"We share God's inclusive and eternal love with everyone!"
St. James Lutheran Church
"In the City for Good"
Welcome!
From Pastor David:
WELCOME TO ST. JAMES!
This website serves as our “front door” to ministry in downtown Portland. We offer an array of options. We invite you to consider — what fits you?
- Join us for Sunday in-person Eucharist worship (at 9:30am in our sanctuary), or participate via recorded video worship posted to our website each Sunday afternoon (Communications > Worship & Sermons).
- Feed those who live on our Portland streets five times a week by preparing food boxes, or donate to purchase food and needed supplies.
- Deepen your spiritual life with Saturday Contemplative Prayer via Zoom, in-person Wednesday morning Centering Prayer, or join our recorded Bible Study (3 series a year) or virtual Healing Prayer events.
- Help guide our St. James low-income Apartment ministry (122 units), or enroll your child at our St. James Child Development Center (infant through kindergarten-aged children). Presently over 80 children are enrolled.
- Share your creative imagination with our St. James Art Group, or offer your musical skills as our choir prepares to return this fall.
- Meditate on classical music and meaningful Sunday liturgy, or enjoy our monthly Jazz Vespers services on YouTube now and in-person beginning August 15th at 5:00pm.
- Jump onboard to live out your faith with acts of JUSTICE by exploring our embedded attitudes concerning race, gender and LGBTQ+ rights, or be hands-on with our Caring For Creation efforts.
- Partner with us to reach beyond our doors by supporting Lutheran World Relief’s efforts to bring the vaccine to all countries, or pack boxes of school/health kits to meet worldwide needs.
- Join us for the life-changing moments of baptism, fall Sunday School, weddings, celebrations, and memorials; stay connected through Book Club, WELCA, or our Card Ministry; or sit down for a cup of coffee with Pastor David.
There are lots of options at St. James. What fits you as we follow the Risen-Christ?
–Pastor David Knapp
Worship Services
Sunday Morning Worship
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- Sunday Morning In-Person Worship
9:30am Eucharist at:
St. James Lutheran Church
1315 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
- Sunday Morning In-Person Worship
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- Sunday Morning Online Worship
Join us online on the St. James YouTube channel -- or here on this website.
- Sunday Morning Online Worship
Midweek Eucharist
NOTE: Midweek Eucharist begins again on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 -- and continues every following Wednesday at 12:00 Noon through May 14th, 2025. Pastor David will lead and Colin will be at the piano. Starting in March, Pastor David will guide us in a Bible Study on the themes of the book of Exodus titled "Unlikely Moses and the Nine Commandments." It will take place immediately following the Wednesday service. Invite a friend to join you.
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- Wednesday Eucharist
30-minute 12:00 Noon service in Pioneer Chapel.
- Wednesday Eucharist
Bach Cantata Vespers
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- Bach Cantata Vespers
Please join us again at 5:00pm on May 25th, 2025 when we will present our next Bach Choral Vespers Cantata with the St. James Choir, soloists, and orchestra. Premiered 300 years ago in 1725, Bach's Cantata BWV 6 "Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden" reflects the Easter season, the essence of our evening vespers tradition, and the difficulties of today. The opening text, "Abide with us, for it will soon be evening, and the day is now declining," from Luke 24, is typically assigned to the days immediately following Easter. The closing text, from Martin Luther's hymn "Erhalt uns, Herr" pleads for light in a time of darkness.
- Bach Cantata Vespers
Jazz Vespers
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- Jazz Vespers
Every 3rd Sunday at 4:50pm.
- Jazz Vespers
Once again this year, we were pleased to be a venue for the PDX Jazz Festival. This month, be sure to join us in-person on Sunday, May 18th, 2025 at 4:50pm in our St. James sanctuary for the ninth concert of our 2024-2025 Jazz Vespers series -- our special guest for this live performance is trombonist John Moak.
Musical accompaniment by Mike Horsfall on piano, Laurent Nickel on bass, and Tim Rap on drums. Valarie Brown is serving as cantor, and Pastor David is our liturgist. We invite you to attend as we return to our recently renovated St. James Lutheran Church building and we ask you to make a freewill donation (offering) to help support our musicians as we continue our 2024-2025 season. May marks the ninth month of this 12-month Jazz Vespers series.
Please check out the complete schedule for our new 2024-2025 season by navigating to "Life at St. James > Worship & Music > Jazz Vespers" on the main navigation menu at the top of this page. Or you can click here to link directly to our "Jazz Vespers" page.
In addition to the live performances of our current St. James Jazz Vespers series -- please remember that you may still enjoy some of our prior Jazz Vespers on video.
You can find links to previous Jazz Vespers recordings by navigating to "Communications > Music" on the main navigation menu at the top of this page. Or you can click here to link directly to the "Music" page.
NOTE: We are delighted that the new CD "St. James Jazz Vespers - We'll Be Together Again" has been released and is available for $20 at the St. James office. It is a collection of tunes recorded during the pandemic by The Mike Horsfall Trio and guests of the St. James Vespers. Enjoy!
Please join us again next month for another great Jazz performance -- when we continue our 2024-2025 season of Jazz Vespers with vocalist & percussionist Haley Horsfall -- at 4:50pm on Sunday, June 15th, 2025.
“Six impossible things before breakfast.” –Lewis Carroll
From the Pastor’s Desk …
At St. James, we just moved from forty days of Lent to the fifty days of the Easter season. We have also moved into what was seemingly impossible: Easter.
In Lewis Carroll’s 1871 story Through the Looking Glass, the Red Queen proclaimed to Alice that she often believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. Easter, for us, is therefore not just a day, but rather experiencing the Risen Christ’s presence as the impossible becomes pregnant with possibilities. We hear that life bursts from the barriers of death. As a St. James congregation, that may look like:
- “Sharing God’s inclusive love with all.”
–Our St. James Mission Statement - “The Church is a field hospital.”
–The late Pope Francis - “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others.”
–Dietrich Bonhoeffer - “The Church is not a building. The Church is a people.”
–Camp song
“The Oregonian” newspaper on Easter day ran an article concerning the decline of downtown Portland churches. At St. James, we are growing! Does that seem impossible? Uncertainty and confusion out of Washington D.C. are rattling businesses and stock markets. We respond with feeding those in need, calling on our elected officials to be true to democracy, and bringing hope to the refugee. Suddenly, the impossible becomes possible.
I don’t know what others usually do before breakfast, but at St. James we believe six impossible things. And the Easter Risen Christ is leading the way!
–Pastor David
An Easter Prayer of Blessing …
“Draw us forth, God of all creation.
Draw us toward and away from limited certainty
Into the immense world of your love.
Give us the capacity to even for a moment
Taste the richness of the feast you give us.
Give us the peace to live with uncertainty,
With questions, with doubts.
Help us to experience the resurrection anew
With open wonder and an increasing ability
To see you in the people at Easter.”
–Author Unknown
St. James Joins the 2025 CROP Hunger Walk …
On April 27th, the “Soles of St. James” walking team joined five other groups to walk the 2025 CROP Hunger Walk. Over $2900 was raised by the local teams to donate to the fight against hunger. The walk spanned two bridges and ended where it began at First Christian Church. Thank you to all who participated.
Boxcar Project …
On Thursday, May 1st, we prepare Personal Health Kits for those in need around the globe via Lutheran World Relief. Charlotte Cook brought items (towel, soap, toothbrush, etc.) for us to pack, and then on Friday, area Lutheran churches will pack a semi-truck that will be placed on a boxcar and shipped.
“Unlikely Moses and the Nine Commandments” …
There are two sessions left of Pastor David’s mid-week Bible Study that explores Moses’ life. They will take place in the Pioneer Chapel at 12:40pm after Midweek Noon Eucharist. Please note that these are also the last two dates of Midweek Eucharist. Here are the upcoming topics of discussion:
Wed. May 7th “Jesus and the Commandments”
Wed. May 14th “Wilderness Wandering”
Choral Cantata Vespers …
Premiered 300 years ago in 1725, Bach’s Cantata BWV 6 “Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden” reflects the Easter season, the essence of our evening vespers tradition, and the difficulties of today. The opening text, “Abide with us, for it will soon be evening, and the day is now declining,” from Luke 24, is typically assigned to the days immediately following Easter. The closing text, from Martin Luther’s hymn “Erhalt uns, Herr” pleads for light in a time of darkness. Join us on Sunday, May 25th at 5:00pm to hear this piece.
Wine Tasting at St. James …
Pastor Barry Rogge will again host a special wine-tasting event on Sunday, June 1st after worship. This is courtesy of Archery Summit Winery in Dayton.
Pack Food Bags with Eco-Justice Committee for PCC Panther Pantry …
Join the Eco Social Justice Committee on Sunday, June 8th to pack food bags for the PCC Panther Pantry during Open Space. Students and staff from PCC will join us. The funding for this project was made available by the Endowment Committee. If you cannot make it to the packing event, but still want to help, consider donating a $25 gift card. Gift cards are used to support students with urgent needs. This emergency assistance can be used to purchase items not regularly offered in the pantry such as culturally appropriate food items, diapers, over the counter medicines, and gasoline. Contact Mandy Ellertson for questions.
Preparing for St. James’ 135th Anniversary …
We thank God for our active ministry as we gather on Sunday, July 27th. We will experience Anniversary Worship with guest Pastor Robert Neubert, a festive meal, a new anniversary banner, some building improvements, and an updated directory.