Save the date: February 28, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.
Father Reggie’s installation as the new rector of St. James’ will be Sunday February 28th at a combined 4 pm service, with a festive reception following from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Thank you for helping to make this momentous event spectacular!
Father Reggie's email address is FatherReggie@stjamesaustin.org or rector@stjamesaustin.org
Welcome
“Wherever
you are in your journey of faith, you
are welcome at this table.”
We
hear these words at every Eucharist, and we seek to live these words
every day in the respect we show for one another. Whoever you
are, you are welcome here. There is a place for everyone at the
table at St. James’: It is God’s table.
We
work to practice a ministry of radical hospitality, in which we are intentionally inclusive,
welcoming, respectful, and nurturing.
St. James’ provides a holy, safe place where we can have fruitful conversations about difficult topics; where we support each other in our life in the faith; where we are open to finding new ways to carry out God’s will.
Heritage
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.” Psalm 118:22, Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17.
We cherish, affirm, and hold fast to our African-American heritage. Remembering that St. James’ was founded by black Episcopalians who were not welcome in white churches in Austin, we strive to be a church where all of God’s children can worship in a spirit of loving acceptance.
Worship
Our
worship is joyful! We value our beautiful, spirited, and varied
music. We appreciate creative expressions in liturgy and the
arts. We value good preaching. We seek ways for worship
to be a nurturing experience for children.
Our celebrations of the Eucharist are varied to meet the needs of our congregation, including our Spanish-speaking community.
We go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Alleluia!
Stewardship as Service
God calls us to be faithful stewards of our time, talent, and resources.
As a community, we have a strong commitment to Christian formation for children, youth, and adults; to pastoral care; and to providing multicultural experience.
Our ministries range from programs located on our church campus, such as St. James’ Episcopal School and the East Austin Wellness Initiative to our partnership with the Ali Arab Hospital in Gaza.
We value our role in nurturing and helping train seminarians from the Seminary of the Southwest.
Diversity
We rejoice in our diversity at St. James’. St. James’ provides an opportunity for each of us to share our Episcopal worship with people who are different from us, and we believe we are all blessed by that experience. We pray that our diverse, loving community can be a beacon of hope, a foretaste of God’s Kingdom.
The Church Awakens
African-Americans and the Struggle for Justice
An online exhibit by the Archives of the Episcopal Church USA
Visit the Archives
Dear St. James,
This is an excerpt from a book that I am writing since being healed from Parkinson's Disease. The book is about miracles, signs, and wonders - moments, really, that shape and define our lives. I'd like to share this with my St. James family in honor of the Reverend Saint Martin Luther King, Jr. God bless you.
Your sister in Christ,
Kelly Aguirre
RESURRECTION CITY
We lived just outside of Washington, D.C. when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. I was nine years old and we had just gotten our first clock radio. Mom and dad were separated, and I had asked to sleep with her so I could wake up to music for the first time in my life. If ever a nine year old had a true hero, Martin Luther King, Jr. was mine. He was everything that I wished my own dad would be. He spoke the truth, and he taught about the things my Mama Toy and Sister Lucia talked about. You could trust him. He was good through and through. I wanted to grow up and help him.
And so, when our brand new clock clock radio went off the morning of April 5th, 1968, I awoke not to music, but to the news that my hero was dead. I, and most of America I suppose, cried. I wished I could go back to sleep. I wished that it was a bad dream. But by that afternoon, our city was on fire and the National Guard had been called out to our street. Then the people came. Ten thousand people. Black, white, all marching and singing that we shall overcome someday. My oldest cousin took me to see them. They'd put up cardboard and plywood and built Resurrection City on the lawn of the Washington monument. The smell was horrendous, and yet the people were a living breathing witness of solidarity to me. Dozens of hippies skinny dipped in the reflection pond. I had never felt more at home anywhere. I wished I could live there. I'd found my tribe! And then they left. Scattered all across America. Little did I know that the journey my life would take, would be one of looking to find them once again...
@ Copyright 2009, Kelly Aguirre