Full-Time

Be a part of what God is doing at St. James! St. James in downtown Hendersonville, N.C., is a growing and energetic parish that seeks an associate rector who can dive into all aspects of priestly ministry with a collaborative, thoughtful, and compassionate spirit. At a church our size (650 members/250 ASA), the associate works in close partnership with the Rector in all aspects of parish ministry—regularly preaching, offering pastoral care, presiding at Eucharist, and attending Vestry and applicable ministry team meetings.

The associate will also have primary responsibility for new member integration and for developing formation opportunities: supporting a thriving children’s ministry, engaging with our youth group, empowering young adults and spiritually minded seekers and creating innovative programming and opportunities for adult discipleship and learning.

As associate, you will be joining a collegial staff at a parish known for its warm welcome, its first-class music program, engaged lay ministers and leaders, and an enthusiastic willingness to be creative and try new things.

You will also be living and working in the Blue Ridge Mountains with hiking and biking trails, golf courses, and other outdoor activities. Our local community has a thriving arts and music scene as well as good public schools, with both traditional and year-round calendars and options for dual-immersion language education and school-system wide strings and youth orchestra programming.

Our ideal candidate will take their faith and calling as a priest seriously, but not take themselves too seriously. They will be rooted in the grace and mercy of God in all things, have strong communication, digital, and organizational skills, share a love of the Sacraments, and have a passion to serve Christ’s Church. Humor, creativity, initiative, and an ability to embrace and engage with diverse beliefs across the spectrum of life are key to a meaningful ministry at St. James.

To apply, send your resume, cover letter and OTM to the Rev. David Henson at david(at)stjamesepiscopal(dot)com. 

The full worship schedule through December 2023: 

Sundays
8:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist Rite I
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. - Christian Formation
10:15 a.m. - Holy Eucharist Rite II
5:00 p.m. - Holy Eucharist Rite II

Fourth Saturdays
5:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II in the Chapel

Click here to revisit the letter from David+.

 Schedule of Saturday and Sunday Evening Services, all at 5 p.m.

Sunday, 9/17: Candlelight Contemplative Eucharist

Saturday, 9/23 and Sunday, 9/24: Spoken Eucharist Rite II

Sunday, 10/1: Celtic Eucharist 

Sunday, 10/8: Holy Eucharist, Rite Two featuring Allelu!

Sunday, 10/15: Evensong and Organ Recital

Saturday, 10/21 and Sunday, 10/22: Spoken Eucharist Rite II

Sunday, 10/29: All Hallows Eve Eucharist with Blessing of the Costumes (Kids and Adults are welcome to attend in nonviolent costumes and receive a special blessing) 

Sunday, 11/5: Spoken Eucharist Rite II

Sunday, 11/12: Four Hands Piano Concert

Sunday, 11/19: Celtic Eucharist

Saturday, 11/25: Spoken Eucharist 

Sunday, 11/26: Potluck Eucharist for Thanksgiving!

Saturday and Sunday, 12/2-3: Advent Lessons and Carols

Sunday, 12/10: New Zealand Book of Common Prayer Night Prayer with Holy Eucharist

Sunday, 12/17: Candlelight Contemplative Eucharist with Instrumentalists

Sunday, 12/31: Sermon Drama with Holy Eucharist featuring the St. James Players

Parish Ministries Directory 2022

Gratitude. Worry. Fear. How do these emotions interact? Through experience, I have found that if I can be grateful, I can be less worried and fearful, and have more joy.

One way to do this is to focus on the present moment, which is where God resides, instead of revisiting past regrets or projecting into the future and worrying about what hasn’t even happened yet.  

I came across an exercise that can help me shift from worry and fear to being more aware of God’s love and all the bounty that is already present in my life. Try this:  take five minutes and be fully focused on what you see around you – indoors or outside.  Look at one item that you see, for example a lamp in a room where you live. Say thank you to that lamp, for helping you see better. Think about how the lamp works – what about the technology and power plant that bring the electricity to you, and thank the people who made that possible. Think about all the components of that lamp – the metal it is made of – where did that come from? Say thank you to the metal. What about the people who made the metal?  Say thank you to them. What about the ground the metal came from – where might that have been? And who brought the lamp to you? Say thank you to the people who drove the trucks, who put it in the box, who stocked the shelves, who built the store, and so on. And we need to think about the natural world: the air we breathe, the sun that warms us and makes life itself possible, the plants and animals and insects that we rely on for our existence, and how much we owe them, and say thank you.  

We are part of an interconnected web of relationships that we usually take for granted. When I take the time to really look at what is around me, and acknowledge the efforts of everyone and everything that is involved in providing our food, clean water to drink, clothing, shelter, transportation, medical care, and everything else that makes daily life possible, I am grounded in the present and somehow I am able to relax a bit and trust more in God. And then, with a lighter heart, I can say thank you to God.  

Life is complicated. Things go wrong, or tragedy strikes. I lived through the loss of a beloved person in my life who struggled with addiction for decades, attempted to recover, but after relapsing several times, died from this disease. My faith assures me that this person is now with God and one day, we will be reunited. I choose to believe that in spite of things that take place that we will never understand, God’s mercy and love continues, and I say thank you. 
—Ginny Faust