Chartered in 1729, St. James Episcopal Church is the oldest church in Wilmington, North Carolina. Originally chartered as part of the Church of England on November 27, 1729, this congregation is one of the oldest continually active in the state and is the oldest church in the city of Wilmington. St. James Parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, and the church is a contributing building in the Wilmington Historic District.
In 1701 the colony’s General Assembly divided the provinces into parishes and provided for the support of clergy; because the Cape Fear region developed slowly, it was not until November 1729 that the Assembly established St. James Parish. You can feel how living history continues here: the congregation reported 2,044 members in 2017 and 1,165 members in 2023, with no membership statistics reported in the 2024 parochial reports. Plate and pledge income reported for the congregation in 2024 was $1,685,105, and average Sunday attendance in 2024 was 358 persons.
Picture 358 worshippers filling these pews on an average Sunday, part of a congregation active since 1729.