St. James Lutheran Church stands on East High Street in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where it has occupied its current building since 1916 and served the borough and the surrounding communities for more than a century. The congregation belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America through the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, and it gathers as a single Sunday-morning congregation of older members, younger families, lifelong Lutherans and people new to the Lutheran tradition. Its mission statement is short and direct: "We welcome all to receive God's love through Christ and to share it with the world."
A Congregation Older Than Its Building
St. James is older than the brick structure that houses it. The congregation was incorporated in 1891 and was first organized as a Sunday School by 1892, then received its official status in October 1896. In 2021 the congregation marked its 125th anniversary. Even as it has grown and changed, the parish has kept a sense of continuity with the wider church. As the congregation's own statement puts it, members "respect the roots and history of the Church before the Reformation and honor the teachings of Martin Luther and other Reformers." Within the ELCA, St. James is represented at the Synod Assembly alongside its pastor and diaconal minister each year.
Sunday Worship in the Sanctuary
One Sunday worship service is offered each week, at 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Mask-wearing is optional. The service is livestreamed on the congregation's Facebook Live page at facebook.com/stjamespottstown, and viewers do not need a Facebook account to watch; recordings remain available afterward. Adult Sunday School meets afterward at 10:45 a.m. in the middle classroom on the lower level, running from September through June with discussion topics led by class members and a half-hour to forty-five minutes of scripture study.
A Full Choir Program for Every Age
Music is central to life at St. James, and the program under Director of Music Ministry Tim Farrand reaches from early childhood through adulthood. Farrand, who also serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Nittany Valley Symphony and founded Arts Undivided LLC in 2021, holds graduate degrees in orchestral conducting and music theory from Penn State and is an active organist who participated in the American Guild of Organists' Bach-a-thon in 2022.
The Adult Chancel Choir rehearses Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. to prepare weekly anthems for the 9:30 a.m. service. The Handbell Choir rehearses Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and welcomes anyone in grade seven and up to prepare monthly preludes and special music. Three children's choirs rehearse on Sundays after worship in the Choir office (the Martin Luther room, located behind the stage downstairs): Cherub Choir for ages three-and-a-half through grade two, Junior Choir for grades three through six, and Youth Choir for grades seven through twelve. All choirs resume in mid-September.
Christian Education for Children, Youth and Adults
Children in preschool through grade six are invited into G.I.F.T., or Growing In Faith Together, an educational ministry that lets them begin worship with the whole church family before being dismissed to Horn Hall during the announcements. There they hear a Bible reading and lesson, then do a craft or coloring page, a game, or a sing-along that connects with the day's message, before returning to the sanctuary at the Peace. The program is led by a Director of Discipleship, Sharon Smith, a lifelong Lutheran who has held similar roles at Lutheran churches in Philadelphia and Pottstown and serves on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod's Tanzania Companionship Team.
Confirmation is open to youth in grade seven and above and prepares them to affirm the baptismal vows made on their behalf as infants. Adult mentors walk alongside confirmation students for at least a few events a year over a two-year period.
Adults have several smaller formation opportunities beyond Sunday School. A Men's Bible Study gathers on Friday mornings at 8:00 a.m. in the Blue Room for a one-hour study. A separate Adult Vacation Bible School is held for one summer week in collaboration with Grace Lutheran and is open to adults of all ages, while a Children's Vacation Bible School runs the same week in cooperation with other local Lutheran churches and welcomes children from age three through grade six.
Rejoicing Spirits: Worship for Everyone
On the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., St. James opens its doors to Rejoicing Spirits, a religious service for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families and friends. The service features upbeat music, joyous singing, and brief meaningful messages, with opportunities for every person to lead, serve and participate. Parking is in the rear of the church.
The ministry is built around three goals: serving as a stepping stone for those taking a first step into a faith community, offering complementary worship and fellowship for those who already belong to a faith community, and providing an inclusive faith group that may fully meet their needs. The congregation also shares the Rejoicing Spirits model of religious inclusion with other disability and faith-based organizations, and connects visitors with the wider network at rejoicingspirits.org.
Outreach into Pottstown and Beyond
St. James partners with Main Street Ministries to feed people experiencing homelessness in the Pottstown area. Volunteers are needed to make a simple evening meal for about fifteen to twenty people at 9:00 p.m., prepare a simple breakfast for fifteen to twenty at 7:00 a.m., serve either meal, donate breakfast staples such as cereal, milk, eggs, sausage, bread, butter, sugar, coffee, cream and fruit, or pick up pizza from Parma Pizza in Sanatoga before closing.
Each year the congregation participates in the Christmas Ingathering sponsored by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, purchasing gifts for those in need so that local families can have a brighter Christmas. On the third Sunday of each month, a special offering supports a ministry beyond the congregation. A recent recipient has been the Navajo Lutheran Mission at Rock Point, a Christ-centered community in the far reaches of the Navajo Nation that runs a K-2 school, a cultural center, a water project and a food bank alongside House of Prayer, an ELCA congregation.
A Congregation Led by the Congregation
The life of St. James is shaped by an active Congregational Council of twelve elected members who oversee all activities and worship life of the parish and ensure that everything is done in accordance with the Word of God and the faith and practice of the ELCA. Several working committees share that work: an Audit Team reviews the congregation's financial accounts annually and certifies their integrity to the Council, the Synod and the ELCA; a Finance Team handles fiscal planning, budgeting and the administration of financial programs; an Endowment Fund Team oversees the management of the congregation's endowment funds and investments; a Personnel Team addresses all matters pertaining to the pastor and staff; a Stewardship Team encourages the congregation to share gifts of time, talent and treasure; and a Property Team coordinates property and clean-up days, meeting on the second Saturday of each month at 8:30 a.m. New members are warmly welcomed; anyone wishing to join can contact Pastor Kay.
Giving and Staying Connected
St. James offers three ways to give. Simply Giving allows members to set up automatic weekly, semi-monthly or monthly contributions from a checking or savings account or by credit or debit card. An Online Giving option through the Give+ platform allows one-time donations, profile management, automatic plans, and a full donation history. Text Giving lets worshippers send a gift by text message to 610-546-2102 using dollar amounts and short codes such as #build, #ben, #music, #flower, #altar and #3rd for designated funds.
A weekly Sunday bulletin, a newsletter, weekly announcements, a monthly WELCA newsletter, and Pastor Kay's blog keep members and friends connected throughout the week. A prayer board invites prayer requests that can be read or included in Sunday's prayer service. The church office, staffed by Office Administrator Barbara Eisenhart and Financial Administrator Sherry Clancy, answers calls at (610) 326-2810, and Pastor Kay is reachable at pastorkbraun@gmail.com.