It takes a village! Our children are valued members of our community of faith, and we want to make sure they feel welcomed and encouraged to make friends old and young. There’s no better time to be had in NYC on a Friday evening than right here at St. James’!
Church Family Meets Your Family
Family Fridays
Movies, bingo, Casino night, Lego building, and service projects…fun for the whole family! We are continuing our service projects by Reaching Out to Our Neighbors. Each Family Friday we will: make 150-200 sandwiches to be taken that evening by one of our families to New York Common Pantry, assemble toiletry kits for our meal program guests, and make cards for our Christmas and Easter Pastoral Luncheon guests and for our Pastoral Visitors to take to our home bound and hospitalized parishioners. Dates are TBD.
Opportunities For Families To Serve The Community
There are a few ways you and your family can help our homeless neighbors and those struggling with food insecurity:
- Sign up to bake or donate desserts to our meals served on Tuesday mornings and Friday evenings.
- Donate travel-sized toiletries, and/or help us assemble toiletry kits at the new Samaritan’s Closet, a free clothing resource that we have launched in partnership with Madison Ave Presbyterian Church.
- Sign up to help prepare dinner once a month for the residents of the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter’s 81st St residence.
Food Pantry at St. James’ Fordham Help to assemble and/or distribute bags of food at St. James Church, Fordham, an Episcopal Church in the Bronx (Jerome Ave. and 190th St.). While our grocery bags are currently “grab-n-go”, this inter-generational service opportunity transforms the church building into a grocery store, so low income families can “shop” with joy and dignity.
Please contact Co’Relous Bryant to learn more, or to get involved in these or other helping ministries. Service is part of how we put our faith into action—if your family has a longing or an idea for a new way we might care for our neighbors, our community or our world, please reach out!
Other Family Fellowship Opportunities
Annual Pancake Breakfast, Valentine-making Party, Advent Wreath-making event, Christmas Pageant, Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Ash Wednesday Children’s Service, Good Friday Children’s Service, Easter Egg Hunts, End of the year hotdog picnic and Eucharist in the park.
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
– Romans 12:4-5
Play Groups
These groups are a wonderful way to meet parents of young children (ages 0-5) who are part of the St. James’ parish. A dedicated “caregiver group” is offered for working parents, but caregivers are welcome at all playgroups whenever personal schedules make it difficult for moms or dads to accompany their child. St. James’ playgroups are adult/child and are open to all who are interested. If you must come early or leave late to accommodate nap-time, please do! We would love to have you.
0 - 12 months
Wednesdays
10:30 AM - NOON
12 - 24 months
Thursdays
10:30 AM - NOON
24 - 36 months
Fridays
10:30 AM - NOON
3 - 5 years
Tuesdays
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Caregivers
Mondays
10:30 AM - NOON
Playgroup Fees: pledging members/non-pledging members and friends
Fall (Sept. – Dec.) $225/$275. Spring (Jan.- June) $275/$325. Full season, $475/$575.
Playgroup registration covers insurance, cleaning, and supplies. We continue to refurbish all toys and supplies in the nursery for the playgroups. We welcome donations of new toys and funds that can be used to purchase age-appropriate toys for each group.
Cash donations should be forwarded to Vicki Hall, marked for Nursery Toys and Supplies.