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St. Andrew’s Parish Church is the Church of England place of worship in the ecclesiastical parish of Wickham Skeith; it is part of a group of churches known as the "Bacton Benefice" which includes Bacton, Cotton, Wyverstone, Wickham Skeith, Old Newton and a chapel at Gipping.
St Andrew’s Church
Rev’d Stephen Snelling, Tailors Green House, Tailors Green, Bacton IP14 4LL
01449 782970 07775 833824
Email - revstephen@tailorsgreenhouse.com
Wardens: Liz Davidson 766622 and Margaret Jones-Evans 767121
Services in August 2024
All services at 10am unless otherwise stated
During August we are having a break from the usual pattern of services in our churches and will have weekly Benefice services as we have done in the past in August.
4th Aug Benefice Communion Bacton Church
11th Aug Benefice Communion Gipping Church
18th Aug Benefice Communion Wickham Skeith Church
25th Aug Benefice Communion Old Newton Church
1st Sept Benefice Communion Cotton Church
For other benefice services, please view our Facebook page.
Everyone will be welcome at any of these services so please support them and ask for a lift if you need transport - reducing the number of cars eases the parking.
As you can see from his message Revd Stephen will no longer be taking communion services in the Benefice after the service on 1st September. We thank him for all he has done over the past 12 months, it has been greatly appreciated, and we wish him well in all that the future holds for him. We will endeavour to maintain our usual rota of services as long as we can find priests to lead communion.
Saint Andrew’s Church is the oldest building in the village. It costs at least £1200 per month to keep it open and useable and to pay the routine bills. That figure does not include any repair projects that might be needed which at present include re-roofing the tower to keep the water out. If you’d like to help with the upkeep of this historic building, please support our fund-raising activities, use the QR code on the village hall notice board or visit the church when it is open during the day to make a donation using the contactless card reader. You can also sign up to the Parish Giving Scheme if you are willing to make a regular donation – this is paid into the church bank account automatically and if you are eligible for Gift Aid this is also claimed and paid automatically ensuring a regular income for the church with less work for our Treasurer. Please ask Liz if you would like to know more. Thank you.
The Benefice needs someone to take on the preparation of the weekly pew sheet which goes to everyone who has signed up to receive it. We are assured that it is not a complicated task – a standard format exists which just needs the weekly readings, news and names of those who have asked for prayer to be inserted and there can be a handover meeting. If you might be able to help, please contact the churchwardens.
Weekly Email and News – if you’d like to sign up to receive our weekly news email, please contact the churchwardens.
During August we are having a change from the usual pattern of services as we have done in previous summers and will have weekly Benefice services.
4th Aug 10.00 Bacton Church
11th Aug 10.00 Gipping Church
18th Aug 10.00 Wickham Skeith Church
25th Aug 10.00 Old Newton Church
Please support these services and ask a churchwarden about a lift if you need one.
Saint Andrew’s Church is the oldest building in the village. It costs at least £1200 per month to keep it open and useable and to pay the routine bills. That figure does not include any repair projects that might be needed which at present include re-roofing the tower to keep the water out. If you’d like to help with the upkeep of this historic building, please support our fund-raising activities, use the QR code on the village hall notice board or visit the church when it is open during the day to make a donation using the contactless card reader. You can also sign up to the Parish Giving Scheme if you are willing to make a regular donation – this is paid into the church bank account automatically and if you are eligible for Gift Aid this is also claimed and paid automatically ensuring a regular income for the church with less work for our Treasurer. Please ask Liz if you would like to know more. Thank you.
Weekly Email and News – if you’d like to sign up to receive our weekly news email, please contact the churchwardens.
4th & 11th Mrs M Rowe & Mrs S Wright
18th & 25th Mrs E Davidson & Mrs J Willoughby
Sept 1st & 8th Mrs J Bryant & Mrs L Reinders
Gislingham Silver Band will play in church at 3pm on 21st September. There will be tea/coffee and cake in the interval. Sheila Wright’s books will be on sale. Tickets available from Margaret and Liz or pay on the door.
Christmas Pudding stir-up will again be in the village hall at 10am on Saturday 23rd November. Telephone orders welcome nearer the date.
Thank you everyone – Margaret and Liz
Church Notes From Rev’d Stephen
The month of August has traditionally been a time for refreshment and reflection. As a child it always meant time away from school and usually a week on holiday somewhere at the sea. August was named after the Roman Emperor Augustus, who reigned during the life of Jesus. Whilst in power, Augustus presided over the “Pax Romana” – Latin for Roman Peace. The Roman empire enjoyed a period of peace and stability. As a result, circumstances aligned themselves for what we can look back on and say was “the right time” for Christianity to develop. As Christianity developed and spread, our village churches were built. They are communities within a community. They are your churches, ancient houses of prayer where people come in all the seasons of living, where life (christenings) and love (weddings and renewal of vows) are celebrated, and they are sacred spaces where tears are shed in the saying of farewells (funerals and memorial services). We also gather as community in the seasons of the church year, Remembrance, Christmas and Easter, to name but a few. A true community isn’t just about being part of a local geographical area or survival media network. It’s about feeling connected and responsible for what happens. Humanity is our ultimate community, and everyone has a part to play. A good community insures itself by trust, by good faith, by good will and mutual help. True community requires commitment and openness. It is being willing to extend yourself to encounter and know your neighbour. The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. The concept of “right time” is developed in the famous passage from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes which begins: “For everything there is a season, There is a right time for everything. On occasions there is a need to sit down and reassess our lives, our priorities and our preferences. There may be a right time to acknowledge the end of one phase of our lives and contemplate the beginning of another. At the end of August, I will come to the end of my time of providing priestly services to the Bacton Benefice, and I will be looking to see if I can discern what God is doing elsewhere in this area and joining in. May God guide you as you seek His will for your life. With every blessing. Rev'd Stephen
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Like every other organisation the church has to consider the data protection legislation, so St Andrew’s Church and the Bacton benefice need your permission before they keep your name and details on file. The information will be used to send the weekly pew sheet, to record you as a voting member of the church on the Electoral Roll, for the Rector to know who the members of the church are so he can visit and get to know you etc.
You may have received an email with a form to fill in, or a paper form dropped through your door. Do please fill one of these in if you would like to be involved with the Church in this village and send to our new Rector, the Rev’d Carl Melville. He is eager to get to know the people in the churches and villages in his new benefice.
If you haven’t had a form through your door or via email do please ask for one from Liz Davidson or Margaret Jones-Evans
Keep safe everyone – Margaret Jones-Evans
