Our order of service follows The Book of Common Prayer. The service usually begins with everyone standing and singing a hymn together as the participants in the service (the choir, Eucharistic ministers, and clergy) process into the church. The service bulletin helps to direct the congregation through the service. It contains page numbers and some printed material for the congregation to follow.

After the reading of the Scriptures, one of the clergy staff will present a sermon, which usually lasts around 15 minutes. Following the sermon are the communal statement of faith (the Nicene Creed), the Prayers of the People, and the confession. The presiding priest will then say, "The peace of the Lord be always with you!"; the congregation replies: "And also with you!" At this point the congregation greets one another in the Name of the Lord by saying something like, “Peace be with you.”

Next, the ushers collect the offering. We want you to feel welcome as our guest, with no pressure to give. Our regular attendees will put their contributions in the offering plates to pay for our expenses and fund our local and global outreach programs. Even though we hope you'll simply be our guest on your first visit, we do hope you'll place a completed “Visitor’s Card” in the offering plate so that we’ll have a record of your visit. If you want to stay anonymous, that's okay, too.

The Holy Eucharist, or Communion, is the final part of our service. At St. James, all baptized persons may come for communion.
 
For a description of what we believe including different aspects of worship in the Episcopal Church, see the topics in the What We Believe menu of the Episcopal Church website.