Members of our congregation at St. James Episcopal Church are loving the piece by Jesse Mayshark in Metropulse this week that includes an interview with our terrific priest, John Mark Wiggers, better known to many as “Father Dude.”
John Mark’s nickname arises from his great fondness for the Coen Brothers’ parable-film, The Big Lebowski (which does absolutely nothing for me, incidentally, but I know many super interesting folks who really love the movie).
Our church has a truly diverse congregation, especially for Knoxville, Tennessee, and one of the things I love most about it is that there are so many very active, vibrant, deeply thoughtful church members who are in their late 70s, their 80s and their 90s, and several women in the 80-ish age group were apparently sitting on the interview committee when John Mark was being considered as a candidate to become St. James’ new rector. Recently, I was at a luncheon with one of these women and she told me a hilarious story about how after she interviewed John Mark, and he had told her how meaningful he found this “Big Lebowski” movie she’d never heard of, she decided that she and several of her contemporaries should watch the movie to see what the heck this shaggy headed, laid back priest found so profound about it.
So they did.
Several of the age 75-plus ladies of St. James Episcopal Church sat down and watched “The Big Lebowski” from start to finish.
And John Mark got the job.
If you live in Knoxville and have been looking for a welcoming Christian congregation (the St. James community recently voted to become a certified “Welcoming Congregation” ministry, and are working toward meeting all the goals of the program) located near downtown in a gorgeous, historic church building, with a culturally, demographically, and ethnically diverse congregation, please pay us a visit at St. James.
A photo I took during Easter Services at St. James this year
As a cradle Episcopalian who wandered for a number of years sampling other faiths, trying to find the right church and congregation for me, I finally found my spiritual home at St. James, and I’ve never looked back. Not long after, my sister Betsy and her family also moved from the Episcopal church they had been attending over to St. James, and Betsy is now very active in various church activitie, including working on the commitee currently revamping the programs for youth and little kids. And last month, Danger Baby became the first member of our family to be christened at St. James since we all joined.
Seriously, come check us out at St. James. We’d love to meet you. If you want to know more, you can keep up with the latest St. James happenings via our church Facebook page.
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Are you part of an organized faith community? Tell me about it. How did you end up there and what drew you to it? What were you looking for in a spiritual home base? Or if you’re still seeking, what’s on your “list?”
I can't believe it. I was going to take my daughter here on Christmas Eve. After becoming agnostic several years ago, I've had this urge to try church again and I thought we'd give this a try. Lauren was baptized Lutheran/Episcopalian and I've always loved the Episcopal Church. We live up in Fountain City and may move to the "17" so it would be a great fit for us. Thank you and maybe we will see you there!
That's awesome, Heidi
We will be at the service that's at around 5:30 pm (I think, have to check) with the children's pageant. I hope to meet you there!
-Katie
That sounds GREAT! We will try to make the 5:30 service – that's the correct time – but if not will go to the 11 p.m. one. I would like Lauren to get involved with the youth group. She's 11.
If you only knew how long I perused their website this week. This seems like one of those things that should happen on a Hallmark Christmas movie!
Wish this church was in my town – I'm searching for a church community like this one.
I've found that most of the "First Christian" churches as well as a lot of Episcopal, Methodist and Unitarian Universalist churches are welcoming with a diverse vibe. Sometimes they are harder to find in small towns like the one I grew up in.
I probably need to write a ridiculously long blog post about my conflicted feelings toward faith and religion. But for today, suffice it to say: no, I am not actively part of a church though I do sometimes attend, I don't know what I'm looking for, and I don't know how to find it.
I was raised as a Lutheran, and there are two "kinds" of Lutherans. The Missouri Synod are much more conservative (how I was raised), and the ELCA Lutherans are much…less conservative. When we moved into our house, there was an ELCA Lutheran church in our neighborhood, three blocks down. I walked there soon after my first son was born, and the pastor (a lovely woman) gave a sermon all about God's love for us. Like your church, this is a diverse congregation of LGBT members, divorced people, single parents, two-parent families, married couples, widowers of all ages. Both of my sons have been baptised there, and we are so lucky to have found a community of people who love us just as we are, who are always delighted to see my children, and who teach about God's love and the importance of our service to others. Ours is also a "welcoming congegration" and I can easily say going there has saved me a fortune in therapy sessions.
also meant to add it's a diverse congregation that actually looks like the neighborhood in Chicago I live in, which is just wonderful!
That's awesome Sara
I was born and raised Lutheran. My mother's family was actually split when Missouri Synod and ELCA were formed. My mother stayed with the ELCA. It is true what you wrote, Sara, regarding beliefs. In fact there are more factions than that with the other common one being Wisconsin Evangelical. But the ELCA church I grew up with is not diverse or particularly welcoming. However, this is the same in so many denominations. One church can be completely different than another in the same city, even though they may be of the same religion and faction.
Heidi, I couldn't agree more. I think the pastor plays a huge role in the overall tone of a church, and can "make or break" how welcoming a congregation can be. I got super lucky with our ELCA church, mainly because of the leadership there, and some truly awesome members of the congregation. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve experience!
Thanks, Sara! Merry Christmas!
I've been attending St. James since '99; thanks for the shout-out. St. James is an urbane, welcoming, and diverse Episcopal community of worship in East Tennessee.
As for my spiritual and religious journey you can check on existential episodes at http://sweetwilliamnow.blogspot.com/.
Bill Collins
When I moved back home to East Tennessee in 2004, I planned to visit every Episcopal church in Knoxville before making a decision where to land I visited three churches and then there was St. James. There was no need th go anywhere else. When I visited my old church in Little Rock, I told someone there that simply St. James is church the way it is supposed be. Old, young, white, black, gay straight, liberal and not-so, rich, poor. Every one is there as a community for one another. I have never felt so at home, loved and comforted, yet also when needed challenged and encouraged, in my life. It is all about trust.
That seals the deal, then!
I hope to take my daughter to one of the services at Christmas and then start attending from now on. I'm a large – read: fat – 50-year-old with a daughter that is a much younger, skinnier version of me.
Katie, thanks so much for this blog post. I very easily could have backed out thinking that attendance would be a disaster but now I feel confident that St. James is for us.
I liked the interview–he seems like a great guy. We attend Immaculate Conception Catholic Church downtown. We have a long history there–not only was I baptized there but my mother attended there since she was a little girl. But we also genuinely prefer it to the other Catholic churches in Knoxville, and drive 25 minutes there each Sunday even though we no longer live in the parish. One of the things we like about it is the diversity. Another is the downtown location. And it, too, is known as a welcoming place.
I went to that church once, about five years ago, and thought it was very nice.
I was raised Catholic, and my husband was raised Episcopalian. We've attended both sects off and on, but don't like attending Episcopal churches because of the way that they serve communion. We're both recovering alcoholics, and traditionally, if you'd like to partake in the wafer but not the wine, you're supposed to cross your arms over your chest. It's happened to each of us several times (at different churches) that the chalice bearer asks repeatedly, "Are you sure?" or something else similar to that. It's not their fault, or the church's fault, it just makes us uncomfortable. In Catholic church you just kind of walk past the chalice bearer if you don't want the wine…We went to a Methodist church for a while, where the communion wine wasn't wine wine at all (grape juice). It was nice not to have to worry about sticking out for not accepting the wine, so that was nice.
We've tried non-denominational, which was a little scary to us… We've also attended UU churches, since our beliefs go a bit beyond the restraints of Christianity, but those haven't felt right, either. So yes, it's been a long, somewhat frustrating process. We believe strongly in a higher power (or powers), but haven't found a place that fits our beliefs even somewhat closely. Do you know the Tom Robbins quote, "I believe in everything, nothing is sacred; I believe in nothing, everything is sacred"? If there was a church that encompassed everything, I guess we would go there. The closest match to that would be UU, I guess…but the ones we went to felt like formal church, and not very young and fresh, you know?
Sorry for the lengthy diatribe!
Chrissy, I don't know where you are, but at St. James you wouldn't experience that pushiness. There is a clear recognition that individuals take communion differently. I am touched each time I approach the rail and realize how different it is for each person. The only rules that I see are the ones that you and God have established for yourself.
Hey, Pam! We're in Knoxville. You wouldn't happen to be the Pam Strickland that's pictured to my left here, would you?: http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/index.html If it is you, I'll see you at the January KWG reading!
I'll tell my husband about St. James. He's a cradle Episcopalian.
…and thanks, Katie, for opening up this dialogue!
I'm a former newspaper reporter and writer, too. This is amazing. I hope to meet you, too!
Chrissy, I don't know where you are, but at St. James you wouldn't experience that pushiness. There is a clear recognition that individuals take communion differently. I am touched each time I approach the rail and realize how different it Chrissy, I don't know where you are, but at St. James you wouldn't experience that pushiness. There is a clear recognition that individuals take communion differently. I am touched each time I approach the rail and realize how different it is for each person. The only rules that I see are the ones that you and God have established for yourself. for each person. The only rules that I see are the ones that you and God have established for yourself.
My daughter and I attended tonight's late service. I felt like I had finally come home after a very long journey in the wilderness.
You never who or how you touch other people, a la "It's a Wonderful Life." Katie I want to thank you and have a wonderful Christmas.