Upcoming Events

The Christmas Giving Tree, located in the Gathering Area, is filled with gift tags with donation requests from the following organizations.  Select a gift tag of your choosing and the organization’s desired donation will be listed on the tag.  All donations are to be returned to St. James and placed under the Giving Tree no later than December 2nd.  Your donations mean so much to the recipients and organizations, so please consider supporting the Christmas Giving Tree.  Here are the organization highlights:

Sussex Outreach Services:  The Sussex Outreach Services organization holds an annual Christmas Gift program, where area parents of children in need are allowed to select one gift of their choice.  Your donation of an unwrapped toy, game, or clothing item will ensure that all children connected with the SOS program will be able to receive a gift.

St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. James:  This St. James Parish based group responds to parish needs in many ways, but most frequently in emergency situations that include power shut offs or imminent evictions.  Please donate Cash (checks payable to St. Vincent de Paul Society), gift cards to Pick ‘n Save or Gas Station gift cards, which are especially needed this year.  These donations will assist individuals or families in our parish area who have come upon extremely difficult times.

Interfaith:  This faith-based Waukesha County non-profit organization runs a Holiday Gift Program which provides a gift envelope of items to low-income homebound seniors and adults with disabilities.  Please provide a $10 gift card to either Walgreens or Pick ‘n Save, a $5 gift card from McDonald’s or a book of stamps for Interfaith to include in their gift.

Milwaukee Center for Independence:  This non-profit organization works with inner-city, poverty stricken families with developmentally delayed or disabled children, particularly the ages from birth to 3 years old.  MCFI holds an annual Christmas Party for these families and provides gift certificates for food, clothing or pharmaceutical/personal needs.  Please donate Gift Cards of $5 – $20 from Walmart, Pick ‘n Save, or Target.

Hebron House:  This non-profit organization provides emergency housing and related services to people in transition with the basic needs of shelter, food and personal support.  Please donate specific gift as listed on the gift tag.  These are gifts that will be given to a current resident at Hebron House.

Thursday, November 29th, 6:30-8:00 pm

If you were able to attend the parish Listening Sessions held in September, you witnessed parishioners express their views on a variety of topics relevant to the current and future states of our church – the sexual abuse crisis, trust/mistrust of the bishops, ordination of married men/women, the Catholic church’s treatment of the LGBTQ community . . .

If the church is going to deal with these topics in a meaningful way, it must begin in open, honest dialogue that springs from loving God and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.  If you wish to continue listening to other parishioners and sharing your views with them in that type of respectful environment, then mark Thursday, November 29th, on your calendar.  Pastoral Associate Gerry Wolf will facilitate a process of conversation, from 6:30-8:00 pm, in the Cafeteria space adjacent to the Community Center.  Please rsvp to Gerry’s office number, 262-253-2213, so he knows how many persons to expect.

In November we honor and remember, in a special way, family and friends that have died.  Bring pictures of your loved ones, and place them on the Jacob’s Ladder, that will be situated in the alcove next to the Baptismal Font.  The ladder will be set up starting the 1st of November.  The pictures will remain there throughout the month of November.  Please put your name and phone number on the back of the frame.

Holly Days donation boxes will be out throughout the month of November!

Here’s what we are looking for:

Secret Santa Workshop:  New items for men, women, teens & children.  We also need holiday wrapping paper, tissue and ribbon.  Santa’s Workshop gives children the joy of choosing their own special gifts for parents and family members.

Used Books:  Books, CDs, DVDs and videos.  Please no encyclopedias or magazines.

Theme Basket Donations:  Here are some theme basket ideas:  Wine/Liquor, games, coffee/tea, golf/sports, movie night, kid’s crafts, cleaning supplies, spa, candy/chocolate, home improvement, reading/bookworm, tailgating, baking, princess, superhero, date night, fitness, Italian, Mexican, rainy day fun, baby’s 1st Christmas, dog/cat lovers.

If you are donating a complete basket, please deliver to the Parish Office.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – It Takes a Parish!

We need a lot of volunteers to help with set-up, clean up, decorating, baking, booths and much more.  Various time slots are available.  Sign-up sheets will be in the Gathering Area today or you may sign up online, using the Sign Up Genius link here throughout November:  https://tinyurl.com/VolunteerHollyDays2018

Calling All Bakers!  It’s time to dig out your favorite recipes for the St. James Holly Days’ Bake Sale.  If you bake it, we will take it!  We are in need of donations of bakery for both days.  Bakery can be dropped off anytime on Saturday, Dec. 1st starting at 9:00 am.  We are looking for all types of bakery from simple Chex Mix to cookie platters, candy, cakes and pies.  **Please specify whether or not your donation contains nuts.

Senior Club meetings are on the 2nd Monday of each month in the Community Center. Come and join us! For further information call Emelie at 262-253-1228.

Join us for St. James Playgroup which meets the First and Third Thursday of each month beginning October 4th at 9-10 am in Room 4 of the school building.  All are welcome – young children, parents, grandparents and caregivers.  Our playgroup is informal with unstructured playtime and no registration is required.  For more information, contact Brigitte or Kristin at playgroupatstjames@gmail.com.

September 29 – October 8, 2019, led by Spiritual Director Gerry Wolf

Highlights of the trip are:  Fatima, Cathedral of Burgos, Lourdes, Grotto of Massabielle, Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia just to name a few.  The Pilgrimage is open to all.  For more information about this exciting Prilgrimage trip, call Terri Weber, Phone 262-253-2259 or 414-550-0954 or email webert@archmil.org.  Travel brochures are available in the Gathering Area in Church or in the Parish Office.  You can also check out the following link for more information: https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/912847 or click on the following link for the brochure and reservation form.

Pilgrimage Brochure

Join us on Wednesdays at 8:45 a.m. in the Reconciliation Room for Centering Prayer.  We normally meet for 20 – 30 minutes of silent prayer.  All Are Welcome and if you have never done this form of prayer before, we would be happy to do a simple explanation prior to starting.  If you have any questions, call Sue at 262-253-2904.  No need to call ahead, just come and give it a try!

Community Banquet is a free meal offered twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 5:30 in the Community Center at St. James Church.  A nutritious hot meal is served and it provides time of fellowship to any who choose to attend.  Volunteers from community churches take turns providing the meals, serving and cleaning up.

Thank you for your continued support for the Wisconsin School for the Deaf.  So far, along with your help, we have raised nearly $600 for our students.  The money has gone to toiletries for the dorm students, some therapy supplies, and even helped pay to repair a wheelchair.  We thank you for your generosity.  We are going to start collecting items for Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan. These items will be recycled into park benches, planters, and other plastic items to help support the school. Please help by bringing the following items to church and placing them in the large labeled box in the Main entrance way.

• Oral Care Items: Used toothbrushes and the packaging of your new toothbrush, empty toothpaste tubes and the box for the new tube, empty floss containers.
• Personal Care: Shampoo, deodorants, lotions, makeup. Any brand.  Not the packaging. (No nail polish, polish remover bottles, or razors please)
• Bars: Any brand granola/energy protein bar wrappers (foil lined only
• Cereal Bags: The waxy bags inside cereal boxes
• Pet Food: Wellness brand only of dry dog/cat food bags
• Febreze:  Air Freshener plugs and cartridges, and packaging, trigger heads any brand
• Bear Naked: Granola pouches, their brand only

Recycling requires a little effort on your part by sorting through things before they go out for trash collection, but your efforts not only help reduce landfill waste, but will help the School for the Deaf. Please help us. Questions: email: pschneider@wi.rr.com or call (414) 587-1202.