Fellowship at St. James

Coffee Hour

St. James Coffee Hour is the St. James community “at home.” It happens every Sunday after service around a table spread with delectable offerings, provided and hosted by parishioners. It’s what every family gathering is like…grandparents and parents and singles and visitors all talking at once. People are catching up with the week’s events, planning others, sharing triumphs and worries, laughing—kids running in and around them! There’s always room at this table, and we would love for you to join us!

Books & Bread

Books and Bread meets once a month in various member’s homes since 1996. Although there are “members”, a so-called ‘regular’ crowd, we truly welcome the occasional visitor interested in one book or in new members. We read a book a month (except for July, August, December & January) and sign up to bring dishes to a covered dish dinner. We start the evening at 6pm on a week night with wine, soft drinks and appetizers, followed by a delicious meal and dessert. The discussion of the designated book starts at 7:30pm and ends precisely at 9pm. The ‘discussion leader’, appointed in advance and an assignment that rotates as the host home does, keeps us on track with carefully interjected questions if the talkers stray from the subject at hand. The members select the books for the year ahead every January, scheduling the host homes and discussion leaders. To be selected, a book must have been read by the person proposing it and must be available in paperback. Our local book store, The Book Loft, orders copies in advance of our meetings and sells them to members at a 10% discount. Although the books are easily available to purchase, that is not required. Some people borrow them from libraries, some own them already and some people enjoy listening to them on tape.

 

This are the books we are reading in 2010:

February 10	Life of Pi	(Emery home)
March 10	The Guersey Literary and Potato Peel Society	(Raymond/Hastings home)
April 14	Peace Like a River	(Anderson home)
May 12	Easter Everywhere	(Bray-Garretson home)
June 9	Olive Kitteridge	(Peet home)
September 8	The People of the Book	(Katz home)
October 13	Sarah's Key	(Drumm home)
November 10	The Help	(Smith home)

Click here to see a list of the books we have read in the past.

Men's Group

The purpose of the St. James Men’s Group is to provide fellowship and to enrich the faith of all who participate.   On the fourth Wednesday evening , we meet at a residence from 6-9 for pot-luck supper and discussion focused on specific topics. Here is a list of recent topics:

 

• 1784 -- A Bishop for the American Church -- Samuel Seabury
• Two Views of the Coin, Independence in South Africa and Zimbabwe
• Beyond the Tourism Brochures: Farming in the Berkshires
• Taboo topics: Religion and Politics
• Global Warming: A Moral Issue
• Aware of the Good News--Parts I & II
• Silent Mindfulness in Nature - a participating experience
• The Shoelace and The Seaglass
• A New Selectman for the Town of Great Barrington
• My Career as an Architect--Part II
• Our Church — Rooted yet ready to change
• My 13 months as Interim Rector of St. James
• Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. "As it came from the heart may it go to the heart.”
• There and back again!
• A Long Journey
• A Trip to China
• When the well runs dry
• Becoming the Gospel
• Jack Toffey’s War:  A Son’s Memoir

 

All men of the parish and their guests are invited.  There are no attendance requirements or attendance expectations.  Now and then you can come to a particular meeting that interests you or you can become a “regular” by attending most all the meetings.  At the evening meetings we average about 10 although there are about 20 on our mailing list.  We meet at 6:00 pm for wine and cheese followed by a pot luck supper. Our discussion begins at  about 7:30 pm.  and we adjourn promptly at 9:00 pm.   If you would like to monitor the group’s activities by being on the mailing list or would like to attend a particular evening meeting, please contact George Raymond at this email address: office@stjamesgb.org