This position offers a lake-side rectory right next to the church.

3 Sunday services: Rite 1, Rite 2 with music, and contemporary worship with praise band

St. James’ is a vibrant, open, joyful, fun-loving community of faith. We are intentional about growing in relationship with God and one another, about caring for the earth God created, and about serving the needs of the world God loves. St. James’ Episcopal Church is located on East Genesee Street in downtown Skaneateles. The church building is blessed to be right on the water capturing the amazing views of Skaneateles Lake.  2016 was the bicentennial year of the congregation, though the present building is “younger” and has recently undergone significant construction including a new roof and renovations to the nave and chapel.  St. James’ offers four unique services each week, providing a diverse range of worship options from quiet contemplative to formal to high-energy praise services. Eucharist or Communion is celebrated at all Sunday worship services. Wednesday is Evening Prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer.  

St. James’ actively looks for ways to bring Jesus to as many people as possible. A unique “gift” of the pandemic is that we have invested heavily in technology and staffing to support online worship, programming, and youth education. St. James’ is committed to offering worship and music in multiple styles to reach the widest array of needs and preferences. The emphasis is more on engagement than attendance. Because people’s worship attendance patterns have changed so dramatically, communication is a priority allowing people to feel actively involved and aware regardless of ability to be present on Sunday. St. James’ has invested in key technology and staff (tech team, accounting and financial, wedding assistants, lead musicians) to help us move forward. We also recognize that many of us don’t have the resources to do everything ourselves, and what we are able to offer, may very well depend on collaboration with other churches rather than siloed ministry. We have already experimented with collaborative youth ministry and confirmation among 4 Episcopal churches, and have collaborated ecumenically for Ashes to Go, Blessing of the Animals and a Community Thanksgiving service.

Our mission is: Igniting passion for Jesus Christ to change lives.
Our Core Beliefs:
1. We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He became man, was crucified and died. On the third day He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven.
2. We accept the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as being fundamental to our understanding of our Triune God and one another.
3. We accept that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the inspired word of God and we seek to engage them in our daily lives.
4. We believe that the Church must continually explore methods of conveying the Gospel in a culturally relevant and sensitive manner, while adhering to the eternal truth of the Gospel.
Our Core Values:
1. We embrace a willingness to try old things in new ways in order to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. We appreciate that faith is a journey, that people are in different places in that journey, and that we must understand, respect, and love each other in the midst of these differences.
3. We welcome differences of opinion and varied perspectives on issues and expect that such differences will be addressed with respect, love, honesty, directness, and acceptance of each person.
4. We believe we are called to be peacemakers, practicing love and forgiveness in every relationship and activity.
5. We are committed to personal integrity as we strive for excellence in all that we do.
6. We are passionate about the wellbeing, education, safety, and nurture of children and youth. We welcome the participation of children, youth and families of all types, in all areas of our common life.
7. We seek to engage people in small groups of ministry, learning, caring, growing, fellowship, and service.
8. We believe that every ministry, activity, and action taken by the Church and its members must answer the question, “Does this help us to ignite passion for Jesus Christ to change lives, and to welcome all to seek, to share, to serve, and to celebrate God’s love and forgiveness?

If you're interested in discerning with St. James', please send your resume/CV, OTM, and letter of interest to:

The Rev. Canon Carrie Schofield-Broadbent,

Canon to the Ordinary for Transition and Church Development, Diocese of Central New York

carriesb@cnyepiscopal.org