Community Corner

St. James Church Repairs Made With New London Community In Mind

In the midst of nearly $1 million in renovations, the church aims to renew its community focus

As it works to strengthen its church building, the congregation at the St. James Episcopal Church is also hoping to strengthen its connection to its neighbors in the New London community.

The church is in the midst of a number of extensive maintenance projects, both to address problems that have arisen over the years and to keep the church in working order for the future. But church officials say the renovation is going hand-in-hand with the congregation’s expanded involvement in the city.

“We want to be standing in solidarity with New London and this community surrounding here,” said interim pastor Douglas Lind. “We’ve always been a place that cares, but now there’s a sophistication to that care that wasn’t there before.”

Find out what's happening in New Londonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The parish dates back to 1725, and the brownstone church is the third one the congregation has occupied. The first was destroyed in Benedict Arnold’s invasion of New London during the Revolutionary War, and the membership outgrew the second building.

In more recent years, a number of maintenance issues have troubled the church. There was extensive water damage in the bell tower and water leaks from the roof.

Find out what's happening in New Londonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Eventually, we began to have standing puddles of water right on the floor of the church,” said Peter Stanley, junior warden at St. James.

Another major problem centered on the church’s collection of Tiffany stained glass windows. One had glass separating far enough that visitors could look up and see sky through the gaps.

Finding a solution has been a project three years in the making. Stanley said the church brought in a preservation architect and began a capital campaign. From within the congregation and extended families, the church was successful in raising $600,000. The Frank Loomis Palmer Fund contributed another $25,000. In all, the church is hoping to raise $960,000.

Stanley said that with the funds raised so far St. James has been able to make a number of critical repairs, with the roof and windows as the top priorities. The lower part of the roof was replaced and drainage systems improved, while the louvers that were once in the bell tower have been restored. The Tiffany windows have also been repaired.

Other work includes replacing the ailing 60-year-old boiler with two smaller, more efficient boilers and shoring up the large wooden joists holding up the church floor. The church is also hoping to upgrade areas such as handicap access and lighting once it reaches its fundraising goal.

“We did not just want to put Band-Aids on things,” said Stanley. “We wanted to make permanent repairs.”

Stanley said one impetus for keeping the building in sound condition has been the community resources housed within the church. The Jumble Shoppe, which sells clothing and other goods and distributes the funds to charitable causes at the end of the year, was sometimes not able to function due to the water leaks. The church has also hosted the Homeless Hospitality Center’s nighttime shelter and will continue to do so until the opening of a new center on State Pier Road.

Lind said he thought the maintenance effort has spurred the congregation to a greater sense of neighborhood awareness. One group has started walking around the area surrounding the church after every service. Lind also said there has been a great energy and enthusiasm during the renovation.

“Everyone has been pitching in and getting it done,” he said. “That alone is an impressive volunteer effort in itself.”

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here