st. james’ episcopal church \ Celebration details and history

St. James’ Episcopal Church, 7640 Glenwood Ave., Boardman, will celebrate its 200th anniversary today with a festival Eucharist at 5 p.m., followed by a dinner in the parish hall. The Right Rev. Mark Hollingsworth Jr., Bishop of Ohio, will celebrate the Eucharist and dedicate the newly designed St. James’ Alcove and bless two memorial stained-glass windows. The alcove, given in memory of Elton and Christina Beard, longtime members of the church, features a stained-glass window with St. James the Apostle as its theme. A second stained-glass window features Mary Magdalene, Apostle, as its theme and adorns a small chapel in the church. The Mary Magdalene window was given in memory of Mimi Wilson, another long-term church member.

The beginning: St. James is the oldest established congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Beginning in 1798, Episcopalians from Connecticut came to the land designated by the new federal government as the Connecticut Western Reserve. Despite the absence of settled clergy, they determined to be the church in a wilderness frontier. By 1807, the group was gathering regularly for public worship under the lay leadership of Joseph Platt. These Episcopal Christians came together from Poland, Boardman, and Canfield Townships with Boardman being the central location.

Making if official: In 1809, the group determined to petition the Bishop of New York to take them under his episcopal oversight and recognize them as an organized society within the Episcopal Church. This was the first step toward their becoming a parish of the church. They signed their petition June 20, 1809; Bishop Samuel Provoost of New York accepted it, and they had his response by September. He recognized them officially as an organized Episcopal Society. Those who signed the petition are described as the first families of the church. They are: Samuel Blocker, Charles Chittenden, Ensign Church, Francis Dowler, John Dowler, Eleazor Fairchild, Eleazor C. Fairchild, Eleazor Gilson, Lewis Hoyt, Jared Kirtland, Turhand Kirtland, John Liddell, Joseph Liddell, John Loveland, Ziba Loveland, Eli Platt, Joseph Platt, Ethel Starr, Russell F. Starr, Arad Way and Josiah Wetmore.

Early years: During their first years, they met in the homes of members, and later in the Boardman log schoolhouse, to read morning prayer each Sunday. The first Episcopal Eucharist of record in the Mahoning Valley was celebrated by the itinerant, newly ordained priest, the Rev. Jackson Kemper, in 1814. The name, St. James’ Church, was chosen in 1817, when the congregation was one of six organizing parishes of the new Diocese of Ohio.

The first church: By 1828, the parish was building a first church structure under the leadership of Henry Mason Boardman. It was consecrated by the first Bishop of Ohio, Philander Chase, in 1829, and served the congregation of St. James’ Church until 1970. This classic, Congregational-style building reflected not only the New England roots of its founding families, but also the low-church piety that would characterize the parish for its first 160 years.

Old and new: In the late 1960s, plans for the Southern Park Mall at the intersection of Routes 7 and 224 motivated the congregation to make a decision about the historic St. James. Through efforts of the Boardman Historical Society, community groups and members of the church, funds were raised to relocate old St. James’ Church to Boardman Township Park. The historic building has been preserved and restored in Boardman Park as a museum and wedding chapel for the local community, and stands today as the oldest structure in the township. Annually on St. James’ Day, the parish family sings “Evensong” in its historic place of worship. As part of the bicentennial festivities in July 2009, the congregation celebrated Holy Eucharist there and baptized the great-granddaughter of the Rev. George Jones, rector of the parish from 1950-70. In 1972, the congregation of St. James moved into a new, larger church — a Williamsburg-style brick structure on Glenwood Avenue. This facility continued the simple architectural vision of the early members.

Improvements: As the congregation’s bicentennial approached, projects to upgrade the 1971 building were undertaken. These included the installation of a Kegg pipe organ and the renovation of the church parlor for educational and administrative gatherings. The parish family established a shrine to St. Rocco, when a sister congregation, St. Rocco’s Episcopal Church in Youngstown, closed in 2007. A memorial bequest from the family of Elton and Christina Beard made possible the St. James’ Alcove, located opposite the St. Rocco’s shrine. It will house early ecclesiastical artifacts and archival materials, including the Hiram Yale pewter communion ware. This gift, along with a lectern Bible, was sent in the late 1820s by Connecticut Episcopalians to the fledgling congregation. The addition of stained-glass windows in this alcove and in the Mary Magdalene Chapel complement building upgrades for the bicentennial year. In addition, the parish is featured in the “2010 Historic Episcopal Churches Engagement Calendar,” published by the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists.

Web site: www.stjamesboardman.com

Source: Sharyn Fees, communications ministry coordinator at St. James