We’re celebrating a birthday this year. St James’ church is 775years old! Let me put that in context for you. St James’ churchis five times older than Big Ben and sixty times older than theTrafford Centre. 775 years ago Henry III was on the throne andthe Mongol hoard conquered Bulgaria.

Over the centuries St James’ has spawned numerousdaughter parishes, it has witnessed countless weddings,baptisms and funerals and has even given rise to its veryown saint, Ambrose Barlow, baptised in St James’ in 1585.

More than just historyBut St James’ is not just an architectural and cultural museum; it’s the home of avibrant and growing Christian community, today. Over the past five years, the adultattendance has more than doubled and the number of children has grown tenfold.

The growth of St James’ has highlighted the woeful state of the facilities. So let’s make 775 a year toinvest in this beautiful and much loved treasure.

Here are the highlights of the proposed work:

Cost of the workOver the years the congregations in St James’ have given generously and sacrificially to the re-ordering ofEmmanuel and to building the Parish Centre and now, together as one church, we turn our attention to theneeds of St James’. The total project cost including materials, labour, contingency and all fees is estimatedto cost £177,000. The good news is that we already have just shy of £100,000 in the bank.

St James Gift DaySome of you may be able to give a one-off gift. Others might be able to pledge a monthly or quarterly gift overthe course of one year. Either way, if we all give as generously as we can, we can easily complete this project.

There will be a gift day on Sunday 20th March when the form overleaf can be offered. Do note that moneygiven before the 5th April will attract a higher rate of government Gift Aid, so an early gift is a bigger gift.

Please pray for the project team and consider what God might be asking you to contribute to the future lifeof this church.

Thank you and God bless

Nick Bundock (Rector)

• A new drinks kitchenette• Two new toilets, one with facilities for the disabled• A dedicated baby change area• A new crèche area • Disabled access to the north tower door

• A renovated entrance and welcome area• Re-plastering and redecoration• A reed bed filtration system to handle foul waste• Renewed external lighting and churchyard paths• Upgraded and expanded storage

St James 775 FundEquipping our historic church for the future

St James & Emmanuel, Parish Office (in Parish Centre), Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury M20 6TR. 0161 446 4150 office@stjamesandemmanuel.org stjamesandemmanuel.orgRegistered Charity 1131669

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