Parish Life
Fellowship
St. James has long recognized the importance of Christian Fellowship as a pillar of our parish life. We have a long history of providing opportunities for fellowship through monthly activities such as paint night, family movie nights, scrapbooking, Amish dinners, un-birthday parties, Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, Christmas parties and most recently, “Sundaes on Mondays.” In addition, our dedicated Fellowship Committee organizes other parish events at which food is provided, such as the Bishop’s reception, Easter brunch, graduation receptions, the annual meeting — and coffee hour after Sunday services.
The Fellowship Ministry has two main purposes. First, it provides opportunities for our parishioners to interact and become better acquainted with each other as we work and play together, building a sense of community, friendship and support. Second, it acts as a bridge between other ministries by facilitating the hospitality aspect of parish-wide events.
Daughters of the King (DOK)
Daughters of the King is a lay order open to all women who are communicants of the Episcopal Church, or churches in communion with it. The purpose of the order is to extend Christ’s Kingdom through prayer, service and evangelism. A previous rector once stated that DOK is the “spiritual spine of the parish”. Another rector helped the order establish a prayer station within the church where prayers can be offered and candles lit. The Bishop Rogers Chapter of DOK at St. James was chartered in 1927. The DOK motto is Prayer, service, and evangelism. While the prayer life of the DOK is vibrant and strong, in the early days of the COVID pandemic, it was very difficult to meet in person. However, with the ability to communicate electronically, we pray for each other’s needs within the parish as well as the greater community.
With service in mind, the DOK collects socks and mittens to be distributed to our Lunch Program clients. Many Daughters also knit hats and scarves for the Seaman’s Institute. Now able to meet in person, the Daughters can gather once again to reinvigorate the order and continue to provide and nurture our community in love, service and evangelism and live into their vows.
Prayer Ministry
We are a people who pray with purpose, conviction and confidence. What was initiated by the DOK as a phone tree evolved into a parish-wide prayer ministry coordinated through email by a member of DOK. Parish members are all welcome to join the Prayer Ministry. Anyone can request prayers, and many requests come from outside our parish. During the pandemic, the Prayer Ministry became a lifeline connection to our community as we faced crisis, confusion and fear. We may not have been able to gather in person to share our angst, yet God united us in the spirit of prayer. The strong cord of his grace tied us together, comforting and healing our souls. We pray, and then we pray some more.
Men’s Breakfast
Once a month, the men of the church have the opportunity for fellowship by meeting for breakfast at a local restaurant. While this is a less formal ministry than some, it provides a vital avenue for men of the church to share. A men’s fellowship group has existed in the past in a more formal manner, but the men of St. James seem to prefer and thrive in a less formal and more flexible organizational format.
Women’s Fellowship Guild
The Women’s Fellowship Guild is open to all women of the Parish. This group of devoted women provides service to and support for parish needs, as well as outreach to women’s support groups in the community. The Guild is dedicated to building and deepening relationships through service and social activities. In pre-COVID times, one of the historical events this group hosted yearly was a Salad Luncheon. This event provided fellowship and entertainment for both the parish and the community. A wide variety of side, main and dessert salads were offered, as well as entertainment in the form of music, book reviews and other programs. The group often holds other events such as Christmas Cookie Sales, Valentine’s Day Tea and White Elephant Sales.