What is rediscovering history?

The church of Saint James has nearly 300 years of history with records that cover most of that period. The people of Saint James, the city of Lancaster and the wider church have benefited from the work of generations of historians who have shared our stories of faith and mission. History is not however a static subject as new material emerges and each generation asks different questions of the past in the light of contemporary understandings of faith and the human condition.

In rediscovering our history, we are not inventing our history but seeing, for the first time, what was present but we did not have the eyes or heart to see. The most recent “rediscovery” is the relationship of Saint James to Africans and African Americans. Others will follow.