The Annual St. James Oyster Dinner

St. James Wichita

St. James Episcopal Church
Annual Oyster Dinner

St. James Wichita celebrates faith, community, and Christ with its annual Oyster Dinner.

The Oyster Dinner has a long history at St. James. It originally was open exclusively to men as part of the mission of The King’s Men. The first dinner — then called the Men’s Shrove Tuesday Supper — was in 1959, and tickets were $1. The name changed to the St. James Men’s Ale and Oyster Dinner in 1960. The dinner was stopped for a time, but in 1979, Richard Bowman restarted the dinner. It was opened to the whole community, and proceeds went to community outreach.

The dinner has raised money for the Wichita Children’s Home, Breakthrough/Episcopal Social Services, and other nonprofit groups.

The 2024 dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13, featuring oysters on the half-shell, breaded and fried oysters, oyster stew, and beer and wine on tap. Tickets are $55 each. Online purchases closed on February 12, but you can still purchase tickets in-person with cash or check. Credit/Debit cards will not be accepted on the day of the event.