JANUARY

The Epiphany Burning of the Greens - Wednesday, January 6, 2010. For the Feast of the Epiphany we will celebrate a new tradition for St. James but an ancient celebration for the Church. Following the 6:30 Wednesday evening Eucharist, we will gather outside for the Burning of the Greens. It has been a tradition in the Celtic churches to bring the greens used to decorate the church and houses (Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands) and burn them as a visible symbol of the meaning of the Feast of Epiphany, the revelation of the light of the Christ Child to the Gentiles through the arrival of the Magi. Come and celebrate the last of the twelve days of Christmas with the Epiphany Eucharist and the Burning of the Greens. Afterwards we will hold a covered dish Epiphany Feast in the Parish Life Center.

Organ/Flute/Voice Concert – Sunday, January 10, 4:00 PM. The performers for this St. James concert are organist Charles Tompkins and The Colla Voce Trio (Christina Carviou, soprano, Allison Davis, flute, Charles Tompkins, organ). Featured works include George Philipp Telemann's solo cantata "Hemmet den Eifer" (for Epiphany), as well as Dietrich Buxtehude's organ fantasia "Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern" ("How Brightly Shines the Morning Star"), which is based on a hymn long associated with the Epiphany season. Works for soprano, flute and organ by Haydn and Langlais, and for solo organ by Mozart and Mendelssohn, will round out the program. It is approximately one hour in length and free of charge.

Women’s Mindfulness Day Retreat – January 18, 2010. Mark and celebrate the new year by joining us at the Parish Life Center for a women’s mindfulness day retreat. The day will include lunch, snacks, Yoga and reflective journaling. The focus for this gathering is mindful living where we will practice yoga for all levels, and explore spiritual connection and reflection through journaling, and meditation. The cost of the day is $30. You won’t want to miss this extraordinary experience! Victoria Chance, our retreat leader, is an educator, storyteller, meditation and registered Yoga instructor.

FEBRUARY

Jazz & Spirituality Concert – Friday, February 5, 7:00 PM. Tickets are available now for the first 250 seats at the performance by The Rev’d D. Geoffrey Taylor, our Rector, to benefit the Missions and Outreach at St. James. Invite your friends and neighbors—reach out to those who have never been to St. James. Ticket prices: $15 for a single ticket, $50 for 5 tickets, $100 for 11 tickets. ECW will host a wine and cheese reception afterwards.

Oyster Roast – Saturday, February 13, 4:30 PM. Tickets will go on sale in January. For more information, contact Victoria Chance (616-0154, victoriachance@gmail.com) or Debbie Spear (271-5242, spear5@bellsouth.net).

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper - February 16, 5:30-8:30 PM. In the PLC.

Ash Wednesday, February 17