St. James United Methodist Church is a Christ-Centered community of faith, sharing God's Love, growing together in faith, and serving our community and world. St. James is known for its warm, welcoming, and family atmosphere. We extend a personal invitation for you to worship with us and to participate in the ministries of our church.

St. James United Methodist Church began in December 1983 with a general meeting of interested persons who came together at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The group started meeting at their homes on Sundays. The group was of four families; the Eubanks, the Wallaces, the Mackenzies, and the Dangerfields. These four families were still meeting when their first full-time pastor was appointed in June 1984. Prior to this time, the Rev. Roy Stockman, District Superintendent of Charleston District, served as leader of the group.

The Rev. David E. Nichols and his wife Mary and daughter Betsy moved to Goose Creek where they continued to meet in homes since there was no public place at that time for meetings. They used the summer of 1984 to name the church and to set priorities and goals.

On September 9, 1984 the group moved to a public place to meet: the Berkeley Electric Cooperative Building across from Westview Schools. The first meeting was a huge success with 55 persons responding. The group settled down to around 35-40 on Sundays until Christmas 1984 when a growth spurt happened. Attendance in worship continued to climb over to an average of 75.

The biggest news was the chartering service which took place on June 30, 1985 during which we were officially organized into a United Methodist congregation by the Rev. Tom Brittain, District Superintendent. We had a great celebration as 70 persons were received into full membership and became charter members of St. James.

On May 10, 1987, a building sketch for the proposed new church building was presented. In May 1987, Crusade Visitors were sent from the church to get pledges for the building fund and a Ground Breaking Ceremony was held in September 1987.

The consecration and Dedication of the new church building was held on November 17, 1988. Bishop Bethea and Rev. Tom Brittain, District Superintendent sent their greetings and best wishes. On December 4, 1988 the first worship service in the new building was held. There was much excitement as the congregation worshiped in our beautiful church sanctuary.

The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

What does this mean for you? Most importantly, you're always welcome at St. James UMC. We're saving a seat for you. Wherever you're at in your faith journey, you'll always be accepted as part of the St. James family.

Beyond that, if you're ready to plan your first visit, click here. If you want to learn more about what's going on at St. James UMC, click here. Or if you'd simply like to get in touch with a person on our leadership team directly, fill out the form and click the submit button below.