Choir

Do you like music? Do you like to sing with other folks? Our choir is composed of members of Saint James and Good Shepherd, with rehearsals on Sunday mornings before the service. Our choir director would love to have you join the group making “a joyful noise unto the Lord”! The office can provide you with more information.

Not much of a singer? How about handbells? The handbell choir plays periodically for our Sunday services as well as on major feast days, such as Christmas and Easter. You don’t have to read music, and you definitely don’t have to sing! Contact the office for more information.

Don’t sing? Can’t ring? How about the MUSIC COMMITTEE, which meets to choose hymns for the upcoming month from the Episcopal Hymnal and Evangelical Lutheran Worship. We sing old favorites and enjoy adding new ones as we “make a joyful noise unto the Lord!” (Psalm 100)

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

Our Sunday School welcomes, on average, two to ten children each week. The curriculum is designed for children ages pre-K through 4 th grade and is taught by a rotating team of five teachers. There is a head teacher and an assistant in the classroom each morning. After completing the Sunday morning lessons and activities, the children join their families for Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary. Children are welcomed at the altar to receive the bread and (apple juice) and/or a blessing from the priest, as their families prefer.

We also offer a Faith Exploration program, periodically, for children in grade 5 and older. All those working with children have completed Safe Church Training, as required by the Diocese.

Adult Christian Formation

Saint James currently offers a weekly ZOOM Lectionary Study from Labor Day through Memorial Day, which is attended by members of Saint James, Good Shepherd and members of other congregations. Traditionally, Sunday worship includes a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, a Psalm, a selection from one of the Epistles and a passage from one of the Gospels. 

The facilitator for the group does background research focusing on the context of those Sunday readings- when, where, and for whom were the selections written? How were they understood by the original audience? What were the social, political and economic circumstances of that group? That work is summarized and emailed to participants prior to the Wednesday morning meeting. 

Reactions and comments to the readings themselves are then discussed, along with how the passages speak to us today. Quite often, discussion veers into comments on current events and how we are – or are not- like those who preceded us. It is always a lively discussion, and “outside the box” thoughts often arise for consideration. 

SACRED GROUND RACE DIALOGUE CIRCLE

St. James launched its first Sacred Ground Circle in 2025 for members of both St. James and Good Shepherd. Sacred Ground is a learning and discussion series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race, racism, and whiteness while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity. The 11-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. This is an important program and will be offered periodically.