An important part of Christian witness is giving to others.

The Charities and Links Committee recommends to the PCC the allocation of our giving to local, national and international charities. Our total giving each year is at least one tenth of our income. The committee also considers any special needs, in particular disaster funds.

The charities supported are local, such as charities for the homeless and vulnerable in Richmond and Hammersmith, Bishop Wand School, Welcare, the Mulberry Centre - a cancer support centre for west London, and other charities around Hampton Hill; national, such as the Church Army and the Church Urban Fund; and international, such as the Church Mission Society, USPG and Christian Aid, for work overseas. Annual collections for the Children’s Society typically raise about £600, and during Christian Aid Week collections within the parish come close to £3,500.

Special collections may also be taken during the year for various charities or emergency appeals (for example, the Tsunami Appeal), either as part of a fund raising event or simply a plate collection during church services. Food items and basic toiletries are often collected at Harvest for The Upper Room in Hammersmith, a drop-in centre for vulnerable people. Many other non-monetary collections have been taken over the years.

This subcommittee has close links with ALMA, Vila Maninga, two USPG projects in Tanzania, and a CMS mission partner in Sudan, plus a number of other Christian organisations overseas.

Giving is not just about money. It is also about sharing our lives and growing in understanding, which is where Links come in. St James has a long standing link with St Luke’s Mission Hospital in Milo, South West Tanzania. We receive valuable information from the mission agency USPG, from Christopher Wagstaff who has visited Milo several times and from letter correspondence with clinical officer Benaiah Kilwale.

St. James's has been supporting Rev Joanna Udal as a mission partner (with the Church Mission Society) in Khartoum, Sudan, where she has been an assistant to the Archbishop, Joseph Marona.

St. James's also takes an active interest in the links that the Diocese of London has with Angola and Mozambique (ALMA) and with the city of Berlin.