Church Life Today
By any stretch of the imagination, the Church of England is a huge organisation. 1.7 million people attend a CofE service at least once a month and 30% of the population regard themselves as members. It is involved in an extraordinary range of activities and its volunteers are to be found in every walk of life.
Yet no two local parish churches feel quite the same or work in quite the same way. Because of our history since the Reformation in the 16th century, the Church of England has allowed its members a huge degree of freedom to seek after God in whatever way seems most helpful.
While some churches with large Church premises are able to provide a range of practical services for local people, we believe our main tasks at St James’ are:
♦ To offer worship which is relevant and thoughtful, engaging and accessible
♦ To offer almost unlimited time – especially to all who want to explore what Christianity has to offer today
♦ To offer the use of the Church and Hall for all forms of spiritual, social and artistic activity
These aims are provided in many different forms – from Christenings and weddings to cooking lunches for the street community and hosting live music concerts.
But what people say they value the most is that the Church has time to talk – time for everyone and anyone, at times of happiness, in times of despair and everything in between.
For a more detailed insight into the activities of this past year click on the link to the ‘Review of the Year’ (see below) which was shown at the parish AGM just after Easter.
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