Saint James the Great Anglican Church Smiths Station, Alabama A Mission of the Anglican Province of America Fr John Klein can be reached at (334) 663-2985 / kleinjw@tigermail.auburn.edu Newsletter #30 - July 16, 2018 Traditional, orthodox Anglicanism Catholic and Evangelical for modern people. St. James' Church is the tallest building at the center with the rainbow shining God's grace upon us. Genesis 9:13
Words from the Vicar: Our Annual General Meeting is this coming Sunday, closest to St. James' Day, following the 11:00 AM (ET) Mass. The proceedings will be conducted in accordance with Canon 40 - Of Parish Vestries of the APA. There will be lunch and the usual reports followed by election for Bianke Wagnon to the Mission Committee - Vestry. The plan is to also re-elect those continuing to serve on the Vestry for one more year; we do not currently have a rotating vestry scheme. Bianke has been nominated by the Vestry. Please be sure to stay after church for this very important meeting. The Vestry - Mission Committee, as newly constituted, will meet briefly following the meeting to elect their new officers. Today Linda and I drive to Charlotte, NC for our Diocesan Synod. Elsa Bisset is our delegate and we will meet her there. Next Sunday, at our Annual Meeting, we will give a report on the consecration of our new missionary bishop as well as the proceedings social and ecclesiastical at the synod. Our goal at St. James' is to preserve and actively continue authentic, traditional, orthodox and catholic Anglican Christianity for future generations. In my opinion, it is simply a tragic waste of time, talent, and treasure to support those mainline churches who are teaching fake-theology, promoting the breakdown of proper ecclesial order, encouraging immorality, and deceiving poor people who haven't been taught authentic Christianity for several generations. Of course, this is a monumental task, but we aren't doing it alone, and if we fail to respond in faith and practice to Christ's call to "deny self, take up the Cross, and follow him" what are we really doing? If you come to St. James' we can assure you that mission must be yours as well. This is not Christianity-lite and certainly not ever some sort of heterodoxy. Much of the work this summer has been on the building and grounds. Eugene Wagnon, Mary Beth Wagnon and Linda Wilkins Klein have kept the lawn and gardens in beautiful order. Many from the community comment on how beautiful our churchyard is.
At the same time, work on converting the old two -story building into a proper church with high-soaring wooden-beamed ceiling proceeds with dispatch. From pavement to apex will be twenty-six feet accentuating the vertical, transcendental dimension of worship. The ceiling beams at St. James the Great Church, before the installation of strengthening collar-ties (out of the same ancient wood) are pictured in the next photo. This is very dirty, hard work but the results will soon be visible. The ceiling beams, before the installation of collar-ties, are pictured on the following page.
Linda and I also traveled to Minnesota to collect our solid-oak pews. They are now stored in Sandra Thornburg's shed and will be installed after the work on the nave clerestory is finished this is very exciting, long awaited progress. In the autumn - date to be announced - we will have an open house with the mayor and our friends and supporters present. The barn and pictures of where our pews were purchased is next. This is great barn at Afton, Minnesota where we found the pews for St. James' Church. The following pictures shows just a small portion of the ecclesiastical art treasures stored therein.
Simultaneously, and after two plans have been rolled into one, we now have a way forward in our Sacristy renovations. One cabinet is already installed, recessed into the wall, the sink and piscina plus counter top space is soon to follow. I have suggested a rood screen, constructed out of large salvaged timbers from upstairs, surmounted by a copy of the Ciambue Cross (picture below) to mark the entry into this holy space. This renovation should move forward fairly quickly toward summer's end. The photo below is of the Cross that will surmount the new sacristy rood screen. It is a copy of the famous crucifix by Ciambue [1240-1302]. The original is found in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy.
Things keep improving. Luana Ramsey - at St. Matthias', Dothan thought we might like two matching German leaded-glass windows to let light into our sacristy. So, we have another blessing from our great supporters at St. Matthias'; they are simply wonderful. Thank you Luana.
The ongoing life of the congregation continues to witness to the vitality and viability of Continuing Anglicanism. Natalya Klenovskaya is at the piano (or violin) leading our music program during these summer months. Alexey and Nikita are in Moscow and Weilu Liu is home in China. Worship and singing go on at a very high standard. At the coffee-hour class, we continue the study of Bishop Frank Wilson's Faith and Practice, which is an old classic that suits our style so well. Our next book, in the winter, will be Bishop N.T. Wright's Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship.
Wednesday evenings we have the Eucharist at 6:00 PM followed by supper and the study of the First Epistle General of St. John. The First Saturday - Society of Mary meeting - continues to be well attended (six last time) and the rosary, in particular, has proving an important intercessory tool for us. I will write more next week about the Synod, our Annual General Meeting, and the physical construction projects. Until then, I pray God's richest blessings upon you all. John+ Saint Matthias' Dothan Andrea Granger, Senior Warden, presides over the Vestry Meeting that increased the Assesment to $1500.00 per year and budgeted an additional $500.00 for the work of the new missionary bishop. Sandra thornburg, Vicar's Warden at St. James, is hidden behind the flowers.
CALENDAR: Sunday, Eucharist at 11:00 A.M. (ET) followed by Coffee Hour-Class. Wednesday 6:00 PM Mass followed by supper and Bible Study First Saturdays: Society of Mary at 10:00 AM (ET) - Angelus, coffee, and Rosary. 2018 DEUS Synod, July 16-20, 2018. St. Michael the Archangel Church, Matthews (Charlotte) N. C. will be our host parish. Our Annual Parish Meeting is July 22 nd after the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass. This is the Sunday closest to St. James' Day. There will be reports and elections with a luncheon following. Fr Klein is being joined by Bishop Chad in leading a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in February 11-20, 2019. This Cake was baked for Independence Day by Mary Beth Wagnon.
The Holy Land Pilgrimage Save the Date - February 11-20, 2019 Come see Galilee and trace the footsteps of Jesus. Join me on a journey to Jerusalem and the holy sights of our Lord s ministry next year. If you have a mom or dad who has always wanted to go to the Holy Land, give them this gift. Perhaps friends who go on cruises every year, this is the best ever. I think all Christians, if they can afford the time and treasure, owe it to themselves to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The package price - including all airfare, four star hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, all entrance fees, a trained guide and with Bishop "Chad" Chandler Holder Jones and me as the spiritual directors of the pilgrimage - is $2998 double occupancy per person (plus approximately $695 airport taxes and fuel surcharge as of May 2018). This makes the total about $3343.00. There will also be gratuities to the driver and hotel staff - $125 per participant is suggested. And, of course, some will want to buy an icon, oriental carpet, or ride a camel. This is a ten
day religious pilgrimage in a traditional, orthodox Anglican manner. We will pray Morning and Evening Prayer daily, celebrate the Eucharist at major holy sites, and sing sacred hymns in the holiest settings. We will even carry a wooden cross along the Via Dolorosa as we walk the Way of the Cross. Come and see, see so many places that will enlighten your understanding of the Bible and our Faith For the itinerary - which is being refined at this point - please see: https://goo.gl/1shfrs It is easy to register - just $350 deposit down - go to this URL by simply copying the address and pasting it in your web browser. Itinerary and registration sheets are there online. Don't miss this incredible opportunity! Fr. John Klein, SSC. Saint James, pray for us.. That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.