WHO ARE WE?
When queried as to what “characteristics of St. James” keeps them coming back,
a group of individuals at St. James had no trouble answering.
Here is a summary of their responses:
CONGREGATION!
The people are friendly, kind, and considerate of one another.
We rally around when someone is ill or otherwise in need.
We are like one big family - we have our difficulties and issues,
but we still love one another.
WORSHIP
Our worship provides a space for one to be connected with God's Word and love.
It is a time that we can give God our thanks and praise, and be fed with God's presence.
OUTREACH
We have a variety of events to reach out into our community,
and to help with the needs that may arise.
We have a yearly Pulling for Vets Pulled Pork Dinner to assist the Disabled Veterans.
We collect food for the holidays to give to families in need.
We collect school supplies to help area students.
We donate to Lutheran Disaster Responses to assist
in times of national and international disasters.
We participate in local Pride Events.
Provide cookies to the Veterans homes.
Respond to other needs as they arise.
FELLOWSHIP
Most Sundays, there is a group of people who go out to Brunch after worship.
Anyone is welcome to go along. We try a variety of local eateries.
We have many really good cooks and bakers and a variety of opportunities to sample their gifts.
We do a Dine-Out Night about every month.
We have a group of foodies that like to try different restaurants.
We enjoy a monthly St. James Family Fun Night where we play games,
or go out for an activity, and have fun.
Watch the calendar, newsletter, and bulletin for other Activities.
All are welcome to gather with us.
OPPORTUNITY
If you have the time and a talent or passion to share,
there are a variety of opportunities to share them.
Our Children’s and Adult Study programs welcome new participants
and new teachers and leaders.
Most importantly, we trust in a God who loves all people
and we try to exemplify that love.
Community Context – rural/farming, serving Folsom, Hammonton, Mays Landing, Winslow, Sicklerville, Williamstown, Collings Lakes, Egg Harbor Township areas.
When queried as to what “characteristics of St. James” keeps them coming back,
a group of individuals at St. James had no trouble answering.
Here is a summary of their responses:
CONGREGATION!
The people are friendly, kind, and considerate of one another.
We rally around when someone is ill or otherwise in need.
We are like one big family - we have our difficulties and issues,
but we still love one another.
WORSHIP
Our worship provides a space for one to be connected with God's Word and love.
It is a time that we can give God our thanks and praise, and be fed with God's presence.
OUTREACH
We have a variety of events to reach out into our community,
and to help with the needs that may arise.
We have a yearly Pulling for Vets Pulled Pork Dinner to assist the Disabled Veterans.
We collect food for the holidays to give to families in need.
We collect school supplies to help area students.
We donate to Lutheran Disaster Responses to assist
in times of national and international disasters.
We participate in local Pride Events.
Provide cookies to the Veterans homes.
Respond to other needs as they arise.
FELLOWSHIP
Most Sundays, there is a group of people who go out to Brunch after worship.
Anyone is welcome to go along. We try a variety of local eateries.
We have many really good cooks and bakers and a variety of opportunities to sample their gifts.
We do a Dine-Out Night about every month.
We have a group of foodies that like to try different restaurants.
We enjoy a monthly St. James Family Fun Night where we play games,
or go out for an activity, and have fun.
Watch the calendar, newsletter, and bulletin for other Activities.
All are welcome to gather with us.
OPPORTUNITY
If you have the time and a talent or passion to share,
there are a variety of opportunities to share them.
Our Children’s and Adult Study programs welcome new participants
and new teachers and leaders.
Most importantly, we trust in a God who loves all people
and we try to exemplify that love.
Community Context – rural/farming, serving Folsom, Hammonton, Mays Landing, Winslow, Sicklerville, Williamstown, Collings Lakes, Egg Harbor Township areas.
Our History - [adapted from the 160th Anniversary Celebration; originally prepared by Jean Grimm]
One hundred sixty years ago, Folsom was called New Germany. The early settlers were German immigrants who made their home on a two-mile stretch of land called Long A Coming trail. This land was purchased from the Weymouth Farm and Agricultural Association. It was divided into 25 acre lots within the confines of New Germany. {find out, if possible whether these were 25 lots, each of one acre or some (undetermined number of 25-acre lots)
One hundred sixty years ago, Folsom was called New Germany. The early settlers were German immigrants who made their home on a two-mile stretch of land called Long A Coming trail. This land was purchased from the Weymouth Farm and Agricultural Association. It was divided into 25 acre lots within the confines of New Germany. {find out, if possible whether these were 25 lots, each of one acre or some (undetermined number of 25-acre lots)
Most of these settlers were devout Lutherans who wanted a church where they could worship in their native tongue like their forefather’s. In 1848, they began holding services in their homes with the aid of itinerant clergy. In 1853, they received a grant from the Weymouth Company for a plot of land for their first place of worship with a cemetery. They purchased a church bell that hung from the trestle, which rang a call to Sunday service and for a day school that was also held in the church building. German and English were taught in the school. The boys sat on one side of the room and girls on the other side. The church service was also segregated, with men and boys on one side and women and girls on the other. There arose a division among the members of the church. One reason for the discord was the way in which the Lord’s Prayer referred to the deity. Some said it should be “Unser Vater”, which in English is “Our Father”, and other’s wanted “Vater Unser”, which means “Father of Our’s”. Another reason for discord was the fact that some members thought that the service should be in English and others felt it should stay in German. (They were not ready to change with the times, so it seems).
In 1853, the conservative Lutheran worshipers and the more progressive Lutherans divided the six acres of church property equally. The ground that became St. James’ included the land where a one-room school was built. As they built the church building, they used native stone. The new building had a tall spiral on top with a weathervane. The name of the church, St. James Evangelical Church, was placed over the door. Over the door of the original church, the sign read “Deutsche Reformed Zion Kirche”. When the congregation divided, representatives from both churches drew up the agreement for the division of the properties. The representatives for the Lutheran congregation were Charles Rehmen, J. Rohde, Casper Whitmyer and the Reverend J. Leonberger. Representatives for the Reformed Church were Joseph Eckhardt, Christian Kramer, Jacob Blazer and the Reverend M. Frankel.
The bell that to this day is in the belfry of St. James was purchased for $55.00. It was hand made by Mr. Christian Spies, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Eugene Schulze (Mamie Whitmeyer). Mr. Spies was employed for a time in the Philadelphia Bell Foundry. The bell had many uses. It rang every Sunday to call worshippers to service. It rang while the Lord’s Prayer was being prayed so anyone ill or otherwise in the community could pray along with the parishioners. It also rang when anyone passed to his or her eternal resting place, as well as at funerals. The bell also rang for weddings and New Years, and was used to signal emergencies.
True to German customs, men dominated the church. Women were not even listed as members. The common cup was used for communion for many years.
Once the church building was complete, the people needed a pastor, and many attempts were made to secure one. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Pennsylvania helped in sending the congregation their first full time preacher. His name was A.G. Georgin; he was from Camden. The preacher rode a horse from Camden for services here. There were no roads, only a dirt trail. Now I ask you – could you see our Pastor riding a horse here to preach? Did the original Pastor have to feed and water the horse before he preached?
When Folsom borough was organized in 1906, the church members suggested that the borough purchase kerosene street lamps. A total of twelve lamps were purchased and placed along the road. The residents of the homes closest to the lamps were responsible to keep them filled, light them at dusk and extinguish them in the morning. The borough compensated them for the kerosene and wicks. This continued until electric lights were ordered in 1926.
As the town grew, the church grew also. Starting with Pastor Georgin and including our most recent Pastor, Pamela Werner, there have been 39 pastors. Our congregation today includes families with ancestor’s whose membership’s date back to the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s.
From the early 1940’s until 1956, we had supply pastors shared with St. John’s Lutheran Church of Williamstown.
In 1956, the parsonage on 13th Street was built with anticipation of calling for the first full time pastor. Pastor Strohl answered that call. While he was with us, he led our congregation to grow greatly. We were able to build a Parish Hall, dedicated in memory of Mr. William Schellhas in March 1961. It houses our Sunday School rooms, and is used for social functions. Mr. Schellhas was one of the forefather’s of our church. In the 1980’s the building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt to its present state. We now have a conference room and the pastor’s office.
We have renovated the inside of our church, removing the balcony. The worship area has been reversed. What we see now as the front of the church, where the altar, organ and choir areas are located, was originally the back of the building. There was an addition built to the church that houses a large vestibule, restroom, and room for housing the choir robes, paraments, and communion ware. The addition also included a ramp for the handicapped. This addition was dedicated in 1993 in loving memory of Marion and Harvey Norcross. They were faithful pillars of our church and we surely miss them. We also have made great improvements to our cemetery, and at this present time are in the process of beautifying the church grounds.
In 1853, the conservative Lutheran worshipers and the more progressive Lutherans divided the six acres of church property equally. The ground that became St. James’ included the land where a one-room school was built. As they built the church building, they used native stone. The new building had a tall spiral on top with a weathervane. The name of the church, St. James Evangelical Church, was placed over the door. Over the door of the original church, the sign read “Deutsche Reformed Zion Kirche”. When the congregation divided, representatives from both churches drew up the agreement for the division of the properties. The representatives for the Lutheran congregation were Charles Rehmen, J. Rohde, Casper Whitmyer and the Reverend J. Leonberger. Representatives for the Reformed Church were Joseph Eckhardt, Christian Kramer, Jacob Blazer and the Reverend M. Frankel.
The bell that to this day is in the belfry of St. James was purchased for $55.00. It was hand made by Mr. Christian Spies, who was the grandfather of Mrs. Eugene Schulze (Mamie Whitmeyer). Mr. Spies was employed for a time in the Philadelphia Bell Foundry. The bell had many uses. It rang every Sunday to call worshippers to service. It rang while the Lord’s Prayer was being prayed so anyone ill or otherwise in the community could pray along with the parishioners. It also rang when anyone passed to his or her eternal resting place, as well as at funerals. The bell also rang for weddings and New Years, and was used to signal emergencies.
True to German customs, men dominated the church. Women were not even listed as members. The common cup was used for communion for many years.
Once the church building was complete, the people needed a pastor, and many attempts were made to secure one. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Pennsylvania helped in sending the congregation their first full time preacher. His name was A.G. Georgin; he was from Camden. The preacher rode a horse from Camden for services here. There were no roads, only a dirt trail. Now I ask you – could you see our Pastor riding a horse here to preach? Did the original Pastor have to feed and water the horse before he preached?
When Folsom borough was organized in 1906, the church members suggested that the borough purchase kerosene street lamps. A total of twelve lamps were purchased and placed along the road. The residents of the homes closest to the lamps were responsible to keep them filled, light them at dusk and extinguish them in the morning. The borough compensated them for the kerosene and wicks. This continued until electric lights were ordered in 1926.
As the town grew, the church grew also. Starting with Pastor Georgin and including our most recent Pastor, Pamela Werner, there have been 39 pastors. Our congregation today includes families with ancestor’s whose membership’s date back to the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s.
From the early 1940’s until 1956, we had supply pastors shared with St. John’s Lutheran Church of Williamstown.
In 1956, the parsonage on 13th Street was built with anticipation of calling for the first full time pastor. Pastor Strohl answered that call. While he was with us, he led our congregation to grow greatly. We were able to build a Parish Hall, dedicated in memory of Mr. William Schellhas in March 1961. It houses our Sunday School rooms, and is used for social functions. Mr. Schellhas was one of the forefather’s of our church. In the 1980’s the building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt to its present state. We now have a conference room and the pastor’s office.
We have renovated the inside of our church, removing the balcony. The worship area has been reversed. What we see now as the front of the church, where the altar, organ and choir areas are located, was originally the back of the building. There was an addition built to the church that houses a large vestibule, restroom, and room for housing the choir robes, paraments, and communion ware. The addition also included a ramp for the handicapped. This addition was dedicated in 1993 in loving memory of Marion and Harvey Norcross. They were faithful pillars of our church and we surely miss them. We also have made great improvements to our cemetery, and at this present time are in the process of beautifying the church grounds.
A short time after our 150th anniversary celebration, a few members of the Zion Church next door approached our council and said their membership had decreased and they were only having services once a month. They asked if we would like to have the church, the property and the members that were left in addition to the finances they had. After looking into the legal aspects, we generously accepted. We had a special service to mark their members joining our congregation. After the church service, we gathered around the flagpole that is between the two churches and had a ceremony of “burying the hatchet” and now we are one.
In 1998 we celebrated our 150th Anniversary! Our theme, “Building For The Future”, took off very well and we were blessed to have the Leroy von der Tann Foundation help us finance our projects.
Much has happened since then. Pastor Ronning, and then Pastor Mattei moved on to serve other churches. Pastor Pamela Werner accepted the call to our church in 2011 after serving a year as our vice pastor.
We started our building program in 1987. Initially, we had visions of constructing a much larger Sunday School Building with more classrooms and a big community room, but the cost of such a building was too much for our small congregation. We changed our strategy and extended our coffee area to the end of the existing Sunday School building and added new offices for our Pastor and secretary. This has opened up two additional rooms that can be used as classrooms or meeting rooms.
In 1998 we celebrated our 150th Anniversary! Our theme, “Building For The Future”, took off very well and we were blessed to have the Leroy von der Tann Foundation help us finance our projects.
Much has happened since then. Pastor Ronning, and then Pastor Mattei moved on to serve other churches. Pastor Pamela Werner accepted the call to our church in 2011 after serving a year as our vice pastor.
We started our building program in 1987. Initially, we had visions of constructing a much larger Sunday School Building with more classrooms and a big community room, but the cost of such a building was too much for our small congregation. We changed our strategy and extended our coffee area to the end of the existing Sunday School building and added new offices for our Pastor and secretary. This has opened up two additional rooms that can be used as classrooms or meeting rooms.
We were very fortunate to receive donations from four families to purchase stained glass windows for our sanctuary. This has added to the beauty of our church. Our current construction project will enlarge the Narthex, creating a better reception area where people can greet each other before and after the services, but will also provide better flow for funerals and weddings.
With the help of the Leroy von der Tann Foundation and support from the congregation, we continue to make great progress with our building program. The Foundation also established a scholarship program for our youth pursuing a college education. All the distributions from the Foundation are made from the dividends so that the Fund does not diminish and will grow for years to come.
What started out in 1848 as a congregation that then split, was reunited once again. We are sure God had his hand in all of this. We now call the historic church St. Jacobus and use it for special services. Our congregation continues to grow in ministry and in spirit. In another 50 years, what will our member’s say about our history? I’m sure there will be faster cars, maybe helicopters of some sort. We will still have families who will say, “I remember when…”. As we go along, we accumulate and record history. I am sure when this church celebrates at it’s 300th anniversary, they will wonder how we did it. We pray our descendants carry on for the Glory of God. Now in closing, I take a prayer from the dedication of our church in May 1853, which is just as timely for today.
“May this congregation long flourish and more and more contribute to the spirit of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. May the church remain an ornament of the county, a temple which God’s glory will be proclaimed. May peace and unity dwell in these walls and the children in this temple serve in our mother tongue the dear Lord according to our confessions. So that we may find ourselves again in the celestial Zion not made by man that last forever. May the dear Lord help us to do this through his love. AMEN.”
With the help of the Leroy von der Tann Foundation and support from the congregation, we continue to make great progress with our building program. The Foundation also established a scholarship program for our youth pursuing a college education. All the distributions from the Foundation are made from the dividends so that the Fund does not diminish and will grow for years to come.
What started out in 1848 as a congregation that then split, was reunited once again. We are sure God had his hand in all of this. We now call the historic church St. Jacobus and use it for special services. Our congregation continues to grow in ministry and in spirit. In another 50 years, what will our member’s say about our history? I’m sure there will be faster cars, maybe helicopters of some sort. We will still have families who will say, “I remember when…”. As we go along, we accumulate and record history. I am sure when this church celebrates at it’s 300th anniversary, they will wonder how we did it. We pray our descendants carry on for the Glory of God. Now in closing, I take a prayer from the dedication of our church in May 1853, which is just as timely for today.
“May this congregation long flourish and more and more contribute to the spirit of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. May the church remain an ornament of the county, a temple which God’s glory will be proclaimed. May peace and unity dwell in these walls and the children in this temple serve in our mother tongue the dear Lord according to our confessions. So that we may find ourselves again in the celestial Zion not made by man that last forever. May the dear Lord help us to do this through his love. AMEN.”