History
St. James on the Lake was formed in the spring of 1971 under the leadership of Fr. Fred Thompson, who served the congregation for nearly 14 years. The first services were held in the home of the Tuggle’s and later moved to the Langeloh’s where weekly services were held until 1975 when a small house was acquired and renovated.
In March of 1985, Fr. G. C. McElyea, who like Fr. Thompson, had retired from Our Merciful Savior in Kaufman, took over the leadership of the small congregation. Fr. McElyea served until the spring of 1996 when Fr. Robert Ahlenius became the Priest in Charge.
In 1999 the congregation purchased land on CR 4022 near the entrance of the Cedar Creek Country Club and plans began for the construction of a new worship space. The groundbreaking service was held on June 17th of that year. Prior to this time, and for the previous 28 years, the average Sunday attendance had never exceeded 20 people.
Just over a dozen members committed to build a new building that would consist of worship space, an office and a parish hall with a kitchen. The people pledged to support this effort and stepped out in faith believing that God was directing them to build and grow. After an interim period when the congregation met at the local library, the first service in their new building was held on November 7, 1999, with 36 people in attendance. The original nave would seat 50 people and adequate paved parking was made available. The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas loaned the church $75,000 and the new church was dedicated on March 12, 2000, by Bishop Bruce McPherson. Average Sunday attendance in 2000 was 34.
Fr. Jerry Morriss was the priest in 2003 when our original note was paid off, and a new building program was under way. The size of the nave and the parish hall were doubled as seating was increased to 100. Our average Sunday attendance at that time had grown to 45, but we felt strongly that we were still led to build and grow. Our second building project was paid for and we purchased the land adjacent to our current property. It too is paid in full.
As the congregation continued to grow, we began looking at our future needs as we continued to follow God’s guidance to build and grow. In early 2010 we felt the time was right to move forward. The Building Committee developed a plan, presented it to the Vestry, and the Vestry recommended that we begin our third building program in the very near future.
We had the official groundbreaking on May 23, 2010, and began construction on a new sanctuary which is located on the property to the west of the current building. The construction was completed in late October 2010, and we held our first service in the new sanctuary on October 31, 2010. Remodeling of the old facility began in March of 2011 and was completed in early April of 2011. The remodeling included a larger parish hall, new kitchen, a nursery and a children's room, library, classrooms, and an office. The current nave easily holds 140 people, and our average Sunday attendance is 45.
