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October 13, 2025 13 mins

A 175-year-old church tucked behind the General Morgan Inn, Civil War stories in the soil, and a pastor who clears his head on a cross-country motorcycle ride—this conversation with Father Ken Saunders shows how tradition, service, and curiosity can thrive under one roof. We trace St. James Episcopal Church’s beginnings in 1842 through its 1850 clapboard building, now on the National Register, and uncover how the congregation keeps history alive without getting stuck in it.

We talk about the Episcopal way—scripture, reason, and tradition—expressed through reverent, participatory worship, rich hymnody, and thoughtful preaching. No pressure tactics, no spectacle, just an inclusive doorway into authentic faith. Father Ken shares his non-linear road from the Citadel to nuclear tech to construction and finally to seminary, and how that practical background shapes a ministry that cares about both people and place. The pandemic tested the community’s resilience, pushing St. James to embrace livestreams and digital connection without losing the heart of its liturgy. Coming back together, they found themselves more connected and ready to serve.

From restoring the historic exterior to reviving the soup kitchen and stepping into local relief efforts, St. James demonstrates how a church rooted in the past can meet the needs of the present. If you’ve ever wondered whether old walls can hold fresh life, you’ll hear how beauty, depth, and neighborly care intersect every week on West Church Street in Greeneville. Want to see what worship looks and sounds like before you visit? Explore recordings on their website and step into a rhythm that’s steady, welcoming, and deeply human.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend in the Tri-Cities, and leave a quick review to help more neighbors find us.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Money.

SPEAKER_02 (00:11):
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of the Tri Cities inWestern North Carolina.
So today I am thrilled to have avery special guest with us in
the studio for the first time.
And uh I'm very excited to learnall about them and and their uh
church.
And um think you'll be just asexcited as I am because today I
have the pleasure of introducingyour good neighbor, Father Ken

(00:34):
Saunders, who is the pastor atSt.
James Episcopal Church inGreenville.
Father, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 (00:41):
Thank you, Skip.
Good to be here.

SPEAKER_02 (00:43):
Well, we're glad to have you, and like I said, very
excited to learn all about youand and St.
James Episcopal and what youguys do.
So if you don't uh don't mind,why don't you kick us off by
telling us about your church?

SPEAKER_00 (00:54):
Thank you.
I you know that the church is inthe name.
St.
James Episcopal Church has beena presence in Greenville since
1850.
Actually, before that, 1842,when a small group of
Episcopalians started worshipingat the courthouse here in
downtown Greenville, and uh theygot a land gift from Dixon

(01:14):
Williams mansion, and theydecided to build a church in the
corner of their garden.
So we're located right behindthe General Morgan Inn, which is
a historic inn here inGreenville.
We were actually here before theGeneral Morgan was, so um wow.
It's it's been a long time.
We're we're we're considered oneof the oldest church church

(01:35):
edifices in in the state ofTennessee.
So it's a it's a pretty neatplace.
Wow.
Now is we've been a worshipingpresence here since 1850, so
it's 175 years.

SPEAKER_02 (01:47):
Wow, that's incredible.
Now, is the building the samebuilding?

SPEAKER_00 (01:51):
Building is the same.
We're part of the National UmRegister of Historic Places.
Um the inside of the church, theworship space and all has
changed a little bit over timewith liturgical renewal and all,
but um it it is not um we stillhave the original floors, the
original structure is intact.
We just did a uh refer on theoutside of the building in 2022,

(02:17):
where we painted and restoredsome old boards and such, but
it's the clapboard siding thatwas existing in 1850.

SPEAKER_02 (02:24):
And and forgive my uh my memory here, but uh I'm a
fan of history.
Um, didn't General Morgan hideout under the church or
something?

SPEAKER_00 (02:35):
That's that's the lore.
Um, the lore as it was passeddown to me was that General
Morgan and his troops werebilleted at the Dixon Williams
mansion, and uh they got wordfrom scouts that the Union
troops were coming after him,and he escaped and came and as

(02:56):
far as I've been told, he gotunderneath the church, and uh
the Union troops struggled himout in the middle of the garden
and assassinated him.
Wow, and but yeah, that's that'sjust we're we're a victim of
location then.
It's not it's not a matter of umduring during the civil war, we
were a chapel of ease for bothsides, both northern and

(03:17):
southern armies.
Um wow.
Well, I know there's there's aboth I'm sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 (03:23):
Oh no, that's okay.
Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 (03:25):
We've got record of both um both Union and
Confederate troops using thechurch as a chapel as they were
passing through.

SPEAKER_02 (03:34):
Wow.
Well, I know every time I passthat that church, I live near
Greenville.
And every time I pass that yourchurch, I I look because there's
a big sign that says, you know,Joe Morgan was shot here, and I
look to see, you know, where didhe get under the church or how?

SPEAKER_00 (03:47):
Because now there's you have uh back before it was
it before the underskirt waswalled in, it was it was up on
Piers, so it was probably easilyaccessible up underneath.
Um, there was at one time theonly heating in the space was a
coal furnace.
Um, but of course that's beenredone.
Yeah, um, I'm CarmelPresbyterian is right across the

(04:09):
street.
Yep.

SPEAKER_02 (04:10):
Very good.
And there's a cannonball, maybenot the original one, but it's
lodged in the in the walls.

SPEAKER_00 (04:15):
Um there's some lore behind that too.

SPEAKER_02 (04:17):
But we yep, yep, there is.
I've heard that.
Well, anyway, uh tell us aboutyour journey, Father Saunders.
How did uh how did you getstarted uh in the ministry?

SPEAKER_00 (04:28):
My my personal journey, I went to um high
school in southern Virginia andended up down at the Citadel in
Charleston, South Carolina, anduh fell out my junior year and
started to, I was a nucleartechnician for Westinghouse for
several years.
And then um that job folded andI ended up building houses for

(04:53):
about 12 years after that.
And since my call to ministry inthe context of all that, and
when I was in Western Carolinarunning a um a housing
development business, it was aconstruction business in Western
Carolina.
I discerned a call to ministrywith the context of the church

(05:13):
and went to seminary at theUniversity of the South and was
working in 2007.

SPEAKER_02 (05:19):
Wow, you've done a little bit of everything, sounds
like I sometimes I feel like it.

SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
You know what they say is a uh jack of all trades
and master of none, right?

SPEAKER_02 (05:29):
Yes, sir.
I'm totally familiar with thatmyself.
So can you tell us about anymyths or misconceptions that you
hear about your church or aboutthe church in general?

SPEAKER_00 (05:40):
Well, I I well, I think the one of the major
misconceptions, the EpiscopalChurch, I think, overall is the
best kept secret.
Um, because we don't we don'tget out on the streets and
browbeat anybody into faith umlike some of our brothers and
sister denominations do.
Um the Episcopal Church offersuh a very inclusive way in, and

(06:03):
uh we have beautiful liturgy andgreat hymnity, and um sometimes
a good traditional setting withparticipatory worship and
authenticity that can't be foundin other churches.
Um we're reformed Catholictradition, so hence the funny
clothes and the stuff that Iwear and the way I'm addressed.
So um it's it's really um it'sit's really a great reverent

(06:29):
expression of faith that um Ithink is lacking in some other
churches.

SPEAKER_02 (06:35):
I would agree.
Um, well, and and being a pastoris is a uh a full-time job, and
uh I guess you're on call 24-7.

SPEAKER_00 (06:43):
It's tough in this day and age, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 (06:46):
Oh my gosh.
Well, uh if there is any timeaway, if you get to go on a
sabbatical or or anything likethat, what do you like to do for
fun?

SPEAKER_00 (06:54):
That's funny that you just mentioned that.
I just came back off of asabbatical.
I spent three months, June,July, and August, traveling the
country on my motorcycle.

SPEAKER_02 (07:02):
Um nice.

SPEAKER_00 (07:04):
I I ride, and um, that's the way I unride unwind
and spend some time in my headand process.
So in in in prayer and on theroad, I went and it was just it
was terribly enjoyable.

SPEAKER_02 (07:19):
Wonderful, wonderful.
So you're so you're a motorcycleguy too.

SPEAKER_00 (07:22):
I am, I am.

SPEAKER_02 (07:24):
Awesome, awesome.
I would you know, looking at youwouldn't say that.

SPEAKER_00 (07:28):
I don't have the I don't have the leathers on and
my my I shaved my beard when Igot back.
So there you go.

SPEAKER_02 (07:33):
There you go.
There you go.
So um let's see, I was gonna askum if if uh you could describe
either personally orprofessionally with the church a
uh hardship or a life challengethat you faced and were able to
overcome that and come outstronger on the other side.
Did anything come to mind?

SPEAKER_00 (07:55):
I can give a I guess fairly recent example.
Um the pandemic in 2020 issued alot of challenges for the church
and just people in general umdealing with both spiritual,
mental, and physical healthoverall.

(08:16):
And I think that as a church wehad to evaluate what was the
most important, um how wecontinued to worship in the
style that we are accustomed, aswell as staying connected as a
community of faith.
Um so we embraced technology asmuch as we could in a manner

(08:41):
that we could that we werecomfortable with, and a little
bit at a time we grew into doingthat.
And then when we came out of thepandemic and we were able to
regather safely and um thingscalmed down a bit, we felt
ourselves emerging on the otherside a much stronger community,
much much more connected bothwith God and with each other.

(09:04):
Um, so it was a it was anamazing um feeling coming out of
that.
And when we've been able to dosome incredible stuff since
then, of course.
I mentioned the refurbishing ofthe building, and you know, most
of our building um the exteriorhas been redone, and we did the
interior of our our parish hallspaces, um, which are common our

(09:24):
common spaces.
Um but we've also um re-engagedour those soup kitchen ministry,
and we've we've helped withlocal um relief efforts during
the hurricane and just someother things that just we're you
know we're back active in thecommunity in in ways that we
weren't as deeply involvedbefore.

SPEAKER_02 (09:47):
Wonderful, wonderful.
You're doing a lot of lot ofgreat things, and we we really
appreciate that.
Um coming out of a you knowhorrible situation.
So if um if you could think ofone thing, uh Father Saunders,
that uh or Father Ken, I'msorry.
If you could think of if wecould if we could if you could
think of one thing that youwould like our listeners and

(10:09):
viewers to remember about youand about St.
James Episcopal Church, whatwould that be?

SPEAKER_00 (10:14):
Well, if they're looking for a um a community
grounded in good biblicalapostolic worship, when I mean
apostolic means um we carry thecreeds of the apostolic fathers.
Um and we are a um tradition offaith where we embrace both

(10:39):
scripture, reason, and traditionum over the years.
Again, we're reformed Catholicfaith, but if they're looking
for authentic worship on Sundaymorning that's grounded in
biblical scholarship and reasonand um good teaching and
beautiful worship with greathymns, then they need to come
see us at St.

(11:00):
James.

SPEAKER_02 (11:03):
All right, very good.
Well, if if any of ourlisteners, viewers uh are uh
churchless, uh that's a word,uh, but uh don't have a church.
It's definitely a word,churchless.

SPEAKER_00 (11:18):
Churchless.
They can find us online.
They can find us online.
We're at uhwww.saintjamesgreenville with
extra e.org.
Um stjamesgreenville.org.
Um we're pretty it's a prettyextensive website.
We have um past servicerecordings, we've been recording

(11:40):
and live streaming our servicessince uh I'd say March of 2020.
And so you can find mostservices there online.
Um, so if you're interested inchecking out a service before
you come and seeing how theworship is and how it may differ
from the style that you may beexpecting or used to, you can

(12:00):
check it out there.
Um, there's statements of beliefall over our website, what we
believe in, what we do, but mostimportantly, we worship Jesus as
the incarnation of God.

SPEAKER_02 (12:14):
Wonderful.
Well, so a lot of different waysto connect.
Love that you live stream sothat we can go and see a past uh
uh sermon before we come visit.
But you heard it here, guys.
Uh the St.
James Episcopal Church, uh, verywelcoming and in downtown
Greenville, uh cross uh rightbehind uh the General Morgan

(12:35):
Inn.
Uh Father Saunders, Father Ken,uh can't tell you how much I
appreciate you taking time outof your busy schedule to tell us
all about you and uh yourministry and the church and the
history of the church.
We number one, we appreciate uhwhat you're doing and uh
bringing people to to JesusChrist and uh very thankful for
that.
Thank you for for all that youdo and uh hope that uh uh moving

(12:58):
forward, we wish you and uh St.
James Episcopal Church and yourcongregation, your family all
the best.

SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Thank you.
Best to you too.

SPEAKER_02 (13:07):
And uh we'd love to uh love to have you back
sometime.

SPEAKER_00 (13:11):
Thanks.
Love to be back.

SPEAKER_02 (13:14):
All right, thanks so much.
Have a great rest of the day.

SPEAKER_01 (13:17):
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