"We share God's inclusive and eternal love with everyone!"
“Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” -Isaiah 41:10
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. As the impact of this pandemic subsides, 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
WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT ST. JAMES!NOTE: Governor Brown has issued a statewide Oregon Indoor Mask Requirement, effective Friday, August 13th, 2021 -- in order to limit the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants as much as possible indoors, where COVID-19 spreads more easily. Our official stance at St. James will be to follow this requirement of the Governor and the Oregon Health Authority. Masks will be required for our indoor services at St. James. Thanks to all for your adherence to these public health guidelines.
Sunday Morning Worship
- Every Sunday at 9:30am in our beautiful sanctuary.
- We have posted recordings of our 9:30am worship service to the St. James YouTube channel. They are available to view here on our website by Sunday afternoon: Click here to link to our "Worship & Sermons" page ...
Whether you physically attend in-person at St. James -- or you watch our video recording on your computer at home -- we invite you to join us for worship!
Jazz Vespers
This month, be sure to join us in-person on Sunday, January 16th at 5:00pm when our Jazz Vespers series continues at St. James -- our special guest for this live performance is John Stowell on guitar.Musical accompaniment by Mike Horsfall on piano, Laurent Nickel on bass, and Brent Follis on drums. Pastor David Knapp is the liturgist, and Valarie Griffiths Brown is the vocalist. We invite you to attend here at St. James and we ask you to make a freewill donation (offering) to help support our musicians as we continue our 2021-2022 season. Although we have resumed our Jazz Vespers series in-person at St. James -- please remember that you may still enjoy our prior Jazz Vespers on video.
You can find links to all of our previous Jazz Vespers recordings by navigating to "Communications > Music" on the main navigation menu at the top of the page. Or you can click here to be linked 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 once again in-person on Sunday, February 20th at 5:00pm when our 2021-2022 Jazz Vespers season continues at St. James -- our special guest for this live performance will be Noah Simpson on trumpet.
“Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt…” -Matthew 2:13
From the Pastor’s Desk…
According to Matthew, Jesus was an evacuee and refugee shortly after birth. Strangers in a foreign land welcomed him.
This month St. James will begin our sponsorship of an Afghan Evacuee family. We are honored to welcome one family out of 74,000 who will resettle in our nation. St. James member Cathie Coffman is our coordinator and we will need everyone’s help.
We will work in partnership with Lutheran Community Services NW (LCSNW). For our part, we will welcome the family at the airport, teach them how to travel by public transportation by taking the bus with them, teach them English, assist them in food shopping, medical appointments, finding jobs, and registering for school. They will be eligible for some Federal benefits but we also need to assist financially for the first several months and provide furniture when housing is found.
Due to the circumstances of why they left Afghanistan, we will most likely not be able to publish their names or photos. St. James members who volunteer in-person with the family will require background checks. Since 99% of Afghans are of the Islamic faith, we look forward to connecting them to a local mosque.
This new year of ministry begins by welcoming the stranger, just as young Jesus was welcomed.
-Pastor David
Afghan Evacuees
This month we will welcome an Afghanistan Evacuee family to Portland. They are currently at a military base on U.S. soil. We will sponsor them, assist them in settlement, walk with them and fall in love with them. All this will take our volunteer time, energy, and money for several months. St. James member Cathie Coffman is already busy coordinating this effort. Let her know you want to help.
Looking Back and Looking Forward: Congo Refugees
We were delighted to help bring Christmas joy to the Innocent/Lweso family. On December 19th we delivered 54 gifts (warm clothing, toys, diapers) to their home and also included a delicious Christmas dinner. In 2017 they fled war-torn Congo and were settled in Portland by Lutheran Community Services NW (LCSNW). The family will worship with us on Sunday, January 9th. Our thanks to all who contributed gifts for this family.
Annual Congregational Meeting
Help us plan ministry in 2022. After worship on Sunday, January 23rd at 10:45am, we will gather to elect leaders, pass a ministry spending plan, and hear of our ministry in 2021. Your presence is requested. An “Annual Report For the Year 2021” will be available to all members online the week prior, and some paper copies will be available on the day of the meeting. Please take time to join us so we can make ministry decisions together.