Pathways

Exploring membership at Saint James

Upcoming Sessions

Saturday, July 19, 2025 | 8:30 - 11:00 AM
Click here to register for the July 19th session.

Membership Form

Click here to go to the membership form.

Are you curious about Saint James and the Urban Well? Do you want to dive deeper into the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion? These sessions are an engaging way to share our faith journeys, explore Church history and its impact on our present practices, tour our beautiful campus, and learn more about our school of prayer and service in the Lord. Join us to discover what it means to be a member of this vibrant community!

Have Questions? Click here to email Mother Stacey for more info.

Below are a series of podcasts that explore the ethos of Saint James and how early church history and spirituality have shaped all the worship, prayer and serving we do at Saint James today.

It can be listened to however you like, in a couple of 10-minute bites or as one 50-minute whole. It is an experiment in putting across the sweep of our parish history so we can focus Saturday on more immediate questions you have along with an interactive church and campus tour. We hope it is a resource for you before or after Saturday!

Saint James & Early Church History

Below are a series of podcasts that explore the ethos of Saint James and how early church history and spirituality have shaped its worship, prayer and serving we do at Saint James today.

It can be listened to however you like, in a couple of 10-minute bites or as one 50-minute whole. It is an experiment in conveying the sweep of our parish history so that during membership classes, we can focus on your immediate questions, along with an interactive church and campus tour. We hope it is a resource for you before or after the class!

Part 1: Intro and Overview

Part 2: Christian Spirituality

Part 3: Anglican Spirituality

Part 4: The Parish Life of Saint James

Part 5: Mission & Vision of Saint James

Entire podcast

Pathways to the Episcopal Church and the Saint James Community

Confirmation
Confirmation is a sacrament of the Church. It is an informed profession of the faith that may be made by baptized individuals. To be confirmed is to outwardly proclaim your choice of the Episcopal faith and tradition. It involves the laying on of hands upon the head of the individual confirmed by the bishop.

Reception
If you have been confirmed in another liturgical tradition, such as a Roman Catholic or Lutheran church, you can be received into the Episcopal church by our bishop.

Reaffirmation
Those who have been baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church (or any member church in the Anglican Communion) and wish to recommit themselves to the Christian life of faith may choose to reaffirm their baptismal covenant with the bishop.

Letter of Transfer
A letter of transfer is used to move your membership from one Episcopal church to another. If you are already a member of another Episcopal church, and you would like to join Saint James, please contact the church office to let us know. We have a special form we send to your former parish that “transfers” your membership to Saint James. If you would like to transfer your membership, please click here to email the church office and begin the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

A person is a member of the Episcopal Church if they have been baptized, whether in an Episcopal church or another Christian church, and the baptism has been recorded in the records of a particular Episcopal church. A person may also become a member of the Episcopal church if they are confirmed or received by a bishop.

We understand. We consider our church community to be a wide net of individual beliefs and situations and while we encourage people to seriously consider official membership, it is not a requirement to partake in the life of our church family.

According to the governing laws of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania, the only thing non-members may not do at the church level is serve on the vestry and serve as a chalice bearer.

Our hope is that members of Saint James will endeavor to grow in their faith journey. This means sharing the joy of corporate worship as regularly as possible; recognizing that God is the source of all that we are and all that we have; being tolerant of one another and respecting the dignity of every human being; understanding that we don’t have all the answers about faith, but we’re always seeking to learn from God and one another; offering of ourselves to the church through our talents, time, and financial resources; helping to spread the message of Christ’s love in whatever way is possible for you.

Giving money is not a requirement for membership at Saint James. We firmly believe that stewardship of our financial resources is an integral part of being a Christian, and we rely on the generosity of our community to support our common ministry and pay our bills. Episcopal Churches do not receive financial assistance from the Diocese or the National Church. In fact, it’s quite the opposite: we pay a yearly apportionment to the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania to support the mission and ministry of the larger church.

Confirmation with Bishop Audrey Scanlan
Date: Saturday, November 19, 11 AM
Arrival: 10:30 AM in the sanctuary
Attire: Comfortable, business/casual

If you are interested in being confirmed, received or are reaffirming your faith, please complete the form below. Deadline: October 12th

New Connections Membership Classes at Saint James

Want to make it official?

If you've attended Mother Shayna's Inquirer's Class—or even if you haven't—and would like to become a member of Saint James, Mother Shayna will host a membership class on the following date.