Saint James Episcopal Church
203 E. Glendale St.
P.O. Box 1374
Dillon, MT 59725
406-683-2735
(Cell) 334-332-3222
COVID-19 Update
Bishop Marty has ordered all Episcopal churches in Montana to cease regular worship in person until May 10th at this point. This is to comply with both our various county public health authorities and the national call for no group gatherings of ten or greater in number. If the pandemic abates beforehand, the restart date may be moved to sooner. Many of our churches are either broadcasting, livestreaming or otherwise recording services so that people can worship remotely. The clergy had a Zoom meeting with Bishop Marty this last Friday, and several strategies are being developed to help congregations maintain their spiritual health.
Funerals will be family-only to keep the attendance below ten people at this point in time. Clergy have already been advised of this. It is hoped that larger memorial services will be offered after the pandemic is over.
Montana is beginning its epidemic curve, please help our medical profession out by assuming you could be infected and follow social distancing recommendations to reduce other people’s exposure. To model this, all meetings with diocesan personnel will be done by phone, GoTo Meeting, Zoom or social media. All clergy are also requested to follow this example, except for pastoral emergencies outside of hospital settings. Most hospitals are ceasing in-person visitations, including clergy. Please remember to notify your clergy if you go to the hospital: they may not be able to visit in person, but can keep in contact and pray for you.
Because of all the closures of businesses, there are many people who are in financial straits. Clergy expenditures to help people in need is rising rapidly. Please give generously to the clergy discretionary accounts and other non-profits so that people can continue to eat, have a roof over their heads, and have heat. And please do not forget to continue your church pledges and contributions.
For those whose visitations have been cancelled, Bishop Marty will start looking at new dates, based on projections on when the pandemic will be behind us. Lambeth has been postposed until 2021, so the later summer Sundays will be opening up.
At-HOME Worship
and Study Resources
St. James Mission Statement:
We at St. James Parish believe that we are Christ's own, and that our reason for existence is to follow his commandments to love
God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Contact Us
Rev. Dr. Wells Warren "Father Wells", Priest & Rector
Rev. Jane Shipp, Retired Priest & Former Rector
Rev. Steve DeHart, Vocational Deacon
Saint James Episcopal Church
"It's orthodox Christianity," said the Rev. Dr. John Wells Warren. "It's based on a 500 year tradition of liturgy... really that way of worship that's found in the Book of Common Prayer," Wells said about the Episcopal faith. "It's traditional Christianity set in a more formal framework," Wells said. "The focus of our worship is more on the sacraments of our church rather than on the sermons given by the preacher." The seven sacraments are: baptism; Eucharist, which is another name for Holy Communion; marriage; confirmation, the way an adult joins the church; ordination, the way a person is ordained a minister; reconciliation, or private confession; and unction, which are prayers for the sick. Unction can also be known as last rites, which are prayers for the dying.
Anglican priests view of the way that spiritual knowledge should be sought differs from some religions. "Scripture is the first source of knowledge and understanding and wisdom, but so is the tradition of the church," said Wells. "There is a third in our (Episcopalian) way, that we call reason. It's really your intellectual ability, the experiences of your life," said Wells. "So you make an important decision based on scripture, tradition and reason. People come to different conclusions; well-meaning sincere Christian people come to a different result, perhaps, about a social issue or a theological issue."
There really is something special about the Eucharist church. It seems to be more tolerant than others. According to Rev. Wells, there is a saying in the Eucharist church: "There is a wideness in God's mercy and a wideness in the episcopal church." It means there are a lot of ways at looking at important issues,' he said. "There's a willingness to withhold judgment on another person's opinion. In our baptismal covenant, we say, 'Will you respect the dignity of every human being? and I think that has to do with this idea of wideness and tolerance and withholding judgment."
The Rt. Rev. Martha (Marty) Stebbins became the first woman bishop in the 152-year history of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana.
