When you come to a Sunday Parish Communion service at St James's Church you will be welcomed and given the weekly church sheet which includes details of services and events for the forthcoming week, general notices, contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses. You will also be given a service booklet, which, together with the readings in the church sheet, will enable you to fully share in the service.
Church Seasons
During the Christian Year there are different seasons (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter) so the services change slightly to match the season. When there is no particular season it is called Ordinary Time. There are several different Parish Communion Service Booklets, each of which is used during that particular time of the year:
Ordinary Time | Kingdom Season | Advent Season | Christmas Season | Epiphany Season | Lent Season | Easter Season
The Communion Service
The service is explained on the page Holy Communion.
We stand to sing hymns and to say the affirmation of faith, the Creed; and for the reading of the Gospel in the Holy Eucharist. We sit during readings from the bible, the sermon, and the choir anthems. We sit or kneel for the prayers.
It is customary for those receiving communion to have been confirmed by a bishop. Children who are too young to take communion and those who are not confirmed are invited to receive a blessing at the altar instead.
When Christians gather together during a church service, they worship God in different ways, praising God with music, readings from the Bible, prayers, thoughtful silences, and a sermon.
After the Service
The services are followed by refreshments, Parish Breakfast, in the Church Hall. Our Sunday Kitchen Team provides tea and freshly-brewed coffee as well as cakes and hot bites. All our drinks are Fairtrade products.
Find out more
Colours of the Christian Year
Service Garments
Church Textiles
Church Plate
The History of St James's Services