God loves you!
We, the Episcopal Church, welcome and invite you to share in this proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ and to become a member of our Christian community.
The Episcopal Church has a unique place in the spectrum of Christian experience. Our worship is rooted in scripture, with vibrant expression of prayer, music, sacrament, and word. 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.
Some words which describe Episcopalian values :
- Open-minded , and willing to live with ambiguity, knowing that truth is discerned by many paths.
- Searching , questioning, and using reason to explore new insights and possibilities.
- Intuitive , affirming the metaphorical, paradoxical, and symbolic.
- Aesthetic , understanding that truth, goodness, and beauty are inter-related.
- Moderate , holding the "middle ground" between extremes.
- Naturalistic , delighting in the rhythms of life grounded in Creation.
- Historical , valuing tradition and experience in understanding the present.
- Political , appreciating civic virtues and affirmation of free, peaceful, and public debate and discourse, and the role of the church in influencing being a shining example that positively influences social, political, and economic life.
Our Beliefs
We believe in a loving God – Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer – who created the universe, who through Jesus Christ redeems us from sin and death, and who sustains us through love and grace.
We promise to follow Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We believe the mission of our church is the restoration of all people to unity with God and each other in Christ (not in a dogmatic “our way or the highway” manner but in a way which recognizes and shares our common humanity and longings)
While our beliefs and love of Christ are strong and sure, we also realize that we exist in a pluralistic society that embodies many expressions of belief. While eager to share, we are also respectful for, and revere, others' beliefs.
The cornerstones of our faith are scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. These, together, infuse or work within us to shape our faith and, as a result, impact who we are and how we live out our Christian journey.
Scripture
Scripture is the word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The Old Testament recounts the story of God's love for the world from Creation until the time of Jesus. The New Testament contains Jesus' teachings, the accounts of his life as told by his followers, and the beginning of the early Christian church. Scripture is the ground of our faith and is read in public worship services and daily devotions. We are not biblical "literalists." That is, we study scripture in the context of history, and seek to interpret God's word in scripture for our own day. We have a willingness to live with diverse and changing interpretations of scripture, rather than attributing scripture with infallible certainty and binding prescriptions for all time and circumstance.
Tradition
Tradition is the embodiment of our experience as Christians throughout the centuries, shaped by the Bible, historic creeds, sacraments, and the ministry carried out by Christ's disciples. Tradition is expressed with many voices, including worship styles, languages, cultures, architecture, and music. Our tradition encourages this diversity. We seek to value each person's life and story, and invite each person to share in our Christian community , yet have the reassurance, common reference and solid roots that tradition confers upon us.
Reason
We believe that our God-given ability to think critically and take responsibility for our actions is a vital part of our Christian faith. Reason, as a complement to scripture and tradition, leads us to seek answers to our own questions. Human reason is set in the context of our relationship with God, and God's call to us to live full and healthy lives.
Experience
We experience God's love and our spiritual journey in the context of community – both within the church and in the world-at-large. Our daily living experience also shapes our questions, and nurtures our quest for a closer relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
Topics
St. James Episcopal Church
Church History
Our Mission
Who We Are
Music
The Buildings
Mission & Outreach
Fellowship
St. James Episcopal Church
St. James Church is
situated in the small town of Groveland, Massachusetts, located about 25 miles north of Boston and just south of the New Hampshire border. Groveland and its
immediate surrounding towns, Georgetown and
Boxford, are suburban communities situated in Essex
County within the beautiful
rolling countryside of the Merrimack
Valley.
Groveland also
borders on the city of Haverhill,
originally a mill town. These towns, being within commuting distance of Boston, have seen a
good deal of growth during the past decade or so, as people seek to move
out of the city into more peaceful and spacious surroundings. This growth
is clearly visible in the new housing developments springing up in each of
the towns and by the population statistics.
The population of
Groveland, which was 6,000 according to the 2000 census, has increased by
20% since 1980 with most of the growth occurring since 1990. In the same
time frame Georgetown's
population increased by 30% and Boxford's by 47%. (The population of Massachusetts has
grown by 15.5% over the same period.) This has been accompanied by growth
within the towns, such as new or extended school buildings, to keep up with
the increase in demand. While St. James draws primarily upon these four towns
for its congregation, it also includes members from nine other communities
as well.
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Church History
St. James Episcopal Church was consecrated in 1873 in Groveland, Massachusetts.
At that time, Groveland was a small village with three mills. Ezekiel James
Madison Hale was the principal mill owner. 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. He also built
the rectory about 2 blocks from the church. It is still in use today.
Rev. I. M. Beard was
the first Rector. Twenty-five rectors and vicars have served St. James in
its 129 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 last Rector, the Rev. Dr. Charles D. H. Barton came
as a student and served for 31 years, by far the longest period of
ministry.
In 1916, All Saints Episcopal Church was established in Georgetown, Massachusetts.
For twenty years prior to the closing of the Georgetown church in 1967, the clergy of
St. James sometimes served both parishes. It continues to serve both
communities today.
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 its 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. In spite of these challenges, St.
James has persisted and grown, not necessarily flourishing, but growing
like a root out of dry ground.
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.
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Our Mission
Our mission at St.
James is to be open to receive God's unconditional love. We will be called upon
to change and grow in this process. Our mission is to share God's love in
our congregation, to take it out to our communities and to take it into the
world, as God directs us.
We are looking for a leader who wishes to be a partner with us in this process
of growth and change, and the sharing of God's love.
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Who We Are
The congregation is enthusiastic, dedicated, close-knit and loving. Our
most recent accounting includes approximately 100 members, a quarter of
them being children and another 25% in the 51-65 age range. Many of the
adults are married, though in a number of cases, only one member of the
couple attends church regularly. While primarily family-based, any who wish
to join us are welcome.
St. James includes people with diverse abilities and education levels which
contribute to the rich, wide range of activities we enjoy. More than half
have college degrees and several of these are at the graduate level. Most
are currently employed and many commute to work beyond the local area.
Many contribute their
talents to the life of St. James. This includes teaching Sunday School,
singing in the choir, assisting with the gardening and maintaining of the
grounds and buildings, managing the finances and being involved with
mission outreach and fellowship.
The congregation is very loyal both to the Episcopal Church in general and
to St. James in particular. The majority of adults have attended a church
for more than 10 years. Of these, most attended another Episcopal church in
the past and a few migrated from other Christian denominations. Loyalty to
St. James is demonstrated by the longevity of most of the congregation in
these times of high mobility. Most of the adults have attended St. James
for more than ten years and the majority attend regularly.
Many people first
came to St. James due to its proximity to their home. A few live within
easy walking distance of the church. Several attend due to other family
members' long standing relationship with St. James and in a number of cases
parish members or the rector visited and invited them to attend. Many
visited other area churches, preferring St. James. The active Sunday school
attracted others.
In general, parishioners remain because of the supportive community, the
style of worship and their loyalty to the Episcopal Church. They appreciate
the various activities and social occasions, the music and the Sunday
School. However, the dominant reason for continuing to attend St. James is
because we like one another! The feeling of community is strong, our after
church coffee hours are growing in both number and length and we are
drawing strength from one another during our search of ourselves.
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Music
The mainstay of St. James' music is our excellent organist who
has many years of experience. The recently restored, 129 year old Woodberry
and Harris hymnplayer organ is a tracker pipe organ, designed and built to
accompany choir, soloist or congregational singing.
We have a small, but
active and enthusiastic choir which enhances our worship at the 9:30 AM
service weekly and on special occasions. The senior choir has seven regular
members, including the director, and has been enhanced by a recently
established junior choir.
As well as leading the congregation in singing the hymns and canticles,
special settings of the Communion service and anthems are also done as part
of the worship service.
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The Buildings
The Church - The land, church building and rectory were donated by
Ezekiel J.M. Hale in 1872. The church contains a rectangular floor plan,
with its steeple and belfry structure standing to the left of the front
entrance. The structure is a wood-framed vernacular building of vertical
board and batten construction. The molded "eyebrow" trim over
doors and windows is reminiscent of the Italianate style, so prevalent in America in
the mid-19th Century.
This is a charming
country church located in the small village town of Groveland. The seating capacity is about
125 parishioners.
Parish Hall - This two story wood-framed
structure is located across the parking lot from the church. It was built
prior to the church as a school and subsequently donated to St. James Parish
by the town of Groveland.
It contains a full service kitchen and is utilized for Sunday school,
receptions, civic and other philanthropic events.
The Rectory - The rectory is a pleasant
two story framed dwelling located about a mile from the church abutting a
lovely protected public park setting. It contains eight rooms, a modern
kitchen with dishwasher and two full bathrooms. There is a garden and
separate garage. It faces gable end to the street and has an attractive
country setting in South Groveland, Massachusetts.
The rectory is
currently being rented and thus the rental contributes to the annual
budget.
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Mission &
Outreach
Currently, we provide
a monthly supper to a local homeless shelter.
We send monetary donations to a number of charities and programs and
provide for others with our time, talents and hard work. In addition, we
support programs like the Heifer
Project/Heifer International and Samaritan's
Purse. We are an active and giving church family, willing to share
ourselves, and the word of God.
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Fellowship
The people of St. James
have always enjoyed being together. We make a good time of it, whether it
be a strictly social event, such as a holiday party, or a working event,
such as the frequent New England baked
bean suppers we hold as fundraisers. Our members meet periodically for
"pot luck" dinners after Sunday Services and for progressive
suppers, held in the evening at the homes of various volunteers. We hold a
wonderful Parish Cookout in the summer and a party at Christmas-time. St.
James also involves itself in the life of the Community, taking part in
Groveland Day and other special events.
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