The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (the Church AGM) is on Sunday 28 April
We begin with lunch (given in partnership with City Harvest London) at 12.45pm, followed by the meeting at 1.30pm. We will be electing two Churchwardens, and three PCC members (serving for three years)
If you’re unable to attend the APCM but would like to participate in the elections, you may do so by submitting a postal vote. Applications for postal votes should be sent to Graham Cooper via email.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. To mark the anniversary, our lunch will be made from food which would otherwise have been thrown away.

Printed packs are available in church and may also be downloaded here as a PDF.

Christian Faith and Ecology in an Unfinished Universe - Eco Church lecture
Professor John Haught | Sunday 2 June 2019 1.50–3.30pm
St James’s Church

John Haught will present a new approach to ecological theology based on both a sacramental and a promissory understanding of Christian faith.  Click 'read more'

Equal, the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England, is campaigning for a change in the teaching and practice of the Church of England to allow all couples to marry in church, regardless of their gender, sex or sexuality. This principle of equality already applies in English law and in some other churches.  Consider signing their Open Letter to the House of Bishops External website

The performance of Bach’s St John Passion in Holy Week, with the audience joining in singing the hymn-like chorales that punctuate the piece, made a great impression. Thank you to all who contributed and especially to Michael Haslam for organising it.

Visit to Beddington Zero Energy Housing Development - Friday 12 July 2019
with optional lunch and walk including Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve

BedZED, in South London Zone 4, is the UK’s first large-sale eco-village. The pilgrimage, organised by
Petra Griffiths from the Eco-Church Group, will include a 1.5 hour bespoke tour of the development.
Booking deadline: Sunday 9 June 2019.  Leaflet

Our electoral roll is due for a full review this year. Such a review takes place every six years and means that everyone comes off the electoral roll and must re-apply

We actively encourage members of our congregation to join the electoral roll. Being a member of the electoral roll serves as a sign of belonging to our community, indicating that being part of St James's is important to you. It is also an important administrative tool - it gives you a voice in the election of PCC members and therefore the governance of St James's. The number on our electoral roll also determines the number of representatives that we are entitled to send to deanery synod - which gives St James's a voice in the wider church community, enabling our commitments and approach to be heard.

There is an electoral roll sign-up form attached to this email - please complete and return to the parish office as soon as possible (and before the APCM on 28th April) to ensure your membership remains active. Alternatively, forms are available in church on Sundays. (Click Read More)
Electoral Roll form

The Revd Les Acklam, a retired priest who attended St James’s, died in hospital shortly before Christmas.  His funeral service will be at St Oswald’s (Green Lane, Norbury SW16 3SB)  at 2pm on Wednesday 13 February. A Memorial Service will be held at St Faiths’ Church, Lincoln on Friday 15 February at 1pm, followed by a social gathering there with refreshments. It is also expected that a Eucharist will take place at St Faith’s beforehand at 12 noon. For further details please contact Greg Wright at: gregwright66 <at> hotmail.com.  Church Times Notice: On 21 December 2018, the Revd Leslie Charles Acklam: Vicar of St Paul’s, Spalding (1985-93); Priest-in-Charge of St Faith with St Martin and St Peter-at-Arches, Lincoln (1993-2006); Chaplain of Lincoln University (2006-11); aged 72.

Every year St James's runs a course exploring the journey of Christian faith - we call it the Camino. The course is for anyone who is interested in finding out more about Christianity. The Camino (or ‘way’) is an ancient footpath which wends its way through Europe and across Northern Spain. Pilgrims have, for centuries, made their way along this path towards Santiago de Compostela (which literally means ‘St James of the field of star’). It is a journey that some people do only once, others do over and over again, and it’s a pilgrimage journey - a journey with a purpose. Our course is called ‘Camino’ as it bears the name of James and seems to reflect the ups and downs of life in the world, attempting to live a life of faith in a complex society. We will meet mostly each fortnight from Advent 2018 to Ascension 2019 on Wednesday evenings (with a few exceptions) from 6.00pm onwards. During the course, we will look at aspects of life as a Christian: including sessions on the Bible, on Prayer, on Ethics, some applied theology, and plenty of opportunity to discuss our own ideas and experience. Camino leaflets (with the full list of meeting dates) and registration forms are available on our Camino page

Lindsay Meader writes: In the summer of 2019 we are running a 4-day retreat at Bishop Woodford House, Ely. This is an invitation to take time out and slow down, to spend time in prayer, contemplation and silence and also to enjoy one another’s company and the cathedral, town and riverside at Ely.
Download the leaflet

Related events in 2019:

• Sat 30 March Lent Quiet Day
• Wed 14 - Sat 17 August Parish Retreat
• Sat 21 September Quiet Day
• Sat 14 December Advent Quiet Day

We are only the fourth recipient in the country of a gold Eco Church Award
Andy Atkins, the CEO of A Rocha UK, a Christian conservation charity, presented us with a plaque on 14 October in recognition of our "care for God’s earth in their everyday work and witness” across five categories: worship and teaching; buildings; land; community and global; and lifestyle.

St James’s won the award for initiatives that included attempting “to use renewable energy, reduce their carbon footprint, create wildlife-friendly areas such as a pond and wetland habitat on their land, and encourage outdoor worship and teaching”.

As an inner-city church in the heart of London, we hope that it will encourage other urban churches to realise how much they can care for nature and our environment regardless of their location. The three previous winners of a gold award are Hilfield Friary, Dorset; St Catherine’s, Burbage, in Leicester diocese; and St John’s, Leven, in Scotland. Open flyer for more information

Read about our journey towards being a eco-church

Affordable room hire at St James's Church. Ideal for training sessions, rehearsals, meetings, seminars, presentations, workshops and press launches.  Please re-tweet!

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS AT ST JAMES’S PICCADILLY
Luke, who wrote a gospel, also wrote an account of what happened after Jesus’s resurrection appearances.  He wrote it for his friend Theophilus. It’s a key book of the New Testament but it’s often overlooked. It’s a helter-skelter ride of a story, full of arguing, miraculous happenings, discussions about property, money and faith, a good deal of bravery in the face of persecution and thousands of miles of travel.  It’s a vivid account of a fledging movement, fighting for its life in a political and religious context that largely opposed it, and expanding its influence very fast. And there are surprising lessons for us today.  Come and meet the early Christian characters whose inspirational faith and energy made this happen:  Paul, Peter, Barnabas, Lydia, Junia (the only woman in the New Testament to be given the title “apostle”), Stephen, Phoebe, Dorcas and many others. Click 'read more' for dates and further details.
Everyone is welcome to attend any of the sessions.  Course material and audio recordings are here

Exhibition of works by Emily Young
in the Southwood garden at St James’s Church
 
The exhibition of sculptures by Emily Young in our garden has been augmented by five new works which replace those removed earlier in the year.  St James’s is hosting the exhibition in collaboration with our neighbours, Bowman Sculpture of Duke Street.
 
In her sculpture, Young focusses on the natural beauty and energy of stone including its capacity to embody human consciousness. In her combination of traditional carving skills with technology, she produces work which marries the contemporary with the ancient, manifesting a unique, serious and poetic presence.  The Southwood Garden at St James’s Church is open daily from 9.00am to 6.30pm.
All are welcome … the exhibition is free and unticketed.

Guinevere Short has been appointed Director of Business and Operations at St James's. This is a new post, with responsibility for income generation through our concerts and events programmes, property rental, markets, room and facilities hire.  Guinevere comes to us from the heritage and museum sector, most recently Deputy Director of Museums and Galleries for Canterbury Council and before that, Head of Retail Operations at the Natural History Museum. She has also worked in retail operations at the National Gallery.  She will begin her work with us on Monday 10 September and will initially work 21 hours a week.  

Don't miss all the news from our Church Council!  See here for the reports on meetings.....

Jen reports that the St James's Walking Boots Group had a terrific day out on their nine mile adventure through the Kent countryside, taking in two National Trust properties - Ightham Mote (their lunch stop) and Knole Park. Here's a pic:

Violence against women and girls: Reason to hope? A video of this event, held on 23 May 2018, can be viewed here. Participants included Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James' Church, Lisa Gormley, Abou Atta and Elaine Storkey

We have recently obtained a St James's Church Parish Magazine from 1955. 
See it here

Video of the recent Iftar, by Ali Oudjana