Our Ministry
Mission
St James is a welcoming community, striving to share God’s love with all, through worship, fellowship and service.
Get Involved
Join Us
Choir
Do you like music? Do you like to sing with other folks? Our choir is composed of members of Saint James and Good Shepherd, with rehearsals on Sunday mornings before the service. Our choir director would love to have you join the group making “a joyful noise unto the Lord”! The office can provide you with more information.
Not much of a singer? How about handbells? The handbell choir plays periodically for our Sunday services as well as on major feast days, such as Christmas and Easter. You don’t have to read music, and you definitely don’t have to sing! Contact the office for more information.
Adult Christian Formation
Saint James currently offers a weekly ZOOM Lectionary Study from Labor Day through Memorial Day, which is attended by members of Saint James, Good Shepherd and members of other congregations. Traditionally, Sunday worship includes a reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, a Psalm, a selection from one of the Epistles and a passage from one of the Gospels.
The facilitator for the group does background research focusing on the context of those Sunday readings- when, where, and for whom were the selections written? How were they understood by the original audience? What were the social, political and economic circumstances of that group? That work is summarized and emailed to participants prior to the Wednesday morning meeting.
Reactions and comments to the readings themselves are then discussed, along with how the passages speak to us today. Quite often, discussion veers into comments on current events and how we are – or are not- like those who preceded us. It is always a lively discussion, and “outside the box” thoughts often arise for consideration.
Other opportunities for community
Members of Saint James and Good Shepherd also meet together for the following:
BIBLE STUDY/ADULT CHRISTIAN FORMATION meets from September through June via ZOOM from 11:00 AM – 12:00 NOON on Wednesdays.
KNITTING GROUP meets at the church on the second and fourth Tuesday each month from 10:00 AM to 12:00 NOON. Everyone is welcome come and bring knitting, other hand crafts, or just yourself for a fun, social time.
LUNCH and LEARN meets from September through May on the fourth Thursday of the month at 11:00 AM. Bring your curiosity and your lunch. Everyone is welcome!
MEET and EAT meets at 12:00 NOON at Hector’s on the third Thursday of the month.
Altar Guild
Membership on the Altar Guild is an important way to serve at Saint James. The member assigned for the week is responsible for the sacred vessels used during services, setting them up beforehand and reverently caring for them after the service is dismissed.
Outreach
An important tradition at St. James has been the donation of 10% of the annual revenues to non- profit organizations in the Lakes Region.
On a global level, we make gifts to Episcopal Relief and Development, as needed, to help with disasters relief, such as the earthquake that affected Turkey and Syria several years ago.
Additional donations from St. James focus in two major areas:
Got lunch! Laconia provides food to Belknap County school age children during the summer recess; parishioners aid in packing and delivering the food bags. At Isaiah 61 Café, which offers lunch to anyone in need of a hot meal along with other support services, we partner with Good Shepherd to make and serve a monthly meal at the Café. HATT (hands Across the Table) provides a weekly free hot meal to the community.
The other major recipients of outreach funds are those offering mental health services – Lakes Region Mental Health Center and Navigating Recovery (substance abuse recovery). We also support Belknap House whose mission is to supply temporary housing for homeless families in Belknap County; a place to call “home”, even temporarily, is particularly important to children. Belknap House offers educational programs and referral to local resources for families as they seek to move on with their lives. Additionally, we are part of a consortium of local churches that comprise Love Inc. of the Lakes Region, a church based organization reaching out to families with a variety of needs from food to household goods.
Smaller donations support summer camp scholarships, the New Hampshire Council of Churches, the Episcopal chaplaincy at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and David’s House, which supplies a home-away-from-home for those with children being treated at CHAD. In 2021 we also donated to a new church plant, the Episcopal Mission of Franklin NH, St. Jude’s.
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
We were so excited to start a Sunday School in 2023, which meets Sunday morning during the first half of our worship service, from September through May. Children can then join their families for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. We also offer a program in faith exploration for children in grade 4 and older that meets once a month on Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 9:45am. All those working with children have completed Safe Church Training, as required by the Diocese.
For more information about any of the above, please contact the office.
Episcopal Church of NH
Saint James is one of the 46 parishes that comprise the Diocese of New Hampshire. The Diocese of New Hampshire is, in turn, one of the 9 provinces that compose the Episcopal Church, USA. Our Bishop, Rob Hirschfeld, has been our presiding officer since 2012. The Mission of the Diocese is to “renew the faithful, revitalize the church and reconcile the world.”
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Good Shepherd, our sister congregation, meets with Saint James for worship on Sundays at 10:00 AM.
Their website is goodshepherdnh.org
Holy Eucharist
All are welcome to Holy Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion or Mass. If you wish not to receive communion you may come to the altar for a blessing. To receive a blessing, simply cross your arms across your chest at the altar rail. Children are welcome to receive as well; if you are not sure about your child and the Eucharist, Pastor Janet will be glad to speak with you. Gluten free wafers and grape juice are available.
Baptism
Holy Baptism welcomes both children and adults into new life in Christ. Please speak with Pastor Janet to make arrangements.
Marriage
Pastor Janet is happy to speak with couples who would like to be married in the church. Please contact her for further information about scheduling.
Funerals and Memorial Services
St. James, as well as our sister congregation Good Shepherd, offers this service to both members of the congregation and to those in the community at large. The parish hall is available for receptions following the service. Please call the church office to make arrangements.