When I visited St Bart’s and met many of you in January, I cherished every minute of my short few days in New York. The beauty of the services and the building, the warm hospitality, and the wide variety of opportunities for conversation and sharing stories and worship all combined to create an unforgettable visit and a wonderful way to continue the growing partnership between St. James’s Piccadilly in London and your fantastic church in the heart of Manhattan. Since then, St James’s has welcomed numerous visitors from St Bart’s through its doors, and we look forward to welcoming your clergy, The Right Reverend Dean Wolfe, and the Reveverend Zack Nyein, who will be with us in London in mid-June.
May and June are exciting for us at St James’s, not only because of the glory of Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity Sunday, but also because of the Chelsea Flower Show (20-24 May) and Pride Month.
The Chelsea Flower Show is a dazzling must in the London social calendar, and much-loved by gardeners and folks who might not have green thumbs but love a great day out. You can find out more here: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 / RHS Gardening.
We are the only church at the Chelsea Flower Show, with a garden designed by the award-winning garden designer Robert Myers funded by the charity Project Giving Back. The theme of our garden is ‘Imagine the World to be Different’, and it features a beautifully-designed sustainable space that reflects the Caravan Counselling Service, which offers free drop-in counseling every day, to support mental wellbeing for people of all faiths and none.
Chelsea is a fantastic opportunity to share the story of St James’s with the world, and the garden features ‘pioneer’ plants as well as plants that indicate the risks and rising temperatures of the climate emergency. The garden features the stories of St James’s historic figures, including the abolitionist and theologian Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and the LGBTQ+ botanical artist Mary Delany. To find out more, follow us on Instagram (@StJPiccadilly) and take a look at our website: 'Imagine the World to be Different' St James's show garden at RHS Chelsea - SJP .
This Sunday St James’s will be leading the Sunday Worship service on BBC Radio 4, for Pentecost. Titled ‘Conversation Under Trees’, the programme was recorded on a very early morning in our beautiful garden. The sounds of the birds, particularly the distinctive song of the Wren (with a church designed by Christopher Wren, we’re fond of this particular bird amongst the trees in this peaceful ‘pocket-park’), were also punctuated by the occasional sounds of bin lorries (aka garbage trucks) and the city waking up around us. You can listen here: BBC Radio 4 - Sunday Worship, Conversation Under Trees. We will also be featured in the BBC television programme Songs of Praise in June.
Dean and Zack’s visit to St James’s is just a few weeks away, and plans are underway! Look out for their sermons on the St James’s YouTube channel St James's Church Piccadilly - YouTube. Zack will be preaching on Tuesday 11 June at the Sanctuary Eucharist, which begins at 6pm GMT. Dean will be preaching at our Sunday Eucharist at 11am GMT (early for New Yorkers, but you can always catch up later!) on 16 June. Absolutely everyone from St Bart’s is welcome at St James’s anytime – just let Peter know your travel plans and he’ll ensure that we offer you warm hospitality at our central London services and events.
On 22 June our two churches are teaming up to present an online conversation with the Reverend Jarel Robinson-Brown, Vicar of St German’s Church in Cardiff, who is an Anglican priest and an activist and writer. You can find out more here and his book, Black, Gay, Christian, Queer is available here. Jarel+ preached at St Bart’s on July 23, 2023 and his sermon is here.
The Pride Parade on 29 June goes along Piccadilly, right past the church. We’ll also be marching in the Parade this year, and it’s a big highlight of our church calendar. Every year we make sure there’s a huge Pride flag in the courtyard along with celebratory rainbows and LGBTQ+ hospitality. This year’s plan with our Pride of St James group is bigger and bolder than ever, and we’re going to be featuring DJs, refreshments, and spaces to relax and reflect as well as to celebrate and dance.
At St James’s we’re delighted to be connected to you all at St Bart’s in many ways, and we look forward to the months and years to come. If you have any questions about St James’s, please don’t hesitate to be in touch:
