Three Centuries on Third Street
St. James Episcopal Parish occupies an entire city block at the corner of Third and Market Streets in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. The parish traces its roots to 1729, when the General Assembly of North Carolina created New Hanover County and established St. James Parish as its ecclesiastical district. The current church building, completed and consecrated on March 29, 1840, is the parish's fourth worship space: its predecessor, a modest brick structure built with ship ballast between 1751 and 1770, was demolished in 1839 so the present Gothic Revival sanctuary could rise in its place. The oldest gravestone in the adjoining churchyard belongs to William Hunt, a 19-year-old sailor from New Jersey who was buried in 1757, fourteen years before the first sanctuary was finished.
The years between have been eventful. In February 1865, Union forces entered Wilmington during the closing months of the Civil War and seized the church, using it as a hospital until that summer; services resumed on December 8 of the same year. In 1871, the original arched plaster ceiling was judged unsafe and replaced with a gabled ceiling of oak hammer beams. Between 1885 and 1892, the New York architect Henry Dudley enlarged the chancel and added the south transept; the Bridgers Memorial Building, honoring a prominent local citizen, went up alongside the church in 1892. The Parish House, with its Gothic tower and the Great Hall, was built in 1923-24 from designs by Hobart Upjohn, the New York architect who also designed First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington. Milton Hall followed in 1955-56, housing classrooms, the children's chapel, and what is now St. James Day School. The MacRae House, designed in 1901 by Henry Bacon (architect of the Lincoln Memorial), was acquired the same year and now serves as the parish offices. In 2000, the multipurpose Perry Hall was dedicated, allowing St. James to claim the entire city block as its campus. The tower was restored in 2010, and the church interior was renovated in 2012.
Today, St. James is part of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. As the congregation looks toward its tricentennial in November 2029, a capital campaign is underway to preserve the historic campus and prepare the parish for its next century.
Sunday Mornings on Third Street
From the Sunday after Labor Day through the Sunday before Memorial Day, worship at the downtown church follows a steady pattern. Holy Eucharist Rite I begins at 8:00 a.m., a quieter service that uses the traditional-language liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer without hymns. At 9:10 a.m., the Faith Formation hour gathers children, youth, and adults in classrooms across the campus for Sunday School and adult offerings. The principal Sunday service, Holy Eucharist Rite II, begins at 10:15 a.m. with the St. James Choir leading congregational singing, and is also livestreamed.
Worship at St. James is rooted in the Book of Common Prayer, with the congregation rather than the clergy understood as the principal actor. Hymnals, prayer books, and Bibles are placed in each pew; the service bulletin guides worshipers through the liturgy and points to page numbers in the red Book of Common Prayer and the blue Hymnal 1982. The rector and associate rectors wear vestments in the color of the liturgical season, and the altar rather than the pulpit is the focal point of the sanctuary. Every service includes two or three readings from Holy Scripture together with a Psalm, and the lectionary in the back of the prayer book guides the parish through the Bible day by day.
Visitors are free to sit, stand, or kneel at any point. The parish's shorthand is "All May, Some Should, None Must," meaning there is no requirement to follow any particular posture or gesture. Ushers hand out bulletins at the door; greeters are stationed around the campus to answer questions; and the entire interior of the church is open seating, with two front transept pews reserved for families who need extra space for mobility or sensory needs.
Summer Sundays at Mt. Lebanon Chapel
From Mother's Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, the parish shifts into a different rhythm. Two Holy Eucharist Rite II services are offered each Sunday at Mt. Lebanon Chapel, the simple white clapboard chapel in Airlie Gardens at 814 Airlie Road. Services are at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and worshipers may sit inside the chapel or out on the grounds. Those who choose to sit outside are invited to bring their own lawn chair or picnic blanket, a custom the parish calls "BYOC."
Mt. Lebanon Chapel was built in 1835 by Dr. Thomas Henry Wright to serve members of St. James who lived near the Greenville, Wrightsville, Masonboro, and Middle Sounds, and those who vacationed at the coast during the summer. Before the chapel, the round trip from the beach to downtown Wilmington for Sunday worship would have taken about three hours. The approximately six acres on which the chapel sits were donated to the parish in 1875.
Surrounding the chapel is the All Saints Memorial Garden, shaded by old oaks along Bradley Creek, where St. James parishioners and their families may be interred and where parish volunteers tend the plantings year-round. A short walk from the chapel is an ancient labyrinth, a single-path design used for prayer, reflection, and embodied walking meditation, especially during Holy Week. The 10:15 a.m. Rite II service continues at the downtown church all summer, with Rite I offered on the first Sunday of each month. The chapel is also available for Episcopal weddings.
A Weekday Rhythm of Prayer
Beyond Sunday morning, the parish keeps a steady weekday rhythm of prayer and worship. A noonday Holy Eucharist is celebrated in the St. James Chapel every Wednesday at 12:10 p.m., and Weekday Morning Prayer is prayed on Zoom Monday through Friday at 8:00 a.m. The St. James Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. during the program year and gathers for warm-up on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. before the 10:15 service. The Adult Handbell Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.
Throughout the year, the parish observes the major seasons of the Church calendar. Ash Wednesday is marked with Imposition of Ashes services at 7:00 a.m., noon, and 7:00 p.m. Holy Week includes a Wednesday noon Eucharist, a Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 p.m., Good Friday services at noon at Mt. Lebanon Chapel and 7:00 p.m. at St. James, the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m., and a full Easter Sunday schedule including a Tower Prayer Service at sunrise, Rite I at 8:00 a.m., and two Rite II services. Christmas is celebrated with Holy Eucharist Rite II services on Christmas Eve at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m., and on Christmas Day at 10:30 a.m.
Welcoming First-Time Visitors
Newcomers and new members are invited into the life of the parish through a three-session St. James Orientation Class, typically offered on Tuesday evenings each November. Anyone can fill out a Newcomer Survey to begin a conversation with the clergy and staff, and baptized Christians of any tradition are invited to receive Holy Communion at St. James. There is no dress code; parishioners tend toward business casual, with some in suits and others in jeans. The church has two main entrances: the front stairs along Third Street and an ADA-accessible transept entrance off the front lawn. Greeters are present on Sunday mornings to help with directions, and the closest restrooms are in the Bridgers Memorial Building just outside the Great Hall.
Parking downtown can be tight, but First Citizens Bank and Wells Insurance allow the parish to use their parking lots on Sunday mornings. A parking map highlights on-campus and accessible parking in green. The parish teaches that all baptized children, no matter their age, may receive Holy Communion, since God loves and feeds children long before they can understand nutrition or love. Children who have not yet been baptized, or whose parents prefer they wait, are welcome to come forward for a blessing. Visitors who do not wish to receive Communion may also come forward for a blessing by crossing their arms over their chest at the altar rail. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Children, Sunday School, and the Children's Chapel
Children are welcomed into every service at St. James. Busy Bags - small totes stocked with coloring sheets and quiet activities - are available at the transept entrance for any family that would like one. During the 10:15 a.m. service, children are invited to gather at the front right corner of the church as the Acolytes bring the Gospel book forward, and to process with the clergy to Children's Chapel, where they hear the same Gospel reading with an age-appropriate homily led by a member of the clergy or another leader. Children return during the Prayers of the People and are welcomed to share in Holy Communion with their families.
Sunday School for children age 3 through fifth grade meets at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday mornings from September through May, with four classrooms on the second floor of Milton Hall. Lessons follow a Biblically sound curriculum enriched with art, music, crafts, games, and snacks. Registration is encouraged but not required; visitors are always welcome. Vacation Bible School is offered in the summer; in recent years it has run for four mornings in late July, with a different annual theme and scholarships available. Camp Trinity, the camp center of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, is another option for summer enrichment.
For the youngest members, the Nursery is open during the program year from the beginning of the 9:10 a.m. Faith Formation hour through the conclusion of the 10:15 a.m. service. The Nursery is located in Milton Hall, accessible through the Cloister entrance or the St. James Day School door. Children age 3 and under are cared for there during worship and formation, freeing parents to take part in adult classes and the service itself.
Youth Ministries from Sixth Grade Through High School
Youth in grades 6 through 12 gather on the second floor of Perry Hall on Sunday mornings during the program year. After a shared time of snacks and check-ins, the middle and high school groups split for study, discussion, and fellowship. During the 2026-27 year, the youth curriculum is studying what it means to be a Christian and to center identity in Christ. A weekly Youth Bible Study meets on Wednesday mornings at 7:00 a.m. at a local Starbucks, an informal gathering open to all teens.
The youth program is anchored by the Rev. Addie Budnick, an Associate Rector whose focus ministries include Youth Ministry and Outreach Ministries. The Rev. Budnick is a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary and previously served as Director of Young Adult Ministries at Christ Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and as Director of Youth Ministries at Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina.
Each year, youth are invited to participate in Happening, a Christian retreat experience led by teenagers for teenagers with clergy and lay adult support. Summer mission trips are another mainstay: for many summers, the youth have traveled to Glory Ridge in Marshall, North Carolina, where they spend a week doing free home repair and maintenance for families in Madison County. Additional youth outreach efforts include support of the Saint's Shop, the annual Angel Tree Project, and other parish-wide initiatives. Acolytes in grades 5 through 12 serve at the 10:15 a.m. service and at special liturgies throughout the Church year.
Music as a Form of Prayer
Music is a central part of worship at St. James. The Director of Music, Jacob Montgomery, leads a volunteer choir whose roots go back more than two centuries; the earliest known reference to music at the parish is March 1812, when the vestry reserved pews "for the use of singers." The current choir is a mixed adult ensemble that sings at the 10:15 a.m. service each Sunday from September through May and at special liturgies throughout the Church year. Members rehearse on Thursday evenings and gather for warm-up on Sunday mornings.
The Adult Handbell Choir adds another layer to the musical life of the parish, rehearsing Thursday evenings and playing for several services each year. Children who love to sing may join the St. James Children's Choir, which meets as part of the Children's Ministries program. Members of the Flower Guild deliver altar arrangements each week to parishioners in hospitals, nursing homes, or at home, a ministry that has been part of parish life for decades. Throughout the year, the music program marks the seasons of the Church calendar - Advent Lessons and Carols, Christmas Eve, the liturgies of Holy Week, the Easter Vigil, Pentecost, and the Bishop's Visitation each draw on the parish's organ and choral tradition.
Adult Faith Formation and Education for Ministry
Adults who want to go deeper gather at 9:10 a.m. on Sunday mornings during the program year. The 2026-27 Faith Formation year, titled "Identity in Christ: A Journey in Faith," is the first part of a multi-year journey designed to coincide with the parish's tricentennial in November 2029. The first year focuses on three questions: who are we as human beings made in God's image, who was Jesus of Nazareth as a man born in a specific time in history, and what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Classes meet in the Lippitt Room and combine guest speakers, reading, and conversation.
For parishioners who want a sustained theological study, the parish hosts two Education for Ministry (EfM) groups, one meeting Tuesday mornings and one Thursday evenings. EfM is a four-year program offered through the School of Theology at Sewanee that walks participants through the Bible, church history, and theology, with theological reflection at the heart of each session. Members commit one year at a time. A Wednesday morning Bible study also meets at 11:00 a.m., currently working through the parables of Jesus.
Other formation offerings during the program year include a Young Adult Coffee and Connection in the Green Room above the Parish Shop for adults of all ages, and the Wednesday morning Craft and Connect, a relaxed gathering for crafters of every skill level held in the Stephen Ministry Room.
Pastoral Care, St. Martha's Guild, and Grief Support
Congregational Care at St. James is organized around several lay-led guilds. The Care Guild sends trained visitors to parishioners who are homebound or in care facilities, with visits lasting fifteen to forty-five minutes. Many Care Guild members have completed Community of Hope International (COHI) training, which equips lay people to provide spiritual care through theological reflection and contemplative listening. The Flower Guild delivers altar flowers to parishioners in hospitals, nursing homes, or at home after each Sunday's services. St. Martha's Guild, with more than one hundred members, delivers meals to parishioners who are sick, bereaved, or recovering from the birth of a child, writes notes, makes phone calls, and coordinates funeral receptions.
For those grieving the loss of a loved one (or any other significant loss, including job changes or an empty nest), the Living Well in the Midst of Grief and Loss group meets the first and third Mondays of each month at 5:00 p.m. Prayer requests can be submitted online and are held in prayer by the parish community. Eucharistic Visitors are licensed by the bishop to take consecrated bread and wine to those who cannot attend services, and Eucharistic Ministers assist the clergy at the altar rail each Sunday.
The Saint's Shop and Outreach Across Wilmington
St. James supports a wide network of outreach partnerships, many of them staffed by members of every age. The Saint's Shop, a parish ministry that recently opened in the renovated basement under the Great Hall, provides new and gently used clothing, shoes, and essential items to children and teens experiencing clothing insecurity in the Wilmington area. Working with schools, agencies, churches, and other community organizations, the shop helps young people access clothing they can feel proud to wear.
On months with a fifth Sunday, the parish prepares and delivers Meals on Wheels to about 180 homebound recipients. Members of Men on a Mission serve dinner at the Good Shepherd Center on the first and third Tuesday evenings of each month, and at the Ashley Center on the fourth Sunday. The Northside Food Co-op partnership supports community meals in the Northside area of the city, one of eight identified food deserts in Wilmington. Eden Village of Wilmington, a tiny home community for the chronically homeless, currently houses 31 residents, with plans for additional tiny homes and a 12-bed respite house.
Other partnerships include 2Share, a grassroots furniture ministry that delivers donated furnishings to neighbors in need; the Help Hub, where volunteers serve as greeters, advisors, and data entry on Tuesday through Thursday mornings; the Angel Tree Project, an annual Christmas gift drive; the Parish Gift Shop, whose proceeds benefit women, children, and family outreach projects; and the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, which supports migrant farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina. St. James hosts an annual backpack drive each summer to support the children of farmworkers as they prepare for the school year, and the church is the host site for Wilmington Rises Against Hunger, a meal-packaging event that draws volunteers from across the region.
The Committee for Racial Healing
St. James is also home to a standing Committee for Racial Healing, which grew out of a Race Relations Task Force established by the Vestry in the summer of 2020. After four series of "Sacred Ground," the Episcopal Church's racial reconciliation curriculum, the question "What now?" became the basis for the committee's continuing work. Members meet on the fourth Monday of each month via Zoom to discuss readings from "We Cry Justice: Reading the Bible with the Poor People's Campaign" and to coordinate events.
The committee's mission is to create a compassionate, trusting community where understanding, love, and healing can grow among people of all racial backgrounds. Its work includes deepening understanding of racial inequities in the local community and the country, cultivating relationships with neighbors of color, and participating in anti-racism training and activities. Members have helped host seven sessions of Sacred Ground with more than 80 parishioners and 25 others from the Diocese of East Carolina, and have welcomed diocesan pilgrimages related to the events of 1898. In 2025, St. James was the site host for the Diocese of East Carolina's annual Absalom Jones Service. Members also serve on the History Subcommittee of the Tricentennial Celebration Committee, researching the parish's history from its beginnings during slavery through Reconstruction to the present day.
St. James Day School
Housed within Milton Hall on the parish campus, St. James Day School is a parish-affiliated preschool rooted in the Episcopal tradition of welcoming and nurturing each child. The school serves toddlers through four-year-olds, with a curriculum that blends student-led discovery with teacher-guided activities in music, art, stories, science, and play. Teachers design themed units that tie together art, science, and storytelling, while daily routines encourage kindness, cooperation, and a love of learning.
The school is led by Director Ansley Trask and a staff of lead and assistant teachers, including a Spanish teacher, who together create a supportive environment where each child feels seen, valued, and loved. The Day School operates on the parish's campus but has its own calendar, with its own Open House, Back to School Night, and parent social events throughout the year. An Annual Fund supports classroom improvements and learning materials, including recent furniture upgrades and a new shelving initiative.
The Historic Campus and a Capital Campaign for 2029
St. James now occupies the entire city block bounded by Third, Market, Dock, and Front Streets, with the Bacon House serving as the parish offices, the Bridgers Memorial Building connecting the church to the Great Hall, and Perry Hall providing multipurpose space for fellowship, youth ministries, and the Sunday family breakfast. The church building itself is open for parish members and their children and grandchildren to use for weddings, with clergy consulted at least 90 days in advance of any wedding date.
Looking toward 2029, the parish is preparing for the celebration of its tricentennial. A Tricentennial Capital Campaign supports the preservation of the historic campus, the strengthening of parish ministries, and the long-term vitality of the St. James Parish Foundation. Recent visible improvements include the transformation of the basement under the Great Hall into the Saint's Shop, a complete renovation of the Great Hall Kitchen, exterior work on the Bacon House, and the restoration of the tower clock.
St. James is served by the Rev. C. Phillip Craig, Jr., as rector; the Rev. Joseph "Gray" Hodsdon, the Rev. Elizabeth Phillips, and the Rev. Addie Budnick as associate rectors; and the Rev. Deacon Stephen Thomas as deacon. Parish ministry is shaped by a vestry, a day school board, a Mt. Lebanon Chapel Board, and dozens of lay-led commissions and guilds. Three centuries on, St. James remains a working parish church at the heart of downtown Wilmington, ready to welcome all who come to grow in love of God and neighbor.