There are a number of adult prayer and study groups which meet either regularly or for a short series.

In November/December a series of Advent meetings are held with a particular theme, for example in 2010 the vicar led an Advent study group on Monday evenings in church on the teaching of certain Christian leaders, including St Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius Loyola and Charles Wesley. Each Lent one or more courses are run, also with a particular theme. People wishing to participate sign up in the church and the groups are worked out from there. There are several different groups that meet at different times and in different people's homes. Each group has a leader and a host. The leader prepares and organises each session and brings along any necessary visual and other aids. The host offers their home as a venue and provides refreshments.

Most years there is a Parish Quiet Day, on a Saturday, held at a suitable venue that allows the opportunity for prayer and contemplation with independent leadership. A half-day study day in the autumn has also been successful and well attended. The last one was on aspects of the Eucharist.

The Prayer and Study meetings are varied and include prayers and studying the Bible. Prayers are offered for those known to need help and support. Some group members feel they know very little about God, the Church or the Bible; some have spent a lot of time studying these things. They find that they all learn from each other and so welcome anyone who wants to join.

Faith at Work
A new group, led by Canon Julian Reindorp, to explore our experiences was set up during 2010 and continued through 2011. "What difference does our faith make to our daily lives,our daily work? What are the challenges we face, the tensions we feel? Our work may be paid, or unpaid, we may be facing redundancy, or having been 'let go', working from home or retired. Can we support each other through these experiences?" Many different topics were covered, including 'The Faith of a Policemen', 'My dilemmas in Health Care', 'the challenges a tax inspector faces', 'the life of a teacher', 'the changes in the health service' and 'faith, publishing, success and failure'.

Parish Weekend

Parish Weekend

Quiet Day

Historical Background to the Prayer and Study Groups
Right from the start of of Revd. Fitz Wygram's incumbency much was done to spread religious knowledge to all age groups of the rapidly growing population of the parish. After his early death his widow organised a number of Bible Classes with separate groups for men, women, young men and young women. Communicant Classes were held once a month. The Communicants’ Association, later known as the Communicants’ Guild, flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s and was supported by many adult churchgoers. A local branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed in 1896 and there was a branch of the Scripture Readers’ Association. By the early twentieth century there were also regular lectures for the Church Reading Union.

A variety of prayer and study groups have come and gone since then, some originating from small groups of individuals such as one started in 1950. Read the article Prayer Groups. Others sprang out of more formal discussions about church life such as Lent Groups which started in 1952. In the 1970s there were three main study groups: the more formal Catechumenate, based on the experience of Continental Christianity; the Good News Group; and Koinonia, a fellowship group, which continued into the 1980s. Parish Quiet Days became an annaul feature. The Julian Group, primarily a prayer group, was formed in 1983 and Nurture Group in 1997. Parish house groups were set up in 1990 and followed a programme of Christian Learning called ‘New Concourse’, essentially comprising open-ended questions for stimulating discussion. Recently, every Lent and Advent, Revd. Vannozzi has led courses for prayer, study and reflection. The 'Start! In Lent', a six session course to explore Christianity together was held in 2010. A group, to explore our experiences was set up by a retired clergyman during 2010 and continued through 2011.

For a more detailed account, read the page The History of St. James's Prayer and Study Groups.