The Rev. Dr. James Wheeler

Fr. Jim has been an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church since 1979.  He served Church of the Messiah, Baltimore, MD as Assistant to the Rector, 1979-1981, St. Peter’s, Eggertsville, NY (a suburb of Buffalo) as Rector, 1981-1987 and St. Paul’s, Woodbury as Rector, 1987-2008, before coming to serve as the 11th Rector of St. John’s Church, Stamford in January, 2008.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from The College of Wooster, Ohio (where he also met his wife Carol) in 1976, with a Master of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Bexley Hall in 1979 and earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2004.  He and his wife Carol have three grown daughters – Lucy, Kate and Susan and one grandson, Emanuel.    

I think I’m proudest of having helped the parishes I served to grow both in membership and ministry.  In our fast paced individual-centered world people need the kind of community the Church provides.  We need to be in the presence of something bigger, older, deeper, richer and wiser than we are.  The Church both embodies the presence of Christ and represents the rich tradition of 2000 years of worship.  We need a community that welcomes us just as we are and calls us to grow in goodness and love.  I love proclaiming the life of that community and assisting people discover new life within it.

One of the joys of ministry is being able to get to know and work with such a rich diversity of people.  Whether serving on a board of movers and shakers, talking with dozens of folks during coffee hour, visiting a parish family and playing on the floor with their toddler and golden retriever, or any of myriad pastoral contacts it is through the personal and pastoral connections that ministry takes place.  I love those personal connections that I am blessed to share through leading a parish community.