We call the 1920s the “Roaring 20s,” and we think of flappers, and “the Charleston,” and bathtub gin. But in Knoxville, it seems to have been a decade of church expansion. St. John’s Episcopal Church (now Cathedral) suffered a huge fire in 1919 and worked on restoration. Knoxville’s oldest congregation, First Presbyterian Church, added the wings onto its building in the 1920s. First Baptist Church moved off Gay St. into a new building on Main St., modeled on St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, in 1925. Central United Methodist Church was formed from two smaller churches and moved into their new building in 1927. It was into this environment that St. James Parish was created and built our building, which was much smaller back then.
In the intervening 100 years, we’ve come back a number of times to address our physical “infrastructure.” The Haynes Mansion was razed and we added the Quonset Hut in 1947. The Nave and Sanctuary were enlarged and transepts were added.
Stained glass windows were bought. Offices were built. The Quonset Hut was demolished and a Parish Hall was built and offices were renovated. Even the organ has had additions in the 1990s and 2000s. As our needs have changed, we haven’t been timid or afraid to meet those new challenges, or to provide the physical space and facilities that we need to do so.
Now as we approach our centennial, we’re looking at our infrastructure again. Are there physical things we can do to make our worship and ministry sustainable into the future? Are there things that we can change to make our facilities and programs more accessible? We’re not just considering handicapped accessibility, but the ability to reach friends and neighbors that we haven’t been able to serve before. Can we update our facilities in a way that makes them adaptable for the changing ways that we serve each other and our wider community?
You can probably relate to our temptation. We start talking about the wonderful things that we love about St. James, and we want to serve more, do more, and so on. But we’re trying to think about physical things. Can we serve more, or do more, etc., if we have a newer, more efficient piece of equipment, or if we install a different system, or if we make this room bigger? Our ministry, our worship, and our welcoming character aren’t disconnected from our thoughts. If anything, we’re trying to address our physical environment to enhance and improve all the things that make us special.
You can help!!! Be sure to take the Centennial Survey. A link is in the weekly email. It takes only a few minutes to fill out, and it helps identify our priorities. Also, the committee isn’t meeting in a vacuum. You are welcome to take a few minutes and talk to us more about the details, about what we are discussing, and about what excites us about our future together. Each person comes from a different perspective, a different life journey, and a different place in our faith journey. We want to hear from you! Our committee is Lee Creech, Katharine Criss, Kevin Jeske-Polyak, Sarah Moss, Bob Williams, Butch Yates, Carol Yates, and Fr. John Mark Wiggers. We hope to have your help in making the 2020s “roar.”
