Worship Experience
Worship Style
Sunday morning services are the anchor of the St. James community, providing the ideal time for us to gather before God, give thanks, hear the Word and receive nourishment that sustains us for our mission beyond the church doors. Most parishioners and visitors would describe our worship style as “traditional”. We offer two services each Sunday; Rite I at 8:00am is more contemplative, without music whereas Rite II at 10:30am is filled with the glorious sounds of our Skinner organ and the hearty voices of choir and parishioners singing out praises to our Lord. Previously, we held a Wednesday 12:15pm Eucharist service, followed by lunch. A healing service has often been held before DOK meetings. Other non-Sunday services occur during the year, such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. During the Christmas and Easter services, and at other appropriate times, incense can often fill the air. Over the years, Morning Prayer has been led by our Worship Leaders whenever a priest was unavailable, as many parishioners treasure that service.
Music
We are a singing congregation, led by our small but powerful choir. Worship music is selected to reflect the day’s scripture readings and the liturgical season. St. James’ music ministry has a long tradition that continues today. Our worship space is blessed with wonderful acoustics, and is fortunate to have a 96 year-old E. M. Skinner organ which was restored to its original tonal condition in 2010. This instrument is occasionally supported by instrumentalists, adding musical interest to our worship. The choir library includes music spanning the Renaissance through contemporary times. We use the 1982 Hymnal, Lift Every Voice and Sing and selections from Glory and Praise. Our music program is now being reinvigorated after being paused during the pandemic.
Worship Leaders
In all aspects of parish life, St. James has a very strong and involved laity. This is especially true regarding worship. Lay involvement is actively sought; parishioners of all ages (8-80+) are encouraged to participate as Worship Leaders, Lay Preachers, Lectors, Acolytes, Eucharistic Ministers and Altar Guild members. Although the pandemic has caused a lull in attracting more people to these roles, we are eager to reinvigorate our lay involvement in worship, returning to our strong tradition of lay participation in our worship experience.
Technology in Worship
The pandemic accelerated St. James’ adoption of 21st century technology in our worship service. God always opens a window when a door is closed. Prior to the pandemic, a parishioner gifted us a new wireless sound system including new microphones, speakers — and new capabilities for the hearing impaired. Throughout the pandemic and continuing today, we offer a livestream of our service on both our Facebook page and YouTube Channel, and have upgraded our online worship experience with multiple cameras. What a blessing this technology has been! It has allowed us to connect with a core of homebound worshippers and those who travel or cannot attend St. James on Sunday. Anyone looking for a church who might want to see what St. James worship looks like can find us online at www.stjamesoh.org .