Plan Your Visit
Everyone is welcome at Christ Church St. James! Here’s what you can expect when you come to a service on Sundays:
- to be warmly welcomed as you arrive by our greeters at the door
- to choose to sit wherever you are comfortable (no assigned seats, all are open)
- to be invited to sing, pray, and respond in the service, as you’re comfortable; everything you need to participate will be on the screen
- to be invited to come forward during communion as part of the congregation; if you’re a follower of Jesus, you can receive the bread and wine and if you’re not yet or you just prefer it, you can receive a blessing by crossing your arms over your chest; you can also remain in your seat if you’d rather not go forward; if you have mobility issues, communion can be brought to you, please let those assisting in the aisles know.
When should I arrive?
Our Sunday morning service begins at 10:00am. We invite you to come earlier, take in our space, and meet some of us. The service is finished by 11:15am.
For other special services, please check our Events Calendar.
What about parking?
We have a parking lot on the north side of the church; however, it fills up quickly. You can also park in the little lot behind the Humber Bay Library branch building beside us; on the sides of Park Lawn Rd, and across the street on both the north and south sides of Ringley Ave in the morning.

What door do I use to get in?
The main door is on Park Lawn Rd. Head up the ramp or stairs leading to the big glass entrance. Someone will be there to welcome you.
Our elevator services the parking lot level, the main floor of the church and the church hall in the basement. Use the white door (beside both handicap parking spaces) off the parking lot to access the church in this way. Summon the elevator by entering 1940# on the keypad and pressing and holding the call button until it arrives at the floor you’re on. Once inside, turn the key to the ON position (3 o’clock) and press and hold the button for the desired floor. When exiting, set the key position to OFF (12 o’clock) so that it can be summoned by someone else.

What about washrooms?
The main floor of the church has an accessible washroom right off the cloakroom in the front foyer. Other accessible washrooms are at the bottom of the stairs, outside the doors to the Church Hall.
For those with little ones, there is a changing table in the accessible washroom off the cloakroom in the foyer.
What about money?
If you’re our guest, there is no expectation that you will give money; those who worship here regularly give as part of their worship.
When the time is right for you to join us in membership, regularly giving money (as well as time and talents as you serve) becomes an important part of your worship to God. In the meantime, if you’d like to give, there are envelopes at the back of the church when you come in or you can check out the Support Us page for more options.

What should I wear?
We’re super casual – some people dress up; some people dress down – we figure God knows what we look like already, so there’s no need to impress Him. We’re air conditioned in summer (but not freezing – it’s still a big space) and comfortably heated in winter.

What are my options for my kids?
Plenty! Kids (2+ and older) are welcome to come up for a Children’s Time just after the Praise Hymn, before they head to the Children’s Ministry programs downstairs. They will come back up in time for Communion.
Younger children are welcome to use the Nursery – either as a refuge during the service to come and go, or to stay with our Nursery volunteers. Please pick them up when Communion starts.
Teenagers are welcome to join our volunteer Youth Group leader downstairs for a program. They will also come back up to re-join the congregation for Communion.
Children are always welcome to remain with their parents in the service for the entire time – noise, snacks, crayons, and a little chaos are all just fine, we’re just so glad you’re here!

What should I expect in the service?
You should expect songs to be sung together, prayers to be said privately and all together, to hear readings from the Bible, and to have Communion (the bread and wine of Jesus’s body and blood) together.
We follow the Anglican Book of Alternative Prayer (mostly), enjoy good traditional and contemporary music, and are Bible-centred. The service is displayed on the screen at the front (with large print versions of the songs available for all of us whose eyes need a little help).
We take Communion in “batches” (about 30 at a time) and we stay at the Lord’s Table until everyone in the “batch” has received. Children are welcome to receive Communion too – Jesus loves us all.
