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The congregation of St James’ Church were blessed with good weather on Sunday as they celebrated its 140th birthday.

More than 200 people attended a Pentecost service followed by lunch on the lawn at the church in Prebend Street.

The service was a blend of traditional and modern – described as “modern Catholic” – with traditional and new hymns, with the choir, only set up in October, in fine voice.

There was also a contribution from the youngest members of the congregation. Around 15 children presented a large 140th birthday card they had made as communion was taking place.

After the mass, led by Father John Burniston, a party was held in the garden outside, complete with food, drink, a bouncy castle and, of course, a birthday cake.

The celebration was also held to mark the end of a recent re-ordering of the church to make it more flexible for the needs of modern-day worship – a key aim of Father John.

The sanctuary has been levelled to create more room, the sound system and lighting have been upgraded, and a second toilet has been installed, with new carpeting and a lick of paint finishing the job.

The diverse congrega­tion of young and old were full of praise for the community-minded spirit of the church and Father John, who joined in 2009. He said: “This will make the church easier to use for all sorts of different things like toddlers groups, different kinds of services and more music.

“The church has become a real focus in the community as somewhere where people feel they are welcome.”

There are also plans to have the church open during the day for quiet reflection, as St Mary’s in Upper Street has recently done.

Father John said the flourishing church was attracting new members by looking forward.

“We can’t just do things in the same ways we have in the past,” he added. “We have to have new ways of engaging with people or we get left behind.”