About Us

We understand Earth Justice at St James’s as rooted in inter-relationships with the whole world and all its human and more-than-human inhabitants. We aim to live and act from a place of belonging, honouring all our fellow-beings. We value contemplation and encounter as we continually discern how we as a community, in partnership with others, are called to respond in this time of climate and ecological crisis.

What is Earth Justice?

What’s in a name? At St James’s we’ve been through several iterations of earth-environment-creation focussed engagement in recent decades.

Creation Spirituality

Back in the 1990s this movement found its UK home at St James’s, and a programme of events and liturgy grew and thrived, reviving dimensions of theology and praxis rooted in creation and mysticism. The Celtic spiritual tradition was a powerful resource – we continue to drink deeply from that well today.

Shrinking the Footprint

In the 2000s the Diocese of London led the way in encouraging the Church of England to measure and reduce its energy use, while pressuring general synod to set challenging and binding targets. We made some dramatic improvements including roof insulation, a much more efficient boiler, LED lights for market traders (instead of 500W halogens) and in 2005 the first solar panels on a Grade 1 listed church roof. We reduced our carbon footprint by over 50% as well as saving many thousands of pounds in energy bills.

Eco Church

This scheme from A Rocha UK came along in 2015 and has since transformed churches’ ability to act on the climate and nature crisis. The PCC committed to Eco Church early on and we achieved a Gold award in 2018. (Find out more about Eco Church on A Rocha’s website ). We continue to support A Rocha UK and Eco Church through talks and events, programme development and support for other churches.

Earth Justice

In 2020 General Synod set a headline-grabbing target of ‘net zero by 2030’ for the whole church. And still atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to rise and communities that have done least to cause climate change are feeling the impacts first and worst. we are committed to working towards justice for the earth and all its life forms. Our programme was renamed Earth Justice to parallel St James’s Social Justice initiatives, recognising that there can be no justice for people without climate and ecological justice for the whole Earth.

You can find about the wider work, events and services at St James’s Piccadilly on the church’s main website.

Rev Lucy Winkett smiles at the camera. She is leaning over a balcony inside St James's Church Piccadilly.

“Theologically and spiritually, we require a revolution in how we look at the planet, which is a God’s eye view.  Creation is like a love letter written by God to God’s beloved. This way of understanding can be very inspiring and, for me, reintroduces joy and delight…

To lay aside our human-centric language can make us playful again. In our liturgy we simply join in the praise being offered by the created order already. There is one reality. Heaven and earth are joined. We are in union with all that lives, and all that has died and yet lives.

Rev. Lucy Winkett
Rector

“As a Churchwarden, my role takes in the whole spectrum of what it means to be church. Our Earth Justice work grows from our vision "Rooted in God's Earth we envision a just society and a creative open-hearted church". My faith and the action we take at St James’s together give me hope’’

Dee Hetherington
Churchwarden

‘‘It feels to me that St James's has embraced the garden and carries it along on its journey towards Earth Justice. It sees the garden as both a special place for events and worship but also the home of the flora and fauna that make up its ecology. Importantly, the church recognises that this green space needs nurture and protection.’’

Catherine Tidnam
Gardener

“I see spirituality and prayer, learning and creativity, and campaigning and practical action as a close-knit whole, at a time when a coherent and justice-oriented response to our times from faith communities is sorely needed.”

Deborah Colvin
Earth Justice team

Meet the Team

Many people contribute to Earth Justice at St James’s, bringing a wealth of experience, imagination and expertise, and we welcome new people and ideas.

As demonstrated by these mallard ducklings hatched in St James’s courtyard, there are many points of entry, niches to occupy and people to engage with!

Meet us

About St James’s Piccadilly

St James’s is a welcoming and inclusive Church of England parish in the heart of London. Because we are an open house of prayer, we strive to be a place of imagination, courage and hope, building community with people of all faiths and none. Our main service is a Eucharist at 11am on Sundays.

Find out more
The spire of St James's Church Piccadilly stands out against a blue sky. A pink magnolia tree in full bloom is visible in the foreground.
Group of five people, three women and two men, standing inside a church, smiling and holding coffee cups, with some people and a staircase in the background.
A group from St James Piccadilly stand outside holding a colourful Climate Strips banner which has stripes from blue to orange. Each strip represents each year's average daily temperature from 1961 to present.
Group of six people, four women and two men, gathered outdoors for a climate activism protest. Some are sitting on the ground, others standing. There's a handmade sign that reads 'Praying for Action on the Climate Crisis Now!'
A woman helps a toddler plant seeds in a large raised planter, during the launch of the Food For the Ecozoic garden. The toddler wears wellies and stands in the planter.
A circular wooden plaque says A Rocha Eco Church Gold Award 2018, with a gold leaf illustration. The plaque is nestled among green leaves.
Altar decorated for the Harvest Festival at St James Piccadilly. There is a green hand printed green altar cloth. At the foot of the altar, there are fresh fruits and vegetables, autumn leaves and packaged food.