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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
Saturday 6 December 12.30pm
Come and follow the shepherds to Bethlehem with John Rutter’s lively Shepherd’s Pipe Carol and Harrison Knights’ evocative arrangement of How Far Is It To Bethlehem?
Sunday 7 December 2-4pm
Once again we’ll be rocking St James’s gorgeous courtyard with our own gospel take on the Nine Lessons And Carols, a selection of seasonal texts and sizzling gospel arrangements of carols.
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.
The work of St James’s, it costs us £5,000 per day to enable us to keep our doors open to all who 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
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Ayla joined St James’s as Associate Rector in July 2022. Originally from Canada, she moved to the UK in 2003 to study theology and art history. Following her PhD in Victorian sacred architecture at the Courtauld Institute of Art, she held fellowships and lectureships at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, the Courtauld, and the National Gallery. She was ordained in 2018 and her curacy was at Hampstead Parish Church.
Ayla’s approach to ministry focuses deeply on belonging, beauty, and social justice. As a parish priest, her vocation bridges theology and the arts, ranging from exhibitions and podcasts to academic engagement and interfaith community-building. Her publications include multi-author projects for the journal British Art Studies and Tate’s ‘In Focus’ series, as well as books including Modern Architecture and Religious Communities. She is a trustee of the UK charity Art and Christianity, a Visiting Scholar at Sarum College and St Augustine’s College, and a member of the St Paul’s Cathedral Visual Arts Committee. Ayla is also a member of the Church of England’s Contested Heritage Committee and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London.
