Jesus gave His church a clear mission: to go and make disciples of all nations, sent out by the One who holds all authority. And yet, in a world that often feels hostile and filled with competing messages, following Him as His witness can feel isolating and daunting. Yet our calling comes with a powerful promise: He is with us always, to the very end of the age.
As David Platt puts it, “the Great Commission is not a call to save the world, but a call to follow the One who already has, and who walks with us every step of the way”.
We go, not alone, but with the constant presence of Christ, who claims every corner of creation as His own. This is our comfort: wherever we are sent (home, office, cafe, school, Uni) Jesus is already there—and will remain with us, till the very end.
This Sunday is what we call World Mission Sunday at Saint James— a time to remember God’s heart for the nations and his call to make disciples of all peoples. During our gatherings, we’ll take time to hear what Christ is doing around the world, both through our own mission partners and through the wider global church.
We’re delighted to welcome our guest speaker, Jason Roach, Director of Ministries at London City Mission. Jason will be preaching on Romans 10:13–15, ‘The Nations on our Doorstep’. After the 10:00 service, do stay for tea and coffee, where there’ll be an opportunity to hear more mission stories and updates from him.
We’d also love to highlight a few books to help grow our heart for Mission:
Which job should I take? Where should we live? Churches…schools…relationships. How will I know which is the ‘right’ one?
Guidance is always a hot topic for Christians. So, how can we discern God’s will for our lives? And how should we make decisions? We’ll look at what the Bible has to say about God’s will for our lives and how to make godly decisions in light of that. As always, there’ll be good food, with plenty of time for discussion and prayer.
The breakfast will be in the Saint James Centre.
£4/head
With our Saint James Weekend just a few months away, we’d love your support in helping make this key time of fellowship and discipleship happen. One practical way to do this is through donations towards the cost of the weekend.
We’re committed to keeping the weekend accessible to everyone, so there’s no charge to attend. Whether you’re planning to come or not, please consider what you might be able to contribute. You can find all the ways to give (and book!) using the link here.
Some have also asked about giving to the Two Saint James Trust, especially as part of the ongoing Resourcing for Growth initiative. You can find more information and guidance on how to give via the link to their webpage here.
On 27th April 2026 we will be holding our APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting), and APM (Annual Parish Meeting). Everyone is welcome to attend. To find out what will be discussed the meeting documentation, please click the link below, or you can pick up a printed copy from the Church Centre.
Give thanks for the those standing for election/re-election; pray that they would be gospel minded as they serve:
Churchwardens: Francesca Hall-Drinkwater, John Young, Gary Palmer
Standing for re-election: Heather Ashby-Rose; Francesca Hall-Drinkwater; Mark Nicholas; Tim Ogunelye, Liz Lee
Standing for election: Benjamin Rajapandian
There are 3 other vacancies, please pray for churchwardens and staff involved in those conversations, and for those positions to be filled.
Families with children under 11 will be gathering for an informal lunch after The 10:00 to build community and to enjoy fellowship. All families with under 11’s are welcome to join, no need to book, just turn up! BYO picnic!
A wonderful opportunity as Saint James for the women to come together from across our three congregations to grow in maturity in Christ, as we are encouraged and equipped from God’s Word. With our speaker Jan Palmer, it promises to be a great time of fellowship over discussion, good food and prayer. Save the date!
17th April: Ignite
A monthly club for children in school years 3-6 full of big games, messy craft and a short talk that looks at the person of Jesus.
3rd May: Family Picnic
Informal lunch after the 10:00 for families with kids 11 years old and under, to build community and enjoy fellowship.
6th May: Prayer Central
Everyone gathering before God together to pray for the Church, our community and our world.
9th May: Men’s Breakfast
A breakfast for the men in the church with a talk, discussions and great food
14th May: Friendship Lunch
A lunch for the retired members of our community. A chance to hear a Bible talk, have discussions, build friendships and enjoy good food.
15 – 17th May: Dangerous Camping
A weekend of camping for Dad’s and their kids (school years 3-6) with games, activities, meals and Bible times.
4rd June: Prayer Central
Everyone gathering before God together to pray for the Church, our community and our world.
6th June: Women’s Breakfast
A breakfast for the women in the church with a talk, discussions and great food.
11th June: Friendship Lunch
A lunch for the retired members of our community. A chance to hear a Bible talk, have discussions, build friendships and enjoy good food.
12th June: Ignite
A monthly club for children in school years 3-6 full of big games, messy craft and a short talk that looks at the person of Jesus.
26-28th June: The Saint James Weekend
1st July: Prayer Central
Everyone gathering before God together to pray for the Church, our community and our world
9th July: Friendship Lunch
A lunch for the retired members of our community. A chance to hear a Bible talk, have discussions, build friendships and enjoy good food
10th July: Ignite
A monthly club for children in school years 3-6 full of big games, messy craft and a short talk that looks at the person of Jesus.
12th July: Family Picnic
Informal lunch after the 10:00 for families with kids 11 and under to build community and enjoy fellowship
It was such a joy to walk through Easter together as a church family and celebrate the lows and the highs, the anguish of the cross to Christ’s glorious resurrection, defeating death. To Him be glory forever!
To kick off our Easter season we enjoyed a Maundy Thursday meal together. A chance to enjoy fellowship together as whole body of believers, from all across Saint James. It was sobering to remember the last supper that Jesus shared with his disciples as we shared the bread and wine of communion together.
Good Friday started with our Hour at the Cross as Matt walked through the story and helped us to see the great cost that Jesus paid for us and the hope held out to us through the washing away of our sins through His sacrifice. As ever it is such a wonderful time to have some space to reflect on what Christ went through for us.
It was such a joy to welcome many visitors to join us for Good Friday Together, our service children and families. Craig and Sam helped us to see why although on Good Friday all seemed lost, Jesus was fully in charge, He had a plan and it is indeed good news for us today! We had a great time celebrating that as we sung and did actions together. It particularly special to enjoy food together afterwards, thank you team for the hot dogs, YUM! So many guests stuck around to chat and it was wonderful opportunity to get to know people better and share why we think Jesus is so great.
Easter Sunday began with the 7am Easter Sunrise Service, where we shared Communion and spent time in reflection and unplugged worship. Being in God’s creation as the sun arrived on Easter morning was a wonderful start to celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection. Afterwards, there was time for hot cross buns and hot coffee in the St James Centre. Peter helpfully highlighted Jesus’ ultimate triumph over death, and what good news that is for all believers!
Easter is good news for you and good news for me, we are the good news family! That’s what we were celebrating on Easter Day as we gathered joyfully to declare that JESUS SAVES! As ever, what a joy is was to sing together, helped by the excellent choir and team of musicians, what a glorious sound! And Dan helpfully reminded of the great truth that the resurrection is historical, it is personal and is universal, great news for all people!
In the evening we gathered for our The 5.30 service, it was great to have a chance to reflect on the joy of the day, to have a bit more time and space, and to dig deeper in the Bible. It was particularly special to hear from Phil and Rosemary about how they came to accept Jesus Christ at their Lord and Saviour, a helpful reminder of the powerful ways Jesus is at work in people lives today and the many great stories their are amongst his people!
On Monday afternoon (20/04), many of the staff team will be going away together for our annual Staff Conference.
Please pray that the team grow in their love for the Lord, encourage one another in their responsibilities in ministry, and would be spurred on by the captivating truth that Jesus Christ is Lord to continue to work for the growth of the Gospel here at Saint James.
The team will be away until Thursday afternoon (23/04), the office will be open until 4pm each day.
30 minutes, each week, open to everyone at Saint James, to pray for our church and its impact on the wider world, to the glory of God. Monday at 9am. Join via the Zoom link here.
