At St James we are delighted to be part of the Small Pilgrim Places Network, (SPPN), whose aim is to provide Breathing Spaces on the Pilgrim Journey. We are a small church, from the 12th Century, on the banks of the River Soar, and open every day to provide a welcome for those looking for a place of peace, and space to just “be”. Belonging to SPPN, provides us with resources for those who visit, and a community of small places which are welcoming and inclusive – but individual. We provide music, poetry, candles, prayers, and comfort as do many other Small Pilgrim Places in many imaginative ways. Plan a walk along the Soar and visit us to experience the peace St James has provided for nearly 900 years and look on the website to find a Place near you, www.smallpilgrimplaces.org
At a meeting of St James Church PCC, it was decided to build on the work that we have done in recent years, to qualify as an “Eco Church”. Two volunteers have been of great help is developing areas in the Churchyard where wildflowers can grow; and Ladybird Garden Services have continued their skilful way of keeping our Churchyard in good order. In recent years, we have planted new trees in the Churchyard. Additionally, with our permission, our neighbours have installed some bird boxes on our fence. Finally, through a 100% grant from East Midlands Airport, all our lighting inside and outside the church is LED. With this preparatory work already having been undertaken, we made a good start to becoming an Eco Church. At our service of Morning Prayer at the beginning of March, we were pleased to welcome as our guest preacher Robert Cleave, the Diocesan Environment Officer. It was a special service as we introduced to our congregation the concept of us becoming an Eco Church. Michael & Isabel Smith have kindly agreed to take on the role of our “Eco Champions”, and they will guide us through the process throughout the year. If you would like to volunteer to help them, please have a word. Eco Church is a learning community of churches of all shapes and sizes open to all denominations. It provides a framework to support churches and their leadership to take practical action on caring for God’s earth, through the Eco Church survey. Their survey covers five key areas of church life: 1. Worship and teaching 2. Buildings and energy 3. Land and nature 4. Community and global engagement 5. Lifestyle The scheme is run by A Rocha UK, which is a Christian charity working to protect and restore the natural world and committed to equipping Christians and churches in the UK to care for the environment. The survey, which is very detailed, has guided us and helped us to assess our progress towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold Eco Church award, and I am delighted to share with you the news that A Rocha have advised us that we have been awarded a Bronze Award! Many thanks to our Eco Champions!
The Church will be open every day of the week between 10 am and 4 pm for private prayer and meditation. We have carried out a revised Risk Assessment, and we believe that we have put sufficient measures in place, to ensure that we are all safe. We do our best to make the Church as safe as we can, and are really encouraged to see how much it is used; for example, the numbers of candles being lit by visitors as they take time to enjoy the peace and quiet of St James’ and come for quiet meditation and prayer. Anyone who visits the Church who later suspects that they may have COVID-19, should please phone Brian Archbold on 07850 414158.
