Welcome to the website of St James, Bramley. We hope you will find it helpful and informative, and would be delighted to welcome you to come and worship God with us on a Sunday soon.
To find the church with a SatNav, use the postcode RG26 5DF
If you or someone you know is worried or anxious about something…
…you don’t have to cope on your own. At the church, we’d be glad to help in some way.
If you or someone you know is being abused or bullied or threatened, please do give us a call. Phone numbers and emails are on our safeguarding page: https://stjamesbramley.com/safeguarding/
We will do all we can to help.
This Week’s Services
These are our services next Sunday, 26th January, at our church in Bramley.
We’ll be continuing with our sermon series on Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, looking this week at the second half of Chapter 7, where Paul is talking about The Law and Sin, telling us what to look out for after we’ve put our faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
08:00 Holy Communion – St James
09:00 Sunday@nine – Cross House
10:30 Holy Communion – St James
Please do come and join us!
Word for the Week
We all aspire to be wise: there is something very attractive in the idea of wisdom. It’s much more than merely knowledge or intelligence; it implies thoughtfulness, depth of understanding, the ability to step back and see things clearly, as they really are. The book of Proverbs gets to the heart of it when it tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Please read James 3:13-18, and then reflect on your answers to the questions below.
| Monday | What does James see as the pointers in a person’s life as to whether they are “wise and understanding”? Why do you think he chooses these things? | |
| Tuesday | James sees a difference between true wisdom and what we might call “worldly wisdom”. What are the characteristics that differentiate the two? | |
| Wednesday | Can you see “worldly wisdom” in operation in our world – for instance, in politics, the media, social media? In what ways does this kind of “wisdom” lead to “disorder and every evil practice” (v. 16)? | |
| Thursday | The book of Proverbs in the Old Testament is eloquent on the topic of wisdom. Please read Proverbs 3:13-26 and then compare that passage to what we read in James’s words in vv. 17-18. What similarities do you see? | |
| Friday | James says in v. 17 that true wisdom “comes from heaven”. What does that tell us about how we can grow in wisdom and understanding? | |
| Saturday | Why does James particularly pick out “peaceloving” and “peacemaking” as key elements of wisdom? What might that mean in your life if you want to grow in wisdom? |
A variety of worship styles – which one is for you?
On most Sundays, we have three morning services, each one reflecting a different style of worship – but all three committed to worshipping the same Lord and reflecting on His word, the Bible. Our aim is that the variety of styles will allow everyone to find an approach to worship that matches their own preference, so that they can glorify God in the way that suits them best.
8.00 Holy Communion: A quiet, reflective service without music. We always have a short (8-10 minutes) address on the Bible, following the same theme as the other two services.
9.00 Sunday@nine: An informal, lively and relaxed service which takes place over in Cross House, our church hall, with upbeat music led by a small band. Coffee/tea and breakfast pastries are served from 8.45 and throughout the service. Children and babies are welcome at all the services, but at this service we have activities for younger children (3-8 years) in the Shell Club and for older children (8 and up) in JAM (“Jesus and Me”). There are soft toys and cushions for tinies at the back of the hall. The sermon is always based on a Bible passage and is the same as that preached at 10.30.
10.30 Worship: A more structured Church of England morning service, using words from Common Worship or the Book of Common Prayer, and with more traditional hymns accompanied by our lovely organ. The sermon, as mentioned, is the same as that preached at 9.00, and focuses on a passage from the Bible. Children and babies are very welcome, but there is no particular provision for them at this service.
Other Services in our Benefice
Our parish of Bramley and Little London is part of a group of parishes known as a Benefice. We work together, sharing resources and helping one another out when needed, while also retaining our individual styles and preferences as we worship the living God.
These are the services in other churches in our Benefice next Sunday, 26th January:
- 10.00am – St Leonard’s Church, Sherfield on Loddon: Together in Worship
