Hello!

Family Eucharist Service, 16th March 2025 It was a pleasure to welcome Revd Sam Scott (Winchester Diocesan Environment Officer) to St. James' Church on 16th March to lead our Family Eucharist Service, inspiring us to focus on Creation Care and to look after the natural environment. There were a couple of activities to complete during the service, including: Creating a collage to show how creation, cities, forests, seas and the air might look different if we all cared for creation. Making prayer pots and planting seeds to take home and encourage us to pray for creation. The service contributed to our recent Arocha UK Eco Church Bronze Award, and there are a few photos from the service below... We are delighted to see that the seeds are starting to grow! May God who clothes the lilies and feeds the birds of the sky, who leads the lambs to pasture and the deer to water, who multiplied loaves and fishes and changed water into wine, lead us, feed us, multiply us, and change us to reflect the glory of our Creator now and through all eternity; and the blessing of God almighty, Creator, Redeemer, and Life-Giving Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen .

Could this be you? Or do you know someone who might be interested in this role? We are recruiting for a new Parish Administrator who will have responsibility for managing the office, providing administrative support to the parish including parish communications, overseeing room bookings and invoicing. Please see the full Parish Administrator Job Description and please contact the Vicar if you have any questions or wish to apply.

Climate change hits hardest the poorest countries and poorest people of the world, and it is our responsibility to safeguard God's creation and achieve a just world. The Church of England Environment Programme exists to help us with this responsibility and the Eco Church scheme is a way to get all parts of our church life working to care for creation. Eco Church is a scheme run by A Rocha UK equipping churches to care for God's creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles. Furthermore, by completing an online survey, churches can be considered for an Eco Church Award at either Bronze, Silver, or Gold level. There are five areas that a church must demonstrate environmental engagement in order to receive an award: Worship and teaching Embedding creation care in worship, prayer and learning Management of church buildings Finding energy efficient and innovative ways to manage our places of worship Management of church land Nurturing spaces for people and nature Community and global engagement Transforming local and global communities and ecosystems Lifestyle Living joyfully and sustainably as followers of Christ Eco Church is a current agenda item for our PCC meetings, and our Eco Champions have begun to assess the Eco Church survey and develop plans in order to help our church become more eco-aware and eco-friendly. You will be hearing more over the coming weeks and months... In the meantime you can view more information about Eco Church from this link: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/ Plus here is a link to one of their promotional videos: https://arocha.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2-minute-overview-of-ARUK-1.mp4

Parochial Church Council This following table lists the members of PCC for 2024-2025, including the type of membership they have to PCC (from Church Representation Rules, M15 ). If you would like further information, or to raise an issue, please feel free to contact the PCC Secretary via: Email: PCCSecretary@stjamespokesdown.co.uk Or through the Parish Office via the Contact Us page The latest Approved PCC Meeting Minutes can be found below. Minutes from previous PCC Meeting Minutes can be found below: 26th June 2024 27th November 2024 30th January 2025

Photo and Video Guidance St. James, Pokesdown The St. James Photo and Video Policy is founded upon the the general principles outlined by the Church of England, below. The policy is published on the noticeboard inside church and can also be viewed on this website from the link. Useful Links Photography St. James Photo & Video Policy Photo & Video Consent Form Church of England Safeguarding Consent - General Principles Adults and children over 16 Those appearing in film or photography must give written consent, because attendance at a church service reveals religious belief, which is a special category of data under GDPR. You should specify on the consent form exactly what aspects of the service you intend to film. Those appearing in film or photography must give written consent, because attendance at a church service reveals religious belief, which is a special category data under GDPR. Aspects of the service to be filmed need to be specified on a consent form. A photo consent form should also be signed by adults and must include all the places that the photo or video may be used by the church. Regular attendees at the church need to only sign this once but it should be refreshed regularly, such as every 3 years. However, new visitors should be asked before the service or event begins. If no one from the congregation will be identifiable during filming or photography then consent is not required. Children 16 years and under Videos containing children may be used by the church if consent has been given by their parent or guardian, following the same guidelines as above. Consent can be Withdrawn There are any number of personal reasons why someone may choose to withdraw their consent, and this process needs to be as easy as possible to accommodate their legal right. When someone withdraws their consent, videos or images of that person should be deleted everywhere it has been stored or published online and offline, if these images are of that individual only. If someone who later withdraws consent appears in a group video (i.e. as a member of the congregation) it is unlikely that the video can be edited and it may be easiest to remove the video completely, unless an alternative solution can be found. However, if the individual insists on removal, the church should comply. It is more likely that a church would experience people not giving consent initially, than withdrawing it later, however it is wise to be prepared for this to happen, particularly where children are filmed because they may choose to have these images removed once they get older. If permission has not been given, you will be able to sit in a film-free area.

Giving Churches rely on the generosity of their congregations and their communities to support their mission and ministry. Many people give regularly to their church by standing order or direct debit but others give in cash when the offering is taken in a church service or when visiting the church. Our church’s ministry and mission has never been more needed; meeting online or in church for prayer, services and fellowship, loving our neighbours by offering practical support to the vulnerable, and caring for our communities. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but give him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" Romans 8: 31-32 The work of our church is reliant on people’s generosity, and we are so grateful for all the gifts we receive. If you are able to help St. James with its ministry and give to us, here’s how you can help... You can give anything from £1 upwards to St James' Church. Scan or click the QR code and it will take you to a website where you can choose how much you wish to donate to our cause. You will be asked to give your credit or debit card details and, if you are a UK taxpayer, you will be given the option to Gift Aid your donation. Thank You... Online Giving: Other mechanisms of giving include: Direct Debit Regular giving, for example through the Parish Giving Scheme, is the best way to ensure you can financially plan for your parish’s future. Gift Aid Gift Aid is an arrangement that allows charities (including churches) to reclaim tax on a donation made by a UK taxpayer. Legacy Each year around 4,000 people leave a gift in their will to their church, funding mission projects, maintaining beautiful church buildings and growing faithful communities. If you would like any further information or to discuss ways to give to St. James' Church, please contact us through the Contact Form and one of our team will be in touch.... Thank you.