Groups and Mission

The churches in the town are places where people of Brightlingsea have met to be with each other and to meet with God for over a thousand years. They are places where we thank God for God’s love in creation, where we pray to God for help to live our lives well in good times and hard times. For these reasons the church is central to Brightlingsea; not just because of the location and historical importance of its buildings.

There are many opportunities for people to come together within the Church family. Please see the ‘Services’ and ‘Events’ pages on this website to find out times and places of worship and meetings.

Home Groups. The Lent course of 5 meetings will start with a screening of the well-known film of Les Miserables in St James’, on Sat 10th Feb t 6.30 (with popcorn and drinks available in the interval) and which will then divide into home groups to discuss the Christian theological significance of the different aspects of the film. You can attend any of the 3 groups (or all three groups if you like!) on the following dates:-

Monday evenings 19th Feb to 19th March inclusive at 7.30 p.m. at Chris Bloor’s 34 Hurst Green

Wednesday evenings 21st Feb to 21st March inclusive at St James Church at 7.30 p.m.

Thursday afternoons 22nd Feb to 22nd March inclusive at St James Church at 2.30 p.m.

Bible study group meets fortnightly on Monday afternoons at Annette Whittle’s home at 1 Tudor Close. Please ring Annette on 01206 30 31 77 for the time and date of the next meeting.

Sea of Faith meets either at Caroline Spencer’s house at 63 Spring Road or at Colin and Margaret Singleton’s at 1, Marennes Cresc twice a month on Wednesday evenings at 7.30. Please contact Caroline on 01206 30 29 11 or Colin and Margaret on 01206 30 36 94 for details.

One other group which had its origin as a Lent group has continued to meet at other times of the year. Please contact Christopher Bloor on 01206 30 33 31 for details.

Prayer. St James’ Church is open for private prayer Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 2.00 pm and on Saturdays from 8 am to 12 noon.

Each week in St James’ Church we hold short Parish Prayer services on a Tuesday morning at 9 am, and Thursday morning at 8.15 a.m. where there is opportunity to pray for Christians everywhere, for our world, our town and for specific needs. On Friday mornings at 10.30 we meet to pray for those who are unwell. Everyone of any denomination or none is welcome.

The Church office is not regularly manned but you can leave a message on the voicemail or send an e-mail. Please either ring to leave a message on 01206 302378; or send an email to brightlingseaparish@btconnect.com. Messages will be collected three times a week.

Coffee Time and breakfast! We have Saturday Morning Coffee from 9 am to 12 noon every week and on the third Saturday of the month you can buy a cooked breakfast up to 10.30 a.m.! There are also cakes and cards for sale. Everyone is welcome.

Following our regular Wednesday morning Eucharist at 10 am, (finishes around 10.45) you are welcome to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a biscuit, and chat with others for a while.

Mothers’ Union Offers Christian care for families worldwide and has a membership of 3.6 million in 77 countries. The Brightlingsea Branch meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 2pm at St James’ Church in Victoria Place. For more information contact Mrs Kathy Tidman on 01206 302428 or go to www.themothersunion.org.

Monthly simple lunches held from 12.30pm to 1.30pm in St James’ Church, in aid of Christian Aid and CAFOD. Soup and a roll with butter and cheese followed by tea and coffee for £2.00. For more information telephone 01206 302170 or go to www.churches-together.net

Open House. A monthly Open House is held at Janet Russell’s 38 High Street, Brightlingsea. 10.30 am to 12.00 noon. All are welcome to share in a ‘cuppa’, a very good chat and a prayer. Dates are published on our Events page. Contact: Janet Russell on 01206 30 55 52 or janetrussell38@btinternet.com

Paul Jones (of Manfred Mann) and Fiona Hendley – 24th September 2016

An Evening with Paul and Fiona – 24th Sept 2016 at St James’

What a night it was! Paul and Fiona convincingly and passionately told of their journey of faith interspersed with songs from their album ‘Personal’. It was a full house with people from far and near. Only 17 of the 300 tickets were unsold. But we pray that folk in Brightlingsea will continue to talk about Paul and Fiona for months and years to come and that what they said will lodge in the hearts of the many present who have not yet accepted Jesus and will bear fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven. More pictures under Information/Gallery.