Wednesday Noon Eucharist Returns …
We gather for Noon Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 as the Season of Lent begins. Then join us every Wednesday following for Noon Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel and a Bible Exploration Class led by Pastor David. These events will continue until the Festival of Pentecost in May.
WEDNESDAY NOON EUCHARIST AND CHURCH HISTORY …
We will gather this spring for a midweek reflection and exploration with Pastor David. From February 21st through May 15th, our Lenten and Easter seasons will be enhanced by:
–A half-hour Wednesday 12:00 noon service of Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel
–A discussion of our Early Church History at 12:45pm.
–Our study will be “From Jesus to Constantine: Early Christianity.” With the help of Professor Bart Ehrman and others we will search for how the Bible was compiled. We will look at the wide-range of “Christianities” that were labeled as heresies and discover how the creeds of the church came to be. How did the number of followers of Jesus of Nazareth grow from 12 Disciples to the religion of record in the span of 400 years? How does our history inform our faithfulness today? Join Pastor David each Wednesday.
A thirty-minute liturgy of Holy Communion takes place in the intimate setting of the Pioneer Chapel. This service provides an opportunity for communal prayer, a brief sermon and reflection. Scriptures may be used from the Daily Lectionary or may reflect the Calendar of Saints and Commemorations available to the wider Christian community.
WELCOME BACK, CHOIR!
Our St. James Sanctuary Choir has returned after a summer break. They will enhance our worship each Sunday under the direction of our Director of Music Ministry Colin Stave.
NOTE: The St. James Choir began rehearsing on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 and returned to worship on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. Contact Colin Stave, Director of Music Ministry if you would like to join the choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday at 7:15pm.
The St. James Choir continues a long and distinguished congregational tradition of liturgical and concert singing. Their repertoire includes a wide range of music from composers of the Renaissance and Reformation periods to contemporary works by local and nationally-known composers, such as Timothy Nickel, Frank Ferko, and others. Members rehearse every Thursday evening from 7:15-8:45pm during the program year (September through early June). Most choir members also participate in the Bach Cantata Vespers Services. People of all ages are invited to sing with us!
Sunday Morning Worship with Holy Communion
WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT ST. JAMES —
Join us for worship and fellowship on Sundays at 9:30am.
St. James is pleased to provide these Sunday Worship options:
1.) Our traditional in-person worship schedule of one 9:30am service at:
St. James Lutheran Church
1315 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
2.) We have posted livestream 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 with us at our St. James building — or you watch our video recordings on your computer at home — we invite you to join us for worship!
Education hour at 11:00am — following the 9:30am service and coffee
Sundays Year-Round, 11:00am-12:00pm
Open Space takes place most Sunday mornings in the Main Sanctuary of St. James Lutheran Church. All are invited to attend and listen, participate, learn, grow, and share as we develop a stronger sense of our individual faith and also who we are as a community of believers in our world today. Topics range from biblical study to current events, social issues, and information session about local organizations. Open Space is a safe environment where all questions and viewpoints have the right to be heard respectfully.
Open Space Schedule:
Much of the fall will be devoted to exploring Pastor Mark Brocker’s published book on faith and ecology entitled Coming Home to Earth. We will kick off the adult class with one session on September 17th titled “Same and Different.” The Eco Social Justice Committee will help facilitate. The time will be spent exploring our similarities and differences as St. James members. The goal is to discover the richness of our congregation and how what we have in common is just as important as what makes us different.
Calendar is as follows:
September 17th: Same and Different — What do we have in common at St. James and where do we find differences?
September 24th: Begin the Coming Home to Earth series with Pastor Mark Brocker
October 1st: Coming Home to Earth: Loss of Love for Earth
October 8th: Coming Home to Earth: Grieving with Earth
October 15th: Coming Home to Earth: The Things that Make for Peace
October 22nd: Endowment Luncheon
October 29th: Reformation Themes
November 5th: Coming Home to Earth: Conversion to Earth
November 12th: Coming Home to Earth: Taking Up Our Ecological Cross
November 19th: Guided Imagery of Oregon History
November 26th: No Open Space
December 3rd: All Creation Sings with Colin Stave.
December 10th: The Christmas Story told by the Old Masters with Paula Carlson
December 17th: Scandinavian Coffee Hour
December 24th: No Open Space
December 31st: Cookies and Carols
January 7th: Pastor David’s Sabbatical Trip
January 14th: Archery Summit Wine Tasting
January 21st: St. James Annual Congregational Meeting and Meal
January 28th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire
February 4th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire with Pastor Mark Brocker
February 11th: No Open Space
February 18th: The Creative Spirit with Monica Setziol-Phillips
February 25th: Wine Tasting with Pastor Barry Rogge
March 3rd: ELCA World Hunger Relief Drive Presentation
March 10th: Wealth Redistribution for Housing Justice in Portland
March 17th: ELCA Statement on Civic Engagement and Faith
March 24th: Scott Baby Shower
March 31st: Easter Festival Coffee Hour
Join us for an exciting series of Open Spaces Sundays this April and May at 11:00am!
April 7th: Join Esther Portnoy to hear about the Crop Walk – another facet of fighting hunger in our community and world
April 14th: Historian Friedrich Schuler will share some of his expertise on South America in his presentation entitled “Miracles in Amazon: New Discoveries of Ancient Civilizations”
April 21st: Colin Stave previews Bach Cantata Vespers
April 28th: Harris Zafar of Rizwan Mosque and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be our guest. He will bring a greeting in worship and present “Hamas/Israeli War – A Muslim Perspective” at our 11:00am Open Space class.
May 12th: Zmira Lovejoy is a spiritual leader and student rabbi at Portland’s P’nai Or Jewish Community. During our first reading she will share the Hebrew Scripture that Jews worldwide will hear and also be our presenter at the 11:00am Open Space class.
Sunday School Returns:
Sunday School and Open Space returned on Sunday, September 18th, 2022. We moved back to our newly renovated St. James historic building on October 23rd, 2022.
Children’s Sunday School Events at St. James:
From October–December, the St. James Sunday School will be hosting three special events for children. Mark your calendars!
October 30th: Exploring The Season of the Soul with crafts and stories related to Dios de los Muertos and All Saints Days.
November 20th: Join in some guided activities for children about the importance of thanks and gratitude. Activities include the children creating “Gratitude Trees” to share with their loved ones.
December 18th: All we need is love and Christmas cookies right? On this day we will have a special event decorating cookies that represent the holiday season we enjoy from Thanksgiving to New Years.
It’s Time To Eat Pancakes …
We gather on Tuesday, March 5 at 5:30pm for our Shrove Tuesday celebration. Historically celebrated the day before the season of Lent, shrove comes from the Latin word shrive which means to absolve. Before a season of Lenten fasting, households would use up oils and other foods. Pancakes are on the menu! Then join us the following day for Ash Wednesday Worship at Noon and 7:00pm for a solemn service with the imposition of ash upon our foreheads signifying repentance. The season concludes with the joyous celebration of Easter morning.
WELCOME BACK, CHOIR!
Our St. James Sanctuary Choir has returned after a summer break. They will enhance our worship each Sunday under the direction of our Director of Music Ministry Colin Stave.
NOTE: The St. James Choir began rehearsing on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 and returned to worship on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. Contact Colin Stave, Director of Music Ministry if you would like to join the choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday at 7:15pm.
The St. James Choir continues a long and distinguished congregational tradition of liturgical and concert singing. Their repertoire includes a wide range of music from composers of the Renaissance and Reformation periods to contemporary works by local and nationally-known composers, such as Timothy Nickel, Frank Ferko, and others. Members rehearse every Thursday evening from 7:15-8:45pm during the program year (September through early June). Most choir members also participate in the Bach Cantata Vespers Services. People of all ages are invited to sing with us!
Sunday Morning Worship with Holy Communion
WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT ST. JAMES —
Join us for worship and fellowship on Sundays at 9:30am.
St. James is pleased to provide these Sunday Worship options:
1.) Our traditional in-person worship schedule of one 9:30am service at:
St. James Lutheran Church
1315 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
2.) We have posted livestream 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 with us at our St. James building — or you watch our video recordings on your computer at home — we invite you to join us for worship!
Education hour at 11:00am — following the 9:30am service and coffee
Sundays Year-Round, 11:00am-12:00pm
Open Space takes place most Sunday mornings in the Main Sanctuary of St. James Lutheran Church. All are invited to attend and listen, participate, learn, grow, and share as we develop a stronger sense of our individual faith and also who we are as a community of believers in our world today. Topics range from biblical study to current events, social issues, and information session about local organizations. Open Space is a safe environment where all questions and viewpoints have the right to be heard respectfully.
Open Space Schedule:
Much of the fall will be devoted to exploring Pastor Mark Brocker’s published book on faith and ecology entitled Coming Home to Earth. We will kick off the adult class with one session on September 17th titled “Same and Different.” The Eco Social Justice Committee will help facilitate. The time will be spent exploring our similarities and differences as St. James members. The goal is to discover the richness of our congregation and how what we have in common is just as important as what makes us different.
Calendar is as follows:
September 17th: Same and Different — What do we have in common at St. James and where do we find differences?
September 24th: Begin the Coming Home to Earth series with Pastor Mark Brocker
October 1st: Coming Home to Earth: Loss of Love for Earth
October 8th: Coming Home to Earth: Grieving with Earth
October 15th: Coming Home to Earth: The Things that Make for Peace
October 22nd: Endowment Luncheon
October 29th: Reformation Themes
November 5th: Coming Home to Earth: Conversion to Earth
November 12th: Coming Home to Earth: Taking Up Our Ecological Cross
November 19th: Guided Imagery of Oregon History
November 26th: No Open Space
December 3rd: All Creation Sings with Colin Stave.
December 10th: The Christmas Story told by the Old Masters with Paula Carlson
December 17th: Scandinavian Coffee Hour
December 24th: No Open Space
December 31st: Cookies and Carols
January 7th: Pastor David’s Sabbatical Trip
January 14th: Archery Summit Wine Tasting
January 21st: St. James Annual Congregational Meeting and Meal
January 28th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire
February 4th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire with Pastor Mark Brocker
February 11th: No Open Space
February 18th: The Creative Spirit with Monica Setziol-Phillips
February 25th: Wine Tasting with Pastor Barry Rogge
March 3rd: ELCA World Hunger Relief Drive Presentation
March 10th: Wealth Redistribution for Housing Justice in Portland
March 17th: ELCA Statement on Civic Engagement and Faith
March 24th: Scott Baby Shower
March 31st: Easter Festival Coffee Hour
Join us for an exciting series of Open Spaces Sundays this April and May at 11:00am!
April 7th: Join Esther Portnoy to hear about the Crop Walk – another facet of fighting hunger in our community and world
April 14th: Historian Friedrich Schuler will share some of his expertise on South America in his presentation entitled “Miracles in Amazon: New Discoveries of Ancient Civilizations”
April 21st: Colin Stave previews Bach Cantata Vespers
April 28th: Harris Zafar of Rizwan Mosque and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be our guest. He will bring a greeting in worship and present “Hamas/Israeli War – A Muslim Perspective” at our 11:00am Open Space class.
May 12th: Zmira Lovejoy is a spiritual leader and student rabbi at Portland’s P’nai Or Jewish Community. During our first reading she will share the Hebrew Scripture that Jews worldwide will hear and also be our presenter at the 11:00am Open Space class.
Sunday School Returns:
Sunday School and Open Space returned on Sunday, September 18th, 2022. We moved back to our newly renovated St. James historic building on October 23rd, 2022.
Children’s Sunday School Events at St. James:
From October–December, the St. James Sunday School will be hosting three special events for children. Mark your calendars!
October 30th: Exploring The Season of the Soul with crafts and stories related to Dios de los Muertos and All Saints Days.
November 20th: Join in some guided activities for children about the importance of thanks and gratitude. Activities include the children creating “Gratitude Trees” to share with their loved ones.
December 18th: All we need is love and Christmas cookies right? On this day we will have a special event decorating cookies that represent the holiday season we enjoy from Thanksgiving to New Years.
Wednesday Noon Eucharist Returns …
We gather for Noon Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 as the Season of Lent begins. Then join us every Wednesday following for Noon Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel and a Bible Exploration Class led by Pastor David. These events will continue until the Festival of Pentecost in May.
WEDNESDAY NOON EUCHARIST AND CHURCH HISTORY …
We will gather this spring for a midweek reflection and exploration with Pastor David. From February 21st through May 15th, our Lenten and Easter seasons will be enhanced by:
–A half-hour Wednesday 12:00 noon service of Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel
–A discussion of our Early Church History at 12:45pm.
–Our study will be “From Jesus to Constantine: Early Christianity.” With the help of Professor Bart Ehrman and others we will search for how the Bible was compiled. We will look at the wide-range of “Christianities” that were labeled as heresies and discover how the creeds of the church came to be. How did the number of followers of Jesus of Nazareth grow from 12 Disciples to the religion of record in the span of 400 years? How does our history inform our faithfulness today? Join Pastor David each Wednesday.
A thirty-minute liturgy of Holy Communion takes place in the intimate setting of the Pioneer Chapel. This service provides an opportunity for communal prayer, a brief sermon and reflection. Scriptures may be used from the Daily Lectionary or may reflect the Calendar of Saints and Commemorations available to the wider Christian community.
— This year St. James is again offering Wednesday evening Soup Suppers and Devotional Services. Soup will be served at 6:00pm, the service begins at 7:00pm. This is always a a good time for conversation and contemplation with friends new and old. Soups are homemade and the service is a short devotional Holden Service. Plan to join us, and bring a friend!
— March 13th 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
— March 20th 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
— April 3rd 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
— April 10th 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
WELCOME BACK, CHOIR!
Our St. James Sanctuary Choir has returned after a summer break. They will enhance our worship each Sunday under the direction of our Director of Music Ministry Colin Stave.
NOTE: The St. James Choir began rehearsing on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 and returned to worship on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. Contact Colin Stave, Director of Music Ministry if you would like to join the choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday at 7:15pm.
The St. James Choir continues a long and distinguished congregational tradition of liturgical and concert singing. Their repertoire includes a wide range of music from composers of the Renaissance and Reformation periods to contemporary works by local and nationally-known composers, such as Timothy Nickel, Frank Ferko, and others. Members rehearse every Thursday evening from 7:15-8:45pm during the program year (September through early June). Most choir members also participate in the Bach Cantata Vespers Services. People of all ages are invited to sing with us!
Lenten Day of Reflection:
Saturday, March 16th
9:30am to 12:30pm
Join us for a morning reflection time on Saturday, March 16th from 9:30am to 12:30pm in order to contemplate the leaning into the dialogue of prayer and life during Lent as we cultivate opening our hearts to God and neighbor.
We will experience various forms of prayer with silence, reflection, music, lectio divina, gesture, writing, art and labyrinth walking as we are present to God’s voice.
Facilitators include Pastor David Knapp, Susan McBerry and Albert Alter.
Contact the church office to register!
Suggested donation: $10
Sunday Morning Worship with Holy Communion
WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT ST. JAMES —
Join us for worship and fellowship on Sundays at 9:30am.
St. James is pleased to provide these Sunday Worship options:
1.) Our traditional in-person worship schedule of one 9:30am service at:
St. James Lutheran Church
1315 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
2.) We have posted livestream 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 with us at our St. James building — or you watch our video recordings on your computer at home — we invite you to join us for worship!
Education hour at 11:00am — following the 9:30am service and coffee
Sundays Year-Round, 11:00am-12:00pm
Open Space takes place most Sunday mornings in the Main Sanctuary of St. James Lutheran Church. All are invited to attend and listen, participate, learn, grow, and share as we develop a stronger sense of our individual faith and also who we are as a community of believers in our world today. Topics range from biblical study to current events, social issues, and information session about local organizations. Open Space is a safe environment where all questions and viewpoints have the right to be heard respectfully.
Open Space Schedule:
Much of the fall will be devoted to exploring Pastor Mark Brocker’s published book on faith and ecology entitled Coming Home to Earth. We will kick off the adult class with one session on September 17th titled “Same and Different.” The Eco Social Justice Committee will help facilitate. The time will be spent exploring our similarities and differences as St. James members. The goal is to discover the richness of our congregation and how what we have in common is just as important as what makes us different.
Calendar is as follows:
September 17th: Same and Different — What do we have in common at St. James and where do we find differences?
September 24th: Begin the Coming Home to Earth series with Pastor Mark Brocker
October 1st: Coming Home to Earth: Loss of Love for Earth
October 8th: Coming Home to Earth: Grieving with Earth
October 15th: Coming Home to Earth: The Things that Make for Peace
October 22nd: Endowment Luncheon
October 29th: Reformation Themes
November 5th: Coming Home to Earth: Conversion to Earth
November 12th: Coming Home to Earth: Taking Up Our Ecological Cross
November 19th: Guided Imagery of Oregon History
November 26th: No Open Space
December 3rd: All Creation Sings with Colin Stave.
December 10th: The Christmas Story told by the Old Masters with Paula Carlson
December 17th: Scandinavian Coffee Hour
December 24th: No Open Space
December 31st: Cookies and Carols
January 7th: Pastor David’s Sabbatical Trip
January 14th: Archery Summit Wine Tasting
January 21st: St. James Annual Congregational Meeting and Meal
January 28th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire
February 4th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire with Pastor Mark Brocker
February 11th: No Open Space
February 18th: The Creative Spirit with Monica Setziol-Phillips
February 25th: Wine Tasting with Pastor Barry Rogge
March 3rd: ELCA World Hunger Relief Drive Presentation
March 10th: Wealth Redistribution for Housing Justice in Portland
March 17th: ELCA Statement on Civic Engagement and Faith
March 24th: Scott Baby Shower
March 31st: Easter Festival Coffee Hour
Join us for an exciting series of Open Spaces Sundays this April and May at 11:00am!
April 7th: Join Esther Portnoy to hear about the Crop Walk – another facet of fighting hunger in our community and world
April 14th: Historian Friedrich Schuler will share some of his expertise on South America in his presentation entitled “Miracles in Amazon: New Discoveries of Ancient Civilizations”
April 21st: Colin Stave previews Bach Cantata Vespers
April 28th: Harris Zafar of Rizwan Mosque and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be our guest. He will bring a greeting in worship and present “Hamas/Israeli War – A Muslim Perspective” at our 11:00am Open Space class.
May 12th: Zmira Lovejoy is a spiritual leader and student rabbi at Portland’s P’nai Or Jewish Community. During our first reading she will share the Hebrew Scripture that Jews worldwide will hear and also be our presenter at the 11:00am Open Space class.
Sunday School Returns:
Sunday School and Open Space returned on Sunday, September 18th, 2022. We moved back to our newly renovated St. James historic building on October 23rd, 2022.
Children’s Sunday School Events at St. James:
From October–December, the St. James Sunday School will be hosting three special events for children. Mark your calendars!
October 30th: Exploring The Season of the Soul with crafts and stories related to Dios de los Muertos and All Saints Days.
November 20th: Join in some guided activities for children about the importance of thanks and gratitude. Activities include the children creating “Gratitude Trees” to share with their loved ones.
December 18th: All we need is love and Christmas cookies right? On this day we will have a special event decorating cookies that represent the holiday season we enjoy from Thanksgiving to New Years.
St. James Visual Arts Group:
The 2024 Exhibition Season:
January: Rose Clementi
February: Monica Setziol
March: Joel Nickel
April: Eileen Holzman
May: Warren Knapp
June: Chris Pero
July: Sue Schrenk
August: Hilde Morin
September: Larry Gross
October: Albert Alter
November: Friedrich Steenbock
December: Group Show
The Visual Arts Group presents paintings by Eileen Holzman in the month of April.
Eileen has immersed her life in different areas of the arts from education to therapeutic. She is a retired art educator of 40 years from New Jersey public schools. She continued teaching after school arts programs and was an artist in residency when she moved to Oregon. Teaching origami is her passion when opportunities arise. As a registered art therapist, Eileen provided therapeutic support for children and seniors suffering from emotional and physical disabilities. Eileen’s abstract watercolors derive from her fascination with bridges and other architectural structures as a starting point for her compositions. Look carefully into the layers of glazed colors to see varying perspectives and geometric shapes emerging.
An artist reception for Eileen will be held after the Jazz Vespers Service this month, on Sunday, April 21st, at 6:00pm in the Pioneer Chapel.
Join the St. James Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America group as they meet and discuss various topics.
Wednesday Noon Eucharist Returns …
We gather for Noon Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 as the Season of Lent begins. Then join us every Wednesday following for Noon Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel and a Bible Exploration Class led by Pastor David. These events will continue until the Festival of Pentecost in May.
WEDNESDAY NOON EUCHARIST AND CHURCH HISTORY …
We will gather this spring for a midweek reflection and exploration with Pastor David. From February 21st through May 15th, our Lenten and Easter seasons will be enhanced by:
–A half-hour Wednesday 12:00 noon service of Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel
–A discussion of our Early Church History at 12:45pm.
–Our study will be “From Jesus to Constantine: Early Christianity.” With the help of Professor Bart Ehrman and others we will search for how the Bible was compiled. We will look at the wide-range of “Christianities” that were labeled as heresies and discover how the creeds of the church came to be. How did the number of followers of Jesus of Nazareth grow from 12 Disciples to the religion of record in the span of 400 years? How does our history inform our faithfulness today? Join Pastor David each Wednesday.
A thirty-minute liturgy of Holy Communion takes place in the intimate setting of the Pioneer Chapel. This service provides an opportunity for communal prayer, a brief sermon and reflection. Scriptures may be used from the Daily Lectionary or may reflect the Calendar of Saints and Commemorations available to the wider Christian community.
— This year St. James is again offering Wednesday evening Soup Suppers and Devotional Services. Soup will be served at 6:00pm, the service begins at 7:00pm. This is always a a good time for conversation and contemplation with friends new and old. Soups are homemade and the service is a short devotional Holden Service. Plan to join us, and bring a friend!
— March 13th 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
— March 20th 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
— April 3rd 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
— April 10th 6:00PM Soup Dinner, 7:00PM Devotional
WELCOME BACK, CHOIR!
Our St. James Sanctuary Choir has returned after a summer break. They will enhance our worship each Sunday under the direction of our Director of Music Ministry Colin Stave.
NOTE: The St. James Choir began rehearsing on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 and returned to worship on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. Contact Colin Stave, Director of Music Ministry if you would like to join the choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday at 7:15pm.
The St. James Choir continues a long and distinguished congregational tradition of liturgical and concert singing. Their repertoire includes a wide range of music from composers of the Renaissance and Reformation periods to contemporary works by local and nationally-known composers, such as Timothy Nickel, Frank Ferko, and others. Members rehearse every Thursday evening from 7:15-8:45pm during the program year (September through early June). Most choir members also participate in the Bach Cantata Vespers Services. People of all ages are invited to sing with us!
Sunday Morning Worship with Holy Communion
WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT ST. JAMES —
Join us for worship and fellowship on Sundays at 9:30am.
St. James is pleased to provide these Sunday Worship options:
1.) Our traditional in-person worship schedule of one 9:30am service at:
St. James Lutheran Church
1315 SW Park Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
2.) We have posted livestream 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 with us at our St. James building — or you watch our video recordings on your computer at home — we invite you to join us for worship!
Education hour at 11:00am — following the 9:30am service and coffee
Sundays Year-Round, 11:00am-12:00pm
Open Space takes place most Sunday mornings in the Main Sanctuary of St. James Lutheran Church. All are invited to attend and listen, participate, learn, grow, and share as we develop a stronger sense of our individual faith and also who we are as a community of believers in our world today. Topics range from biblical study to current events, social issues, and information session about local organizations. Open Space is a safe environment where all questions and viewpoints have the right to be heard respectfully.
Open Space Schedule:
Much of the fall will be devoted to exploring Pastor Mark Brocker’s published book on faith and ecology entitled Coming Home to Earth. We will kick off the adult class with one session on September 17th titled “Same and Different.” The Eco Social Justice Committee will help facilitate. The time will be spent exploring our similarities and differences as St. James members. The goal is to discover the richness of our congregation and how what we have in common is just as important as what makes us different.
Calendar is as follows:
September 17th: Same and Different — What do we have in common at St. James and where do we find differences?
September 24th: Begin the Coming Home to Earth series with Pastor Mark Brocker
October 1st: Coming Home to Earth: Loss of Love for Earth
October 8th: Coming Home to Earth: Grieving with Earth
October 15th: Coming Home to Earth: The Things that Make for Peace
October 22nd: Endowment Luncheon
October 29th: Reformation Themes
November 5th: Coming Home to Earth: Conversion to Earth
November 12th: Coming Home to Earth: Taking Up Our Ecological Cross
November 19th: Guided Imagery of Oregon History
November 26th: No Open Space
December 3rd: All Creation Sings with Colin Stave.
December 10th: The Christmas Story told by the Old Masters with Paula Carlson
December 17th: Scandinavian Coffee Hour
December 24th: No Open Space
December 31st: Cookies and Carols
January 7th: Pastor David’s Sabbatical Trip
January 14th: Archery Summit Wine Tasting
January 21st: St. James Annual Congregational Meeting and Meal
January 28th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire
February 4th: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Faith Under Fire with Pastor Mark Brocker
February 11th: No Open Space
February 18th: The Creative Spirit with Monica Setziol-Phillips
February 25th: Wine Tasting with Pastor Barry Rogge
March 3rd: ELCA World Hunger Relief Drive Presentation
March 10th: Wealth Redistribution for Housing Justice in Portland
March 17th: ELCA Statement on Civic Engagement and Faith
March 24th: Scott Baby Shower
March 31st: Easter Festival Coffee Hour
Join us for an exciting series of Open Spaces Sundays this April and May at 11:00am!
April 7th: Join Esther Portnoy to hear about the Crop Walk – another facet of fighting hunger in our community and world
April 14th: Historian Friedrich Schuler will share some of his expertise on South America in his presentation entitled “Miracles in Amazon: New Discoveries of Ancient Civilizations”
April 21st: Colin Stave previews Bach Cantata Vespers
April 28th: Harris Zafar of Rizwan Mosque and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be our guest. He will bring a greeting in worship and present “Hamas/Israeli War – A Muslim Perspective” at our 11:00am Open Space class.
May 12th: Zmira Lovejoy is a spiritual leader and student rabbi at Portland’s P’nai Or Jewish Community. During our first reading she will share the Hebrew Scripture that Jews worldwide will hear and also be our presenter at the 11:00am Open Space class.
Sunday School Returns:
Sunday School and Open Space returned on Sunday, September 18th, 2022. We moved back to our newly renovated St. James historic building on October 23rd, 2022.
Children’s Sunday School Events at St. James:
From October–December, the St. James Sunday School will be hosting three special events for children. Mark your calendars!
October 30th: Exploring The Season of the Soul with crafts and stories related to Dios de los Muertos and All Saints Days.
November 20th: Join in some guided activities for children about the importance of thanks and gratitude. Activities include the children creating “Gratitude Trees” to share with their loved ones.
December 18th: All we need is love and Christmas cookies right? On this day we will have a special event decorating cookies that represent the holiday season we enjoy from Thanksgiving to New Years.
Wednesday Noon Eucharist Returns …
We gather for Noon Eucharist and the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 as the Season of Lent begins. Then join us every Wednesday following for Noon Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel and a Bible Exploration Class led by Pastor David. These events will continue until the Festival of Pentecost in May.
WEDNESDAY NOON EUCHARIST AND CHURCH HISTORY …
We will gather this spring for a midweek reflection and exploration with Pastor David. From February 21st through May 15th, our Lenten and Easter seasons will be enhanced by:
–A half-hour Wednesday 12:00 noon service of Eucharist in Pioneer Chapel
–A discussion of our Early Church History at 12:45pm.
–Our study will be “From Jesus to Constantine: Early Christianity.” With the help of Professor Bart Ehrman and others we will search for how the Bible was compiled. We will look at the wide-range of “Christianities” that were labeled as heresies and discover how the creeds of the church came to be. How did the number of followers of Jesus of Nazareth grow from 12 Disciples to the religion of record in the span of 400 years? How does our history inform our faithfulness today? Join Pastor David each Wednesday.
A thirty-minute liturgy of Holy Communion takes place in the intimate setting of the Pioneer Chapel. This service provides an opportunity for communal prayer, a brief sermon and reflection. Scriptures may be used from the Daily Lectionary or may reflect the Calendar of Saints and Commemorations available to the wider Christian community.
California Lutheran Choir Concert at St. James, Wednesday, March 27th, 7:00pm
St. James will be the venue for the touring California Lutheran University choir (Thousand Oaks, CA) on Wednesday, March 27th at 7:00pm. We will then provide host homes for the 60 students. A sign-up sheet is in Pioneer Chapel. Can you attend the concert, then bring two students home for the night and bring them back to St. James the following morning? Let’s show them our hospitality.
WELCOME BACK, CHOIR!
Our St. James Sanctuary Choir has returned after a summer break. They will enhance our worship each Sunday under the direction of our Director of Music Ministry Colin Stave.
NOTE: The St. James Choir began rehearsing on Thursday, September 7th, 2023 and returned to worship on Sunday, September 10th, 2023. Contact Colin Stave, Director of Music Ministry if you would like to join the choir. Rehearsals are every Thursday at 7:15pm.
The St. James Choir continues a long and distinguished congregational tradition of liturgical and concert singing. Their repertoire includes a wide range of music from composers of the Renaissance and Reformation periods to contemporary works by local and nationally-known composers, such as Timothy Nickel, Frank Ferko, and others. Members rehearse every Thursday evening from 7:15-8:45pm during the program year (September through early June). Most choir members also participate in the Bach Cantata Vespers Services. People of all ages are invited to sing with us!