Our Anglican heritage.

To understand who we are, it helps to know the story we come from — a tradition that holds together ancient faith and open-hearted welcome, reverent worship and freedom of conscience.

A church with deep roots

The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide family of Christians in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Its roots reach back to the earliest days of Christianity in the British Isles. There was a Christian community in Britain long before St. Augustine of Canterbury arrived in 596 A.D., sent by Pope Gregory the Great. From those earliest centuries, the faith in England carried its own character, shaped by both the wider Church and the life of the people.

The English Reformation

The Church of England did not begin with King Henry VIII. The faith had been present in Britain since the first century. Henry’s break with Rome in the sixteenth century was largely political; the deeper changes came afterward, through the reforms of the Tudor era. Monasteries were dissolved, yet the apostolic succession of bishops, priests, and deacons continued under the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

In 1549, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer issued the first Book of Common Prayer, a translation and simplification of the older Latin liturgy into English, designed so that all the people — not only the clergy — could share in worship together. It remains one of the great gifts of the Anglican tradition.

The Elizabethan Settlement

When Elizabeth I came to the throne, she chose a middle way. Rather than forcing England toward one extreme or another, the Elizabethan Settlement made room for a breadth of belief within one church, holding together the historic sacraments, creeds, and apostolic succession with a spirit of tolerance. This via media, or middle way, became a defining mark of Anglicanism: a church that values both Scripture and tradition, both reverence and reason.

Anglicans have always been free thinkers, encouraged to explore, to question, and to grow in faith — in a healthy and open way.

Renewal and revival

Two great movements in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries shaped the church we know today. The Evangelical Revival, led by figures such as John and Charles Wesley, stressed personal holiness, scriptural study, and heartfelt devotion. The Oxford Movement, beginning among scholars at Oxford University, sought to recover the beauty, reverence, and sacramental depth of the church’s ancient worship.

Anglicanism came to the United States with the colonies. After the Revolution, the American church took the name “Episcopal” — from the Greek word for bishop — to distinguish itself while keeping the historic order of bishops, priests, and deacons. Saint James’ was founded by Episcopalians in that tradition, and worship here has always sought beauty and reverence as a way of honoring God.

Who we are today

Today, St. James’ draws on the richness of this heritage while living it out with an open and affirming heart. We believe worship should engage the mind, the soul, and the heart. We welcome questions and honest seeking as part of a living faith. And we believe the love of Christ calls us outward — to serve the poor, to stand with the marginalized, and to welcome everyone.

We affirm the full inclusion of all people in the life of the church, women and men alike, and we open our doors to people of every background. Rooted in an ancient tradition and alive to the present day, St. James’ is a community where everyone can gather, grow, and worship together.

When you come to worship with us, you will find an open, affirming, and inclusive community of Christians, dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ — with a vibrant heritage and always a place for you.