Welcome to
St James Lutheran Church
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ELCA
"Loved by God, we gather in friendship, grow in faith, and serve as the hands and voice of Jesus in the world."
SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PASTOR BOB SWARTZ (updated 4/2/2020)
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Dear holy and beloved ones of God,
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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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As you already know, the COVID-19 pandemic has been profoundly life-changing. Many of us are
sheltering in place, not leaving except to perform essential tasks such as buying food. Many of us are still working, risking life and livelihood so that the rest of us may be as safe as possible. Many of us are facing uncertainty in many ways. We do not yet know what our world will look like after COVID-19, but in the meantime we live in tremendous uncertainty. One thing that is becoming increasingly certain is that we will not be able to gather in person on Easter Sunday. We will gather online for Easter worship, as we have these last weeks.
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I want to reassure you that this decision is not made lightly, but is one that is made with the primary concern of my ministry at its center: the physical and spiritual safety of all of our beloved faith partners. It is a source of grief to me that we cannot be physically present with one another on this most holy of days, but I cannot imagine our common life without any of you. It would be an abdication of my pastoral duties to expose any of you to danger, and it would be religious malpractice to expose any other people in this world that God loves.
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Having said this, our worship team is determined that we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ when we are able to be physically present. The first Sunday that we resume in-person gatherings in our sanctuary will be an Easter celebration, with all the pomp and joy befitting the occasion. In the meantime, we will continue to gather together in the ways that God has granted to us at this time.
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Blessed be God forever and ever.
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Your brother,
Pastor Bob
MEDIA
News Feed
Latest Worship Service
7th Sunday of Easter - 5/24/2020
For earlier video postings, check out our YouTube channel
For more, see our Facebook page
(A Facebook account is not required)
Online Giving
Thank you for giving to the ministries of St James ELCA!
Worship Schedule
In-person worship in our sanctuary is temporarily suspended due to Covid-19 and by order of the State of California. Our worship services are exclusively online for the time being. Check out the "Media" heading above for our latest online service and our Facebook news feed. We look forward to seeing you in person soon!
“He loves us beyond comprehension,
and we cannot diminish his love for us.”