Welcome to St. James Church of Kingsessing, Episcopal Church

Serving the community for close to 250 years, St. James Church was founded by Swedish Settlers in 1760 and is the oldest church west of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. In 1844, St. James was the first of the three Swedish Churches to unite with the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

In the midst of a five-acre churchyard, the colonial church is a quiet place set apart for the worship of God. The Sparks Memorial Building on 68th Street is the Church School and Parish activities center. Many early inhabitants/settlers of the area are buried in the adjoining cemetery.

In our worship, we offer thanksgiving to God for the gift of salvation and celebrate our status as his beloved children. In our preaching and our classes for all ages, we seek to learn more of God's love and to learn how we are to live in the light of that love. In our social events, we seek to share with others the unconditional love and true acceptance we find in the Gospel.

While our mission/purpose remains unchanged, our physical community, Southwest Philadelphia, is changing. Increasingly, our members come here from other places, leaving behind family, old friends and familiar roots. We want very much to be a place where you can find a new home, make new friends, and put down new roots. We also want to be a place where the joys and sorrows of our lives can be shared with one another.

Mission

The Mission of St. James Church is to welcome and embrace the Global Community in Christ, to grow from generation to generation through youth development and spiritual enrichment, to give of our time and treasure, and to become living witnesses to the love of Christ by serving others.

All baptized persons who believe in the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament are welcome to receive Holy Communion. We welcome visitors and ask that you sign the guest book in the vestibule of the church.

Worship

The Holy Eucharist is celebrated in traditional style and language at the 8:15 a.m. service. The contemporary form is used at the 10:30 a.m. service.