BOARDMAN — The historic St. James Episcopal Church meeting house in Boardman Park is used twice a year by the Episcopal Church members, including for Christmas.

The congregation met recently for the annual Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols at the 1827 building.

Jeff Downey, parish administrator, said twice a year the congregation of St. James goes to the meeting house for special worship services. The other day is St. James Day on July 25, or a date close to that.

“We usually go on one of the Sundays during Advent. In recent years, we haven’t used it more than that. We have now made it a habit of being there once in the summer and once in the winter,” Downey said.

He said about a dozen congregation members remember going to the meeting house regularly for worship at its old location on Market Street. The meeting house is now used as part of Boardman Park.

Downey said when the current church at 7640 Glenwood Ave. was constructed, discussion included tearing down the old church building. However, the meeting house was sold to the Boardman Historical Society, which paid to have it moved to the park.

“It is used mostly now as a wedding chapel. It has probably paid for itself over the years with all he weddings there and what was paid to move it,” Downey said.

The 1827 building was part of the church established in 1809.

“The church is the oldest Episcopal parish in our Diocese in northern Ohio. There are a few other parishes in the state a little older,” Downey said.

The church members first started organizing in 1809, meeting at first in people’s homes in Boardman and Canfield, including the homes of the Boardman and Canfield families for whom the townships are named.

“There were many influential people who were here,” Downey said.

Downey said congregation members like to go to the meeting house because it is a beautiful church with good acoustics. He said they also like the change of setting at the park.

He said the church has Cat’s Meow figurines of both the former church building and the current one, which are popular with members, as well as bicentennial plates that have the church when it was at its old location on them.

Sharyn Fees of Poland said she is a member of the church choir and said the acoustics are great at the meeting house.

“Thirty people singing sounds like 100,” she said.

Fees said the Holborn Herb Growers Guild decorates the meeting house beautifully.

Downey said there are not many pictures of the church at is old location, and the St. James Meeting House is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Rev. Maureen Major, who was recently ordained as the new church pastor, said, “I love knowing that the church is the first Episcopal parish in the area. We still have the old building at the park that we can use for St. James Feast Day and at Christmas. It is rich in tradition.”