St James The Great
Old Milverton, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Light a Candle Evening
On Monday 22nd December the church will be open between 4.00 and 6.00pm for anyone who would like to come and light a candle in memory of a loved one and to have some quiet time before the hustle and bustle of Christmas takes over.
Christmas Shopping Still looking for ideas? Don’t forget that we have a selection of St James’ gifts that make great stocking fillers:
Tea towels
Jot-a-notes
Note Cards
All available at the back of church
Churchyard Decorations and a Prayer Station for December
The churchyard decorations will go up on the first weekend of December and the church itself will be decorated from the weekend of the 13th/ 14th. The church will be open during the day at weekends for everyone to come and enjoy the decorations both inside and out until Christmas. Thank you to the wonderful folk who make our churchyard look so festive and welcoming each year.
Along with the decorations, you will find a Prayer Station, inviting you to think about what brings you joy at this time of year: this is not just for those folk who walk through our churchyard during the week, so please do feel able to go and hang a bauble on a tree.
Carols in the Churchyard
On Sunday 19th December, we shall gather in the churchyard to sing some of our favourite carols. There’ll be refreshments to keep up going, thanks to our Social team.
Do bring a chair if you’re not comfortable standing, wrap up warm and bring a torch to make sure you can see the words – it’s going to get pretty dark by the time we finish!
We are continuing to collect items for both the Foodbank and for Ukraine. Boxes for donations are at the back of church.
As I go to print, the food bank currently needs milk (long-life), squash, tinned fruit, jam, coffee (small jars), deodorants (M & F), shave gel/razors, washing up liquid and laundry powder. Might you consider a small ‘treat’ item for Christmas too?
What's On in January 2026
3rd January (Saturday) 10.00am Prayer Space
4th January 10.30am Holy Communion
11th January 10.30am Matins
18th January 10.30am Holy Communion
22nd January (Thursday) 11.00am Holy Communion at Helen Ley Care Centre
7.30pm PCC Meeting
23rd January (Friday) 2.30pm Holy Communion at Priors House
25th January 10.30am Morning Worship
Real Christmas Tree Collection Service
Myton Hospice are running a Christmas tree collection service once again this year. In return for a donation, they will collect and recycle your tree. All donations will go to support two charities: Pass The Smile, which raises funds for research into childhood cancer, and Myton Hospice. You can book a collection – or volunteer to help – at www.mytonhospice.org/trees
Make a new year’s resolution to come and join us for Coffee & Chat in 2026: all in the Parish Room on a Wednesday morning.
This year’s dates are:
18th February (starting at 11.00am, after the Ash Wednesday service in church)
1st April
27th May
22nd July
26th August
28th October
30th December
Thought for the month: Making the most of Advent
Dear Friends,
How’s the Christmas Shopping going? Are your ‘to do’ lists threatening to take over your life completely or do you just about have things under control? This is always a hectic time of year when the days can rush by in a blur of activity and I want to encourage you to find just a little time to slow down, maybe even to stop, and think about Advent rather than Christmas.
Advent is a very important part of our Christian calendar, marking the start of a new year in our Christian liturgy. It’s a time when we need not only to look back and to look forward, but also to find time for the ‘now’.
We look back into our roots in Judaism: to the people who have walked this earth before us, following God’s word and answering his call. Think of the readings from Isaiah that point the way to the birth of our Lord; to the people of Jesus’ own time who said yes to the amazing and terrifying requests of God (think about it – if you’d been Mary, what would you have said!)
We look forward to the hope and promises of a new liturgical year; the hope brought to us by the baby Jesus in the manger, offering us a fresh start, a new chance to get it right with God. We need to take time to consider our response to God’s call to move forward in our task of bringing the world to know of his love for us.
And we need to find time for ‘now’ because God is speaking to us now, just as much as he will be speaking to us on Christmas Day. If our hearts are to be ready to welcome him, this time of preparation is an essential part of the difficult balancing act of our time in these last few weeks before Christmas.
So try to enjoy each day, treating it as special in its own right and not just a stepping stone to tomorrow. Take time to read God’s word, think about it and pray about it. Remember why he came and give thanks for it. Find time to ‘be still and know’ that God is with us yesterday, today and tomorrow. I hope you all manage to have a good Advent, and that as we come to celebrate his birth once again, you may know the joy of his presence in your hearts.
With love, Sue.
Christ our Advent hope,
bare brown trees,
etched dark across a winter sky,
leaves fallen, rustling,
ground hard and cold,
remind us to prepare for your coming;
remind us to prepare for the time
when the soles of your feet will touch the ground,
and when you will become one of us,
to be at one with us.
NEW YEAR PRAYER
Thank you lord for giving me
The brand new year ahead
Help me live the way I should
As each new day I tread.
Give me gentle wisdom
That I might help a friend,
Give me strength and courage
So a shoulder I might lend.
The year ahead is empty,
Help me fill it with good things
Each new day filled with joy
And happiness it brings
Amen
Clergy
Revd. William Smith 316475 wms.smith@btinternet.com
Revd. Sue Fairhurst 735254 suefairhurst0@gmail.com
Reader
Geoff Wiggin 07585 336471 geogeoff@live.co.uk
Safeguarding Officer
Penny Hawkins 07833 978522
Churchwardens
Michael Rayner 831522
Jane Marshall 831680
Website & email
www.stjamesoldmilverton.co.uk churchwardenstjames@outlook.com
Parish News
Ali Foster © 2013