St. James Church traces roots back 150 years

LACONIA — Saint James Episcopal Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary at a 10 a.m. service on Sunday, December 9, at which the Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, 10th Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire, will be the major celebrant.

''We have a good story to tell. St. James has always been centered on the community. Every parishioner is engaged in reaching out to the community,'' says Reverend Tobias Nyatsambo, who has been rector of the church since 2011, having come to Laconia after having served as rector of St, Mark's Episcopal Church in Ashland. Prior to that he was rector of an Anglican Church in Zimbabwe.

Organized in 1862 as Grace Church by Rev. James Henry Eames, rector of St. Paul's Church, Concord, the church had no permanent home in its early days as a mission church, when it was served by itinerant ministers, but records show that it did hold services at other churches such as the First Baptist Church in Lakeport.

It wasn't until 1894, when the church was revived as St. James' Mission, and the Rev. Lucius Waterman, arrived from Littleton, that the church had a home of its own.

Rev. Waterman held meetings in the waiting room of the Laconia Railroad Depot and later moved the church meetings to the YMCA rooms over Laconia National Bank on Main Street while a church was being constructed on Pleasant Street, not far from the Congregational Church and across the street from where the Goodwill Industries store is now located.

The Illustrated Laconian, published in 1899, reported that the church and lot had cost between $11,000 and $12,000 and that Dr. Waterman resigned his pastorate in 1898 in order to devote more attention to literary work, and the church at that time was without a regular settled pastor.

The church history says that in 1901 a pipe organ and stained glass windows were installed in memory of several former clergymen and that in 1920 the house next door to the church was purchased as a rectory.

In the years that followed St. James Church became an active and vibrant church community and became a parish in 1944. The congregation continued to increase in numbers and eventually outgrew the capacity of the church, leading to the construction of the existing church on North Main Street in Laconia in 1964. Shortly thereafter the adjacent building was purchased for use as a rectory.

The original church building was later moved to Water Street and most recently housed offices of the Lakes Region United Way and is now for sale.

St. James Nursery School was established by members of the church in 1966 and soon became a model preschool education program which still exists today.

Long-time school volunteer Joy Dickinson says that today the school, which serves 3-5 year olds and is has been directed by Gail Sullivan for the last four years, has 60 students, some of whom attend every weekday and others who attend classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while others are enrolled in Tuesday-Thursday classes.

''We have four classrooms and six teachers and have a good track record over the years of providing outstanding pre-school education,'' says Dickinson, who points with pride to the fact that two tears ago at Laconia High School's graduation the class president, vice president and treasurer were all graduates of Saint James Nursery School. The school is non-denominational and accepts children from all faiths.

Her husband, John Dickinson, said that he and his wife became involved in the church when they moved to Laconia in 1970 after he got out of the Air Force.

He has been involved in all aspects of the church since that time, according to Father Tobias, who said that Dickinson has held some kind of church office for over 40 consecutive years.

Dickinson said that one of the most recent gifts to the community from the church was the establishment of the Hands Across the Table ministry through the church's kitchen, which since it started in the summer of 2011 has served meals to the community every Tuesday night. As of its first anniversary in August over 6,000 meals had been served and at least 20 children per week were guests at those meals.

He said that those involved with Hands Across the Table ''painted the whole building and put in a new kitchen. So it was a really good deal for us while making a significant contribution to the community.''

Bill Hammond, 78, enjoys the distinction of being the parishioner with the longest relationship with the church, having joined when he was just six months old when his family moved to Laconia.

He remembers the old church on Pleasant Street but says he was serving in the military when the new church was built and that he and his wife, Ginny, moved back to Laconia 28 or 29 years ago and immediately became involved with the church, where they have served in a number of capacities.

Hammond and his wife have worked with the Friendly Kitchen, which was started in 1987 by the Salvation Army to provide free meals to those in need, for over 10 years now.

''We provide the meal the third Tuesday every month and a lot of people are involved, team captains, volunteers who help prep[are and serve the meal and parishioners who donate food'' said Hammond.

He said that normally 50 to 60 people are served at each meal but on occasion the number has increased to over 80 and the volunteers have to make a quick run to Vista Foods to pick up more food for the meal.

''There are a pretty active group of churches involved with the Friendly Kitchen. There's so much poverty and with the poor economy of recent years we've seen a growth in the average number of patrons. It is a very worthwhile and extremely needed activity in the community,'' says Hammond.

Father Tobias said that parishioners are involved in a variety of activities that support the church and the local community including the Altar Guild, Ministry of Lay Persons, choir, and Youth Group. All women of the parish are considered members of the Women's Guild, which runs the annual Snowflake Village Christmas Fair, rummage sales and other fund raising events to support the church.

The Fellowship Committee sponsors activities to enhance members relationship as a parish family including potluck suppers, pancake breakfasts, community suppers, and a summer cookout. The Lunch Bunch and Fun Funders are both monthly gatherings of parishioners who meet for fellowship, fun, and to assist the church by financing special projects.

St. James' parishioners also donate food and other nonperishable items for the Lakes Region Community Action Program, and also to the Nets for Life Program. They support a sponsored child in Kenya through the Christian Children's Fund,

''It is a caring community and we invite everyone to help us celebrate our 150th anniversary on Sunday where we will rededicate ourselves to the church and its mission of outreach,'' said Father Tobias.

PHOTO CAPTION slugged EPISCOPAL:

Saint James Episcopal Church in Laconia will celebrate its 150th anniversary on Sunday, December 9. Parish members taking part include, back row: George Carpenter, Micheline Roy, Jennifer Mitchell, Rose Nyatsambo, Jeff Pearson, Dotty Faulkner, Rob Soboslai; second row; Jim Presher, Sally Carpenter, Andrea Schafnitt, Patty Carter, Father Tobias Nyatsambo, Allen Gable, Warren Mitchell; first row; Bob and Harriet Meade, Dorothea Chesebrough, RJ and Kelly Soboslai, Barbara Emerson, Marcia Presher, Maggie Mitchell and Gloria Gallant. (Roger Amsden/for The Laconia Daily Sun)