St. James's Episcopal Church (Richmond, Virginia)
| St James' Church | |
|---|---|
| The Parish Church of Saint James | |
St James' Church | |
| Location | 1205 W. Franklin St., Richmond, Virginia 23220 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Churchmanship | Broad church |
| Website | https://www.stjamessrva.org/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1835 |
| Founder | The Rev. Adam Empie |
| Dedication | St. James |
| Dedicated | 1918 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Noland and Baskerville |
| Style | English Renaissance |
| Years built | 1839, 1912, 1997 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Virginia |
| Parish | St. James Richmond |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Rev. Beth Franklin; The Rev. Kyle Babin (interim associate rector) |
St. James's Episcopal Church is the third oldest Episcopal congregation in Richmond, Virginia. Only the older St. John's Episcopal Church on Church Hill also remains an active congregation. The church reported 3046 members in 2016 and 2,888 members in 2023; no membership statistics were reported nationally in 2024 parochial reports. Plate and pledge income reported for the congregation in 2024 was $2,214,334. Average Sunday attendance (ASA) in 2024 was 304 persons.
The parish takes as its motto, emblazoned above the altar: "Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only," ascribed to early Christian bishop James the Just, James 1:22. However, its seal includes three scallop shells, traditional symbols of the pilgrim St. James the Greater. Other symbols on the parish's seal include: a star symbolizing Epiphany and the collect for the First Sunday after Epiphany ("Grant (O Lord) that we may both perceive and know what things (we) ought to do, and may also have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same"), a pelican pecking its breast (to symbolize Christ's sacrifice as well as the Eucharist), and a fish and loaf (both symbolizing Christ and the gospel story of the loaves and fishes of which at least St. James the Greater was witness).