Programs: Rite 13 Class, Journey to adulthood, Wednesday night Bible Studies, Young Adults in Church, Tuesday Evening Girls Group
• Campus Ministries
• Parents Workshop
• Catechesis Programs for Children
• Good Shepherd Atrium
• Upper Room Atrium
• Covenant Atrium
• Chick Flicks
• Choirs

I am currently teaching a Christian Leadership class to train small group leaders. It is my hope to launch at least 10 new small groups or classes in 2009. Our small groups range from support to classes simply watching movies together or eating breakfast. We are always open to new ideas, new ways in which people can gather together, grow closer to one another, and learn about God.

Our youth program offers great opportunities for teenagers to get to know one another in a more intimate setting. Retreats are scheduled frequently throughout the year. Camp Wood welcomes our kids to a week of intense formation each summer. In our youth programs, I have literally seen teenagers go from depression to happiness. I have seen lives saved and reformed in this loving community. I am so grateful to Teresa Rogers and our youth ministers for the great work that they do.

In addition to the community building that is going on in small groups, the clergy visit people in the hospitals and devoted lay ministers bring the Eucharist to the homebound every week. We also perform many funerals, weddings, and baptisms each year.

Prayer

One of the greatest ministries that we have is one of prayer. When you call and ask for prayers, we alert the Daughters of the King, a women’s prayer order. People like Nan King pray for you! (she stands less than 5 feet tall). Nan has been saying Morning Prayer for over 50 years. The Daughters of the King have over 40 members and they are still growing. In 2009, we dream of starting a chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, a lay order for men that involves prayer and service. Our prayers for the world shine forth from this place every week, Though quiet and often unknown, our prayer ministry is one of the bright lights at St. James.

Service

St. James hopes to be a visible sign of Christ’s love in the world. Here are some of the ways in which we serve:

At home: we bring food to those who are sick, those who have had a baby or who are in need. Our All Souls Guild ministers to the bereaved at the time of the funeral and often provides free receptions for those who have to bury a loved one but do not have the means to provide food. Our nursery cares and nurtures our youngest members so that their parents can worship, meet, visit and learn. Our clergy offer pastoral care many times each day to parishioners in need. We also offer support groups and spiritual direction with trained facilitators.

In the city of Wichita: We proudly host the St. James After School Program for at–risk kids. This program transports kids from Harry and Jefferson Elementary schools to St. James four days a week. The children are fed, tutored, and enriched with art and music. The program is in it’s fourth year of existence. We raise money each year and provide volunteers for Episcopal Social Services, a non-profit agency downtown which was founded by the Episcopal Churches in Wichita. At ESS we help pay bills for the disabled, do career counseling, help at risk Teens and feed people each week day.

Annually, we hold two major fund raisers: the Oyster Dinner and the Old English Tea. The proceeds of these fund raisers go entirely to Outreach within the city of Wichita.

In the world: Along with the Diocese of Kansas, St. James has become active in the Kansas to Kenya project. For two years in a row, parishioners have traveled to Kenya to aid the residents of a small village called Mahi Maiu, outside of Nairobi. We have donated thousands of dollars to the people of this village in order to build roads, get medical assistance to those in need, and aid an orphanage. We believe that this is just the beginning of our journey with the people of Mahi Maiu.