Our "Pews News" Blog

Thank you Richard Delaforce for hosting a group on Friday wanting to learn more about St James and its history. The tree and leaves are from the American oak tree that Richard’s parents brought from the US in 1989. A further event is being planned for June. \

Malcolm Guite as a Guide by James Hukari Certainly the most familiar prayer in Christendom is the Lord’s Prayer. Uttered by millions of Believer’s weekly, if not daily. It might seem expected that the prayer Christ himself uttered, would not only be the universal pattern of prayer (as Jesus himself indicated with the words, “Pray then in this way ”), but also become the very prayer Christians imitate to this day. We find the prayer, sans its well known ending, “”For thine is

By Julie Chambers & Vicky Field Julie Chambers Vicky Field We both feel it is an honour to be Churchwardens here at St James. A Churchwarden is an ancient lay office holder (unpaid) within the church, dating back to the 13th Century, when they used to have all sorts of responsibilities including the compliance with Bishops’ and Ecclesiastical Courts’ requirements such as collecting parish tithes, presenting ‘moral delinquents’ to the ecclesiastical courts. And yes, the powe

Prepared by parishioner James Hukari I don’t know about you, but when I pick-up a book to read, I generally want to know something about it. The author, the plot, maybe the general period of time the book covers, how many pages it has, etc. I’m sure many are aware that the Church is on a three year lectionary cycle. Each year is dedicated to one of the so-called Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark and Luke. Synoptic comes from the Greek syn meaning ‘together’ and opsis meaning

By his great-grandson, Peter A Sampson Little did I know, at the outset of my ancestry search after my parents’ passing, that my quest...

A Conversation with Father Colin... As the St James Church community, we recently celebrated with joy – and cake – the 40th anniversary...

Robert & his sweet dog Pipa. After my mother, whom I’d looked after during her illness for three years, died in 2007, I let our house out...

An interview with our Father Colin Jones, Chaplain How did you come to Portugal, and to Porto, Father Colin? Porto has been my home...

Canon Colin at one of our wine tasting events Canon Colin Travers, Associate Chaplain, introduces himself I settled here in Portugal in...

Dr. Jonathan Ayerst, ably assisted by his son. Jonathan, please tell us about your musical journey to this key role at St James … My...

How did you come to Porto, Claire, and to the Environmental Officer role in St James? To Portugal after Brexit – it was, as far as my...

“It was my mother who first said I had a pianist’s hands … when I turned two years old, she made me a cake in the shape of a piano! I...

...are Susana Field (Teacher) and Srishti Singh (Assistant Teacher). Susana and Srishti are two members of the Children’s Church Team of...

My Portuguese partner of 26 years Jose and I found St James when we came to live in Porto three years ago. We’d left London on the last...

An interview with Tjakko de Jonge Tjakko, you are understandably delighted with the organ at St James – which was new just two years...

Joseph James Forrester Joseph James Forrester’s life was short by our twenty-first century standards. He drowned – the boat carrying him...

Anne & Matt Dodds Meet Digital Ministry Leaders and Parishioners, Matt and Anne Dodds … Behind this new website – and beyond it, in the...