Saint James Blog

I did not grow up Methodist but I have always been encouraged by their tag-line, “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors.” Jesus certainly taught those around him to be more open, expanding their perspective and understanding of who was considered worthy of God’s love. There were a lot of boundaries by human perspective then and unfortunately there still are, but Jesus made it clear that there are no walls that we can build to separate us from God’s love.

I went off on a tangent there, but I think it’s fitting that our journey at the FVFD began with an open door. I wasn’t sure where the entrance was, if the door would be unlocked, or even if I was allowed to go in that day in July. Three months later, when we walk though those same doors, they are the doors to our new home.

This past Saturday we had the opportunity to serve at the FVFD Open House. It was great to get to know the men and women who serve the area we live in. Each of them has an incredible story–they are parents, students, lawyers, government workers, veterans, and more. This past summer when doors were closing on the search for our second site, I never would have imagined the possibilities that I saw this past Saturday.

On Sunday we held our private launch of Saint James Kingstowne. It was surreal being there and seeing it all come together. Pictures can be found at http://saintjames.shutterfly.com. We’re ready and on Sunday, our doors will finally be open to the public.

Tags: Thoughts by Erika
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Aren’t there already plenty of churches there? Yes, there are and plenty of good faith communities at that! Recently, any number of folks have asked me about our choice of location for Saint James-Kingstowne. Wasn’t Franconia Road in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most churches on a street? I believe the answer to that question may be “yes” as well. My answer to questions like that tends to go something like, “We are not replacing any other church, we are adding to the variety of options available for connecting with Jesus.” I’ve always thought (maybe more truthfully, in the last couple of years I have begun to think) that connecting to Jesus could at times be a very elusive adventure and that no two of us make that connection exactly the same. It is not quite the same thing as re-inventing the wheel every time someone connects with Jesus, but since all of us are unique, we are unique in our relating as well.

Saint James as a whole (both Alexandria and Kingstowne campuses) respects that each of us finds Jesus along the way in different fashions. Saint James tries to offer an open space in which to connect and carry that connection into everyday living. We are not about easy answers; we believe life is messy and that sometimes there simply are no easy answers (maybe more than sometimes). We hope to offer another way of connecting with each other, with God, and with the world God created.

So, yes, there will be another church in the Kingstowne/Franconia area and it will be us, Saint James-Kingstowne. Another choice, another opportunity, another perspective amid many. We are looking forward to it…

Tags: Thoughts by James
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Mark 8:27-30. Is it an accident that our reading through the Bible book of Mark this year has brought us to this question on the weekend when we launch our Saint James -Kingstowne site? I mean, who Jesus is and how he impacts our lives is a central question for us Jesus-followers. Interestingly enough what each follower sees in Jesus has its own nuances and flavors. In the end (I hope I’m not giving too much away of my message/sermon for the weekend) each us has to decide for ourselves. We do not change who Jesus is by deciding for ourselves but we do change the way we respond to his message and sometimes we even change who we are or thought we were.

I am beginning my week of reflection on this passage by trying to figure out who others say Jesus is. In general my experience of both churchy and non-churchy people is that they have a healthy respect for Jesus; sometimes I’ve actually found more respect outside the churchy setting for Jesus because sometimes we churchy people are so sure we know what Jesus is about we don’t stop to consider we could have missed his point altogether. Sometimes we churchy people are so busy selling the following-Jesus-thing that we lose sight of Jesus himself; we re-make him in the image that sells best. Sometimes we churchy people aren’t willing to listen to what anyone else may have to say about Jesus either. I guess it goes to show you that we’ve got the same challenges today as Jesus faced 2000 years ago.

Those are some of my initial thoughts as I read and re-read this Bible passage from Mark this week.

Tags: Bible by James
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