Our Anglican Connection

St. James Church is part of the Diocese of Western Anglicans, in the Province of the Anglican Church in North America.  Our Archbishop is the Most Reverend Robert Duncan. Our Diocesan Bishop is the Rt. Rev. William Thompson who was consecrated Bishop on Saturday, October 31, 2009.

HISTORY
The journey of St. James Parish began when the first Episcopal services were introduced in the Newport Harbor area shortly after World War I.  They were held in a pavilion located two blocks inland from the ocean pier at 36th Street.  In the beginning, Bishop Louis C. Sanford of Fresno, California officiated.  In 1921 the pavilion burned to the ground and the bishop conducted services in his summer cottage on Balboa until a new chapel could be prepared in a trailer near Newport Boulevard.

• In 1941 St. James was established as a diocesan mission.
• Christmas Day, 1945 marked the groundbreaking for the church which stood as the church home for the people of St. James for more than 55 years.  In January 1946 St. James Mission was received as a parish and on December 19, 1946 the new church was dedicated to the glory of God.
• In 1965 the Rev. John Ashey II became rector of St. James Parish.  The sanctuary and chapel were remodeled and emphasis was placed on parish member education, spiritual enrichment and lay development.
• In 1974 the first Faith Alive weekend was held at St. James Church.  A fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit for empowerment, service and leadership began.  Resulting prayer fellowships, Bible studies and lay ministries profoundly impacted the parish.  Fr. John Ashey carefully shepherded charismatic renewal at St. James, encouraging those who embraced the charismatic expression while remaining sensitive to those who did not.  Eventually, this made way for the three-pronged Sunday morning worship model (Rite I, Rite II and Charismatic) which uniquely characterizes St. James Church to this day.
• In 1981 the parish-based lay academy - School of Discipleship - began, dedicated to the equipping of lay persons in their discipleship to Jesus Christ.  St. James became and has remained a discipling parish with a strong emphasis on lay ministry and leadership.
• In 1987 the Rev. David C. Anderson became rector.  Under his leadership the building project to enlarge the St. James facility came to fruition.  It was prayerfully determined that God desired that the people of St. James rebuild all facilities yet remain in the same location God had given them more than 50 years earlier. 
• In his ministry with St. James Church, Fr. David Anderson championed unity in the parish, insisting that there be one united body, not three separate congregations in the midst of three equally viable expressions of worship.  Additionally, the expansion of lay leadership blossomed under his nurture as did Biblical literacy, theological understanding and a commitment to personal holiness.  With Fr. David Anderson, St. James began to play an important role in the orthodox wing of the Episcopal Church, with lay leaders taking active part in issues of theological importance, both on a diocesan and national scale.
• In July 1996, after a year of construction, the people of St. James moved into new buildings constructed for the purposes of education, fellowship and administration.
• In early January 2001, the old church at 3209 Via Lido was dismantled and the new worship space, a long-held dream and prayer, began the building process.
• On November 4, 2001 the new worship space for the people of St. James was celebrated in a service of Thanksgiving and Blessing.
• In 2002, the Very Rev. Canon David C. Anderson, long-time rector of St. James Church, retired to serve the larger church as an apostolic leader in the restructure of the Anglican presence in North America. He was consecrated a bishop in the Council of Anglicans in North America (CANA) in December, 2007 and his role at St. James continues as friend, counselor and Rector Emeritus.
• The Rev. Praveen Bunyan became rector of St. James Church in January, 2003. In the summer of the same year, the deciding General Convention of the Episcopal Church took place. With critical decisions which took the Episcopal Church further from the historic and apostolic faith, a discernment process for St. James began as to her place in the Anglican Communion.
• In August, 2004 the rector, wardens and vestry voted unanimously to disaffiliate with the Episcopal Church, USA and to affiliate with Anglican Church of Uganda under the leadership of the Rt. Rev. Evans Kisekka, bishop of the Diocese of Luweero. A vote of the parish quickly followed which demonstrated resounding unity in heart and mind regarding our future.
• The parish was joined in disaffiliation by All Saints Church, Long Beach and St. David’s Church, North Hollywood and all three parishes were quickly sued for their property by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the national Episcopal Church. A complete case history can be found at www.steadfastinfaith.org
• A leadership transition began in April of 2007 with the departure of Praveen Bunyan and a search committee appointed by the vestry in November, 2007 to begin the process of prayerfully discerning future leadership.
• The selection of the Rev. Richard C. Crocker as rector was announced in July of 2008.  Pastor Crocker served as the associate rector of discipleship at Truro Anglican Church in Fairfax, Virgina for nearly ten years.  He has 26 years of experience as an ordained Anglican priest. 
• In June 2009 St. James became a member parish in the Diocese of Western Anglicans.