St. James Episcopal Church sits at 4 St. James Place in Essex Junction, just off Route 2A at Gate F of the Champlain Valley Exposition Center. The parish describes itself as a diverse and dynamic community of faith, open to all from many walks of life and committed to making the loving realm of God a reality in the world. It is one of the parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, part of the wider Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, and its mission is rooted in prayer and worship, proclamation of the Gospel, and the promotion of justice, peace, and love.
Sunday Mornings: Conversation, Then Worship
Sunday at St. James begins at 8:30 a.m. with Lectionary Discussion, a weekly gathering to work through the appointed Sunday biblical texts and what they might mean for daily life. The conversation meets in person at the church and on Zoom, and newcomers are welcome whether or not they plan to stay for the later service.
At 10:00 a.m. the congregation gathers for worship, offered in person and online. The Sunday liturgy is described as Contemporary Morning Prayer or Holy Eucharist, drawing on the prayer book traditions of the Episcopal Church while remaining accessible to those newer to liturgical worship. On constellation Sundays the service is a joint Eucharist shared with Calvary Church of Jericho and Underhill as part of a constellation agreement between the two parishes. After worship the morning continues with a Coffee Hour Conversation, with occasional Adult Forums.
Compline on Thursday Evenings
On Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. the parish gathers online for Compline, the brief night prayer from the daily office. Members and friends join by Zoom for this short service of psalms, scripture, and silence, a quiet bookend to the week. The Thursday Compline follows the rhythm set by the Sunday morning and connects naturally with midweek study and reflection.
A Shared Constellation with Calvary Church
St. James and Calvary Church in Jericho and Underhill entered into a constellation agreement on June 1, 2024, to explore shared ministry together over a nineteen-month period. The two parishes kept their own identities and vestries while agreeing to common activities and times of worship meant to deepen the spiritual lives of both congregations. A Covenant for Shared Constellation Ministry set out the terms, approved by Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown and running through December 2025. The calendars of the two parishes are published side by side, and constellation Sundays bring both communities into one sanctuary for a joint Eucharist.
Music Across Five Decades
Music has long been a center of parish life. The Adult Choir, Bell Choir, and Youth Choir meet weekly for rehearsals, and the program is led by Carol Reichard, Minister of Music. A graduate of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with degrees in music and education, Reichard has accompanied choral groups and soloists across the Burlington area for decades, served as organist, choir director, and director of music in Episcopal churches for more than fifty years, and founded and conducted the Colchester Community Chorus. Her dual presence at St. James and in the wider choral life of Chittenden County gives the parish a musical reach that extends well beyond Sunday morning.
A Memorial Garden and a Peace Pole
Behind the church on the hillside lies the St. James Memorial Garden, established in 1974 in memory of Geoffrey Hamlin, a beloved member of the parish. The garden is a private burial ground that holds only cremated remains. Ashes are interred directly into the earth or first placed in a biodegradable container, and the names of the deceased are engraved on the garden's memorial stones. A freestanding granite cross stands at the top of the hillside, and the area outside the low-walled co-mingled garden is no longer used for new interments. The garden is reserved for those who have had a significant personal or family relationship with the parish.
In front of the church stands a four-sided cedar Peace Pole, installed in September 2019 to honor Bishop Paul Jones, one of the founders of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. The pole carries the word peace in several languages alongside Bishop Jones's name; its four sides also celebrate the four seasons of the year in Vermont and the four gospels. The dedication drew Retiring Bishop Tom Ely and the newly arrived Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown, and the ceremony included songs, prayers, and a cello performance by Amma Kim.
Christian Formation for Adults
The parish takes seriously the Episcopal conviction that praying shapes believing. Weekly Lectionary Discussion opens each Sunday morning, and the formation program adds Adult Forums, Book Groups, and Study Groups throughout the year, often under lay leadership. Recent offerings have included multiweek book series paired with study guides and readings from the Bible and other sources, gathering on Zoom to reflect on creation and how Christians are called to respond. Baptism, marriage, and funeral preparations are conducted by the priest.
Outreach and the Wider Community
St. James supports a network of community organizations and opens its buildings to many of them. JUMP (the Joint Urban Ministry Project), STEPS and its Christmas for Neighbors drive for survivors of domestic violence, and COTS (the Committee on Temporary Shelter) are among the partner groups. Rally Cats Cupboard at the University of Vermont, Aunt Dot's Place Food Shelf, and Age Well (Meals on Wheels) all connect to the parish through volunteer support or building use, and Age Well distributes meals from the church year-round. Alcoholics Anonymous meets on site, and the Vermont Mandir and Cultural Center also uses parish space, reflecting a desire to share the buildings with groups whose work touches the wider community.
Deacon Dave Ganter, who has served at St. James since 2011, is active in the Essex-Jericho-Underhill Ecumenical Ministry that runs the Jericho food shelf, and his growing interest in low-cost housing and Housing First initiatives shapes some of the parish's outreach conversation.
Parish Life Beyond Sunday
Soulmates, originally created as a fellowship group for single parishioners, now welcomes every adult in the St. James family for outings across Vermont, trips to the movies or theater, lunches, games, and quiet afternoons looking out over Lake Champlain. A volunteer planning group meets several times a year to organize activities. The Cribbage Group meets in the Parish Hall on Thursday afternoons and is open to anyone who wants to play. The Youth Choir gives younger members a weekly musical rhythm, and the parish bell choir adds another avenue for involvement.
Clergy, Staff, and Leadership
The Reverend Deacon Heather Caulfield-Mills serves as the parish's Clergyperson-in-Charge, having been called as Deacon-in-Charge before her ordination to the priesthood. A graduate of the University of Vermont, the SIT Graduate Institute, and Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, where she earned a Master of Divinity and a Diploma in Anglican Studies, she has taught in UVM's End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate programs since 2019 and brings a background in hospice volunteering, spiritual care, and hospital chaplaincy. She has said that from her first visit she felt at home in the parish, citing its spirit of welcome, care for neighbors, strong lay leadership, and embodiment of its mission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Reverend Deacon Dave Ganter was ordained a deacon in 2005 through a formation program organized by Bexley Hall Seminary and the Diocese of Central New York. A former IBM professional in financial planning and systems integration, he moved to Vermont with his wife, Fran, to be near grandchildren, served at St. Matthew's in Enosburg Falls, and has been at St. James since 2011. His ministry at the parish centers on outreach and pastoral care.
Carol Reichard serves as Minister of Music, and SarahJean Bos serves as Parish Administrator, supporting both St. James and the wider constellation of Vermont parishes. The parish is governed by an elected Vestry, whose members include Brian Garland, Senior Warden; Linda Chiasson, Junior Warden; Susan Ficklin, Parish Treasurer; Frances Huessy; Kathy Laidman; Jeff Moskovics; Jenny Ogelby; Neal Robinson; and George Rudgers, with Molly Rudgers serving as Vestry Secretary. The Diocese of Vermont is led by Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown, who was consecrated in 2019, and the wider Episcopal Church by Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe.
Building Use and a Green Campus
The church makes its spaces available when the parish is not using them. A large, airy meeting and reception area, a smaller library-style meeting room, and practical breakout spaces can be combined for all-day gatherings, and a professional kitchen supports food preparation and service for events. Rentals go to organizations whose missions align with the parish's, and groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and the Vermont Mandir and Cultural Center meet on site under this arrangement. Fees help cover heat, electricity, and the upkeep of meeting equipment, and the parish recycles and minimizes waste in line with the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont's earth stewardship agenda.
Visiting St. James
Visitors are welcomed warmly. Sunday Morning Prayer or Holy Eucharist is at 10:00 a.m., with Lectionary Discussion at 8:30 a.m., and Thursday Compline at 7:00 p.m. offers a quieter way to join in. All three services are hybrid: in person at the church and online via Zoom, with bulletins published for each Sunday service. The parish office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the office can be reached at 802.878.4014 or office@stjamesvt.org. The campus is at 4 St. James Place, just off Route 2A at Gate F of the Champlain Valley Exposition Center. A peace pole greets visitors as they approach, and the Memorial Garden offers a quiet place of remembrance on the hillside behind the church.
St. James is a parish in motion. Through its constellation with Calvary Church, its listening sessions that produced the parish vision - a deeply relational Episcopal community rooted in worship, compassion, and shared life - and its active outreach network, the congregation is working out what it means to be the body of Christ in Essex Junction and beyond.