Here is the Summer Edition of the St James' Church Magazine, containing lots of news and articles about forthcoming events. A good read!

Find out about our Choir Festival and book tickets here.

Find out about our Festive Folk Gig and book your tickets here.

Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Matthew 15:10-28 Today’s reflection is by the Vicar, the Revd Canon Jonathan Cain. Minority Report I wonder if you remember the 2002 science fiction film Minority Report. In case you missed it, here is a brief plot summary. The film is set in the year 2054, and Washington D.C. has implemented a Pre-Crime programme, a police initiative that uses three psychics, called Precogs, to foresee murders before they occur. These predictions allow

Readings: 1 Kings 19:9-18; Matthew 14:22-33 Today’s reflection is by Reader, Pete Gillions. Meeting Jesus in the storm Do you ever feel that you could do a better job of things than God? Often life appears that way. In the early 1990’s the world became aware of the terrible neglect of babies and young children orphanages in Romania. There was also equally bad mistreatment of children with learning difficulties. Many Churches from around here explored ways of helpin

Readings: Isaiah 44:6-8 Today’s reflection is by the Vicar, the Revd Canon Jonathan Cain. The Baptism of Barney There are seasons in life when we find ourselves asking anxious questions about the future. As many of you know, Rebecca and I have four sons. The elder two are in long-term relationships and flourishing. The younger two are in that unpredictable, occasionally nerve‑wracking dating phase. Parents know this territory well. We watch our children grow, we watch

Readings: Isaiah 55:10-13; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 Today’s reflection is by Reader, Pete Gillions. The Parable of the Sower It is very difficult for us put ourselves in the place of the hearers of this parable. To feel their longing for change, their hopes and expectations of people. And in particular, what they see in this new preacher and make of the stories. So, to help with this, here is a contemporary example. Mr Andy Burnham has caught the attention of more than a

Readings: Zechariah 9:9-12; Matthew 11:16-19,25-end Today’s reflection is by the Vicar, the Revd Canon Jonathan Cain. What sort of ships? I want to begin with a question asked by a child. Not a clever question. Not a complicated question. But a question that cut straight to the heart. Some years ago, my neighbour Alwyn, an anaesthetist in the Leeds Hospitals Trust, took unpaid leave to volunteer on a Mercy Ship off the coast of Benin in West Africa. Mercy Ships, a

Join us this summer for an exciting Christian-led Holiday Club designed especially for primary-aged children!

Readings: Jeremiah 28:5-6; Matthew 10:40-end This reflection is by retired Vicar, Brian Lipscombe. We are delighted to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Jonathan’s Ordination. We want to praise God particularly for his faithful Ministry here at St James and in the wider Diocese. We thank God for both Jonathan and Rebecca in their shared ministry, and for the support of all the family, Jonathan’s mum and the lads Nick, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, and Arthur's wife Holly, who

Readings: Readings: Jeremiah 28:5-6; Matthew 10:40-end Today’s reflection is by the Vicar, the Revd Canon Jonathan Cain. Hospitality of the heart Thursday marked ten years since I was ordained priest. Anniversaries have a way of making us look back—sometimes with gratitude, sometimes with surprise, sometimes with a quiet sense of “how did we get here?” And as I look back over these ten years, one theme rises again and again: hospitality. Not simply the hospitality o

Readings: Genesis 21:8-21; Matthew 10:24-39 Today’s reflection is by Reader, Cal Bailey. God’s promise always remains. Relationships can be the greatest blessing to us. And they can be our greatest difficulty too. We’re going to see today that those statements can be true at the same time. They aren’t contradictory. I wonder if you can think of a relationship which has been difficult for you? With a boss or colleague perhaps; with a partner or member of the fami