St James and Emmanuel holds five services each Sunday – two at St James and three at Emmanuel. We are a church for everyone and offer a warm welcome at each of our services.
If you are unable to come to services in person, a live audio stream is broadcast most Sundays from the Emmanuel 10.30 service. When unavailable, the livestream from neighbouring St Nick’s is broadcast. The link is published on the SJE homepage each Sunday. Other online activities are also available.
Information about Christmas, Easter, Remembrance Sunday and other special services is published on the homepage at the appropriate time and included in our monthly Parish Diary and weekly eNews.
Sunday services at St James
There are usually two services: 9am and 11am. The type of service is described on the outside noticeboard and is also included in our monthly Parish Diary and weekly eNews.
- St James is on Stenner Lane (M20 2RQ), between The Didsbury and Ye Olde Cock pubs.
- The Didsbury pub car park is FREE until 1pm for those attending Sunday services.
- St James is an ancient church with stained glass windows and marble memorials. Some parts of the building date back to 1285.
- The main entrance is under the tower at the west end and is accessible by wheelchair.
- The church is spacious, with a high ceiling and suspended lighting. It has a traditional layout, with the altar at the east end.
- Seating is mainly pews, with a few chairs at the rear.
- There is a small play area for young children also at the rear.
9am service at St James
Type of service
- A traditional Holy Communion service that uses the Book of Common Prayer from 1662.
- The service follows a set text and lasts about one hour.
- There are usually two traditional hymns, two readings, a time of prayer and a short sermon.
What to expect
- You are welcomed when you arrive and are given a hymn book and a service book with a bookmark to help you follow the service.
- Twice a month a small choir leads the worship singing early sacred music.
- The church organ provides accompaniment for the hymns.
- Communion is offered to all who would like it.
- Everyone is welcome to receive communion.
- Attendance is typically around 40 people and most attendees are middle aged and older adults. Sometimes there are a few young children.
- After the service there is an opportunity to chat to people, and there are often refreshments.
- When there are no refreshments, some people go to the nearby pub for coffee or tea – everyone is welcome.
- The church bells are rung at about 10.40am before the next service, which starts at 11am.
11am service at St James
Type of service
- The service uses modern worship text and is less formal than the 9am service. It lasts about one hour.
- Typically, there is a Holy Communion service twice a month, which adds about 10 minutes. Everyone is welcome to receive communion.
- There is a mix of modern songs and traditional hymns (usually four or five), two readings, a short sermon and a time of prayer.
- The church bells are rung before the service.
- You are welcomed when you arrive.
- All the words used in the service are projected onto an overhead screen at the front of church. Hymn books are often also available.
- The church organ provides accompaniment for the hymns.
- Attendance is typically around 20 to 30 of all ages, including children.
- After the service there is an opportunity to talk to people and enjoy refreshments, which includes biscuits.
Sunday services at Emmanuel
There are usually three services each Sunday: 10.30am, 12.30pm and 6.15pm. They vary slightly each Sunday and the type of service is described on the outside noticeboard and is also included in our monthly Parish Diary and weekly eNews.
The 12.30pm service is in Farsi for our Iranian community. It is not detailed here, and for more information contact our Farsi Group Leader.
- Emmanuel is on Barlow Moor Road (M20 6TR), next to Didsbury Library.
- There is a small car park at the rear, accessed from Barlow Moor Road.
- Emmanuel is a Victorian church with stained glass windows.
- The main entrance is via a porch which leads into a café area that leads to the church space. It is accessible by wheelchair.
- The building is spacious with a high ceiling and spotlights.
- The worship space is a modern layout, with the communion table, font and lectern on a stage.
- Seating is in blocks of wooden chairs in rows.
- There is a young children’s play area (crêche) in an adjacent room.
10.30am service at Emmanuel
Type of service
- The service uses modern worship text and is quite informal. It lasts about one hour.
- The first Sunday of the month is all age family worship. There are children’s groups on most other Sundays during term time.
- There is a Holy Communion service on the first and third Sundays of the month, which adds about 10 minutes. Everyone is welcome to receive communion.
- On the fourth Sunday of the month there is prayer with anointing with oil for those who wish to receive it.
- There is a mix of contemporary songs and traditional hymns (usually four or five), two readings, a short sermon and a time of prayer. The gospel reading is also shared in Farsi for those in our Iranian community attending this service.
- There are no church bells at Emmanuel.
- You are welcomed when you arrive.
- All the words used in the service are projected onto the wall behind the stage.
- The music is led by a worship team that comprises singers accompanied on the piano, with a range of other instruments that can include strings, guitars and drums. On some Sundays there is an organist.
- Attendance is typically around 100to 130 including children.
- When there are children’s groups, the children stay for the first ten minutes of the service and share a song using sign-supported English. They then go to their groups in other buildings on the site. Parents and guardians collect them at 11.30 and bring them back to the service.
- After the service there is an opportunity to talk to people and enjoy refreshments.
- People are encouraged to leave the main worship area about 12.10pm to allow preparation for the 12.30pm Farsi service.
6.15pm service at Emmanuel
Type of service
- The service uses modern worship text and is relaxed and informal. It lasts about one hour.
- There are contemporary worship songs, one or two readings, a sermon and a time of prayer.
- There is a Holy Communion service on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, which adds about 5 minutes. Everyone is welcome to receive communion.
- On the third Sunday of the month there is prayer with anointing with oil for those who wish to receive.
- Four times a year, on the fifth Sunday of the month, there is a Taizé-style service – a contemplative style of worship based around chants and silence.
- There are no church bells at Emmanuel.
- You are welcomed when you arrive.
- All the words used in the service are projected onto the wall behind the stage.
- The music is led by a worship team that comprises singers either accompanied on the piano or led by guitar, with a range of other instruments.
- Attendance is typically around 30 to 40 of all ages.
- There are no children’s groups.
- After the service there is an opportunity to talk to people and enjoy refreshments.