Feast of St.

James 2017
 Feast of St. James 2017
1. The first disciples selected by Jesus were a group of fishermen working on the lake of Galilee
According to the gospel of Matthew, first Jesus selected Peter and his brother Andrew, then walked a little
further along the lake shore and selected another set of brothers: James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
We dont know much about James: (1) he was part of the inner-circle of close friends of Jesus, with Peter
and John he witnessed the transfiguration (2) he had a rather ambitious mother who wanted his two boys to
be seated one at the right and the other at the left of Jesus in the Kingdom of God, (3) he and his brother
were rather fiery and asked Jesus to pelt with fire and brimstone a Samaritan town whop refused them
hospitality (4) after Jesus death he became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and represented the views
of the Christians of Jewish extraction, which clashed with Pauls views (5) and finally, he was the first of the
12 Apostles to be martyred, when king Herod had him killed to please the Jews. That is all we know about
him.
He was a man, not perfect, but sincere and dedicated to Jesus who did not hesitate to sacrifice his life for his
believes
2. But there is another St. James: St. James Memorial Church in Eatontown: us
Today we take the time to celebrate ourselves. Like James and the other disciples we too have been called to
follow Jesus. We are a part of Jesus inner-circle in that he sacrificed his life for us, so I think that means that
he cares for us.
Like James son of Zebedee with are far from perfect. I am not going to stand here and make a list of our
shortcomings: we know them and God knows them. Lets leave it at that. But we also have a few things
going to us:
a. We are the little stone church with a warm heart: we are open to strangers and, once they get to know us,
they stick around and become part of us. Look around yourself: how many people do you see that have
been a part of our church for less that 10 years? Quite a few
b. We have a way of attracting people who were hurt by other churches, or who were made to feel
uncomfortable in other churches. Jesus also had a way of welcoming and including outsiders
c. So, today, let us take the time celebrate ourselves: our uniqueness and our personality within the
Episcopal church. Other churches have other gifts to offer. We have our down-to earth warmth and
genuine care for one another.
 Feast of St. James 2017
3. But we also need to look at the future, and at the challenges we are facing:
St James has been around 150 years, always as a small church. During this century and half, St. James
had a full-time priest only once, and for a short time. For the rest of its history St. James was ministered
by part-time clergy.
My retirement is going to bring about a challenge: many churches are struggling and cannot afford to pay
the salary of a full time priest. The current Bishop was hired with to tackle this problem and find a
solution.
The solution Bishop Chip is proposing to small churches in our situation to to yoke: to bring two small
churches together so they have enough money to to hire one priest who will split time between the two
communities: one Sunday in one church, the next Sunday in the other church. Possibly supported by a
Deacon who will offer a communion service on the Sunday when the priest is in the other church.
This would help ease the financial burden, but in my opinion, it is not an ideal situation. As I look at
other churches in our area, it is clear to me that each has its own character and culture. It is not going to
be easy for two communities to work together well and thrive.
St James has a long history of living within its means. Our attendance is steady and even growing a little.
We dont splurge, we do enough fundraising to support ourselves, we dont eat our endowment, and our
people volunteer to do things for the church. Other churches are declining because they are not used to
live within their means. Yoking two communities with different cultures would be very challenging
My hope is that St. James will be able to find a priest who is willing to work on a part-time salary. It is not
going to be easy, but we have been doing it for nearly 150 years.
In a couple of weeks the Bishop and Canon Phyllis Jones, the Chief Operating Offices of the diocese will
come to St. James to meet the vestry. I will not be there, rightfully so, and neither will be Karen. Listen
to what they have to say. Follow the discernment process of the diocese to assess our needs and our
resources. But beware of suitors eager to marry you.
After the process is completed, you are going to have a say in choosing your future. My recommendation
and my prayer is that you remain united. Stay together. St. James is a community of faith, called
together to do Gods work. You are not in this alone: God is asking us to do the best we can, and, after
we have done our best, trust in God, and God will bless us all.