St. James
Change congregation
St. James is a congregation of Midtown Fellowship in and for Wedgewood-Houston. We exist to experience, embody, and extend the love of Christ. We do this through our common life together, sharing all that we are and all God has given us with each other. We are currently looking for a worship space in the neighborhood and will begin regular Sunday services as soon as we find one. We have other various gatherings throughout each month until we launch.
Starting October 25th
10:00am
Wedgewood-Houston is one of Nashville’s most distinct and changing neighborhoods. Previously known for its industrial factories with shuttered windows, this area has now become a hub for art crawls, vintage shopping, award-winning restaurants, and thousands of studio apartments. It’s become the home for many artists and young professionals moving to Nashville. The neighborhood is also right next to the city’s oldest and largest subsidized housing complexes, surrounded by many working-class families.
For over 25 years, Midtown has been in the business of planting churches. The past 7 years, we have been praying for this neighborhood, sensing a need for gospel presence. With the rapid growth of population and business, a healthy church in the area is crucial. Since January, a core group has been meeting to create and plant a church in and for Wedgewood-Houston.
Our namesake is James, the Brother of the Lord (also called James the Just). His life and story embodies the mission of our church. James was the first pastor of the church in Jerusalem, and set forth the most ancient order of worship that every liturgy has followed since - a rich, beautiful, and whole-personed worship. Much of our liturgy continues the spiritual inheritance laid down by James in the first century.
His epistle is full of concern for the poor, and encouragement for the Church to follow in the way of Christ to care for those in need and to pursue justice amongst the least of these. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction”.
Lastly, like many in Wedgewood-Houston, James was a skeptic. He and the other brothers of Jesus did not believe during Christ’s earthly ministry; they mock Jesus’ claims of divinity, and at times think Jesus is out of his mind. St. Paul tells us however, that James, after the resurrection, has an encounter with the resurrected Jesus that leads him to faith. Our hope is that the many in Wedgewood-Houston who have grown up around Jesus and the Church would, like James, later in life have an experience with the resurrected Jesus that leads them to faith and into the family of God.
