Campaign for Ministries
2026 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
$615,128
COMMITTED AS OF JUNE 1$700,000
CAMPAIGN GOAL
A Message from the Senior Warden
Dear Saint James’ family,
As I enter my second year as your senior warden, I have been reflecting on the life of Saint James’. We are a community rooted in faith, service, and a deep love for our ministries. We are also a growing and vibrant parish — thanks to Father Ben, our staff, your Vestry, and the many volunteers who sustain our church and school each day.
In the years following the pandemic, our parish faced real challenges. Attendance declined, giving decreased, and necessary improvements to our campus were delayed. Yet, through your faithfulness and generosity, Saint James’ has emerged stronger. Now, we have an opportunity to strengthen the foundation that will support our ministries for years to come.
Today, I am writing to invite every member of this congregation to be part of an important next step in our shared life together.
The Vestry is launching the Campaign for Ministries to complete several long-postponed and essential projects across our campus. These include repairs to our stained glass windows, updates to the Children’s Chapel, improvements to the Reception Room that supports so many gatherings and ministries, long-overdue maintenance to the rectory, and the final payment for the purchase of the far field.
This capital campaign is about preserving and strengthening the spaces where worship happens, children grow in faith, ministries serve others, and our parish community gathers together.
This campaign already has momentum. As of May 14, $516,500 had already been committed by our fellow parishioners. This early generosity is a powerful sign of what is possible when we move forward together in faith and purpose.
Now, we are asking the entire Saint James’ family to join in to meet our goal of $700,000.
Our aim is simple: broad participation across the parish. Every household has a role to play. Whether your gift is large or modest, what matters most is that we come together in support of the ministries and mission of Sames James’.
This is a campaign for both “now” and “later.”
We invite you to make a gift to the 2026 Campaign for Ministries now or in installments through June 30, 2029.
We also ask you to prayerfully consider including Saint James’ in your estate plans as a lasting expression of your commitment to this community and future generations. The Vestry’s goal is for 20 households to name Saint James’ in their estate plans, and six had already done so by May 13. If you’ve already included Saint James’ in your estate plan, please make that known to the parish accountant.
This capital campaign is separate from our annual pledge campaign. It remains essential that we continue supporting the ongoing ministries and operations of our church through regular annual giving, so please don’t reduce your annual pledge in order to contribute to this campaign.
We are moving forward with our Campaign for Ministries with purpose and urgency, as some of the work has already started! I encourage you to review the additional information in this packet, reflect on what Saint James’ means to you, and consider how you are called to contribute.
Together, we have an opportunity to maintain what we have inherited and to strengthen it for the generations who will follow us.
Thank you for your faith, your generosity, and your commitment to Saint James’.
Faithfully,
Patrick Heijmen
seniorwarden@saintjameswarrenton.orgProjects
Children’s Chapel
KEY UPGRADES: NEW STAINED GLASS WINDOWS • NEW HVAC SYSTEM • NEW CARPET • NEW PAINTTake a moment to contemplate the incubator that is our Children’s Chapel. Our youngest church and school children are developing their initial image of God, they form a relationship with this God and with each Bible story that image gains fullness and clarity, with each song and prayer the relationship deepens. This all occurs in a dimly lit space with cracked and faded glass and a hard dark uninviting floor softened by a leftover piece of carpet.
Imagine all of this taking place in a worship space created just for our children, an area to be experienced through their eyes, with stained glass that echoes all that they are experiencing, a space conceived with as much intention as our beautiful sanctuary.
This project will create a colorful and welcoming environment for our children. The new energy efficient windows will tell the Christian story while also keeping out the elements. New carpet and paint will brighten the space and make it feel more like a special room set aside for holy experiences. And a new HVAC system, already installed, will make the space comfortable in all seasons.
The Children’s Chapel was built in the 1960s as part of the “education wing.” The heating and cooling systems (middle) have been generally improvised and insufficient. Cracks have begun to appear in one of the windows (bottom).
This rendering shows what the Reception Room could look like.
Reception Room
KEY UPGRADES: NEW FURNITURE AND TV • ENHANCED LIGHTINGThis room dates to the 1910s and is central to the life of our parish. Adult formation groups including Education for Ministry, Wisdom Seekers, the Saturday-morning Bible study and the Sunday-morning discussion group each meet here weekly. So does the High School Youth Group. When the church hosts baptisms, weddings and funerals, this is often the space in which parishioners and visitors alike are welcomed to Saint James’, and the space hosts countless ad hoc meetings of various ministries, groups and programs.
Incorporating feedback from about a dozen ministry groups, Penny Dart and Anne Austin worked thoughtfully and intentionally over several months to plan a “refresh” of this space while maintaining its current charm. New furniture and curtains, and enhanced lighting to brighten the space, will make the space more welcoming and functional. A new, wall-mounted television will make it easier for study groups to utilize videos and digital presentations.
These photos show what the Reception Room currently looks like.
Church Windows
KEY UPGRADES: REPAIRS TO THE ASCENSION WINDOW FRAME • REINFORCEMENT OF THE SIDE CHAPEL WINDOWSOne of the first things people notice when they visit Saint James’ are the beautiful and historic stained glass windows in the Nave and Side Chapel. Each tells a story and contributes to the overall beauty of our worship space.
This project will help maintain the structure of the windows and prevent more expensive repairs down the road. For instance, the wooden frame supporting the Ascension window behind the main altar has begun developing cracks — you can see daylight if you view it at a certain angle — and failing to address this now could result in serious damage later. Likewise, the supports around some of the stained glass windows in the Side Chapel have begun to warp. This project will reinforce those windows with protective glass and prevent the need for more expensive repairs in the future.
The windows in the Side Chapel need to be reinforced. The Ascension window frame has cracked, and daylight can be seen from a certain angle.
Father Ben blesses Norma Thatcher’s beagle during Blessing of the Animals in the far field.
Far Field
This 0.56-acre lot on Green Street has for years served as an outdoor gathering space and activity area for our church and school. It’s accessible via the Saint James’ Episcopal School playground, and it hosts everything from school recess to youth group kickball games to the Blessing of the Animals service.
Until last year, however, we leased the property, and it could have been sold and houses built there. Our purchase of this property — the church and school split the $420,000 cost — ensured this will be a permanent extension of our campus. The purchase also enables permanent functional and aesthetic improvements to the area.
Our final loan payment is due in 2027. This capital campaign will ensure that the purchase does not deplete the endowment fund, which we rely on to cover regular building maintenance costs.
KEY UPGRADES: A PERMANENT ADDITION TO OUR CAMPUS
The purchase of the “far field” in 2025 was the first addition of land to the Saint James’ campus since the church acquired the Kirby building in the 1950s.
The rectory was built in the late 1910s.
Rectory
KEY UPGRADES: BATHROOM RENOVATIONS AND ASBESTOS ABATEMENT • ELECTRICAL UPDATES • FENCE IMPROVEMENTSWhen the Rev. William Pendleton departed Saint James’ in 1920 after six years as its rector, he called the rectory built during his tenure “one of the greatest improvements to the parish.”
In the century since, the rectory has housed most of the rectors of Saint James’ — including Father Ben and his growing family. There have been two major renovations — one in the 1960s and another in the 1980s — and it’s very much time for another one.
This project will provide necessary updates to two bathrooms, which haven’t been overhauled in more than 30 years. These improvements include asbestos abatement. Additionally, the kitchen floor will be sealed, more closet space added, improved lighting installed, walls repainted and the space generally configured for a large family. The front garden and fencing will also be improved.
How to Give
Give Now
We are asking for your commitment to this campaign. This can be done as a one time contribution or a commitment to complete your donation by June 30, 2029.
If you’d like to make a one-time contribution, click here or write a check with “Campaign for Ministries” in the memo line. For checks, our mailing address is 73 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186.
If you’d like to make a pledge to complete your donation over time, through June 30, 2029, click here or contact the parish accountant at 540-347-4348 or accountant@saintjameswarrenton.org.
You may also donate through a qualified charitable donation (QCD) from your traditional IRA (terms and conditions apply), donate from your donor adviser fund (DAF), or donate stocks, bonds, real estate and/or other investment assets. For more information on these options, contact the parish accountant at 540-347-4348 or accountant@saintjameswarrenton.org.
Give Later
WHY GIVE LATER
This capital campaign highlights a truth faced by our congregation and countless other historic churches: The same thing that makes our building beautiful and welcoming also makes it expensive to maintain. The core parts of our campus were built more than 100 years ago, and even some of the “new” constructions are well over half a century old. We spend between $400,000 and $500,000 annually to insure, operate, maintain our grounds, and make necessary repairs and improvements.
We are fortunate to have ended 2025 with an endowment of nearly $3 million. We need at least $5 million to significantly defray the maintenance expenses for our campus. Moving such expenses out of our regular operating budget will put less pressure on our annual pledge campaigns and allow us to more consistently and directly support the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our community.
Hand in hand with annual giving, a strong endowment is critical to the sustainability of Saint James’. Your direct or planned gift to the endowment will perpetuate your giving beyond your years, and ensures that this campus and the ministry it supports continues for future generations.
HOW TO GIVE LATER
Our goal is for 20 individuals or households to name Saint James’ as a beneficiary of their estates. Such a bequest, unless otherwise designated, goes directly into our endowment.
There are several ways to do this.
Name Saint James’ in your will or trust as a dollar amount or percentage beneficiary of your estate.
Name Saint James’ as a beneficiary of your retirement assets.
Name Saint James’ as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.
If you intend to make these arrangements, please contact parish accountant Casey Rigney at 540-347-4348 or accountant@saintjameswarrenton.org.
To learn more about ways to add Saint James’ to your estate plan, speak to your attorney or contact Patrick Heijmen at seniorwarden@saintjameswarrenton.org.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about donating to the campaign, contact parish accountant Casey Rigney using the form, or by email or phone below.
Email
accountant@saintjameswarrenton.org
Phone
540-347-4348
Address
73 Culpeper Street
Warrenton, Virginia 20186