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St. James Church

Afternoon teatime returns to St. James Episcopal Church on April 28

By Billie Owens
Press release:

Afternoon teatime is returning to St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia on Sunday, April 28, at 3 o’clock. This special event will include musical entertainment and raffles.

The last fish fry is Friday, April 12, but the bakers are now working to bring you a delicious tea experience. A variety of gift baskets have been assembled.

“Rumor has it that Maureen Scoville is planning something special for the raffle, so you know it is not to be missed,” said Dorian Ely, one of the event organizers.

Presale tickets are $20 each or $100 for a table of six. Tickets at the door are $25, space permitting.

Tickets may be purchased at the church office, 405 E. Main St., Batavia. For information call 585-343-6802 or text 585-356-5359.

Co-author of 'The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew' speaks about journey for more understanding

By Billie Owens

"The Faith Club: A Muslim, a Christian, A Jew -- Three Women Search for Understanding" is a presentation/book-signing/reception hosted by St. James Episcopal Church starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 13. It will be held at the church, 405 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia as part of its Bicentennial celebration.

Meet co-author Suzanne Oliver as she speaks of her faith journey to more understanding. It's free and all are welcome.

Questions? Call (585) 343-6802.

Event Date and Time
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Classic silent flick 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' shown at St. James Church

By Billie Owens

St. James Episcopal Church presents a special holiday Spooktacular by showing the silent movie classic "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Charles Bradley will play the organ in concert with the movie.

It starts at 7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27 at the church, located at 405 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

Tickets are $10 and the money will benefit the bell tower restoration fund.

Event Date and Time
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'Pedal to Save the Church - J.D. LeSeur Memorial Bike Rally' is tommorrow

By Billie Owens

The Third Annual Pedal to Save the Church -- J.D. LeSeur Memorial Bike Rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.

The Landmark Society of Genesee County will be assisting with the 21-mile event. There is a $25 minimum pre-registration fee, $30 registration day of the event, which can be obtained by sponsors or donation.

A $50 gift certificate from the The Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle Shop will be awarded to the rider with the most sponsorship. Also, the bike shop people will be at the church checking over bikes prior to the event.

Optional tours will be given of St. James Episcopal Church and short presentations given at several historic sites in Oakfield. There will be refreshments and prizes.

All proceeds benefit the St. James Restoration Fund. For more information, please call 343-6802.

St. James still in the running for $50,000 Pepsi Challenge Grant

By Billie Owens

After finishing in 24th place in the July 2011 voting round for a Pepsi Challenge Grant, St. James Episcopal Church has been selected to run again this month.

If they win, they will use the $50,000 grant for restoration of the bell tower.

Those wishing to support St. James can text 109009 at 73774 and vote online at
http://www.refresheverything.com/savethechurchtower.

You can also collect specially coded yellow Pepsi caps and donate them to the church to increase voting power. Voting ends Sept. 30. Please vote to save the church tower and hear the bells ring at St. James Church!

For more information, please call the Landmark Society at 343-1457 or St. James Church, 343-6802.

Weekend with Morrie

By Gretel Kauffman

Tonight and Sunday afternoon, Norm Argulski will perform the role of a lifetime -- for the second time in five months.

He portrays esteemed professor Morrie Schwartz, the title character in the two-man show "Tuesdays with Morrie," based on the book of the same name. The play, which will be performed at St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia, tells the true story of Mitch Albom, a sports reporter who decides to contact a favorite former college professor after seeing him on television.

Despite the fact that the professor, Morrie, is dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a close friendship blossoms between the two as he teaches Mitch many valuable lessons about life and love.

"I think it was a mixture of guilt and a sense of duty [that brought Mitch back to see Morrie]," says Jesse Conklin, who plays Mitch. "He had lost touch with him, after promising to keep in touch, and he felt it would be inhuman not to visit him when he heard that he was dying.

"Like Mitch says in the show, he thought going back to see him that first time would just be a one-shot deal. I think it's ambiguous in the play, what his original reasons were."

Although tonight will be the first performance in months, it is not the true opening night in this area. The Wyoming County Bicentennial Singers' cast made its debut in May at the Warsaw Grange.

This time, though, the profits will be going toward the St. James Restoration Fund. And with luck, Sunday's matinee will not be the last performance: the show was adjudicated in May for the Theater Association of New York State (TANYS) and, if selected, will be performed again in November at the TANYS festival at Genesee Community College.

Director Kathy Dodge says that the three weeks' worth of rehearsals prior to this weekend have been spent mostly just polishing the show, as both actors remembered their parts well. The only differences between the performances in May and the performances this weekend, Dodge says, will be technical.

"I actually remembered most of my lines," says Conklin. "The parts I'm shaky on now are the same parts that I was shaky on before. I would say the hardest thing is getting emotionally back into it. I have to really focus to not go on autopilot this time."

The emotional transition back into the role was smoother for Argulski, who says that the rehearsals for the reprise "seemed like what we had always been doing. What's funny is that the more we do this, the more I talk to Mitch, the less I find myself feeling like Norm."

"I have played so many wonderful roles that I enjoyed, but I just had to play this one," Argulski says. "It's truly the role of a lifetime. Morrie is one of the most interesting characters that you will ever see on stage. You'll like him from the first time that you see him. And even at the end, even though you know he's dying, you still feel good about him."

It seems only natural that Argulski should have the role of Morrie because of the similarities between the two.

"The way that we both think about life and view other people is very close," he explains. "So many of his values are my values."

Argulski is also a retired schoolteacher, something that influenced him greatly in understanding the character.

"Being a teacher was probably the biggest plus that I brought to being Morrie because I know how he felt," he says. "I had so many wonderful students, and I'm still in touch with many of them."

Dodge says she initially chose the show because of the book:

"I read the book years ago, multiple times actually. It's one of my favorites, so I was interested in the play. I really love that it's a true story."

Conklin, on the other hand, had never heard of the show or book before auditioning.

"I heard the name and was like, 'Tuesdays with what? Is it a musical?'" he laughs.

"It is such a unique situation, because in most dramatic works there is a villain, or at least an unsavory person of some sort," Argulski said. "However, this is a story about two wonderful characters, and seeing this is seeing two wonderful men in what they do as their relationship grows."

Is there a message in the show? Director Dodge thinks so: "To make sure you say what you want to people that you love, because you never know when you won't be able to say it to them. Make time for people. The show also brings ALS and hospice front and forward."

Argulski says that the characters have deepened his appreciation of life: "At one point in the show Morrie says, 'I wish I had been aware of death every day of my life.' Of course no one wants to be aware of death every day, but that was really the turning point in his life. I've never known anyone who celebrated death, or who looked at death as it really is. I would really like to talk to him about that."

Tonight's performance is at 7:30 and tomorrow it's at 2 p.m. The ticket price of $15 includes dessert and coffee with the actors after the show. The church is located at 405 E. Main St. in Batavia. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 343-6802.

Episcopal priest dismissed after sexual harrassment claim can proceed with lawsuit

By Howard B. Owens

Somehow, we missed this story when it hit the Buffalo News a few days ago: A judge has rulled that Rev. Simon B. Howson, 42, the former rector of Batavia’s St. James Episcopal Church, can proceed with his lawsuit against the Diocese.

Howson claims that he was dismissed from his job after making a sexual harrassment claim against another priest.

Fleming on Friday said the job dispute involves attempts earlier this decade by an admitted homosexual Episcopalian priest now serving in Massachusetts, who used Howson as a spiritual adviser in Batavia, to have sex with Howson, who is heterosexual but unmarried.

Diocesan attorney Brendan P. Kelleher asked the judge to summarily dismiss Howson’s lawsuit on the claim that the dispute is a purely religious controversy to be handled only by church authorities. Fleming argued that Howson’s dispute involves the state Human Rights Law.

...

Howson was suspended in October 2004 because of allegations about stealing church funds, forging church documents and misrepresenting himself. In August 2007, the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York announced that his priestly rights were revoked and he was removed from the priesthood. Thursday, Fleming stressed to Michalek that all the allegations the bishop lodged against Howson were “false” and called the bishop’s actions against Howson “crazy, outrageous and disingenuous.” Fleming told the judge he personally deposed the admittedly homosexual priest recently in Massachusetts and confirmed that priest’s “sexual harassment” of his client.

Howson, "now a hospital chaplain with limited religious duties in the Fresno, Calif., area," is seeking $300,000 in restitution and reinstatment as a priest.

Seven Area Organists in Concert

By Howard B. Owens

Charles Bradley, LaVerne Cooley, Ann Emmans, Henry Emmans,  David Lange, Dawn Mark and Dick Morrison will be "Pulling out all the stops" on the St. James Organ.

To benefit the restoration of St. James bell tower.

Concert date is Sunday June 22, at 3:00 PM
St. James Church
405 East Main Street
Batavia

Free will offering
Reception to follow concert.

Submitted via the "Send Us News" link.

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