About Us | St James Episcopal Church

About St. James

The Episcopal Church was slow in coming to Farmington, a town whose residents historically were strongly connected with the Congregational Church. It was not until 1873 - 233 years after Farmington was founded - that St. James Parish was formed under the leadership of The Reverend Edward Brown, Rector of Christ Church, Unionville, and Charles Whitman, a Farmington innkeeper. The first services were held in a local schoolhouse. A year later, the St. James congregation made a chapel for itself over a grocery store and post office on Main Street near Mill Lane. Services were held at this chapel until 1898, when the present stone church on Mountain Road, adjacent to Miss Porter’s School, was completed.

The church was designed by St. James parishioner Henry Mason and largely built by Mr. Mason and his father, Charles, using local field stone. Henry Mason also made the wooden altar and reading desk, using wood from his own property.

In 1910, a longer and larger chancel and an organ loft were added to the church building. At that time a local artist, Robert Brandegee, painted the large mural depicting Jesus calling the fishermen James and John that fills the wall behind the altar.

St. James Parish grew steadily through much of the 20th century as Farmington changed from a small town into a prosperous suburban community. The parish today draws its membership from surrounding towns of the Farmington Valley. A second addition to the church was completed in 1939, and a third addition, including the parish hall, was added in 1958. The present facilities of St. James Parish include a church seating 225, extensive church school facilities, a library, clergy and business offices, a large parish hall and kitchen, and a memorial garden.

ST. JAMES IS HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE.

CLERGY & STAFF

RECTOR

ADMINISTRATOR

DEACON

MUSIC DIRECTOR

SEXTON

CHILD CARE

REPORTS & BYLAWS

We can’t be a Church without an Annual Meeting. This is not because our by–laws require a meeting, but because God calls the church into community, and a community gets formed when it gathers. A group becomes a community when people come to know and trust and appreciate each other, when they work together for a common good cause, and, usually, when they share a meal together (without food on the table, a group is more likely a business organization).

St. James is not just a social service agency that does its business by email; it is not just a worshiping body that says prayers together and goes home; it is not just a social club that meets for fellowship and ignores the practicalities of our common life. We are a church, so we have a place where we come to worship Almighty God (so we need to paint and heat the buildings and mow and shovel the grounds). We have a God–given job to do (so we have to discern and support our mission). We have ordained clergy and we belong to a Diocese (so we have to support them and decide how much support to give).

Once a year we assemble to make decisions about these things. This year’s Annual Meeting was at 11:30 a.m. on January . At the meeting, we:

Honored and thanked our elected representatives who are retiring from the Vestry and elect officers and new Vestry members,
Celebrated the recipients of the Order of the Fisherman, those who have given extraordinary service to the parish during the past year,
Heard the financial state of the parish and vote to accept the financial report from last year and the budget proposed by the Vestry for the year ahead,
Received reports from all the ministries of the parish with time for questions and discussion.
Expressed our ideas, questions, comments, appreciations, concerns, and hopes.

GET INVOLVED

Revised bylaws approved at the St. James Parish Annual Meeting on January 26, 2014

Note: According to our bylaws, those eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting are “adult communicants (16 and over) who for at least six months prior to the meeting shall have been faithful attendants at the services of the Church and the Parish, unless for good cause prevented, faithful contributors to its support, and faithful in working praying and giving for the spread of the kingdom of God."

READ THE BYLAWS

FUN FACT

ST. JAMES BELL

On Sunday, July 28, 2013 when the parish celebrated the feast day of its patron, St. James, the clarion sounds of the antique bell rang out after many years of silence.

The structure of St. James Parish, originally built in 1898 of local field stone, went through several expansions. During the 1957 renovation, a bell that had long been housed next to the church in a wood framed screen structure was moved to the roof, placed inside a cupola. For many years this bell pealed out various chimes such as The Call to Service or The Angelus. Village residents knew when a neighbor had died and was being buried by hearing the funereal tolling of St. James’ bell.

Eventually the original bell timer system failed. Over the years various remedies were tried, but eventually the hammer strike was so discordant use of the bell ceased.

In July 2013 George Roberts arrived as St. James new rector. He noticed the silent bell and sought to have it ring again. With the enthusiastic support of the church vestry, a Bell Legacy Fund was established and the goal of $8,000 was quickly reached (about half of that amount will be set aside for future repairs/refurbishment.)

During the early summer of 2013, volunteers worked with professionals to bring the bell back to life. Parishioners celebrated the feast day and the bell at a post-service party in the parish hall.