From thirteen people who braved sleet and snow to attend the first service at the Crawford Nursery School on January 30, 1949, to a communicant strength of over 2000, St. James’ has grown in numbers, buildings and services. Many of the original families who began our church are still active.
Begun as a joint mission effort of St. Andrew’s and St. Columb’s, we attained parish status on January 19, 1955. Ten rectors have guided the church through its sixty-four year history: The Revs. George Davidson, Walter Belford, Fred Bush, Duncan Hobart, Sheldon Davis, Robert Ratelle, Charles Kiblinger, Jerry McBride, Christopher Powell and Jamie McElroy.
The congregation moved into its first building on Christmas Eve, 1949. The rectory was built in 1951, the scout hut in 1952. The church building was completed in the summer of 1956 at a cost of $170,000. Duncan Gray Hall was built in 1958 and housed all classrooms, offices and the choir room until the construction in 1988 of the new office building and Duncan Gray, Jr. Hall. In 2009 we completed another construction project which added Fowler Hall (a new larger parish hall), a youth wing, office space, and Oakridge Hall.
St. James’ has pioneered such programs as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children and the Catechumenate process for adults, while utilizing established programs such as Education for Ministry and the Community of the Cross of Nails.
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