A few weeks ago, Amelia Jacob officiated at St James' communion service. Afterwards she reminded us that 30 years ago she was ordained as an Anglican minister, becoming the first ordained Pakistani woman in the world. She was in the second batch of women ordained in 1994. The road to becoming an Anglican priest was not easy for any of them, with protests outside the venues being just one challenge they had to overcome. Today Amelia downplays the challenges she faced. She went on to say how delighted she was to find out she is no longer the only Pakistani woman priest in the UK. Amelia regularly attends St James and is the author of the book "The Priest from Pakistan".
The Revs Ali and Steve have left us, however life still goes on and St James' continues to be the dynamic, ground breaking place it has been for many years. The "interregnum" or gap between vicars, gives church members the chance to step into gaps and develop new skills. It means more guest speakers. St James' has already welcomed its first guest speaker and developed its first "child worship group". Geoff Lumley was our first guest speaker. Geoff was a long standing member of St James, however moved to the countryside a few years ago. Geoff talked on John 7, 1-7. He also hosts regular walks in and around London, although his idea of hills and mud sometimes differs from that of the typical Londoner. The worship was led by an 11 year old. "H' used to be supported by the Rev Ali. She was offered support from adult members of the church, however chose an 8 year old to join her. And very good it was too! So life is very much continuing at St James!
Revs Ali and Steve have devoted the last 13 years loving and serving the people of Alperton, They came to St James with their young children and leave with two teenagers. The church has been blessed beyond measure to have them. The family will leave a big gap, both practically and in people's hearts. The practical gaps can be filled, the gaps in people's hearts will take longer. They are moving on to new adventures in South Harrow. Last weekend was a time of celebration, along with some sadness and tears. The church threw a party on the 20th July to say goodbye. This included things St James is known for, such as good multicultural food, along with the ceremonial cutting of the farewell cake which was lovingly baked and decorated by the Wednesday communion service attendees. This was followed on the 21st July by Rev Ali and Steve's final service which was attended by a wide variety of people, such as Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North, members of the Brent Multi-Faith Forum and a wide range of well wishers. Rev Ali said "The onion gremlins are out in force this weekend" Onion gremlins are invisible creatures who stick raw onion in the faces of people and make them cry.
An essential part of St James is our "Spaces". Spaces are short sessions after the main service which aim to help the community get to know each other better. The spaces vary from quietly listening to God to more practical sessions like card making and knitting. One of the most successful "Spaces" is the monthly Knitting Space. In fact, if you are local, you may have seen their Easter post box topper. Another of their projects has been knitting colourful blankets to donate to people in need. A few weeks ago, Edna and Linda, two of our core knitters, presented the staff at Copeland nursing home with colourful blankets for their residents. The knitting space meets once a month and everyone is welcome. You don't have to attend the church.
