What to Expect

I’m New

We are so glad you’re here! Thanks for taking some time to explore our website. We would love to have you to join us on a Sunday morning for our time of worship together. If you would like to arrange a time to speak with our pastor, please send him a note here.

Your First Visit

When you walk into the doors of Saint James, we hope you will feel the love or Christ in the way our members welcome you into our midst. Whether you’ve never been to church, are looking for a church you can call home, or you have been a Christian your whole life, we want you to feel welcome here.

All of us, regardless of our background, walk into the presence of our Lord as equals, requiring the same grace, forgiveness and salvation brought about by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We are all growing in our faith in God and being changed by him.

We hope your worship experience with us will be meaningful and you will leave with the desire to join us again as we receive God’s blessed gifts of Word and Sacrament and glorify Him through praise and thanksgiving.

The Details

Worship: You will notice that we utilize a traditional worship style and liturgical form.  We do not have a praise band or powerpoint presentation, but are led by the pastor through Divine Service and various orders of worship in our hymnal (©2006).  Divine Service is an intersection between heaven and earth emphasizing that God gathers us together in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, to receive His gifts; Himself, His name, His flesh and blood Son, His Word of pardon and peace, His life, His grace and Spirit. During the Divine Service God distributes these gifts to us. We receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation Christ won for us on the cross. God calls and gathers us into His holy Christian Church where we have communion with Him and all His saints in heaven and on earth.

Music is led by a real pipe organ, featuring a rich musical heritage, and is enhanced by our adult choir.  Our worship area is vibrant with light and color from the stained glass windows, but also from the meditative banners and other paraments which follow the season of the church year.

Sermon: Each week our pastor delivers a message that takes God’s Word from the Bible and draws out meaning and application for our lives today. Just as our bodies need food for physical health, so our souls need the consistent nourishment of God’s Word to strengthen, encourage, and equip us to live faithfully in a broken world. You can listen to previous sermons here.

Time: We begin our day with Christian Education at 9 AM, providing opportunities for everyone to learn God’s Word, whether you are 2 or 92 and anywhere in between. Our service starts at 10 AM and usually runs until 11:15 AM.

Children: We are a family-friendly church and we love children and want them to grow up knowing and loving Jesus. We provide a great education environment through Sunday School and youth classes geared to teach children about Jesus in a creative and engaging way. Learn more about our Children’s Ministry here and our Youth Ministry here. We also believe that children should be with their parents during the Divine Service to worship God together as a family.

Accessibility: Our church is fully wheelchair accessible on all levels. Our greeter will be happy to assist you with the elevator inside the main entrance and accompany you to your destination in the building.