Meet our Team 2010: Teen Week Leader, Fr James Worthington!

Fr James and family on the occasion of his ordination to the priesthood, pictured with Bishop +Tikhon. Photo from stots.edu

Father James Worthington will be coming to Saint Andrew’s Camp for the first time to lead this season’s program for teens and young adults (ages 13 and older).  Learn more about Father James here…

Name:

Fr James Worthington

Place of Residence:

Herkimer, NY

Home Parish:

Currently, I am the rector at Ss Peter & Paul Orthodox Church in Herkimer, NY.  I have just completed seminary, at St Tikhon’s Seminary, in Northeast Pennsylvania.  My home parish before that was Holy Trinity Church in Pottstown, PA.  I have travelled a little bit, and have done an internship at Holy Resurrection Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Family:

I am married to my college sweetheart, Liane.  We have three children – Shilon, 10; Caleb, 8; Elijah 4.  The older two are going to be campers this year as well.

Previous Career:

Before seminary and the priesthood, I was a restaurant manager.  It was a good experience that taught me many lessons to prepare me for my vocation to the priesthood.

Church Ministries:

Our parish in Herkimer is growing and active, seeing as its mission the evangelization of our neighbors and growth in the Orthodox life.  We have a Sunday School that is currently on summer break, public education classes, Vacation Church School, and we are a food collection point for the local food pantry.

Favorite Camping Activity:

I enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities, all year long.  I fish whenever possible, and have even built a firepit in my backyard (which sees many marshmallows in the summer).  With my children, we also play Frisbee, baseball and football quite often.  I am also known for disappearing into the woods occasionally for some private time with God.

Favorite Sport:

Football, though my glory days are long past.  But any sport where there is a good friendly competition will get my participation.

Favorite Book(s):

I read the Bible, though not nearly enough.  I have spent a lot of time recently reading about pastoral theology and care.  I read Star Wars books also.

Favorite Saint(s) and Why:

St James, the Brother of the Lord.  He was known as Camel Knees, because he spent so much time in prayer.  He is also a martyr and wrote the earliest Divine Liturgy of the Church.  He is a great example of love and devotion that I hope to learn how to emulate.

Random fun facts:

• On my days off, I can be found wearing a hockey or football jersey.
• I enjoy history and sports programming on TV.
• I had a high Tetris score of 435,526 on June 16, 2007.
• We grow all the ingredients we need to make our own pickles.
• I am a fisherman, though I have never claimed to be a catcherman.

What you will be doing at camp:

I was asked to lead Teen Week for this year.  I hope that going forward, Ss Peter & Paul Church in Herkimer will grow to be a friend of the camp, and that we may both find our salvation by working together to make Jesus Christ very real to the youths we have contact with.

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