Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Infobox church
color =
name = St. James Ev. Lutheran Church
fullname = Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

---

img_size =
img_capt =
landscape =
denomination = Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
diocese =
parish =
division =
subdivision =
founded_date = May 29, 1921
founder =
architect =
style =
constructed_date =
dedicated_date =
closed_date =
demolished_date =
bishop =
priest =
archdeacon =
dean =
provost =
rector =
canon =
prebendary =
curate =
chaplain =
vicar =
deacon = Leslie Kirk Baker
abbot =
minister =
seniorpastor =
pastor = Rev. Peter Kassulke
address = 2234 N. 60th st.
country = flagcountry|USA
phone = 1-(414)-778-0956
website = http://www.saintjames-mke.org

Saint James Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Christian congregation that takes residence in the city of Milwaukee in the Washington Heights neighborhood. It is in the membership of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

History

St. James began in 1916 as a mission church based in the general vicinity that the current building is in today. In 1917, the church was operating out of a small portable chapel located near the intersection of 54th and Pabst Avenue (currently known as Lloyd Street). Some time later, the mission was relocated to the southwest corner of 60th and Lloyd, a location across from the Synod's Seminary. On May 20, 1921 the St. James congregation was officially organized. When the seminary relocated, the church moved its chapel for a third time relocated to the east side of the intersection, the location that the church rests in today. After this move, a 16 x 24 school room was added to the chapel in 1922 for the price of $1,204.44. Though the building was completed, the Christian day school wasn't officially opened until 1923.

On the day of October 19, 1924, the cornerstone was laid for the churches current sanctuary, the dedication not taking place until May 17, 1925. The churches original pipe organ was purchased in the December of the year 1927. The four-room, two-story school-house addition was added to the school and dedicated on the 22nd of May, 1938. However, only two of the four rooms were finished at that time; the other two were completed in 1939 and 1945.

Some of St. James' most extensive renovations include the roof renovation of 1965 (again renovated a few years ago), an extensive renovation of the sanctuary also took place that year, and the organ was rebuilt in 1968. In 2003 the organ was replaced with a hybrid digital / pipe organ. The latest addition, completed in 1988, includes a gymnasium, offices, and storage areas.

chool

Architecture

Called Workers

Pastors

In its history, St. James has had only four pastors.

*Pastor Arthur Voss 1921 to 1954
*Pastor Waldemar Pless 1954 to 1979
*Pastor John Braun 1977 to 1984
*Pastor Peter Kassulke 1984 to the present

The pastoral ministry in the WELS is a task taken none too lightly. The qualifications of which require a minimum of eight years of post-high school training. This training includes extensive research into theological and philosophical matters, as well as the learning of both the Hebrew and Koiné Greek languages (the languages the Old and New Testaments were written in.) Along with that, the first call you receive out of the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary is the one you must take, no matter where it is in the country. Suffice it to say they are well prepared for the leadership role they have undertaken. This role includes many aspects, such as visiting the shut-ins of the congregation who can no longer make it to worship services. It entails performing ministerial needs (such as the administering of the Sacraments) for not only members at the church, but also for members who cannot make it to the church (such as premature infants and the dying.) The pastor must be ready usually multiple times a week to prepare and hold worship services. He must counsel his members when they seek it, and admonish his flock when they go astray. It is a life of service, taken after the footsteps of the ultimate Servant, Christ Jesus of whom they try to model their ministries.

Deacons

In 2001, St. James extended a call to its first Deacon (also called "Staff Minister"). The call encompassed the fields of Outreach and Administration, basically boiling down to tasks that the church felt the pastor was too overwhelmed to accomplish on his own. The deacon works closely with the Pastor at St. James in organizing mission programs, church functions and events, and making sure that worship services are run in an orderly fashion. As of this point, there is only one Deacon position. But with the close of the school, it has been proposed that more be called to handle other fields of expertise such as Musical Administration.

*Leslie Baker, Deacon of Outreach and Administration - 2001 to the present

Ministry

The mission statement at St. James is

*"Compelled by Christ's love, we go with the Word and grow with the Word."

As St. James attempts to reach out into its neighborhood, it is face with many challenges. The church is located in a melting pot of all kinds of racial, ethical, and economical differences. To its west lies the upper-class community of the Washington Highlands in the suburb Wauwatosa. To the east lies the Washington Heights neighborhood; a center of middle class Caucasian and increasingly African-American families. Ethical differences come into play with the growing numbers of the homosexual population within the local community.

To meet these demanding differences on a level playing field, St. James has changed their mission focus; especially now that its school, once the focal point of its ministry, is no longer in existence. In order to minister to the community while ministering within the church itself, St. James has gone with a "Small Group" ministry. The ultimate goal of small group ministry is to engage the entire congregation in fellowship of some sort, while encouraging the membership to bring family, friends, and neighbors along to do so also. Small groups can be themed on various subjects, ranging from religious bible studies to financial groups, encompassing many interests such as sewing, writing, and even video games. The current small groups available are:

* Pairs n' Spairs
* Growing Smaller Families
* Moms
* Knit Together
* Young Adult's Group
* Breakfa$t Club
* Bible Reading Group
* 50+ Group

While the variety is not exponential at this point, the church hopes to gain internal as well as external support, and wishes at some point to branch these groups out and create a network of small groups encompasing a vast variety of subjects.

Doctrinal Beliefs

References

ee also

*Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
*Martin Luther
*Evangelical
*Lutheranism
*Book of Concord
*Milwaukee, Wisconsin

External links

* [http://www.saintjames-mke.org The Saint James Website]
* [http://www.wels.org/ The WELS Homepage]
* [http://www.bookofconcord.org/ The Book of Concord]
* [http://www.christianforums.com/ Christian Forums]