About St. James
Who We Are
God loves you! We love you!
Welcome to Saint James!
"I am the church. You are the church.
We are the church together…
The church is not a bulding
The church is not a steeple.
The church is not a resting place…
The church is the people!"
Our young Church Schoolers often sing this short song with us on Sunday mornings celebrating who we are at St. James Groveland: The People are St. James! We truly enjoy each other, love each other, and are committed to each other. We rejoice in our faith, and we are blessed by our differences.
Hospitality and welcome are a way of life at St. James. No matter who you are, how old or young you are, where you are in your life, or where you are on your faith journey, we are glad you’re exploring St. James Groveland’s website! At St. James, people come from all walks of life: single or in a traditional or not-traditional family, gay or straight, experienced church-goer or not, you are welcome to celebrate God’s love in our community. We Believe Out Loud that everyone is welcome at our table and that God loves us all.
The people of the Church are also the leaders of the church. Our Rector supports us, loves us, and shares leadership in worship and everywhere. Our Vestry is elected each year on a rotating basis to represent the congregation to administer the church’s needs. Our Ministry Teams and small groups tap into the unique gifts of the people in our congregation. Our Church School team is specially gifted to teach. Our small Choir sings along with a priceless organ in joyous harmony. We are the Church.
The most important thing we do together each week is to worship God and be fed on the journey in the Eucharist. Everyone is welcome at our table.
You are invited to explore how St. James may serve you as well as how you can serve others on your Christian journey. Welcome! We hope you enjoy our new website.
Message from Our Rector
Greetings! We extend to you the hospitality of Jesus. We would be delighted to have you seek God with us and to join us in the worship and service of this great parish in Groveland, Ma. St. James Episcopal is a house of prayer for all people and we welcome all.
What brings people to a house of prayer? Is it a sense of tradition, a desire to be part of something larger, a wish to belong, a yearning to celebrate a victory or to grieve a defeat? Perhaps we are motivated by a sense of compulsion, or a sense of mystery. Maybe you were invited by a friend. There are as many different reasons for attending church as there are people.
At St. James, some of us are celebrating, some of us are questioning, some of us are working, some of us are playing - all of us have our unique or personal reason for being here. Ultimately, it really makes no difference what motivates us to participate in the life of a church, it only matters that we are gathered together as a community in the moment. Worshiping together at St. James provides a particular moment in our community set aside for us to enter into a deeper relationship with each other and with God. More particularly, as Jesus Christ teaches, it is a time in which we are invited to “love God, and love each other”.
Life at St. James Church is exciting, busy and varied. Beyond worship we have an inspiring array of ministries that foster personal faith development as we learn, serve, fellowship and care for one another, putting our faith in action. Our hope is that you will participate with us as we strive to live into our calling to make our hearts sing.
Our Mission
The mission of St. James Episcopal Church, Groveland, is to invite and welcome people to the abundant Way of Jesus Christ, through a journey, both inward and outward. We believe everybody has a place at God’s table, and we strive to be an inclusive community of every race, ethnicity, national origin, physical or mental ability, gender, family status, sexual identity and orientation, age, theology, and economic circumstances. We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth. (Adopted by SJ in 2011)
St. James’ History
St. James Episcopal Church was consecrated in 1873 in Groveland, Massachusetts. At that time, Groveland was a small village with three mills owned principally by Ezekiel James Madison Hale. Since Mr. Hale felt the workers in his mills should have places of worship, he provided the land and built and furnished the Episcopal Church. Ground was broken in 1872 for the church as well as a nearby rectory which is still in use today.
Rev. I. M. Beard was the first Rector of St. James. Twenty-six rectors and vicars have served St. James in its 139 year history. They have generally fallen into 3 groups; students who stayed from 1 to 3 years, older men who were retired or nearing retirement, and several who stayed for an average of three and a half years before moving on. The current rector, Marya DeCarlen, has served Saint James since 2003.
All Saints Episcopal Church was established in Georgetown, Massachusetts in 1916 and closed in 1967. For twenty years prior to the closing of the Georgetown church, the clergy of St. James sometimes served both parishes. We continue to serve both communities today as well as those in the larger Groveland area.
St. James was established as a parish in 1873. In 1952 its status was changed to a mission due to its need for financial support from the Diocese. By 1992, the Church's situation had substantially improved and it again became an official parish.
There were peaks and valleys in attendance and fortunes. For most of our history, the congregation has been made up of working class people of modest means. It has had only a small endowment and therefore has not had a financial cushion to fall back on in lean times.
Much of this history is attributed to A History of St. James compiled by the Rev. Dr. Charles D. H. Barton for the occasion of the church's 125th anniversary.
Who Was Saint James?
St. James was the son of Zebedee, elder brother of St. John, and with St. Peter and St. John he belonged to the privileged group of disciples who were present at the Transfiguration and the Agony in Gethsemane. Because of their ardent zeal, James and John were named Boanerges, or "sons of thunder," by the Lord (Mark 3:17). St. James was the first of the twelve disciples to suffer martyrdom in A.D. 44 (Acts 12:2).
There is a feast day dedicated to St. James on July 25 celebrated with this collect: "O gracious God, we remember before you today your servant the apostle James, the first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." BCP
About the Episcopal Church
Episcopalians have long stood for service to the wider community, and we express our faith in outreach and social concern; we attempt to "walk the talk" of Jesus' teachings. We are known for asking good, even tough questions, rather than necessarily providing pat answers or dogma for complex issues. And we are known for our inclusiveness, recognizing that Christ's banquet is large enough to include every person.
