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We offer daily services and a cultural programme of talks, events and concerts. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate
Tuesday 1 September – end of October
Losing Identity explores the silent grief and resilience of women fleeing Ethiopia and Eritrea across the Mediterranean Sea in unsafe, overcrowded boats.
Monday 7 September 1.10pm
Anna Cooper (soprano) and Robert Nicholas (baritone) present Menotti’s opera, The Telephone, directed by Harrison Knights and musical directed by Michael Haslam (pianist).
St James’s hosts inclusive services and a cultural programme. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate.
St James’s is a place to explore, reflect, pray, and support all who are in need. We are a Church of England parish in the Anglican Communion.
We host a year-round creative programme encompassing music, visual art and spoken word.
We offer hospitality to people going through homelessness and speak out on issues of injustice, especially concerning refugees, asylum, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.
St James’s strives to advocate for earth justice and to develop deeper connections with nature.
We aim to be a place where you can belong. We have a unique history, and the beauty of our building is widely known. Our community commits to faith in action: social and environmental justice; creativity. and the arts
We strive to be a Eucharist-centred, diverse and inclusive Christian community promoting life in abundance, wellbeing and dignity for all.
St James’s Piccadilly has been at the heart of its community since 1684. We invite you to play your part in securing this historic place for generations to come.
It costs £5,000 each day to keep the doors of St James’s open to all who already need us.
A reimagined St James’s realised. A redesigned garden, courtyard and new building capacity—all fully accessible— will provide beautiful spaces for all as well as improving our environmental performance.
Whether shooting a blockbuster TV series or creating a unique corporate event, every hire at St James’s helps our works within the community.
St James's Church 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL
Directions on Google Maps
Caroline reflects on finding community, belonging and a deeper sense of faith at St James’s, and on her hopes for Sanctuary as a quiet, inclusive space where everyone can pause, feel welcomed and encounter God.
Sanctuary is a meditative Tuesday evening Eucharist that weaves Taizé chants, secular readings, and reflective music into the familiar rhythm of the Eucharist. It offers a quiet space to pause, breathe, and encounter God in the middle of a busy week.
There is something profoundly calming about Sanctuary. About a third of the way through the service, I can feel my body begin to relax. The noise of the day fades, my heart becomes still, and I’m reminded that sometimes the most powerful prayers are offered in silence.
My name is Caroline Grace. You may know me as the girl with the dog in the choir. Oakley, my 2.9kg Shih Tzu mix, loves to attend church with me. I moved to London just over a year ago from New York City, where I attended St. Bartholomew’s, St James’s sister church. By a wonderful coincidence, I met Ayla, Mariama, and Lucy when they visited New York just a week before my move. On my very first Sunday at St James’s, I introduced myself to Michael and asked how I could join the choir. I had no idea then just how much this church would come to mean to me.
St James’s has become far more than the place where I worship. It has become my community, my family, and a place where I have felt safe to grow in my faith, ask difficult questions, and serve others through social justice and outreach. It has even inspired me to begin considering discernment. My hope is that, as the new coordinator of Sanctuary, I can help create that same sense of belonging for others.
Growing up in the conservative south of the United States, I experienced firsthand how churches can communicate exclusion rather than the boundless love of Christ. That experience has given me a deep passion for sharing a different vision of Christianity, one rooted in grace, compassion, justice, and radical welcome. I believe the Gospel is for everyone, and I want my ministry to reflect that truth.
Leading Sanctuary is an extension of that calling. It is both an honor and a responsibility, and I do not take lightly the privilege of stepping into a role built so faithfully by those before me.
Whether you have attended church your whole life, are exploring faith for the first time, or simply need a quiet place to rest, Sanctuary welcomes you. Its midweek rhythm, contemplative worship, and thoughtful use of music and readings create a gentle doorway into an inclusive expression of the Christian faith. My prayer is that everyone who walks through our doors knows they are seen, valued, and deeply loved by God.
