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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

We joined together on Sunday 14th April at 3pm to worship and support candidates taking an important step in their Christian discipleship. We had 7 candidates to be confirmed and 4 candidates being admitted to receive communion. It was a joyous occasion led by the Bishop of Winchester, Rt. Rev'd. Philip Mounstephen and Rev'd. Rachel Noël. The youth confirmation course included the making of flat breads which helped to shape the liturgy for this service. During the opening hymn, the congregation was invited to add flour to a bowl followed by some salt during Confession. Water was added to the mixture during the Hymn 'Down Mountain The River Flows' and then some oil before the Gospel Reading. Following the Gospel reading, the mixture was kneaded and cooked to make bread before being shared amongst the congregation in the breaking of the bread at communion. Thank you to everyone who helped to organise, played a part and came along to provide support... Below are a handful of photographs taken during the service...

We held a Harvest Lunch at St. James following our Harvest Service today, open to anyone who wished to join us. It was a lovely time of fellowship and sharing, giving us the opportunity to give thanks for the food that we have and the beauty of creation. Thank you to everyone who came along, and to those who helped in the organisation, preparation and cleaning up afterwards.

The St. James' War Memorials To commemorate the sacrifices made by the parishioners of St. James during the World Wars, there is a World War 1 Memorial Cross in the grounds of the church and a World War 2 Memorial , in the form of a wrought-iron gateway, at the entrance to the drive leading to St. James' Church. A brief description is provided below, but further details surrounding the history of the memorials and the people commemorated can be found at the following link: https://stjameswarmemorials.wordpress.com/ The wrought-iron gates of the WW2 Memorial Gateway have recently been refurbished, following a crowdfunding effort to raise £1000. WWI Memorial Cross First World War Memorial Cross Standing tall and proud in the grounds of St. James’ Church, Pokesdown, is a monument to the bravery of local men who left the parish and their families to fight in the First World War. The 10′ 9″ high St. James’ Memorial Cross, with Fleur de Lys arms and mounted on an octagonal base, was built as a fitting tribute to the men who gave their lives in the Great War. It was unveiled by Lieut. Colonel H. Page-Croft, C.M.G., M.P. and dedicated by Rev’d. E. W. G. Ferris in 1921. On the front side of the base is the following simple inscription : “To the honoured memory of the men who gave their lives in the great war 1914-19. Their name liveth for evermore.” On three of the other sides were carved the names of 52 men who fell and, at a later date, a further 14 names were inscribed on a fourth side. ​ These 66 men fought in the major engagements of the war, from the Battle of Coronel and the First Battle of Ypres in August 1914 through to the Armistice in November 1918, and died as far from home as Greece, Gallipoli and Tanzania; Over a third of the men have no known grave, and of the 66 only 19 are also commemorated in the Bournemouth Roll of Honour. Second World War Memorial Gateway Twenty years later the aspiration that WWI was the ‘war to end all wars’ faded with the start of the Second World War and a new memorial was created to commemorate the men and women of Pokesdown who fell in that conflict. This memorial is a wrought iron gateway, standing at the entrance to the short drive leading up to St. James’ Church. The stone walls house tablets with inscriptions and curve away on each side of the gates. This photograph was taken during the dedication of the memorial by The Right Reverend, The Lord Bishop of Winchester on 16th July 1951. The inscription includes the names of twenty five people who fell during the Second World War. They fought in Europe and the Far East, giving their lives from the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 through to Allied victory in 1945. A few were regular members of the services, but most were volunteers. The people of the parish of St. James went to war enthusiastically, proud to do their patriotic duty, and endured stoically the horrors and hardships of total war; They will forever deserve our thanks, our respect and most of all our remembrance. WW2 Memorial Further Information Further details surrounding the history of the memorials and the people commemorated can be found at the following link: https://stjameswarmemorials.wordpress.com/ The research into the St. James’ fallen continues and we should be very grateful to hear from anyone who can provide further details… Feel free to add information on any of the pages, or use the Contact Form on the menu.

Christmas is one of the highlights of the Christian year and a time of great celebration. The wonderful mystery of God’s dwelling among us in the fullness of humanity, as Emmanuel, foretold by the prophets and born of Mary, provides the material of the feast. Matthew Chapter 1, v 18-23 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ 22 All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ We celebrate the mystery of God coming to live among humanity as one of us in the person of Jesus, son of Mary, the saviour promised by the prophets of the Old Testament. ​ This great feast that marks the anniversary of Jesus' birth has inspired the many joyful customs and traditions that we use to mark Christmas. Many of these - carols, cribs, decorations, and special foods - are shared with and enjoyed by millions of people across the world. But there is more than tinsel, trees and reindeer. There is amazement, wonder and joy here. ​ It is Christ’s nativity that has provided the occasion for this festival of the incarnation, since the end of the third century. The Christmas crib and the nativity play can both be said to descend from the tableau of Christ’s birth that Francis of Assisi arranged when he celebrated Christmas at Greccio in 1223. Christmas carols are a medieval tradition, which has been notably developed from the end of the nineteenth century. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is itself an influential English creation of the late nineteenth century, made widespread by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, in the first half of the twentieth. ​ The gospel accounts of the first Christmas provide so many ways for us to enter into the mystery of God becoming human. There are hosts of angels filling the night sky with singing; a group of astounded shepherds on a hillside who find their lives and expectations turn upside down; there is a shining star and the birth of a child, which, like many other births before and since, bring hope and possibility. ​ And the readings for Christmas day - including the prologue to John's gospel - invite us to look beyond the joy of Jesus' birth to the significance of his life, and the saving power of his future death and resurrection. ​ The season of Christmas lasts for twelve days, culminating in another feast - that of the Epiphany on 6th January, when we recall how Jesus was first revealed to the wider world in the visit of the Magi (or Wise Men). ​ “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13 Christmas is a time for enjoying the riches of grace that God lavishes upon us and having fun as a community in the presence of the Lord. It is also important to remember that Christmas can be a very lonely time for some people as not everyone is surrounded by family and friends; some people may be facing Christmas alone without the company of a partner or loved one who has died. A CHRISTMAS PRAYER Holy Jesus, by being born one of us, and lying humbly in a manger, you show us how much God loves the world. Let the light of your love always shine in our hearts, until we reach our home in heaven, and see you on your throne of glory. Amen.

Current Room Availability Join us for our Sunday Worship at 10am. Bible Readings are printed and made available ahead of the Church Service in our weekly newsletter but if you would like to receive a copy by email, please get in touch with the Parish Office . Applications ​ Applications for Baptism, services of Thanksgiving and Blessing, Banns and Marriage should be made via the Parish Office, and contact details can be found on the Contact Us page.