7th December G is for Gloria

Read Shirley Kendrick's meditation on G is for Gloria

“Gloria in excelsis Deo” is a Latin phrase that means Glory to God in the highest. Also famously known as the “Angelic Hymn” originating from the biblical account of angels singing to announce the birth of Jesus in Luke Chapter 2 Verse 14
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests”
First part of the verse Glory to God in the highest – is a declaration that God deserves all praise, highlighting that Jesus’ birth would bring him Glory
The second part announces that peace is available to people who are the objects of God’s favour. This peace is not just the absence of conflict but also inner peace that comes from having a relationship with God through Jesus.

Watch Vivaldi's Gloria in Excelsis Deo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhhYIZJj6rk&list=RDzhhYIZJj6rk&start_radio=1

6th December F is for First Nowell

Listen to Paul Winstanley read his meditation on F is for First Nowell

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.3141.hubb.church/9891b319-864e-4395-ac29-48bf6d0b68be.m4a
F is for
The First Nowell the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay

These are the opening lines of a carol which I am sure will be sung many times over this Christmastide.

Based on the Gospel of St. Luke ch2 vv8-16 it speaks of an angel instructing the shepherds to follow the star and find the Christ Child laying in a manger.

The shepherds were the first to the party; God’s Party if you like! It symbolises that Jesus comes for humble, ordinary, everyday people like you and me not just the rich and famous and powerful. They actually come later with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Jesus comes for everyone as our saviour and redeemer. So at Advent time let us grasp the wonder and awe of the shepherds in our worship and in our lives especially when we sing this carol.

A prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, whose birth was shared with the shepherds through the message of an angel, help us to praise you not only with our lips but in our daily lives.
Amen

Services at St James tomorrow, the 2nd Sunday in Advent.
The Gathering led by Rev Simon Phipps at 10am, in the hall, following free breakfast at 9.15.

Spoken Holy Communion at 11.00

5th December E for Epiphany

Listen to Jayne Robinson read her meditation on E for Epiphany

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.3141.hubb.church/bc70b3f6-24f2-4300-ab97-4459ff1db630.m4a

Epiphany
Epiphany comes from the Greek word meaning ‘revelation’. We celebrate the Feast of Epiphany on January 6th when we see the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world, particularly through the eyes of the Magi who come to visit the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Here is the story as told in Matthew Chapter 2.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’
After they had heard the king, they went on their way and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

4th December D is for Dreams

Listen to Tony Walker read his meditation on Dreams

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.3141.hubb.church/5f7711a3-ed62-4885-b114-c6600c92894d.mp3

The letter D stands for Dreams.
Bing Crosby and many others have sung “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas”. I wonder what you’re dreaming of this Christmas? Perhaps you’re dreaming of a special present you hope for. Or maybe your dreams revolve around your family, and you long that this Christmas will be perfect, with everyone getting on well with everyone else.
A man in the Bible called Joseph had a dream that concerned his family. His fiancée had told him that she was expecting a baby, but he knew the baby wasn’t his. As a result he was planning to break off the engagement.
While he was worrying about this, he had a dream in which he heard an angel speak to him. The angel said “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins.”
And that of course is why we have Christmas! My dream is that this Christmas we may be filled with joy as we celebrate the coming into our world of Jesus Christ, who came to be our Saviour and to assure us that God is with us, with all of us.

3rd December C is for Crackers

Listen to Bob Evans read his meditation on C and then the song "Great is the darkness" by Noël Richards and Gerald Coates, published in 1992
https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.3141.hubb.church/fc69995c-e1b4-4031-a15d-7523fbf8a4d9.m4a

The letter ‘C’ is for ‘crackers’. ‘Crackers’ make me think of parties, of special food and drink, and celebrations with friends and family.
But ‘crackers’ used to be how I described people who believed in God! Science was the truth of my tiny mind and that left no space for a God of any kind.
Fortunately, ‘C’ is also for ‘Carols’ and it was at a Carol service that the God I didn’t believe in met with me. So now, when I sing lines like ‘I love thee Lord Jesus’, from Away in a Manger, my heart joins with heaven because I know Jesus is alive and lives in me!
Above all, ‘C’ is for ‘Christ’, for Jesus Christ was born to die, for me and for you, so that we can live life to the full, a life at one with God, a life in loving relationship with Him who is love.
But my final ‘C’ is ‘Come’ because Jesus told us He is coming again. And when he does there will be no more war, and no more suffering: a new earth and a new heaven await!
Come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus. Come Lord Jesus.
Come……

2nd December B is for Bells

Listen to Susan Wilkinson read her meditation on B is for Bells

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.3141.hubb.church/abcda7c8-8439-42cb-a544-49bffdbccca5.m4a

THOSE CHRISTMAS BELLS

Ring out those festive Christmas bells,
Why so? I hear you say;
To celebrate the birth,
Of who? again you say;
The son of God on earth.

Our heavenly father sent his son
For we were far away,
To open up our link once more
For us to reconnect through Jesus,
To step out and explore.

It’s down to us to want and seek,
So take a look and see
For we are free to choose
To love the one who first loved us.
And that’s the gospel news!

So ring those joyous Christmas bells
Amen: I hear you say,
And celebrate with joy;
the Son of God on earth
In that little baby boy.

1st December A for Adoption

Listen to Brian Goddard's meditation on A is for Adoption, followed by the song "Father God I wonder" by Ishmael

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.3141.hubb.church/55066f7c-c558-45c0-b7e9-3b6321fc7816.m4a

Did you realise Jesus was an adopted child?
In the first chapter of the first book of the New Testament, we meet Joseph and Mary who are engaged to be married.
Joseph’s parents had probably followed tradition and chosen a wife for their son while both were teenagers. A legal contract would have been drawn up for the marriage but before the wedding date, Joseph discovers Mary is pregnant!
Joseph assumed Mary must have been unfaithful to him and decided to break the engagement but then he had a dream. An angel appeared to him and told him that Mary’s baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The baby was the Son of God.
Joseph, although he was not the biological father of Jesus responded with faith and arranged for the wedding to take place quickly. He adopted the baby and brought Jesus up as his own child, providing him with a loving, safe and secure home.
Did you know we can be adopted into God’s family and enjoy the loving care of our father God?
Ephesians 1:5 tells us God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
If we believe and trust in who Jesus is and all he has done for us, we are adopted into God’s, family and enjoy an everlasting relationship with Him.
Celebrate being part of Jesus family this Christmas.

Advent Calendar December 2025

Happy Christmas from St James

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Services with one at 9:30am and another at 11:00am. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits in the hall between the services. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. We ask for a small contribution towards the refreshments. If you are coming to the 11.00 service, refreshments will be available from about 10.15 onwards.

The first Sunday in the month we hold a "Gathering" service. This is an informal service held in the Church Hall. It is preceded by a light breakfast at 9.15, and then the service begins at 10am. Following this is a short spoken Holy Communion Service in the church to which you are welcome to stay.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access through the Community Hall, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet at the back of church as well as in the hall.

Our Services

The 9.30 service is a formal Holy Communion led by a visiting cleric or Rev Bob, or Rev Pat. The service is projected on screens, and hymns accompanied by Chris, our organist. The service lasts about 50 minutes. The service is also streamed. It is uploaded to Youtube.

The 11.00 service is a less formal gathering and will be different every week. Music is provided by videos on the screen, or by our small worship group. There will be readings, a talk, sometimes there is congregational participation. We try to have members of the congregation involved as much as possible. The services are put together by various lay people or groups of people - for example one of the home groups.

The first Sunday in the month we hold a cafe-style service - The Gathering. We meet in the hall at 9.15 for breakfast, and then start an informal service at 10 am, sat around the same tables, which ends just before 11.00. This is then followed by a short spoken Communion Service held in the church. You are welcome to come to just The Gathering, just the Communion, or both!

At the end of all services we share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church.at - plus at The Gathering, a Birthday slot with chocolate for the birthday person!

images: Services

What about my kids?

Unfortunately at the moment we do not have enough children attending the services to make Children's Work during the service viable, although we would love this to change.
We have a child-friendly area with a box of toys and activities available. There are also bags for younger children containing a toy, some crayons and paper, and a couple of books.
Childrens area

Pizza Praise is a new initiative (January 2024) on a Sunday at 4pm. A time of singing, games and stories aimed at families primarily with children aged 5-8

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have several groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership

We are in a period of Vacancy at present - the churchwardens Neil Whitaker and Jayne Robinson are in charge.

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.