St. James Storytelling – January 2025
A Deep Welcome, by Will Lane
I was first drawn to St. James by its members, people I worked with over the years or simply knew as friends or mentors. I loved their laughter and their non-dogmatic way of living their Christianity. They helped me understand that you could take science and history seriously and still live a life of deep faith. They helped me see that whatever we say about God usually says more about us than about God, and that we need to be humble and careful about what we claim to know. At the same time, they showed me how participating in the life of a church, singing in the choir, joining in the liturgy, taking communion, working on community projects, or even simply sharing meals with others can all serve to express a deep and abiding faith and provide a context for further spiritual growth. In addition, they also showed me how powerful the love of neighbor can be in grounding our efforts to deal with community problems such as homelessness or even global concerns like climate change.
As it happens, this St. James way of living a Christian life is beautifully articulated in our Welcome Statement, drafted by members of the Reconciling in Christ Task Force and adopted by Council some years ago, and shared now with the congregation every Sunday on the big screens. It offers what I call in my own heart a deep welcome to all who need “a place where lives are made new,” even those with questions or doubts. It invites us to come and see for ourselves, to come and join others in living our way toward a fuller understanding of faith and our responsibilities toward one another. It calls each of us to be “ministers of reconciliation both in the church and in the world” who “seek justice, create peace and practice compassion.”
As someone who felt the “deep welcome” at St. James even before it was officially written up in a Welcome Statement, I’m in a good position to celebrate both the welcome and the document that articulates it so well, and to welcome the stories of others about their journey to St. James and their life now in the church. As the year unfolds, I look forward to learning more about what brought them to this amazing place. Thank you St. James for being our “rock” in a difficult time!