Later@Saintjames Margaret Hodson – Video
May 18, 2013 11:12 AM
20-20 vision update
February 20, 2013 4:28 PM
Are we becoming the church God longs for us to be? Can a community and nation be changed?
On February 14th we gathered as a whole church family to engage with God about His Vision for us at the two St James.
Here are the presentations from our Rector Martin Williams and one of our curates, Christoph Lindner, with an opportunity for you to provide feedback on the form below.
A copy of the vision document can be found here: 2020 Vision updated Feb 2013
ProVision 2012
October 20, 2012 4:43 PM
St James Church, 1859 – 2012
September 29, 2012 11:58 AM
Watch the slideshow of photos showing the history of our church and the transformation of the church at the end of this re-ordering phase.
Tim Keller’s top 10 evangelism tips
September 21, 2012 5:56 PM
These tips are taken from a talk that Tim Keller gave to help ‘normal people’ in their evangelism. He advises that we generally start with 1-4 before we move on to 5-7. If people are still interested, go to stages 8-10. Of course God can give people such an openness that you can go straight to 10. But more often they will need some time to think and discuss things in a non-pressurised way.
- Let people around you know you are a Christian (in a natural, unforced way)
- Ask friends about their faith – and just listen!
- Listen to your friends problems – maybe offer to pray for them
- Share your problems with others – testify to how your faith helps you
- Give them a book to read
- Share your story
- Answer objections and questions
- Invite them to a church event
- Offer to read the Bible with them
- Take them to an explore course
Tim Keller is an influential Christian author and pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York.
Survey Sunday: Sunday 29 April
April 23, 2012 12:01 AM
We are hoping to move back to St James GX in the summer, which is very exciting. More details will follow in the weeks ahead. When we go back to Church the service patterns will remain (including the new 4pm service).
You may remember the old “Sweet Shop” picture from 2011 (below). This shows that our plan was always to hold the experimental service pattern once we returned to church. (This image was created before the re-ordering. So, instead of “NOW” read “BEFORE”, instead of “INTERIM” read “NOW):
Sunday, April 29th will be our annual Survey Sunday. On that day we will ask everyone in all our services to fill in a short survey so we can get some good information about our services and ministries.
One of the key questions we will be asking you is: “Which will most likely be your main service from September?” Maybe you can give this question some thought before 29th April.
Want to catch up on the story so far? Below is a videocast with Martin Williams and Christoph Lindner, which was recorded in 2011 before the church re-ordering started. In it they take you through the “sweet shop” and explain the service development strategy for both the building phase and the time after.
St James Gerrards Cross Relocation Plans from Christoph Lindner on Vimeo.
An Introduction to the Bible
March 22, 2012 2:16 PM
James Leach will be running this 10-session course on Mondays from April 16th in the Saint James Centre. All welcome. Brochures with course outline and booking form available here. Cost £35.
Introduction to John’s Gospel
January 26, 2012 4:55 PM
James Leach
James Leach speaking at St James Gerrards Cross Oxford Road a one-off session to accompany this term’s sermon series on Monday 16th Jan at 8:00pm.
Download the handout James is talking from here.
Click to listen on our podcast website
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)
Read the Whole Story of the Bible in 2012
December 12, 2011 5:00 PM
The Best News in the World
Read the Whole Story of the Bible in 2012
‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm 119:105)
What?
After the success of the Bible in a Year Challenge in 2010 we’re encouraging members of St. James to read the whole story of the Bible in 2012. This time round you can engage with the challenge on one of two levels (see below). This ‘big picture’ reading will complement the more in-depth study of John’s gospel we’ll be doing in our Sunday sermon series in the first term of 2012.
Why?
Reading God’s word regularly and prayerfully is a life transforming experience as God’s Spirit speaks to us through his written word. Setting out to read the whole story of the Bible has a number of benefits:
- It helps establish a habit of daily Bible reading
- It gives you a feel for the Bible’s overarching story
- It is something we can do together as a community activity
How?
For 2012 we’re suggesting two options:
- Read through the whole Bible using one of many available plans, or a special one year Bible. If you use an NIV Bible in One Year you’ll find a helpful daily commentary on Holy Trinity Brompton’s website: http://www.htb.org.uk/bible-in-one-yearPublished by Hodder & Stoughton in various editions, including Kindle e-book, and iBook available from iTunes(N.B. this follows a similar, but not identical, schedule to the One Year® Bible we used in 2010) Download the 2012 Bible in a Year reading plan
- If reading the whole Bible in a year seems like too daunting a task, try Essential 100, which covers the whole of the Bible in 100 undated readings (50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament). There is a paperback guide that goes with E100, or pick up a free leaflet containing the reading scheme (both stocked at the Saint James Centre bookstall). More details at:http://www.e100challenge.org.uk/
Scripture Union also publish Big Bible Challenge, a child/family-friendly version of E100. Why not use that as a resource for reading the Bible together as a family?
A simple Bible study method
Whether you’re reading the Bible as an individual, as a couple, as a family, or as a small group, here’s a simple model for reading the Bible that uses the acronym SOAP:
S – Scripture. Read a passage from the Bible.
O – Observe the who?, what?, when?, where?, why? plus anything else that strikes you; maybe write down your observations in a notebook.
A – Apply. How does this apply to me? To the church? To our culture?
P – Pray – let the Bible passage guide you. Pray for yourself and for other people that come to mind.
Resources
NIV Bible in One Year Hardback ISBN 978-1444703160
NIV Bible in One Year Paperback ISBN 978-1444703153
(Kindle and iBook versions also available)
Essential 100 Paperback ISBN 978-1844275663
(For Group Study Guide see E100 Challenge website)
Big Bible Challenge ISBN 978-1844275847
http://www.htb.org.uk/bible-in-one-year
http://www.e100challenge.org.uk/
St James Bible in a Year reading plan
For further details contact James Leach (01753 886480)
