Parish profile
- jackson, mississippi -
Welcome to St. James’
The St. James’ family thanks you for considering St. James’ Church as a place to call home. We are looking forward to meeting you and welcoming you. As we search for our new leader, we are looking for someone who will feel at home with us. We hope this profile will tell you who we are, what we value, and how we worship.
The St. James’ family values our liturgy and our music program. More than 65% of the respondents to our Parish Survey said worshipping in the Episcopalian tradition was what they liked best about St. James’. Beyond worship, St. James’ is a church with an active lay ministry, strong parishioner participation in the life of the church, and strong educational programs. Our entire family is especially proud of our Catechesis program for our youngest children. In our parish survey, almost 90% of respondents rated the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program as very high quality.
We know that God works in mysterious ways. Through the challenges of this current pandemic we have found ways to sustain our church community using technology for shared experience by streaming Sunday services on-line and messaging parishioners. Being apart has forced us to find new ways to come together. While these alternative forms of worship are not perfect, we know that some of this work will need to continue as we go forward.
Our parish family is looking for someone who will partner with us to continue to support one another and to share the love of Christ. We want someone who will help us grow the church of the future. If you believe you are that person, we urge you to apply.
+ Yours in Christ,
the St. J’ Family
Welcome from St. James’ Wardens (Press Play)
- Our Family Profile -
the st. james’ mission | Why we’re here
St. J’ is… | Who we are
Our new rector is… | WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The St. J’ History | Where we HAve been
Sundays, Everyday | How we worship
The music ministry | HOW MUSIC elevates WORSHIP
Education for all sizes | How we Learn
Children + Youth | How we Grow
The St. J’ School | How we mission to pre-school
Jackson + Fondren | Where we live
Outreach + Fundraising | How we Serve
Parish life + Pastoral Care | How we nurture
Church Leadership | How we Govern
Strengths + Challenges | What we know
Profile Thanks | Why We Love this place
The St. James’ Mission
Why we’re here
[ Our mission ]
To Grow in the Knowledge and Love of God as Revealed in Jesus Christ
[ How ]
By seeking and servicing Christ in all persons
By continuing in the Apostle’s teaching and fellowship
By providing worship that nourishes fellowship
By supporting parishioners’ journeys through life
By helping parishioners develop spiritual gifts through ministry
By fostering connections and a sense of belonging
By ministering to the greater Jackson community
[ Who We Are ]
St. James’ strives to seek and serve Jesus Christ in all persons, as a loving, joyful, and prayerful community that actively welcomes diverse views and beliefs.
[ God’s Call to Us Now ]
We believe we are called to strengthen and grow parishioner involvement and leadership in all aspects of the life and ministries of our church.
St. J’ is…
Who we are
A vibrant, diverse community of faithful people that has flourished and grown in the 71 years since its founding in Jackson, Mississippi. With an average Sunday attendance of around 300 worshippers, over 1,350 active parishioners and a $1.479 million annual budget, St. James’ is the largest church in the Diocese of Mississippi.
St. James’ has seen the City of Jackson both expand and decline since 1949. Our location in the Fondren neighborhood has helped us grow and remain vital in the midst of change. We are weathering the COVID-19 crisis with on-line Sunday services and daily compline and have responded to the pressing needs of the most vulnerable in our Jackson community with new grants to non-profits from our emergency outreach funds.
Through it all, it is the people of St. James’ who define this parish.
Since our last rector search in 2012, St James’ has continued to renew itself with a healthy mix of older parishioners, young families, long-time Episcopalians, the recently confirmed, and newcomers. We receive renewal from our liturgical foundation, exceptional music, active lay ministry, and strong educational ministries, especially our Catechesis program for our youngest children.
Thad & Larry
David & Cathey
Ben & Meredith
Anthony & Alli
Our New REctor
Who We Are Looking For
We seek a rector who is an engaged and effective administrator, an eloquent and inspiring preacher, and a compassionate and accessible priest.
We Hope!
We hope to find a new rector who can appreciate and build upon the strong traditions and strengths of our church and guide and work with us as we build our church of the future. We hope to find a new rector who has good interpersonal skills, is compassionate and gives sermons that apply the lessons of scripture to the joys and challenges of our life today. We hope to find a new rector who can lead us in Christian Education and can find and support new ways to build community in the parish and attract new members to our church. We hope to find a new rector who has strong administrative skills, who can listen and lead, and can work well with the vestry – someone who will share responsibilities with associate priests, the staff and lay leadership in the day-to-day work of running the parish and serving the people of the church. We hope to find a new rector who is both strong and compassionate, who will minister to parishioners in times of hardship and sorrow, and will join with us in times of joy and celebration. We hope to find a rector who loves the liturgy of the Episcopal Church as much as we do, and who will invite us into a deeper faith and a surer understanding of God’s love for us and for the world.
The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC
The Newcomers’ Committee
We welcome our confirmands with a visit from the Bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi. We welcome new members through our Newcomers’ Committee, which has been active since the first days of St. James’ Church. Committee volunteers man the welcome table at the main door to the sanctuary to greet worshippers and to welcome newcomers. Every worshipper is encouraged to wear a name tag, and visitors are encouraged to complete a visitor’s card. Everyone who completes a visitor’s card is delivered a loaf of freshly baked bread. If a visitor shows continued interest, a “shepherd” is assigned to them to help welcome them into our parish. The Newcomers’ Committee also hosts social gatherings for newcomers so they can meet our priests and the vestry. The Newcomers’ Committee helps us renew and grow as a parish.
St. James’ Episcopal Church was officially established as a mission in December of 1948 by its 13 founding members. The land for the new church on Oak Ridge Drive was purchased in March of 1949, and the first service was held in the new parish hall on Christmas Eve 1949. St. James’ has had 12 rectors and interim rectors, plus two priests-in-charge over the 71 years of its history, and has sponsored 10 seminarians since the year 2000.
The Lord’s Prayer during quarantine (Press Play)
The church has a robust lay ministry program which supports the clergy, including acolytes, vergers, chalice bearers and eucharistic visitors, lectors, and flower and altar guild volunteers. Lay volunteers receive training and coordinate scheduling of service participants, such as acolytes, through software that is accessible to everyone.
The music ministry includes both adults’ and children’s choirs and is one of the pillars of the church.
Music has always been a loved and integral part of our liturgical tradition at St James’. Our adult choir members sing during our Sunday morning services, Evensong services, weddings, funerals, luncheons and programs and special events that are open to the public.
The service music includes traditional and ancient music of the church along with more contemporary church music.
St James’ offers multiple programs to engage and enlighten our parishioners from preschoolers to adults. Our purpose is to involve children and adults in a common religious experience in the Anglican tradition -one that is grounded in Scripture, Liturgy and Prayer.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Christian education for youth
the children and family committee
The Children and Family committee focuses on children from birth through the sixth grade. Committee activities for the kids include a Fall Kick-off Party, the Christmas pageant, Shrove Tuesday and Easter Festivities, casual cookouts and home gatherings. This Committee supports the Catechesis program and helps young families connect to our church.
The St. James’ School is a weekday licensed educational center for children who are at least one year old on September 1 through pre-K. St. James’ School strives to provide a rich learning environment which supports the spiritual emotional, social, cognitive, and physical needs of the developing young child.
Situated in the heart of Mississippi at the intersection of I-55 and I-20, Jackson is the state’s capital and the major center of government, banking, and legal and medical services in the state. Metro Jackson expands beyond the borders of Hinds County and is home to about half a million people. The city itself has about 165,000 residents. The state of Mississippi is mainly rural with a population of 2.9 million. Jackson is home to over 15 faith denominations and is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi.
Travelers from around the country and the world come to Mississippi to follow the Blues Trail or explore the state’s many attractions. With the amenities of a metropolitan area and the charm and convenience of a small town, Jackson and St. James’ vibrant neighborhood of Fondren are wonderful places to call home.
Mississippi Children’s Museum
Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
Eudora Welty’s Home
The Reservoir - Boating and Fishing
Fondren Shopping and Entertainment
Local Nature and Outdoors
Our Senior Warden on Outreach (Press Play)
St. James’ recognizes our obligation to others in God’s Kingdom. Outreach Ministries are the way we reach out to those in need in our community. The annual outreach budget reflects St. James’ commitment to giving by dedicating 20 percent of the total to our outreach efforts and to Diocesan support.
The Outreach Committee made grants to 20 local community agencies totaling $120,300 for the 2020 budget year. The biggest grant was to Stewpot Community Services for which St. James’ is a founding supporter. The Outreach Committee also helps host fundraisers to raise money for outreach, including social events that bring the parish together. St. James’ partners in building a Habitat for Humanity home every eighteen months. This project is funded separately using a drawdown.
“St. James’ members responded (4.4 out of 5) that contributing time and talent to the parish is as important as contributing money. ”
Stewpot Executive Director Jill Buckly on St. James’ (Press Play)
The Stewpot Christmas Party
The Banquet of Abundance Fundraiser
The Habitat Build
“St. James’ members believe (3.7 out of 5) that the parish has identified and is responding to specific needs in the community. ”
Stewpot
Feeding Bodies + souls
stewpot community services operates 11 different ministries that serve the neediest in our community. Among Stewpot’s key programs are the noon soup kitchen which serves around 180 people each day, including meals on wheels; a food pantry “grocery store” for about 100 people each month; shelter and beds for about 75-80 homeless people per day; and 80-125 children and teens in after-school programs and summer camps.
St. James’ offers many chances for parishioners to be together in addition to Sunday services. Before the corona virus we met for Wednesday night suppers, foyer groups, parish committees, church holidays, and other events to serve the church and the community.
The Pastoral Care Committee seeks to serve parishioners unable to attend worship services and other church activities. Teams deliver meals, send brief notes or letters, or make simple ministry of presence visits. Other pastoral care teams include: A Prayer Chain, Shawl Ministry, Families With New Babies and Lay Eucharistic Ministers. The St. Martha’s Guild provides comfort to parishioners in times of sorrow by hosting visitations and small luncheons or receptions for funerals.
“St. James’ members believe (4.18 out of 5) that ‘opportunities to be involved in the church’ is important to them.”
4.17 out of 5 rating for importance of “active ministry from each other and from our priests”
4.19 out of 5 rating for importance of “personal contact with our priests”
4.39 out of 5 rating for importance of “contributing time and talent is as important as contributing money”
BSA Troop 1
Shawl Ministry
Eucharistic Visitor
ECW Wine & Cheese
Shrove Tuesday Celebration
Prepping Pastoral Meals
Tommy Shepherd, Senior Warden
Leigh Grady, Junior Warden
According to the Constitution of St. James’ Episcopal Church, the Vestry consists of the Rector, the Junior and Senior Wardens and fifteen parishioners (five elected each year for three-year terms). The Vestry adopts an annual budget for the Parish and sets forth broad policies for the Parish, such as customaries for weddings and funerals and guidelines for the use of our space by third parties. The Vestry makes monthly calls to Parishioners to receive prayer requests that are offered at each monthly Vestry meeting. The Junior and Senior Wardens, in addition to serving on the Vestry, meet weekly with the Rector to help establish priorities in the Parish, offer advice and counsel to the Rector on important matters, and assist with developing Vestry agendas and items for consideration by the Vestry.
2020 St. James Budget
$1,479,346.00
The people of St. James’ see our church as welcoming, open, and diverse, and describe our big tent as both a strength and a challenge. Parishioners love our Catechesis program for young children, opportunities for fellowship, the music, and the liturgy of Sunday morning worship.
Our members see challenges in keeping St James’ families actively engaged in nurturing their spirituality. We look for lessons of God’s all-encompassing love & guidance from our clergy.
“More than 95% of survey respondents contributed to St. James’ last year.”
more than 69% attended worship service three or more times a month.
Marian on St. James’
Abram on St. James’
David on St. James’
Profile Thank you
To the entire St. James’ Family
THANK YOU TO THE MANY PARISHIONERS WHO WORKED VERY HARD TO PUT THIS PARISH PROFILE TOGETHER BY CONTRIBUTING THEIR OPINIONS, THEIR TALENTS, AND THEIR TIME. WE KNOW ST. JAMES’ IS A SPECIAL PLACE, AND WE HOPE OUR NEW RECTOR WILL PARTNER WITH US TO BUILD THE CHURCH ANEW. OUR BINDS OF COMMUNITY AND FAITH HAVE BEEN TESTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEmIC. HOWEVER, THIS SEARCH PROCESS HAS KEPT US FOCUSED ON WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN OUR PARISH - SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER AND DEFINING WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE HOPE TO FIND IN A NEW RECTOR. thank you especially to marian fortner, our interim rector, and to our priests david elliot and abram jones. they helped guide us through this time by reminding us of what is most important- loving god and one another. WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING THE CANDIDATES WHO APPLY, TO OUR SEARCH COMMITTEE’S FAITHFUL WORK AND TO OUR NEW LIFE TOGETHER IN THE SERVICE AND LOVE OF GOD.