Revd. Vannozzi Read about Revd. Peter Vannozzi

The Revd. Peter Vannozzi was instituted by the Bishop of Kensington and inducted by the Archdeacon of Middlesex at St. James’s on Tuesday 20th March, 2007. The April edition of the Spire magazine reported: "There was an atmosphere of quiet excitement in the crowded church as we watched the formal procession of servers, choir, clergy, the patron, our new vicar, the archdeacon, wardens, bishop and chaplain enter through the West Porch entrance. In the service, the presentation of the Revd. Canon Peter Vannozzi to Bishop Michael by Archdeacon Stephan was followed by Bishop Michael’s sermon. ……. Peter’s tolling of the church bell signified the beginning of his new ministry. Our happy formal welcome of our new vicar was followed by the peace and the eucharist. After the moving solemnity of the ceremony, there was a splendid party in the hall with refreshments worthy of the occasion. It all made for a most memorable evening. Welcome Peter!" Read the article Induction/Institution of Revd. Vannozzi.

Mission Action Plan
The previous Mission Action Plan was nearing the end of its cycle so, near the start of his incumbency, Revd. Vannozzi put in place a procedure for developing a new one, involving discussions with groups of members of the congregation focussed on a range of issues. By asking 'how do we see St. James’s Church in 2010', the P.C.C identified, as a result of those discussions, an overarching aim for the next three years, 'a church community and local community brought closer to God'. Several broad themes were identified: Worship; Outreach; Children and young people; Communication; Courses and events. Read the article St. James's Mission Action Plan: 2007-2010. Annual away Days for the P.C.C were held to discuss progress.

Three years later the M.A.P. 2010-2013 contained ideas for the future, but crucially also celebrated what had already been done, as a church, as a result of the previous M.A.P. "Word and action combined to try and take forward the Church's mission in new ways, and build on what is already being done, by God's grace." The new Mission Action Plan had three broad categories, each of which has a word in common - Growing: Growing towards God, Growing towards each other and Growing towards the world. Read about St. James's Mission Action Plan: 2010-2013.

Witness/Mission/Outreach
An Eco Group was set up in 2007 to encourage and co-ordinate environmental awareness in parish life, both as a congregation and as individuals. "Live more simply so that others may simply live". Green tips were published in the Spire each month, light-bulbs were changed to energy-saving ones, paper and cardboard were recycled and a water-saving device in the toilet cistern were some of the actions put in place. Car-free Sundays were introduced in the hope to cut the church's carbon footprint by encouraging people to walk, cycle or car share when coming to church. Read about the Eco Church. The P.C.C honoured its commitment to switch to a renewable energy supply during the summer 2011. Read the article St James’s Chooses Green Energy.

St. James's Ark

St. James’s Ark, a new group for carers and toddlers, opened for all pram-pushers: mums, dads, grandparents, carers and under-fives. It launched in September 2009 and was held in church every Monday during school term time from 10.15 to 12.15, comprising conversation, refreshments, play time, story time, crafts and worship. It proved to be extremely popular. One of the main play areas was the west end of the north aisle, the layout of which was enlarged and improved, both for the Ark and also for all babies and small children during the Sunday 09.30 services. A 'grown-ups only' evening, at the Rising Sun in Hampton Hill High Street, sprang out of the new group on the second Tuesday of each month, extending St. James's outreach. Read about St. James's Ark.

The information table

Welcome cards and visiting cards were made and put in every pew, information leaflets were created and put on a new communications/information table, located near the west entrance. Here were also located copies of the Spire magazine, information about Planned Giving, laminated information cards about the different areas in the church, children's quiz sheets, the welcome and visiting cards, and anything else to help communicate information about the church. The church website celebrated its tenth anniversary in July 2010, just after all the parish magazines had been scanned and added to it. Further changes due to the M.A.P. can be read in Worship/Services below.

The Visitors’ Group, set up five years previously to assist the clergy with pastoral care, continued to thrive with the members visiting the elderly and housebound. The tea parties they held proved a popular way for friends, no longer able to visit each other, to meet up. The group planned to introduce Baptism Evenings, along the same lines as Marriage Preparation Evenings. Parish Quiet Days continued.

St. James’s joined the 'Back to Church Sunday' campaign in 2008 with individual members of the congregation giving a personal invitation to people they knew. Many people invited a friend to church for Harvest Festival at 11.00, followed by a Bring-and-Share lunch.

The pilgrimage to the Holy Land

There was a pilgrimage to Winchester in 2008. Revd. Vannozzi led a pilgrimage to Westminster Abbey in 2009 and to St Paul’s Cathedral in 2010. Revd. Debbie Oades (see below) led a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2010. "The spiritual journey and strengthening or renewal of faith experienced by the group was hugely significant." Read the article Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. St. James's Church was represented at Hampton and Hampton Hill Carnival for the first time in 2010 with an 'Adopt-a Teddy' stall. Lots of soft toys were kindly donated for prizes and a profit was made for church funds.

Every year St James's continues setting aside several thousand pounds in its budget for charitable grants for organisations and projects both in this country and abroad, particularly in Africa. Read the article Faith, Hope and Charity.

Revd. Debbie Oades Read about Revd. Oades

Running the Church
The Revd. Debbie Oades became non-stipendiary curate in October 2008. She had been ordained deacon in 2006, priest in 2007 and served as curate of the Good Shepherd, Hounslow. Among other things, she instigated the formation of St. James's Ark, mentioned above. She left St. James's at the end of 2010 to take on a full-time, paid post as Assistant Vicar of the Parish of Maybush, Southampton in the Diocese of Winchester. David Bell, was attached to St. James's in September 2009 as an ordinand: someone who is preparing for, or undergoing the process of, ordination. Read about David During 2009 several young people became servers after learning the ropes from the head server. Some new vestments were made for the clergy and servers during 2009 to match the appropriate colours of the Christian year. See the chasubles and dalmatics on the page Church Vestments. Around the same time one of the servers also acted as verger for certain special services like Evensong and the Carol Service.

The Church of England has always been registered as a charity but new rules were agreed that all churches with an annual income over £100,000 had to register with the Charity Commissioners to receive their own charity number. This was a convoluted process as all P.C.C. members would become trustees of the church. St. James’s Church was given its own charity number - 1129286.

Four young people became sufficiently competent to help with the Sunday ringing of the bells in 2010 and yet more the following year. after attending Saturday practice sessions very regularly. Vestry Hour moved from Tuesday evening to Saturday morning.

Finances
The Stewardship Scheme was renamed the Planned Giving Scheme but was still the same scheme as before, whereby church members or supporters gave a regular amount each week, month or year, so enabling the church to budget for all its expenses. The treasurer, in May 2008, reported: "There has been heavy unexpected expenditure over the past year due mainly to problems with the finalisation of the contract with the builders of the West Porch. Due to this unusual expense we had a net loss of liquid assets. Had there not been these problems there would have been a small gain." Overall, however, the giving had been maintained and the expenditure contained during 2008-9, with the Spire of June 2009 reporting: "If the investment loss - which may in time be reversed - was not included, the accounts showed a positive balance, income over expenditure, of about £12,000 over the year. The vicar summarised by saying 'We are on an even keel'."

Church Buildings and Equipment
The rising cost of metal led to a big rise in the theft of lead from church roofs and in 2007 the lead from the west porch was stolen. Replacing it cost nearly £2000 and although insured, the church had to pay a £200 excess. To remain fully insured, a new protection technique was then used to mark the exposed roofing metal with a proprietary paint, invisible in normal light but detectable to scrap dealers. A new notice tells visitors that the church metal is ‘SmartWater protected’, which should make it less vulnerable.

The niche with the aumbry and lamp

The church clock and chimes were out of action for a few months in 2008 with a problem with the rewinding mechanism. The makers had to make a special part to replace it. The clock had given almost uninterrupted service since it was first set in motion in 1893, and last stopped on 7th September 1990 when the pulley anchorages were affected by dry rot.

In 2007, a plain chalice was purchased to match the existing one, together with a ciborium of matching design which replaced the use of the paten to hold the communion wafers. See the ciborium on the page Church Plate. An aumbry, a locked safe in the wall to hold the consecrated (made sacred) bread and wine not used during the normal communion, was fixed in the wall in the sanctuary in 2009. A wax sanctuary lamp was placed in the niche next to the aumbry as a sign that this sacrament was stored there. The lamp is kept burning, reminding us that Christ is always present. See the aumbry and lamp on the page The Sanctuary.

A vestments press for the vestry, to keep the clergy's vestments in good condition, was bought in 2009 in memory of Margery Orton, and a new oak portable altar was purchased in memory of Margaret Brammel. Both purchases were made possible by bequests to the church. See these on the Images of St. James page Woodwork.

The prayer corner

The Prayer Corner was moved to the east end of the north aisle in 2010 and was incorporated into a larger prayer area with chairs around and a prayer desk. A book was placed on the prayer desk where people's names or issues for prayer can be written. See details on the page North Aisle.

After the final settlement on the West Porch it was agreed by the P.C.C. that a new Inspecting Architect should be appointed and Daniel Goldberg agreed to take up the post. The new small room in the west porch, built as an interview room or a counselling room, proved to be too cold and damp and unuseable as such. It was therefore turned into a very useful storage room with fitted shelves.

The church's sound system underwent a major upgrade during 2011, following a number of breakdowns over the previous year. The thirty year old speakers were replaced by new ones and a new amplifier to ensure that services could be heard throughout the church. There were also new radio microphones as well as a radio stick microphone that were soon put to good use around the church.

Churchyard
An online searchable database for the churchyard records was developed in 2007 where the churchyard records could be searched by surname or year. See the database. There were numerous complaints about dog fouling in the churchyard so in 2011 signs were erected to remind dog owners not to allow fouling.

Worship and Services
Revd. Vannozzi put in place some changes to try to make things easier for any newcomer into church. One of these was stopping the tradition of everyone putting a wafer in the paten as they came in, and wafers were placed in the ciborium before the service instead. Ceremonial changes were made both to make a fuller use of the building, and to make clearer the different sections of the service. The Gospel reading was read from the body of the church. Three servers, one crucifer (carrying the processional cross) and two acolytes (carrying lighted candles), led the Sunday service procession around the church while the first hymn was being sung. The receptacles for the bread and wine were kept on a small table behind the altar instead of on the altar, with the altar being prepared just prior to the act of communion. The Sunday Parish and All-age Communion Services were shortened slightly by the omission of one of the hymns and by the priest and servers clearing up during the last hymn instead of before it.

New service booklets were made specially for each liturgical season, with the covers in the appropriate colour for that season, as Revd. Vannozzi wanted to make more of the changes within the Christian Year. Illustrated service booklets were made for the All-age Communion Services with photographs and explanations of each part of the service, mainly for the youngsters, but apparently very helpful for all ages. Booklets called Guides to Holy Communion were also made and are available to use during Parish Communion services. Some of these booklets can be accessed from the page Holy Communion.

During his incumbency, Revd. Vannozzi provided various sermon series in the Parish Communion, each running for several weeks. For example during November 2011 the sermons took as their starting point one of the Psalms. "The Psalms are effectively the hymn book of the Old Testament expressing different emotions, attitudes, and ways of approaching God."

Music
The organist, Ash Charles, left in 2007 and Matthew O’Malley took over in September of that year. Matthew was organ scholar of Hertford College, Oxford and a choral scholar at Wells Cathedral. Martin Hinckley stepped into the breech again when Matthew left the following summer, taking over directing the choir and also coordinating all the music for thirteen months while there was no permanent organist. Samuel Draper was appointed organist in October 2010. He had been to University College, Oxford, as Organ Scholar and directed the Chapel Choir and then won a scholarship to study on the post-graduate conducting course at the Royal College of Music. Read about Sam.

The tradition of the choir being invited to sing choral evensong in the chapel of Sutton's Hospital, Charterhouse, in the City of London was continued. A new tradition was started of the choir singing parts of Faure's Requiem during an evening All Souls' Service at which parishoners could remember their lost loved ones. The choir also sang evensong at the beginning of Advent in 2011.

Groups
Every Lent and Advent, Revd. Vannozzi led courses for prayer, study and reflection. The 'Start! In Lent', a six session course to explore Christianity together was held in 2010. These groups continued throughout 2010 and followed different themes. A member of the congregation, a retired clergyman, led a course called 'Faith at Work' with the October 2010 Spire reporting: "A group to explore our experiences - What difference does our faith make to our daily lives, our daily work? What are the challenges we face, the tensions we feel? We want to start a group to explore these issues. 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?"

The Jays having supper

Sunday School
The Jays Sunday School continued to flourish with three different age groups. Read the article School for Thought. The older children in the Jays started an annual sponsored sleepover, in aid of charity. They also 'sold' breakfasts to the congregation the following day, Mothering Sunday, to increase the sponsorship. They all had a great time at the cinema when they went to see Evan Almighty in October 2007. It was thought provoking and increased their awareness of the environment and how precious it is. They created a great collage that decorated the church during October with many endangered species, including wolves, mountain gorillas, bears, spiders, puffa fish, dolphins, seals, elephants, birds and many more. Read about Evan Almighty.

During the summer 2011, the Sunday School's name was changed to 'The Shell Seekers'. "The name was inspired by the shell that represents our church's patron saint, St. James, and the fact that we are all seeking to further our knowledge of God and his love for us."

Social Events
St. James’s Open Day continued to be a special occasion with a barbeque in the vicarage garden, children’s activities and games with the chance to make their own badge or fridge magnet. The spire was open for people to see the view and try the bells. The social committee organised a new annual event in 2008, a Shrove Tuesday Parish Meal. This was a chance to celebrate together before the start of Lent at the Piazza Firenze restaurant in Hampton Hill High Street. There was a Family Quiz Night and Supper to raise funds for Christian Aid Week and an annual Harvest Festival Bring and Share Lunch. The revival of Ruth Mills' evening, 'Pot Luck Supper and Poetry' was launched in 2011 with people taking along a favourite poem to read and a plate of food to share.

Magazine
The magazine continued steadily changing and evolving into something new and with even greater appeal to the parish as a whole. It continued to inform anyone who read it about the church services and activities linked to the church, and also the clergy and parishioners who held positions of responsibility within it. It was hoped that a newcomer to the parish could get an immediate idea of the many groups and activities, and how to access them, from the magazine. "We want anyone, of any belief, who respects our church, to feel welcome within it and to understand what we are trying to do. Beyond the facts about groups and people, we hope our articles and features say something about how our faith influences our lives. We hope that they show also that we are a broad church with room for everyone who is seeking new or further understanding of themselves and the world around us."

Photocopying the Spire

A Spire survey was held in April 2007, resulting in many positive comments, and the feedback was used to plan content for future issues. Photocopying the Spire to make 600-700 copies per month proved to be too much for the office photocopier. It frequently gave up the ghost or just churned up the paper, clogging the machine. The quality of the print was also poor and financially it became a burden, so the committee decided to continue producing it 'in-house' as before but have it professionally printed. Each new magazine included full colour on both the front and back pages and each front cover had a different, topical, full-page coloured image. The first such magazine was published in October 2008. See the magazine Every year, three issues each contained two months: December/January, the two months at Lent/Easter and August/September. These were produced in full colour throughout. A few other changes occurred at the same time, such as the inclusion of 'In Thought and Prayer' running alongside the Leader, 'Revelations', 'Your Voice' and 'Our Church', which featured coloured photographs of parts of the church. The latter was replaced in 2010 with 'Songs of Praise', telling the story behind a hymn which would be sung in the coming weeks. The distribution of the Spire was reviewed in 2010 and as a result more copies were placed in the High Street, at the Post Office, library, Medical Centre and dentist with the response being "outreach at its best". The Spire Committee received some good news from the printer, Justin Hollingsworth, in March 2011 that a new copier meant he could produce all nine yearly issues of the Spire in full colour at no extra cost. It had long been the ambition of St. James's to produce all copies in full colour, but previously it had not been affordable.