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Our next webinar on church renewal will be noon (EDT) on Thursday April 18. Our guest will be Fr. Kevin Fife, who since August 2021 has been vicar of St. James-on-the-Glebe in Gloucester County, Virginia.
The parish meets on its 65-acre property, located 60 miles east of Richmond and 10 miles north of Yorktown. The property (“Glebe”) was originally owned by Abingdon Parish in the 17th century Virginia, a period when the Church of England was the established church of Virginia Colony. The property includes a Glebehouse, the parsonage of the parish, which dates back at least to 1724.
St. James is an Anglican Province of America mission, which began as a prayer group in the 1970s and met in various places since then. They received the Glebe property in 2006 as a bequest from an Air Force veteran who wanted it returned to its original purpose. Today Fr. Fife, his wife Mary Willis, and their three children live in the Glebehouse, which they and the parishioners have painstakingly restored using authentic materials.
Last Saturday (April 13), Bp. Chad Jones consecrated St. James’ newly remodeled chapel. Today the mission has a vigorous worship life, with morning and evening prayer every weekday, and morning prayer, catechesis and the Eucharist on Sundays. Sunday attendance has more than doubled in the past three years.
Among other topics, Fr. Fife will talk about the challenges and opportunities of growing an Anglican church by attracting community members who aren’t necessarily seeking to become Anglican. He will be interviewed by Fr. Mark Perkins, the APA’s representative on the Continuing Forward Executive Committee.
The webinar will be held on Zoom.