The congregation of St. James' Episcopal Church met for its final service of Advent Lessons & Carols on Sunday at the St. James' Meeting House in Boardman Park.

The service consisted of scripture and singing Advent Carols ahead of Christmas.

Members of St. James' have been worshipping together since 1809, making it the oldest congregation in the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.

"This is the first episcopal church east of the Appalachians, originally founded in 1809 by people from Connecticut," Parish Administrator Jeff Downey said. "They went for about 20 years, meeting in homes, and then they built this building here about 1827 and started worshiping here."

The congregation met for 142 years -- from 1829 to 1971 -- in what is now known as St. James' Meeting House before the Glenwood Avenue building was opened in 1972.

Downey stated that the meeting house was moved to Boardman Park after the previous location near the now Southern Park Mall was declared for commercial use.

Today, the Boardman Park building is used mainly as a historical building and a wedding venue. 

Due to a decline in attendance and income, the congregation of St James' stated that it will hold its final service on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.

With the Glenwood Avenue location closing in early 2026, Downey stated that "the legacy of St. James' will always be here in Boardman," as long as the St. James' Meeting House remains standing in Boardman Park.