We sometimes receive questions about visiting our church or becoming a member. Episcopalians invite people in so freely that we tend to forget that others might be wondering about these things. We hope this helps. The important thing to know is that you are welcome here. Come and see.

Visiting

We love having guests. Just come and visit our community. People sometimes ask us how to dress. Some like to dress more casually. Some like to dress up for church. Do not worry about it.

In the Episcopal Church, all people are welcome to participate in the life of the church and all baptized Christians are invited to take communion. Others are invited to come forward for a blessing. After worshiping with us, if you feel that this is not where God is calling you, we will warmly wish you well on your journey and pray that you find your church home. If you do feel at home, then you may want to take the next step.

Joining St. James

When you realize that you feel comfortable here, please fill out a welcome card found in the pew and drop it in the offering plate. The card asks for your phone number, address, email, and birthday. You may leave off the year of your birth, if you are shy, but the month and date are important because the rector will contact you each year and wish you a happy birthday. When we receive the card, we will add you to our email list. You can expect an email from the rector’s assistant most Fridays and from the rector most Saturdays. These contain important information about news and events, and the rector sometimes includes links to things that intersect with the lectionary readings for that weekend. You will also find the text of the homily and the bulletin in the rector’s email.

About three times a year, we will put out a signup sheet for those who wish to be more formally welcomed. You will receive a name tag (in the shape of a fish) and a mailbox. Wearing the fish helps everyone remember everyone else’s name. The mailboxes aid in communication. Trying to get a favorite recipe to a friend in church? If that person is absent that week, just put the recipe in the correct mailbox.

Joining the Episcopal Church

As one further step, we have confirmation/reception once every two years when the bishop visits. Baptism makes one a Christian. Confirmation makes one an Episcopalian. Prior to confirmation or reception (for those already confirmed in certain other traditions), there is a required class in which we explore the history and practices of the Episcopal tradition. In the meantime, the rector will give to all who desire it a slim book that explains more about the Episcopal branch of the church.

Church in general is a place where we come to be made whole. Once there, we find that our wholeness is found in others as we link our hearts and let the Spirit flow through us. It is a place where we come to be healed, but find that our healing ultimately comes from our helping others to heal (including those outside the church) as we build one another up. Each time we try to be a blessing to others, we end up doubly blessed ourselves. A true church is a place where one can make a big blunder, figure out what led us to do it, share that, and be loved for it. We know, after all, that we are on a journey and it is the process that matters. Church, a true church, is a place of safety for all those who want to engage in this process and find their purpose in God.

St. James is a place where we lift one another up rather than seeking to tear down, where we help to free rather than seek to constrict, where we identify the gifts of others and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit as it leads us towards meaningful uses of those gifts. St. James is a place where our plans are secondary to God’s plans, our steps to achieve them always open to reevaluation in the light of God’s nudging, and where the point is not perfection (the purview of God), but relationship. Imagine the possibilities in a gathering of people who accept their humanity and revel in their gifts as they work together in the service of God.

It is this vision that we ask you to support with your time, talent, and treasure. It means to be in relationship with us, to work together, think together, pray together, forgive together, grow together.”