Revd. Leathard Read about Revd. Leathard

After a fifteen month interregnum, a wet and chilly evening outside the church contrasted greatly with the warmth, expectancy and excited chatter inside, on the occasion of the Institution and Induction of the Revd. Brian Leathard, Senior Chaplain at the University of Loughborough, as vicar of the parish of St. James on Thursday 14th of September 1989. The October/November 1989 Spires reported: "Full house - Standing room only - and not much of that! That is how the board outside the church might have read, for the parishioners of St. James filled the church to welcome our new Vicar, Brian Leathard......Our new Vicar's prayers gave hope for the future. They had spiritual depth. They were not just words but truly meant, coming straight from the heart delivered articulately. The whole induction service was so splendidly staged, our dear church looked so beautiful and the sermon by the Bishop and all that was said all struck just the right note."

Revd. Leathard came with his wife, Ramani, and six year old daughter, Anusha.

Revd. Leathard obtained his Ph.D. from Loughborough University in 1991. He became Director of Ordinands for the Kensington Episcopal Area of our Diocese of London, responsible for the discernment, selection, training and placement of those who felt they may have a vocation to ordained ministry in the Church of England. In 2005 the Bishop of London offered him the Prebendal Stall of Reculversland in St Paul's Cathedral. Read the article Prebendary Brian.

Worship and Services
Changes to patterns of worship continued during Revd. Leathard’s incumbency. In his first Spire Leader, October 1989, he invited all to join him in saying Morning Prayer in Church, Monday to Friday at 09.15 "The bell will be tolled and prayer will be offered in Church day by day". One important change was that on the first Sunday of each month, when there was an Informal Service or Children's Eucharist in the morning, there was no longer a Parish Communion in the evening. Instead there was, at 18.30, Choral Evensong. At the same time on each third Sunday there was also Choral Evensong but that changed in 1992 to a Service of Prayer for Healing. Prayer 'n Praise with the Travellers continued at 18.30 on the second, fourth, and, if there was one, fifth Sunday, but the fourth Sunday of the month service was changed in 1992 to an Open Forum, a short act of worship. However, by November 1994 all the Sunday evening services, apart from an occasional Choral Evensong, were stopped due to falling attendance. During Lent Compline was said each Sunday at 21.00. Weekday Holy Communion services were held at 20.00 on Festival Days and continued to be held on Tuesdays at 09.30 and on Thursdays at 19.15. On the first Thursday evening in each month, Communion included the Ministry of Healing. Read the article Our Church Services. New hymn books, Ancient and Modern Revised Standard, were introduced in 1992. In the same year, for the first time, a special service of Holy Communion was celebrated on All Souls' Day. Parishioners were later invited to write the names of people or issues for prayer in the new Intercessions Book kept on the main altar. For a short period in 1993 a creche was available for under fours during the 09.30 Sunday Parish Communion services. The first Baptismal Party, organised by the Women’s Forum, also took place in church in 1993 and continued as a popular annual event.

Some of the Choir with the organist Marcella den Boer

After much debate, the P.C.C. agreed that the choir should sing at the Parish Communion Service one Sunday a month in 1993. The Christingle Service was moved to the first Sunday in December at 09.30. In 1999 a new addition to the regular services was a celebration of communion at 14.00 on the first Thursday of each month, followed by a cup of tea. This was primarily for those who couldn't easily or conveniently come to the Sunday services while also "providing a refreshing weekday oasis for anyone who values the quiet companionship of such a short act of worship in addition to the longer Sunday parish communion". On the first Wednesday of every month a short early morning communion service at 07.00 started in 2005, designed to offer an opportunity for prayer and worship to those who commute to work during the week. By the end of his incumbency, the weekday services had settled to a pattern of: Morning Prayer on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 09.15; Holy Communion on Tuesdays at 09.30; Holy Communion on the first Wednesday of the month at 07.00; Holy Communion on the first Thursday of the month at 14.00 followed by a cup of tea.

The Revised Common Lectionary

On Advent Sunday, 30th November, 1997, the Revised Common Lectionary was adopted at St. James’s. Read the article The New Lectionary. "The Lectionary sets out which parts of the Bible are to be read in services to give both as wide a spread of the Bible as possible and also to help steer a course through it appropriate to the keeping of the Christian Year." New service orders called Common Worship were introduced throughout the Church of England, including St. James's, during Advent 2000 with the Alternative Service Book (ASB) becoming redundant on 31st December. All the communion services afterwards, except those including a baptism, used one of three forms of Common Worship: a standard form, a form for use in Advent and Lent, and thirdly a form for all-age worship particularly designed for family groups. The December 2000 Spire reported: "We have produced an inexpensive booklet which include each of the three agreed forms. Each form is complete in itself, following sequentially page by page. They are very easy for newcomers and visitors to follow. As with every change we hope that our services become more easily accessible and more meaningful for everyone."

Finances
A Church Fabric Loan Investment Fund was introduced in 1990 with the scheme involving individuals and families making loans to the church for an agreed term, which were then repaid. The interest that the money earned during the loan period went to the Fabric Fund. However, even with this, by 1991 it was realised that for several years the money raised by the Stewardship giving was insufficient to cover expenses and so there was a return to fund raising. A new scheme called ‘A Thousand Pounds by Christmas’ was introduced in October which actually raised £1500. There were cake sales, cheese and wine parties, coffee or tea with a bring and buy, selling of preserves, plants, etc. and garage and treasure sales among others. By 1992 a collection was re-introduced at the offertory during the Sunday morning service. It was hoped that this would augment the regular planned giving. Different types of fund raising continued for several years and in 1995 Stewardship was further encouraged by the introduction of a ‘Friends of St. James’s’ scheme aimed at those people who “appreciate the fact that St. James’s is here”. The idea of the Friends was that it should encourage all those who value St. James's to make a regular contribution. In return they would get information about the activities of the church and be invited to occasional social events.

The annual Christmas bazaar was an important way of helping the finances. Stewardship Reviews continued over the years, reminding everyone that stewardship was about being fully involved with the church and in the work of the parish and of the wider church. "Our giving of money is a vital part of that." Most of the time the church was short of money but the year 2003-2004 was reported to have been a good year: "There was a small surplus of income over expenditure; we had received just over £24,000 from the release of the covenant on 52 Park Road; and our investments had increased a little following the improvement in the stock market over the past 12 months. The treasurer stressed how important it was to have a high level of planned giving."

The restoration of the spire was carried out by a father and daughter steeplejack team in 1989. Careful removal of encrusted grime revealed the need for expensive chemical treatment to eradicate the roots of the lichens penetrating the stonework.

Church Buildings
The maintenance and development of the church property and equipment continued their need for resources both financial and human. Various defects were discovered in the spire as a result of one of the quinquennial inspections (every church is inspected by its architect every five years). The February 1990 edition of the Spire reported: "The appearance of steeplejack’s ladders signalled a warning of trouble, and now, sadly, we have confirmation from the architect’s inspection that the spire may not be as solid as we thought. Undamaged by the violence of the '87 hurricane, it is however under attack from the insidious effects of dampness, frost, and atmospheric pollution which are causing areas of masonry, where the spire rises from the tower, to crumble. Stonework on both tower and spire is eroded, and the cross at the top is split. Urgent work is necessary to restore these areas and prevent further damage." It was decided to appeal to the parish as a whole as every one in the congregation and in the parish at large had something to offer and therefore all 'Hampton Hilliers' were asked for their help. "WE ASPIRE TO GREAT THINGS." This parish-wide appeal, ‘Save Our Spire’, together with a grand christmas fair, a well attended open day and many other fund-raising activities raised the £22,000 target. See the leaflet Open Day. The renovation was completed later that year Read the article The Renovation of the Church Spire. together with an application of an impervious surface at the base of the spire to inhibit water penetration to the tower.

The clearing of the large, very overgrown and neglected hedge at the front of the vicarage in 1990 resulted in the front of the house being seen clearly for the first time in years. The vicarage and its grounds do not belong to the parish but to a body known as the Parsonages Board which is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of vicarages throughout the Diocese.

Scaffolding in church during its redecoration in 1991.

The interior of the church was improved during 1991 with stone cleaning, followed by a complete re-decoration of the walls and ceiling. As the banded brickwork had been painted over many years earlier, some colour needed to be brought back into this rich Victorian interior. This was provided by dark brown staining for the formerly poorly limed oak of the main roof trusses, and the red staining of the chancel trusses with the addition of gold stopped chamfers. The illuminated inscription over the chancel arch added considerable richness to this area, but as it had decayed to a marked extent, it was carefully conserved.

The wiring and lighting in the nave and chancel was modernised in the early 1990s during the hall construction. The twelve pendants in the nave, the ceiling lights and the ceiling tracks in the chancel were installed by a firm of professional electricians. The then controversial red purpose-built chandeliers were a product of close co-operation between the architect, metalworker, electrician and glazier. The red glass, in the original plans, was deemed too expensive and was replaced with perspex.

In the north aisle, upholstered chairs and carpet replaced the pews and bare boards to improve its use for families and special-occasion worship. Further seating could be provided by stackable chairs in the south aisle, allowing for a more flexible seating pattern, with the facility for providing maximum seating accommodation when the occasion demanded. The south aisle, normally open, could also be used for extra seating on special occasions and so, excluding the chancel, the church could then seat a maximum of 280 adults. The 1979 speech reinforcement system was brought up to date with new microphones, an additional speaker and facilities for audio recording and use of tapes and CDs. There was also a TV link to a monitor in the hall.

Restoration work on the church had to be done in 1995: crumbling stonework around the west window was replaced or repaired, coping stones were renewed, the cross, blown down in a gale, was repaired and replaced, and much of the brickwork was repointed. New grilles were added to protect the stained glass windows. The west porch was rejuvenated by repairs and cleaning after an arson attack. The south porch was also cleaned and restored. A few years later, in 1999, the church sound system was again overhauled by a team of acoustic engineers. Also in 1999 a three bedroomed terrace house was purchased for the new curate, Revd. Freda Evans. Since then it has been occupied by a curate or let to bring in funds for the church.

The prayer corner

A Book of Remembrance, with the names of parishioners who had died, was placed in church at the east end of the south aisle, to the left of the vestry. Then a prayer corner was established in 1998 also at the east end of the north aisle, but to the right of the vestry, with some bequest money being used to purchase an icon and candlestick. The creation of a series of new kneelers was a millennium project for the church which involved a group of about thirty people using their talents and artistic energy to give something lasting to St. James's. Read the article Kneeler Project.

"Church architecture is not just about designing a practical building, it is also about beauty and belief." As early as 1998 there was a proposal for glass doors at the west end of the church to convey these ideas by opening the view from the street to the full length of the church, right up to the altar with its cross. The July 1998 Spire reported: "We have a beautiful church which we want to share with those who pass by. More than this, the glass doors would also state that this church is open and welcoming. It is a church which is active in proclaiming the mission and purposes of God in our community. Glass doors would help to open up the mystery of God's presence in our world."

The Bishop of Kensington opening our doors.

After many varied meetings during 2000 and 2001 it was decided to remove the current west porch, which was in a poor state, and rebuild it with an extension to provide an 'Open Door' welcoming look to the church and a staffed church office. Having this place for the administrative work of the parish to be securely and effectively undertaken would allow the church to be staffed and open much more of the time. In the plans there was also another room which could be used as a small meeting room, an interview room or a counselling room.

The west porch idea was introduced to the parish at St. James's Church Jubilee Open Day in June 2002. Read the article Jubilee Open Day. The 'Opening our Doors' project, as it was called, was officially launched at a St. James's Festival weekend in July of that year. Read the article Festival Weekend & Launch of 'Opening Our Doors'. After some years of problems (read the 2003 Update and the 2004 Update), finally, in October 2005, the Bishop of Kensington threw open the new west entrance doors and led the community into church for Parish Communion. Read the article Our Doors are Open. The glass doors succeeded in giving a view from the road down the whole length of the nave and the chancel together with the ongoing life within, fulfilling the vision of opening up the church for all to see and join in. A further major modification of the church wiring was carried out during the building of the west porch extension in 2004-6. This included floodlighting the altar so that the interior of the church was lit to enhance the 'Open Door' aspect of the project.

Years of sunlight on the beautiful south aisle stained glass windows of the parables had taken their toll and badly damaged the leading, resulting in rainwater leakage in the surrounding masonry. In the spring of 2005 they were removed and taken to the Chapel Studio in King's Langley, near Hemel Hempstead, to be repaired and restored. S ee the photographs and read the article Stained Glass Window Refurbishment.

During the interregnum, following the departure of Revd. Leathard, the notice boards were given fresh new titles to rationalise the notices put up in the church and hall and to aid communication. The notice boards were for Rotas, Forthcoming Events, Our Giving, Social Events and Young People of St. James's and in the South Porch the board welcomed people and included general information notices. In the hall there were boards for Community Notices, The Parochial Church Council, Forthcoming Events and Outreach. The boards contained church and community oriented notices and non-commercial advertisements.

Building the new church hall in 1993

Church Hall
Until the early 1990s St James’s Church Hall was in School Road, where the Greenwood Centre stands now. The church also owned a house in St James’s Road, Wayside, which had various meeting rooms and had been well used. However, heavy maintenance, expensive running costs, and the nature of church activities meant that it was prudent to sell at that time. The sale released capital which, combined with money from the earlier sale of the church hall, allowed a new church hall to be built next to the church.

The P.C.C. commissioned its architect, John Deal, to draw up plans allowing for a wide range of uses: for formal meetings, social gatherings, children’s parties, and support for functions held in the church including weddings and funerals. The plans were agreed, land was transferred (the land had to be removed from the church curtilage by a Pastoral Measure and Order in Council) and building started, including alterations to the vicarage, including re-siting the garage and drive. Read the article The Parish Hall and ‘Wayside’. The church notices board was re-located facing Park Road. A foundation stone was consecrated by the Bishop of London, David Hope, during the St. James’s Festival on the 4th July, 1993. The ‘topping-out’ ceremony took place in December of the same year, but it was still another eight months before the building was eventually completed.

The new south porch Entrance

The hall was officially opened on the 4th September 1994 by a long-standing parishioner. It was very fitting that the last hymn in the service had been ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’, which had been sung when the original small church was used for the first time. Included in the new building was a “very attractive porch joining the church and the hall, somewhat in the style of a Lych-gate, like a bridge between the spiritual and the secular, between the Church and the World”. Twin boilers serving both the church and hall were installed but the original cast-iron pipework remained, largely unaltered. Read the article Building the Church Hall.

Churchyard
Up until 1990, Churchyard Working Parties continued to help keep the churchyard tidy. However on 31st October 1990, an Order in Council stated the churchyard was closed for burials, except for reserved places in existing plots, though the interment of ashes was still allowed. After the closure, churchyard maintenance became the responsibility of the local authority. The massive task of recording all the details of the graves and drawing plans was completed in 2001. St. James’s Churchyard Records (1864-2000), consisting of a ground plan with each individual grave marked and numbered and with extra notes where applicable, now exists as a booklet and as a searchable database on the website. Read the article Churchyard Records (1864-2000).

Magazine
The inside of the front cover continued showing the 'Church Officers' and 'Sunday Arrangements', with all the other services and activities being shown at the end of each magazine. The leading article was still written by the vicar most of the time and other articles given their own titles but there were no regular features other than 'Around the Spire'. Every magazine continued to finish with 'From the Registers', 'Regular Weekly Services' and 'Other Services and 'Dates to Note'. More black and white images, including specially drawn cartoons but still no photographs, were added during these years.

The new 1995 Cover

A new cover was introduced in June 1995 (see right) with that issue reporting: "One of the most important aspects of the Church's ministry is to be part of the community. This is something which we hope the new cover of 'The Spire' will illustrate, the Church at the centre of the community." Also, starting in that magazine, the committee introduced an article series, each to run for a year, beginning with 'Interesting Jobs' and continuing with such titles as 'Saints', 'That made a difference' 'My Work', 'Exploring Hampton Hill High Street', etc. During this time gold paper was normally used at Easter and red at Christmas with appropriate designs. A children's item was also introduced, which came and went during the following years.

Spire cover 2006 April

In 1995 and 1998 many children entered a competition to design a front cover for the Easter edition of the Spire with some adventurous, sensitive, funny and carefully prepared entries. For several years in the early millennium there was a series of 'Chronicles', later called 'From the Archives', taken from the archived magazines. These either reported on what was happening at St. James's one hundred years ago, or they were articles which linked with the theme of the current magazine.

April 2006 saw the first Spire produced 'in house', A4 in size, not A5, with no adverts at all and being copied in black and white on the copier in the new church office. Paper, printed with coloured logos and boxes, was purchased so that the text and many more pictures than previously possible could be overlaid on the front and back covers. Photographs were added for the first time, including one of a watercolour of the church. See the first magazine.

Music
Olive Hayward continued as organist and choirmaster until the end of 1992 when Marcella den Boer took over. She was a recital organist for twenty years in Canada and organist at Calgary Cathedral and had previously played the organ in Czechoslovakia. At that time, choir practices for Advent Sunday and Christmas 1992 were held on Thursday evenings at 20.00 and on Sunday mornings at about 10.45. In the same year, new hymn books 'Ancient and Modem Revised Standard' were introduced and the following year the P.C.C. agreed, following consultation with the congregation, that the choir should sing on one Sunday a month at the Parish Communion service. Geoffrey Bowyer, conductor of four choirs and teacher of music courses at Richmond Adult College, took over from Marcella in April 1994 until he retired in 2001. Karl Bridge became the new organist for a year or so but had to resign as he found making the long journey from his home too onerous. Chris Myhill stepped in for a few months in 2002. During this period of changing organists a member of the choir, Chris Hodges, became choir master and brought the choir up to a high standard. Christopher Cromar, who had studied at the Paris Conservatoire, was appointed organist in 2002. His organ teachers included Naji Hakim, Nicolas Kynaston and Marie-Louise Langlais. Christopher left to be organist at a church in Aldgate in 2003. At Easter that year Gavin Milmer became organist but died tragically a few months later. At the end of that year, Ash Charles became organist. Ash began his musical career as a chorister at Westminster Abbey, going on to study at the Guildhall School of Music, Cambridge and the Moscow Conservatoire. After Chris Hodges left the parish in 2003, another member of the choir, Martin Hinckley, took over looking after the choir during times when there was no permanent organist and also when a conductor was needed in addition to the organist.

The Travellers in 2002

The Travellers’ group of musicians and singers, started back in 1987, continued to accompany the Sunday evening Prayer ‘n Praise Services and now started to accompany the All-age Service. During 1997 the Travellers’ changed from being a rock style band to an orchestra involving families and youngsters. In the early Millennium the name of the group was changed to the St. James’s Players which continued to accompany and play in the All-age and various other services.

In 1997 the organ was overhauled, serviced and modernised as various parts were simply coming to the end of their natural life after twenty six years without any work being done on the organ. The February 1997 Spire reported: "The organ is need of considerable work, both in repairing dilapidations and in adapting its nature if it is to continue to prove useful for our needs both in worship and recital." An Organ Appeal was successful with over £15,300 being raised, with a tax refund of around £1,100. A reception in the church hall followed a blessing by the vicar and a short recital. Three completely new stops were added: a bass oboe, a clarinet and a cornopean (trumpet). Together these constituted one hundred and sixty two new pipes of varying sizes. Some of the new pipes were salvaged from a neighbouring church while others were paid for by sponsors who were dubbed ‘organ donors’. This work made it the biggest organ in the Borough of Richmond at the time. Later, in 2006, work was done in the organ chamber to prevent the entry of dust particles from the original mortar into the operating mechanism.

The Music Review

Music in the church was looked at in 2001 as a number of exciting ideas had come out of the M.A.P. A Music Review was held led by Huw Williams, the Sub-Organist of St. Paul's Cathedral. Huw drew attention to "the model of combining different resources so that they work together, and afford variety and overlap". As emerged earlier in the year during the Mission Review, there was strong support for developing opportunities to attract children into musical activities, and offer them and their parents opportunities to become more closely involved in the church. Read the article Music Review.

For a number of years in the early 2000s a series of recitals was held in the church involving members of the choir and congregation. These local talented musicians always delighted the audience with very varied programmes of music and included music for clarinet, flute, organ, the St. James's Recorder Ensemble and various voices. After the recitals there was always time for a drink or two and a chat with friends. St. James's Young Musicians' Recitals also took place annually for several years. Also during these years and after, St. James's Church Choir, accompanied by the vicar, was invited to Sutton's Hospital, Charterhouse, near the Barbican, to sing Evensong to the Brothers. A new musical setting of the Liturgy was composed by a member of the choir in 2003 and was used for a number of years. Read the article A New Musical Setting of the Liturgy.

The Children's Choir

St. James's Children's Choir was introduced in 2003 run by another member of the choir. They sang during special services like Christmas, Mothering Sunday and Harvest. A further music review was held in 2003. After this the June 2003 Spire reported: "It was very clear that there had been considerable growth and diversification in our music, nurtured by the considerable talents of a number of musicians who have worked very hard to stimulate the development of music in the parish as part of worship. The growth of the choir, the development of the children's choir, the blossoming of the Travellers, the performances of many styles of music in church, and the concerts and recitals, as well as the music as part of services, has greatly increased the breadth of music at St. James's." Read the article Review of Church Music.

In 2005 St. James's Church Choir, accompanied by the vicar, was invited to Sutton's Hospital, Charterhouse, near the Barbican, to sing Evensong to the Brothers in the splendid Tudor chapel there. Following the service, the choir was treated to a wine reception and given a tour by the Master of the buildings, which incorporate parts of the original monastery. This became a regular annual event.

The Ladies Casual Choir

Groups
There were several changes to parish groups in the 1990s. 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. The Young Families Group and the Tuesday Club were closed down due to dwindling numbers. The Mothers' Union continued for a while and celebrated its hundreth anniversary in the London Diocese during 1990. Following its closure at the end of 1991 it was felt that there was a need for a wider group within the church to strengthen faith, stimulate minds and help people to play their part in the life and work of the church, so a new Women’s Forum was started with a variety of speakers, talks and discussions.

The Julian Group, primarily a prayer group formed in 1983, continued, following four healings which took place that year. The Liturgical Dance Group continued and a Ladies Casual Choir started in 1992. Open House took place in church on Monday mornings from 10.30 am to 12 noon, for a drink and biscuit with a chat. "The north aisle of the Church provides a very pleasant and comfortable meeting place - and our charges are very modest!" The group moved to the new church hall at the end of 1994. A new study group was started in 1994, meeting in the church hall on alternate Tuesday evenings. The group was led by its own members and consisted of some prayer time, Bible study and discussion. The Nurture Group began in September, 1997, in the hall. It met fortnightly and was a structured but informal group with time to worship, study, discuss and grow, both in commitment to each other and in discipleship.

The Young Church entertaining parishioners

A new group for parents/nannies/carers with children under five was started on Monday afternoons in 1993, later moving to Friday mornings. Each session began with a short period of worship which was followed by a craft activity for the older children, refreshments and a time to play. Another new group, St. James’s Young Church, for eleven to fourteen year olds, started up in the vestry at 09.30 on Sundays with talks, discussions, quizzes and plays and later moved to the upper room in the new church hall. On Sunday mornings during Lent, 1995, the Young Church very successfully acted the Passion narrative. Another new group, for young adults from about thirteen to about eighteen, started up in the portacabin situated outside the church during the building of the new hall on Sunday evenings. The Youth Club was re-launched in February 1995 on Sunday evenings in the church hall between 19.00 and 21.00, with regular Christian discussions, talks or activities. A new Guide Company was started in 1998 and met in the church hall on Tuesday evenings, overlapping with the Brownie Pack for fifteen minutes. It was open to all those who attended St. James's Church or lived in Hampton Hill.

Various prayer and study groups, held in people's homes, came and went during these years. However, by the end of Revd. Leathard's imcumbency, most of the above-named groups had closed down due to so many other activities available in the then changing social climate. In the case of the groups for the young, they closed due to lack of suitable leaders able to give up their dwindling free time. The uniformed groups carried on as they had very committed leaders. One new group, the St James’s Theatre Club, started in the mid 2000s to organise trips to see productions in mainly local theatres.

The Sunday School

Sunday School
The Jays continued from 09.15 to 10.05 in Wayside, and later the new Church Hall, and any child aged from four to thirteen plus was warmly welcomed. The aim was to provide an introduction to Christianity with the opportunity to learn about it in a happy and relaxed atmosphere.

The Flower Festival in 1991

Social Events
During this period social activities continued, including the parish children's parties, rambles, summer outings, Parish Proms, the parish Christmas party, Tea Dances, 'Pot-luck' suppers with poetry, country and barn dancing and the 'Edwardian Drawing Room', featuring ballads, comic songs, ragtime, recitations, etc. There was a party in the church hall in 1998 to celebrate the Chinese New Year which was a great success, with appropriate dress and food on a Chinese theme. After many years without one, a Flower Festival was held in July 1991 to celebrate the Patronal Festival of St. James. It was combined with Gift and Open Days and ran for three days. Throughout the three days there were wonderful flower displays, several musical performances, including the Liturgical Dancers, a History Exhibition, a display of church linen and plate, a barbecue with dancing and church bell ringing in the belfry. After the service on the Sunday there was a shared lunch in the vicarage gardens. Read the article St. James's Flower Festival. Another Flower Festival took place in 1995 with "elegant composition, colour harmony and artistic arrangement of the magnificent floral displays".

The cast of Dawnlight in 1992

The production of Dawnlight, written by a member of the congregation, was presented in 1992 describing the Early Spread of Christianity in England in words, song, dance and music. Read the article Dawnlight. The following year marked the 130th anniversary of our parish. Celebrations by and for the whole parish were held, including Victorian cricket, drama, music, history talk, quiz, parish splash, parties, treasure hunts, barbeques, beating the bounds and much, much more. The ‘Song of the Hill’, written specially for the occasion by a member of the congregation, told the story of 19th century Hampton Hill, and particularly, after 1863, of the influence of St. James’s Church on the community. The celebrations started with David, Bishop of London, blessing the foundation stone of our new church hall and presiding at Parish Communion and were rounded off with an Open Day at the church, and a special St. James’s Day service with the Archdeacon of Middlesex.

A Parish Weekend

Witness/Mission/Outreach
A parish visiting scheme was set up to provide some company to anybody in the local community, including the housebound, the lonely and those who were unwell. Families of children and infants prior to their baptism were also visited. Quiet Days were held once or twice a year at different venues to allow the opportunity for prayer and contemplation with independent leadership. The Parish Weekend, often held at Fairmile Court in Cobham, was always popular and continued for several years.

Churches Together in England was a new body which came into existence on 1st September 1990. For the first time there was a body in England representing a wide range of churches: Anglican, Black-led, Free Churches, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, as well as many smaller churches. Hampton Deanery ran summer workshops for children the one in 1990 on St Francis of Assisi. It also ran courses and gave lectures which were open to everyone on a variety of topics.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1992

During his incumbency, Revd. Leathard led a number of pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Jordan, Mount Sinai, Jerusalem, Galilee, Syria and the Lebanon. Read the articles Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The Parochial Church Council made a commitment to try to implement various improvements in the life of the parish and in the spirit of the Bishop of London’s Agenda for Action by publishing its first Mission Action Plan in 1993. The P.C.C. reviewed the Mission Action Plan every six months. The Plan covered three areas of Mission in this Parish - Proclamation, Teaching and Nurture, and Pastoral Ministry. Read the article Mission Action Plan (1993-1996). The four groups working on the 2000 Mission Action Plan looked at Communications, Children and Youth, Worship and Outreach, and Properties. All shared the outreach ideal. "By our building, our displays, our messages, our meetings and our worship we must show warmth and welcome. We have to show our commitment and the relevance of what we believe." The parish Mission Action Plan for 2004 - 2007 was under three main headings: 'Open for All', 'Growing in Faith' and 'Engaging with the World'. Read the article Mission Action Plan (2004-2007).

In April 1997 the Jubilee 2000 campaign was launched. It proposed a one-off cancellation of the backlog of unpayable debt by the world's poorest countries on a case by case basis by the year 2000. "What better way to commemorate the arrival of the new millennium than by exercising the Old Testament principle of Jubilee." Read the article Jubilee 2000. The £2000 in 2000 appeal was designed to welcome the new millennium by a donation of at least £2000 to the Christian Aid Health Education project in the Diocese of South West Tanganyika, based near the Milo Mission Hospital. This project was to provide clean water, sanitation and basic health facilities in the area where very few existed at the time. Thanks to various fund raising events and some generous donations about £9500 was raised.

The Bishop of Kensington launching the website

After the St. James's Day Parish Communion on 25th July 2000, Bishop Michael of Kensington officially launched St. James's Church website created by a member of the congregation. Gradually over a few years various changes and improvements were made. The website was, and still is, an integral part of St. James's outreach to the local community and beyond by being informative, instructive and educational, averaging about 10,000 visits a month.

Running the Church
Every six years the Parish Electoral Roll is re-made and 1990 was one of these years. Everyone on the Church Electoral Roll was visited by a member of the Parochial Church Council and asked if they would like to be on the new roll. During these years St. James's was lucky enough to have five different readers. Read the article the Work of a Reader. Christopher Swift was welcomed to the parish during July 1990 as an ordinand, a person training for the ordained ministry of the church. He was ordained deacon in Blackburn Cathedral on 29th June 1991.

Revd. Freda Evans Read about Revd. Evans Revd. Julie Gittoes Read about Revd. Gittoes

The Bishop of Kensington formally offered St. James’s a Deacon from June 1999 for three years, which was "a project with great potential for outreach and for strengthening our commitment to our parish". Freda Evans accepted the position, a stipendiary curate, which was a training appointment. One of the projects she worked on was leading workshops for the children of the parish at key points in the Christian year. Read the article Children’s Easter Workshop. In his role of Director of Ordinands, Revd. Leathard encouraged Julie Gittoes to become the new curate in 2003 and she was ordained as a deacon in the same year. Read the article Julie's Ordination. Julie gained her Ph.D. in 2004. "There cannot be many parishes in the country with two reverend Doctors as their clergy!" Julie left St. James’s to take up the post of Vicar at All Saints Church, Hampton, in 2006.

The Data Protection Act was passed in 1998. This meant that any data the parish kept on any person had to be agreed by them and accessible to them for checking. In the main this consisted of a name, address and telephone number, and for stewardship members the amount of their giving. This last item was confidential, known only to the recorders and treasurer. Then the following year the Diocese of London published child protection guidelines to help parishes provide a safe environment for their work with children and young people. This resulted in the appointment of a Children's Advocate in the parish with the responsibility of implementing the guidelines, after which the P.C.C. agreed and adopted a child protection policy.

Vestry Hour from 19.00 started every Tuesday evening in 1999. "This is to allow routine administration to take place e.g. Arranging baptism or marriage details, copies of register entries or certificates. We hope this will mean, with the church open more, people will pop in and that we can progress the 'nuts and bolts' more smoothly." The church was open every weekday morning throughout Lent and Advent during 2003/4 with people coming in to pray, to light a candle or just to enjoy this special place.

In 2005 the London Metropolitan Archives made an inventory of all the registers and important documents as there were specific regulations under which these had to be stored - temperature, safety, fire risk, etc. Much past paperwork, minute books, etc. and the registers for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials between 1864 and 1961 were taken and housed there for storage. The Baptismal Register for 1961 to 1976 was also taken there. Read the article Church Records.

Parish visitors, a group of parishioners trained under the Diocese of London Parish Visiting Scheme to assist the priest by undertaking various ministries, started work in 2005. The aim was to provide a link with the church for those parishioners who were unable to attend church or who were in need of support at a particular time. The Visitors' work included meeting baptismal families and dropping in on elderly parishioners and those who were housebound.

The church logo

One of Revd. Leathard's gifts

A church logo was adopted in 2006 with the October magazine reporting: "A parish logo was designed in 2006 to become the new style symbol of St James’s Church. It consists of three overlapping and intertwining circles. These can have whatever meaning you like but they go round and round without ending, and they are all around St James’s Church. They represent us, this parish, its people; they are a symbol of our collectiveness, our inclusivity, our strength, as we go forward into the next stage of our development."

The End of Revd. Leathard's Incumbency
The Bishop of London offered Dr. Leathard the Prebendal Stall of Reculversland in St Paul’s Cathedral in 2005. The following year he left the parish to become Rector of Chelsea, St. Luke & Christ Church. The church was full to bursting with friends from near and far for his last service. After the service he was thanked for all his hard work over the years and was presented with gifts from the parish, including beautifully made books from the Sunday School, Brownies and Guides, a watercolour painting of the church, books about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a book made of photographs and memories from parishioners. There were many tributes to him including "he was truly a Man for All Seasons, Brian’s message always was sensitivity, humour and above all a Christian spirit …. he was many things to many people …….. a priest with a high degree of spirituality, who encouraged all believers, not somebody with the qualities of the archangel Gabriel, but one whose feet were firmly on the ground and yet whose faith was strong enough to lead us forward." Read the article Key to Success.