For Map & Directions see Contact Page
Sunday Mornings
9am Service in St James’ Church ( Formal Anglican)
10.30am Service in The St Barnabas Centre (Less Formal Anglican – with Sunday School for children)
Sunday Evenings
1st Sunday of the month - 7.30pm Prayer and Praise in the St Barnabas Centre
3rd Sunday of the month – 6pm Informal Service in Thorley Christian Centre
Weekday Services
Monday to Friday – 9.15 am Morning Prayer in St James’ Church
Little Worship
Wednesdays – Mothers & Toddlers Group 10am in The Emmaus Centre (behind the St Barnabas Cntre) - during term-time
CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
The Creche is for the under 2s and provides a safe haven for play.Babies, children and teenagers are welcome to participate in ALL our services and during the 10:30 a.m. service (except the first Sunday of each month) they are encouraged to spend some time in their own groups.
Contact: Ruth Boniface (01279 461058)
The Children and Young People’s groups run during the 10:30 service. We start with a time of worship and then split into age-specific groups: Scramblers (preschool), Climbers (Reception – Year 2), Explorers 1 (Years 3 and 4), Explorers 2 (Years 5 and 6) and Pathfinders (Years 7+). Each group is run by a dedicated team of leaders and helpers and provides a chance for learning more about God through stories, games, discussion and general fun.
Contact: Malcolm and Emma White (01279 504201)
GAP is the young people’s group for those aged 13 and upwards and meets on Sunday evenings at 7.30pm for discussions, Bible study, socialising, videos and eating! Other gatherings also take place for worship events, ice-skating, bowling, and young people’s Christian festivals.
Contact: Robert Wynford Harris or Judith & Robert Heald
Little Worship on Wednesdays is designed for the under-fives and their carers. Little Worship meets at 10:00 a.m. in the Emmaus Centre for an informal, lively time of stories, singing, prayers and activities, followed by refreshments and a time for grown-ups to chat and children to play! The first Wednesday of each month is slightly different, with a child-friendly communion service at 10:00a.m.
Contact: Helen Clark (01279 834592)
TWO BUILDINGS – ONE CHURCH
Music in Worship and details of services
The unique standing of the Parish of St. James – two major worship areas in contrasting environments, offers Parishioners a diversity not found elsewhere, and the choice is further amplified by the rotation of a variety of formats in both buildings on each Sunday.
Whilst this is good news for the Parish as a whole, it affords an even more challenging and exciting opportunity for everyone in the music fellowship to expand and fine-tune their individual talents across a wide spectrum.
A short resume of the musical content normally found within each service should at least serve to give a flavour of the potential open to all musicians for today, and in the future.
CHURCH 9.00 a.m.
1st Sunday of month : COMMON WORSHIP HOLY COMMUNION
Hymns/songs chosen from a wide range of traditional or more modern material relative to the service theme. These are usually, but not exclusively, taken from our regular sources used as the base for all services – Hymns Ancient and Modern [New Standard] {{A&MNS}} or Songs of Fellowship [vols. 1-4]{{SoF}}
Anthem in 4 part harmony – sometimes sung in Latin, sometimes traditional, sometimes modern language set to a classical melody.
Sung Gloria [when appropriate] and Creed, both modern language wording set to a variety of familiar hymn tunes.
Sung Gospel sentences, Acclamations, Sanctus and Agnus Dei.
2nd. Sunday of month : MORNING PRAYER [Book of Common Prayer]
Hymns or songs chosen from our normal sources on a theme-related basis.
Psalm and Canticles sung with traditional pointing [source: The Cathedral Psalter.]
Sung responses
3rd. Sunday of month : HOLY COMMUNION [ Book of Common Prayer]
Although strictly conventional in its structure, this Service does, from time to time, contain hymns or songs from more recent times. But any sung during the Eucharist itself are chosen for their reflective and contemplative qualities.
Sung Gospel sentences, Gloria [when appropriate], and various elements within the Eucharist itself. [current source: Nicholson]
4th. Sunday of month : COMMON WORSHIP MORNING PRAYER
Theme-related hymns or songs.
Modern language Psalm with congregational responses on refrains.
Modern language Canticles sung to familiar hymn tunes. Although something of an experiment initially, this approach has, judging by very positive feedback, found great favour amongst the congregation, enabling them to engage more fully in what for some had been a particularly “grey” area.
5th. Sunday of month : variable
St. Barnabas Centre 10.30 a.m.
1st. Sunday : ALL AGE SERVICE
A general service designed particularly with the younger members of our congregation in mind. Accordingly, any music is chosen along the same lines, and is led by a wide range of musicians from within the fellowship. Young and not so young, vocalists and instrumentalists, in fact, all are encouraged to play their role when available. Normally a rehearsal for those musicians is held on the Saturday afternoon before the Service the next day.[Rehearsal times subject to confirmation]
A Service of Prayer and Praise is held in the St. Barnabas Centre on the first Sunday evening of each month. For this, the music is provided by a group of our musicians similar in nature the description of the third Sunday [below]
2nd. Sunday : COMMON WORSHIP HOLY COMMUNION
A more loosely structured service than its equivalent held in the Church on the 1st. Sunday. The music in worship is led by a group of singers and instrumentalists who play both acoustic and electric instruments. Musically, the content tends to be rather more contemporary, although, by congregational demand, traditional hymns are regularly included.
3rd. Sunday : COMMON WORSHIP MORNING PRAYER
More emphasis is given to the electronic nature of the instrumentation in this Service, whilst still appreciating the need for material sympathetic to each particular phase of worship. In some regards, by using the simple expedient of greater or lesser amplification, it is easier to achieve the necessary contrast between the most uplifting, celebratory worship songs and their more meditative counterparts. A successful end product results from the judicious and sensitive blending of the voices and instruments of our musicians.
4th. Sunday : COMMON WORSHIP HOLY COMMUNION
Musically similar to the Service on the 2nd. Sunday in the St. Barnabas Centre.
5th. Sunday : variable
