Latest News

It is with great sadness that we hear of the death, earlier this week, of Trudy Harris.

Trudy (51) was for many years the life and soul of the Sunday Clubs and inspired many children with her infectious enthusiasm and she will be especially remembered by them for her short plays introducing the annual Christingle Services.

The funeral will be held at St James the Greater on Friday 23rd October at 1030 and we remember in our prayers all her family, especially her children, Joe, Amy and Sam.

RIDE AND STRIDE AND CHURCHES OPEN DAY on Saturday 12 September from 10.00 to 18.00. About 400 churches of various denominations around the city and county will be participating. Cyclists, walkers and recorders can ALL be sponsored: proceeds will be shared equally between your chosen place of worship and the Leicestershire Historic Churches Trust.

Further details and sponsorship forms are available at the back of the Church. We need at least two people on duty during the day on two-hour shifts. Please sign the rota if you can help. We can always do with more than two per session, so do please add your name to the list even if it appears to be full!

SONGS OF PRAISE on Sunday 6 September at 6.30 pm - with participation by members of the congregations that make up the Southern Edge Mission Partnership - St John the Baptist, Clarendon Park, with the Church of the Nativity, St Andrew's, Aylestone, St Christopher's, Saffron Lane, St Mary's with St Guthlac's, Knighton, and St James the Greater. This will be the first united act of worship since the inauguration of the Mission Partnership last May. Come and sing!

It has been announced today, that Mr Matthew Haynes has been appointed as our Director of Music with effect from September.

Matt is currently the Choral Animateur for the Diocese of Leicester, in conjunction with Leicestershire Arts and sang with the St James the Greater Choir as a boy.

More information will be available on this website in due course

It has been announced today, that Oliver Parker, our Director of Music, is to leave after the Choir Summer Trip to Salisbury Cathedral at the end of July.

Oliver has been appointed as Head of Singing at Uppingham school, with timetabling that does not allow him to continue at St James the Greater. We are immensely grateful to him for all that he has done over the last three years and wish him well for the future. There will be an opportunity to express our thanks at Evensong on the 19th July.

Preparations are in hand to look for his successor, with an aim of interviewing in July. More information will be available on this website in due course, or by contacting the directly.

The Summer 2009 edition of the parish Magazine "The Quarterly" is now available to download

It can be found under the News section of the main menu. Previous editions are still available.

The ANNUAL CHURCH BAZAAR is on Saturday 7 November.

It's never too early to start collecting or making items for sale. Remember us when you're on holiday and bring back a souvenir for the holiday stall.

Wednesday 10 June at 19.30 in the Large Hall

The first of two open meetings (the second on Wednesday 24 June), followed by an Extraordinary Church Meeting after the 10.30 service on Sunday 28 June, to get together to consult about the issues of our time (see the Quarterly). All welcome.

The SEASON OF ORGAN RECITALS begins on Sunday 7 June at 17.30.

Mark Batten is the first of seven talented performers who will enliven our summer Sunday afternoons. Refreshments will be served in the Large Hall before Evensong. Retiring collections will be made, in lieu of admission charges.

Sunday 31 May from 11.30 to 15.00

We are invited to celebrate this Christian festival in Evington Park, where a barbecue, bouncy castle, face painting, fun and games, and puppets will enliven worship. Free admission.

APPLAUSE CLASSICS at 19.30 on Saturday 30 May at the Church of St James the Greater. Oliver Parker, our Director of Music, and our Choir will be participating in this concert, which is one of a series arranged and broadcast by BBC Radio Leicester to raise funds for local charities.

Tickets £8. Seating unreserved. Further details at the back of the Church. The Church Administrator, is willing to forward bookings to the BBC.

THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING is on Sunday 26 April at 11.45, following the 10.30 service, when we shall elect Churchwardens and members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC); receive annual accounts, and review our life together.

If you wish to stand for election to the PCC or if you are, or wish to be, a Sidesman, you must be on the Electoral Roll. Ideally, everyone associated with St James the Greater should be on the Roll which is at the back of the Church, should you wish to check your entry.

Compline is sung on Monday at 19.30. On Maundy Thursday, there is the usual morning service of Holy Communion and the Liturgy of the Last Supper is commemorated in the evening at 19.30. The congregation is encouraged to remain for part or all of the Vigil that follows until 22.00 - 'Could ye not watch with me one brief hour?'

On Good Friday, everyone is encouraged to be present in the City for 'Christ in the Centre', starting from St Peter's Square, Highcross Centre at 10.00 am. For those who wish to come from that to the Hour before the Cross at St James the Greater, a frugal lunch of soup, cheese and bread is to be provided from 13.00 - please sign the list at the back of the Church before 11.00 am on Maundy Thursday.

The ancient night service of Tenebrae (darkness) at 19.30 is especially recommended to those who have never experienced it.

The Easter Eve Vigil is a wonderful anticipation of the dawning of Easter Day, with the blessing of the Pascal Candle from the New Fire in a darkened church - hence the late start at 20.30 - and listening by candlelight to the story of God's saving work from the beginning until the resurrection of Christ. The service lasts an hour and deserves strong support as the first service of Easter.

Easter Day begins with a said service of Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer at 07.00, followed by a Sung Eucharist at 08.30, with breakfast for the choir members, who stay on to sing for All Age Worship at 10.45. A shortened said service of Holy Communion follows at noon. The day culminates in a glorious Festal Evensong at 18.30.

The Spring 2009 edition of the parish Magazine "The Quarterly" is now available to download

It can be found under the News section of the main menu. Previous editions are still available.

THE EXTENSION incorporating a lift and flight of stairs to new facilities in the Undercroft was formally handed over to the church by the builders just before Christmas - exactly to schedule.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Will Warner who has seen though this project on behalf of the church from beginning to end - an intensive period of two years, including a frustrating year getting through all the 'red tape' of satisfying English Heritage and sundry amenity societies, and gaining necessary permissions. Then, when the building work began, Will made almost daily site visits - constantly smoothing the way for the contractors and all affected by the work going on - including the Vicarage!

We thank Will for all of the time, patience and energy expended with unrelenting good cheer.

Our thanks to Geoffrey Simpson and Tony Rudge who coordinated the fund-raising drive over six months up until Christmas which has been a great success both financially and socially. A Total of £75,000 of new money has so far been raised towards the project, not including the Gift Day on the 14th February.

STAMP OUT WASTE! Please clip all the stamps from your Christmas mail and put them in the collecting boxes at the back of the Church. They will be used to raise funds for Action Deafness and Interserve - local charities we have supported on previous occasions.

A WINTER WALK on Monday 29 December offers the opportunity to enjoy the local countryside before sipping a warming hot drink in front of Caroline Beardsmore's open fire, rather than getting glued to the TV or mooching round the interminable sales.

More details and a signing-up board are at the back of the Church.

TOWARDS £100,000 - Tony Rudge and Geoffrey Simpson would like to thank everyone who has responded to the Disabled Access Appeal - by a personal donation or by supporting one or more of the 14 events which have been held so far - and they are very grateful to the clergy and members of the congregation, who have organised the different activities.

We have raised over £64,000 so far and, with the continued support of the whole of the St James the Greater family, we are determined to reach our target!

The work is coming on very well and we hope to be able to start using the new facilities before Christmas.

A TORCELLO INSPIRED CHURCH?

Alan McWhirr will give an illustrated talk on Thursday 30 October at 19.00 for 19.30, followed by a tour of the Church on Saturday 1 November at 10.00.

For further information, please contact .

The Revd Jane Sharp will be licensed as non-stipendiary Associate Priest at St James the Greater by the Archdeacon of Leicester, who will conduct the service of licensing at 6.30pm on Sunday, 5th October 2008.

ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY, 22 JUNE 2008

JANE SHARP is to be a non-stipendiary associate priest at St James's from the autumn.

Ordained 11 years ago, Jane served a Curacy at St Andrew's, Aylestone. For the last 8 years Jane has been associate priest at St Mary's, Knighton - where she has had special responsibility for St Guthlac's.

Jane is married with two grown up children, and a daughter aged 8. She lives a 5 minute walk away from St James's - in St Mary's Road, off Victoria Park Road.

Jane assists her husband in running a family business. Family and business commitments will necessarily limit Jane's involvement at St James's - something we have been used to with Jane's predecessor Mark Battison as a non-stipendiary priest. Nevertheless, in accepting the invitation to transfer her ministry to St James's Jane says "I hope to play as much of a role in the everyday care within the parish and the Sunday worship as I can".

Jane is very aware of the process of consultation with the congregation at St James's that led up to her appointment. She says "I am very sensitive to the fact that for some people this will be somewhat difficult and I will do everything possible to make things as acceptable as possible for them".

We can assure Jane of a warm welcome, and look forward to all that she will bring to us.

Following the success and popularity of the weekly leaflet being available on-line, we are pleased to announce that the parish Magazine "The Quarterly", published (unsurprisingly) four times a year, is also now available to download

It can be found under the News section of the main menu. Previous editions will be left available for as long as space permits.

COMPLINE is to be held on Wednesday evenings at 8.30 pm - initially for a trial period in June and July - starting on Wednesday 4th June.

The service will be held in the calm space of the Lady Chapel in candle light. It will be lay led and said or sung, depending on who comes together. The service should last for not more than 20 minutes. It is a quiet, contemplative and elegantly simple way to shed the stress and noise of a busy day.

Save us, O Lord, waking,
guard us sleeping,
that awake we may watch with Christ,
and asleep we may rest in peace.

We hope to appoint someone on a part-time (mainly evenings) basis. Hours of work will vary to cover start and finish times of Church and Church Hall hirings. The job will be suitable for someone with a helpful and practical disposition, strong enough to move staging, chairs, tables, etc, who lives locally. Pay is to be on an hourly basis and might be worth approx. £2000 per year.

For further information, please contact the Church Administrator, .

ASCENSION DAY This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the French composer, Olivier Messiaen. A devoutly religious man, his desire to express the truths of the Christian faith through music was the mainspring of his creative life.

Our evening Eucharist on Ascension Day (1 May) will include one of his earliest and most accessible organ works, L'Ascension.

THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING is on Sunday 27 April at 11.45, following the 10.30 service, when we shall elect Churchwardens and members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC); receive annual accounts, and review our life together.

If you wish to stand for election to the PCC or if you are, or wish to be, a Sidesman, you must be on the Electoral Roll. Ideally, everyone associated with St James the Greater should be on the Roll which is at the back of the Church, should you wish to check your entry. ACCOUNTS for the past financial year are available for inspection on the board at the back of the church.

A QUIZ NIGHT with Supper on Monday 31 March (All Fools' Eve!) is being organised by the Charity Committee.

Our quiz nights are always popular and are a great way of getting to know others at St James the Greater. We have invited fellow churches in the Southern Edge Mission Partnership (SEMP) to join us - St Christopher's always gives us a run for our money! All the questions are answered in teams of 6-8 people, so there is never any embarrassment! A Ploughman's Supper will be served in the interval.

Tickets are available in advance from members of the committee (Caroline Beardsmore, Michael Bull, Martin Evans, Hilary Simpson and Polly Taylor). The cost is £6, which includes the first drink and the supper. Proceeds to Action Deafness, the Centre on Welford Road.

Farewell to Sam - Welcome to Tricia

Sam Goddard has held this part-time job since 2003, along with establishing his company, St James Systems, as an IT consultancy. We have benefited from his IT skills and his pleasant and approachable manner. Sam gave long notice of his intention to go full-time with his consultancy work from the end of January and has been handing over to Tricia Dean

We are most fortunate that Tricia is taking up this role alongside her other work as the General Secretary of the National Adult School Organisation. She has the advantage from the outset of being a leading member of St James - as chair of the Stewardship Committee for many years, and Churchwarden since 2006.

Congratulations to two of our congregation who have raised around £600 between them for the Leicestershire Historic Churches Trust by taking part in the annual 'Ride and Stride' in September.

Polly Taylor walked around churches in Leicester and raised £373 whilst Paul Dean visited churches by bike and so far has collected £163 with more to come.

The Bazaar, 'Stocking up for Christmas" - held last Saturday - had a great atmosphere and was a great success, raising £1,048 towards improving facilities for disabled people at St James the Greater.

Thank-you to those who organised the event, to everyone who helped in any way and to those who came and supported the event.

Come and Sing Handel's Messiah on Saturday, 8th December 2007

Rehearsal at 3pm, performance at 6pm. With the St James Chamber Orchestra

For further information, please contact the Director of Music, .

The Bishop of Leicester, the Right Revd Tim Stevens visited St James the Greater on Sunday 18th November. During the 10.30 am service he licensed Anthony Green as a new reader in the parish.

Bishop Tim

Although Anthony and his wife, Barbara, have their main home in Reading, they also have a residence in their hometown of Leicester and are with us for a considerable time each month and Anthony has been a much appreciated as an occasional preacher. So strong has their connection with us become that Anthony requested that his Reader's Licence be transferred from Oxford to the Diocese of Leicester and the Bishop was delighted to agree.

Following the service the Bishop also re-dedicated the Hall after its recent refurbishment

Our Bishop is to visit St James the Greater on Sunday, 18th November.

Bishop Tim will preside and preach at the 10.30 am service, during which he will license Anthony Green as a Reader. Following the service he will also re-dedicate the Hall after its recent refurbishment - close to the 40th anniversary of the original opening.

Everybody is, of course, warmly welcomed to attend this service. If you normally only attend the 8.30 am service or Evensong, you are strongly encouraged to attend the Sung Eucharist as well on this day.

Harvest Gifts of fresh fruits and vegetables were gratefully received by Action Homeless "to help keep our boys healthy" and parcels of non-perishable food and toiletries provided a great boost to the work of the Cathedral Welcome project for asylum seekers and refugees.

The Harvest Supper & Beetle Drive on Wednesday was very much enjoyed by all who took part. The sum raised was just over £230 - this will be sent to support victims of the flood in Asia whose harvest was washed away this year.

The church is looking for girls aged between 7 and 14, who enjoy singing, to join the Girls' Choir, which began this term. This is a new venture for the church and promises to be exciting and fun for all involved.

Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings during term time, from 18:00 to 19:30 and take place in the Choir Vestry (above the church hall). The entrance to the church hall can be found at the back of the church, on St James Terrace.

Initially, the Girls' Choir will sing in a number of special services and concerts during the year, including carol services at Christmas and services during Lent and Holy Week.

Like the boys, at the end of each term the girls will be paid a small amount for their work at the church and there are opportunities for trips, days out and other social events.

For further information, please contact the Director of Music, .

Over the summer, the church halls have been undergoing a fairly comprehensive makeover. Until this work began, the facilities were pretty much unchanged from when the hall was opened in 1967.

A new kitchen, some new flooring, replaced chairs and curtains together with complete redecoration will make the facilities much more serviceable and attractive to the large numbers from the local community who make use of them, as well as for use for church meetings and events.

In addition, the entrance door is being replaced and a slope added, making access by the disabled much easier.

The 6th May 1997 saw the launch of the original website for the Church of St James the Greater, Leicester. Now, over 10 years later a long overdue update has taken place.

In addition to a fresh appearance to the site, new photographs and extra information has been added, including a virtual tour of the church and diary and news sections. The diary may updated by selected people, which should lead to the site being a better source of information for activities at St James.

There are still a few areas awaiting new information and it is hoped that these will be expanded soon.

Mark Battison, Non-Stipendiary curate at St James the Greater for the last three years, is to move to a new sphere of ministry which will allow for closer integration with his business and family life.

Mark is to relate to the business community of Oadby (where he lives and has an office) and link with the parish of St Peter & St Paul, Oadby. There will be an opportunity to thank Mark for his time with us and bid him farewell as part of the evening service on 7th October