St. James' Episcopal Church

St. James' was happy to welcome Bishop Gray as Celebrant for the service.

On Sunday September the 9th, 2009, St. James culminated its 150th Anniversary Celebration weekend with a re-dedication mass. The Rt. Rev. Francis Gray, former Bishop of the Diocese of Northern Indiana, celebrated the Holy Eucharist, assisted by the Rev. Larry Biller, Priest-In-Charge at St. James.

To see a slideshow with many other images from St. James 150th Anniversary celebration click here: 150th Sunday Slideshow


The congregation included many guests, and old friends of the parish too.

There was a large congregation on hand to hear Bishop Gray deliver a fine sermon, as many old friends of the parish and guests attended the special service.


Goshen Mayor Allen Kauffman issued a proclamation of St. James Day in the Maple City.

Guests at the service included Goshen Mayor Allen Kauffman who presented a proclamation declaring September 9, 2009, to be "St. James Episcopal Church Day" in Goshen, Indiana. The proclamation was beautifully written and the Mayor did a wonderful job of delivering it. Everyone at St. James appreciated Mayor Kauffman taking the time to be a part of this special day.


The St. James Singers sounded woderful, as usual.

As one would expect at St. James, the meal after the service was something too. Upper Latta Hall played host to a very nice party for quite awhile in the afternoon.


The parish put on a fine meal in Upper Latta Hall after the service.

Many people worked very hard to make St. James' 150th Anniversary celebration a success. This kind of parish life and dedication bodes well for a second 150 years at St. James.

St. James' 150th Anniversary Celebration began Friday evening with the first day of the parish open house. Many people from the community showed up for tours despite the bad weather.
The second day of the open house continues today from Noon until 5PM. Stop by and enjoy a tour of the historic building and learn about one of Goshen's oldest churches.


There was a good crowd in Latta Hall all evening long on Friday.


A slideshow, photo albums, news articles, and other doucuments are located in Upper Latta Hall for visitors to browse.


Wanda kept the guest register and helped everyone sign in.


Pat and Chuck discuss the Wallsingham Shrine with a tour group.


The Sanctuary looked beautiful in the evening light.


A young lady looks at one of St. James' signs downtown.


A view of St. James' group downtown in this "drive-by" shot taken from Main Street. The First Fridays crowd was sparse due to the inclement weather.

Many members of the parish have been working very hard of late fixing up the exterior of the church.
The new landscaping looks wonderful.
View the slideshow above and see for yourself.

On Sunday July 26th, 2009, the parishoners of St. James held their annual parish picnic. Once again, the Wawasee Episcopal Center was chosen as the venue for the event.


Clayton and Don enjoy themselves at the picnic. To see a slideshow with many more images of the picnic click here: Picnic Slideshow

But this year, there was a difference. For 2009 the parishes of St. James, Goshen, and All Saints, Syracuse, shared a Sunday Mass and a picnic by the lake. This should not strike anyone as strange, because the two parishes also share a fine priest in Fr. Larry Biller.
The celebration of the Mass took place in All Saints' beautiful sanctuary, which is located right next to the Episcopal center on the south shore of Lake Wawasee. A very nice crowd turned out to enjoy the fine meal and beautiful weather.
Everyone is looking forward to October when St. James will host a dinner for both parishes in Goshen.