Rebecca St. James
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Christian recording artist, actress and author Rebecca St. James will be a special guest at Southeast Christian Church’s Blankenbaker Campus, Saturday, Sept. 3
and Sunday, Sept. 4.
In addition to singing worship songs, St. James will meet worshipers in The Living Word bookstore after each of the three services, which will be held Saturday at 5
p.m. and Sunday at 9 and 11:15 a.m.
“My past experiences at Southeast have been absolutely amazing,” St. James said. “I felt like I was immediately welcomed as a part of the family. Pastor Stone and
his family have become very dear friends to my heart—almost like my extended family in Kentucky. I felt on my very first visit to the church that the Holy Spirit is very
much present and at work in the church family at Southeast. I feel really blessed to be coming back.”
Southeast Worship Leader Brian Sites said St. James, who last came to Southeast in January 2010, was invited back because of her heart for worship.
"We were just so struck with her authenticity and humility," Sites said. "We enjoy her and her heart for the church."
Later this month, St. James, who was married in April, will release the book “What is he thinking??: What guys want us to know about dating, love and marriage.” It is
the ninth book she has published.
In April, St. James also released her first studio album in six years, “I Will Praise You,” on the Provident Label Group LLC music label. The album was produced by
Mark A. Miller of the band Casting Crowns.
“As we were recording, one of my prayers for the new songs on the album was that they would really connect with the church and be used by the church,” St. James
said. “With that in mind, I’ve been actually singing at a lot of different churches across the U.S. since the release of the album. I’ve had a real desire to serve the
church in that way. It’s been a real blessing to share the new songs.”
St. James, who has won a Grammy and multiple Dove awards as a recording artist, said leading a congregation in worship is “one of the most fulfilling things for me
in my ministry.”
“I love looking out on a sea of faces and seeing people encountering God and connecting with Him in worship,” she said.
“In my travels, it’s a very beautiful sight to see people who may even be from different parts of the world coming together as part of the family of God to worship Jesus
together. It’s a very powerful, very unifying experience.”
In September alone, St. James will lead worship and hold concerts in Kentucky, New Mexico, Colorado, California and Tennessee. Although that might sound like a
daunting schedule, she sees it as an opportunity to cast a wide net for Christ.
“I sometimes sit back in my life and just feel overwhelmingly awed with the privilege and honor I have to be pointing people to Jesus as the hope we have in this
world,” she said. “So much of the time in ministry we can be so caught up in what we’re doing that we lose the introspection. When I have those moments of pulling
back and being quiet in front of God I’m reminded again and again of how thankful I am to be doing what I do.”