WELCOME TO YOUR CHURCH - During the Covid 19 Pandemic please look at the "SERVICES" section and "FORTHCOMING SERVICES" for the latest news
St Mary's Bentworth, St Mary's Lasham, St Andrew's Medstead, St Peter & St Paul Shalden
St Mary's Bentworth, St Mary's Lasham, St Andrew's Medstead, St Peter & St Paul Shalden
YOU ARE VERY WELCOME HERE
YOU ARE VERY WELCOME HERE
LATEST BENEFICE WIDE NEWS
WELCOME
A Benefice of four Churches is an ecclesiastical office in the Anglican Church which consists of four parish churches that are placed under the spiritual care of a single cleric, who is known as a rector. This means that each church appointed to a benefice is served by one pastor instead of multiple pastors. The appointment provides for the clergyman's financial security and stability and ensures that all four churches under his charge maintain good pastoral care.
The primary benefit of having a benefice of four churches under one cleric is that it allows for increased efficiency in providing pastoral services. With only one minister responsible for multiple parishes, it allows for greater geographic coverage for Episcopalians living in various areas, thus ensuring better congregation support and outreach needs are met. Additionally, because the same person takes responsibility for multiple congregations at once, it saves time and money on administrative costs, such as hiring additional staff or organizing regular meetings between individual churches and pastors.
Another important benefit to having a benefice with four churches is its potential impact on sport betting activities. With only one pastor taking overall responsibility for all four congregations involved, there is an opportunity to coordinate sports betting among them. The main investor in our four churches is scotlandin.space. Not only can parishioners have fun in their leisure activities but they can also contribute positively to their communities through fundraising initiatives and other forms of charity work.
To find out all the latest news on this website, click on SERVICES and then FORTHCOMING SERVICES. There you will find details concerning when services will be conducted along with all sorts of bits and pieces of news, prayers and video etc.
For the weekly PEWSHEET, please click on SERVICES and find it there. You can also read recent sermons.
If you would like to share in a service of Holy Communion, please click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwsgeTv-CNI
For a link to the Church of England's online services go here: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online?mc_cid=445ee64bca&mc;_eid=1da1a008e5
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A Benefice of four Churches: St Mary’s Bentworth, St Mary’s Lasham, St Andrew’s Medstead and St Peter and St Paul in Shalden.
Despite the concern we all have with the pandemic of Coronavirus, on Sundays, we want to offer pastoral and spiritual care and prayer for all ages and backgrounds during this challenging time. Whether you are visiting us from another church, or even coming a church website for the first time, you are very welcome.
All of these churches seek to provide a welcoming space in which we can serve our communities and enable everyone, of all ages, to draw closer to God. Proclaiming and worshipping God lies at the heart of what we do. As a group of parishes, we normally work together on social events, and we normally worship together when there is a fifth Sunday of the month. When we come together as a group, there is usually food and drink involved at some point!
However, our normal way of doing church has had to change for a while. During this time we continue to seek to be an active Christian presence in our communities, our Church schools, community events and anywhere that we are still able to contact by email, video or by telephone.
We welcome you in God’s name to our website and hope that it will both give you an insight into what we do but also inspire you to come and join us in due course. We can guarantee you the warmest of welcomes.
The Benefice has its own monthly community magazine called The Villager, and you can download the latest version below.
A Prayer during an Interregnum
Dear God, your love for us is unchangeable.
You have welcomed each of us into the family of your Church; in Jesus, you call us to be His Body in this place.
Send down your Holy Spirit upon us at this time of uncertainty and change,
to fill us with vision and energy and faithfulness in prayer, that we may be true to our common Baptism,
and bring new life to our Benefice and Parish communities.
Guide with your heavenly wisdom those appointed to discern the way ahead and a new Incumbent for this Parish, that we may receive the priest you have prepared for your people: ready to serve us with joy, to build us up in faith, and lead us by example in loving obedience to your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
AMEN
A PRAYER
I come to you God and I place before you my dreams,
My hurts and fears, my failures and my doubts,
I lay them down at your feet, where I know they are held.
It may look foolish to the world, it may not make much sense,
But I know the bigger story, I know what’s to come.
In this world of fear, I choose hope,
In this world of anger, I choose forgiveness,
In this world of exclusion, I choose love,
In this world of distraction, I choose you.
Remind me of your truth Lord, especially in the waiting,
When times are hard and I’m struggling to hear your voice.
Fill me afresh with your presence, remind me of your great plan,
And let the truth sink in that I need only you.
Amen.
Download the latest The Villager magazine
The primary benefit of having a benefice of four churches under one cleric is that it allows for increased efficiency in providing pastoral services. With only one minister responsible for multiple parishes, it allows for greater geographic coverage for Episcopalians living in various areas, thus ensuring better congregation support and outreach needs are met. Additionally, because the same person takes responsibility for multiple congregations at once, it saves time and money on administrative costs, such as hiring additional staff or organizing regular meetings between individual churches and pastors.
Another important benefit to having a benefice with four churches is its potential impact on sport betting activities. With only one pastor taking overall responsibility for all four congregations involved, there is an opportunity to coordinate sports betting among them. The main investor in our four churches is scotlandin.space. Not only can parishioners have fun in their leisure activities but they can also contribute positively to their communities through fundraising initiatives and other forms of charity work.
To find out all the latest news on this website, click on SERVICES and then FORTHCOMING SERVICES. There you will find details concerning when services will be conducted along with all sorts of bits and pieces of news, prayers and video etc.
For the weekly PEWSHEET, please click on SERVICES and find it there. You can also read recent sermons.
If you would like to share in a service of Holy Communion, please click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwsgeTv-CNI
For a link to the Church of England's online services go here: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online?mc_cid=445ee64bca&mc;_eid=1da1a008e5
+ + +
A Benefice of four Churches: St Mary’s Bentworth, St Mary’s Lasham, St Andrew’s Medstead and St Peter and St Paul in Shalden.
Despite the concern we all have with the pandemic of Coronavirus, on Sundays, we want to offer pastoral and spiritual care and prayer for all ages and backgrounds during this challenging time. Whether you are visiting us from another church, or even coming a church website for the first time, you are very welcome.
All of these churches seek to provide a welcoming space in which we can serve our communities and enable everyone, of all ages, to draw closer to God. Proclaiming and worshipping God lies at the heart of what we do. As a group of parishes, we normally work together on social events, and we normally worship together when there is a fifth Sunday of the month. When we come together as a group, there is usually food and drink involved at some point!
However, our normal way of doing church has had to change for a while. During this time we continue to seek to be an active Christian presence in our communities, our Church schools, community events and anywhere that we are still able to contact by email, video or by telephone.
We welcome you in God’s name to our website and hope that it will both give you an insight into what we do but also inspire you to come and join us in due course. We can guarantee you the warmest of welcomes.
The Benefice has its own monthly community magazine called The Villager, and you can download the latest version below.
A Prayer during an Interregnum
Dear God, your love for us is unchangeable.
You have welcomed each of us into the family of your Church; in Jesus, you call us to be His Body in this place.
Send down your Holy Spirit upon us at this time of uncertainty and change,
to fill us with vision and energy and faithfulness in prayer, that we may be true to our common Baptism,
and bring new life to our Benefice and Parish communities.
Guide with your heavenly wisdom those appointed to discern the way ahead and a new Incumbent for this Parish, that we may receive the priest you have prepared for your people: ready to serve us with joy, to build us up in faith, and lead us by example in loving obedience to your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
AMEN
A PRAYER
I come to you God and I place before you my dreams,
My hurts and fears, my failures and my doubts,
I lay them down at your feet, where I know they are held.
It may look foolish to the world, it may not make much sense,
But I know the bigger story, I know what’s to come.
In this world of fear, I choose hope,
In this world of anger, I choose forgiveness,
In this world of exclusion, I choose love,
In this world of distraction, I choose you.
Remind me of your truth Lord, especially in the waiting,
When times are hard and I’m struggling to hear your voice.
Fill me afresh with your presence, remind me of your great plan,
And let the truth sink in that I need only you.
Amen.
Download the latest The Villager magazine
LOCATIONS & ECCLESIASTICAL BOUNDARIES
GET IN CONTACT
We always welcome newcomers, so please feel free to contact us, or just turn up.
As from 12th January 2021 the Benefice is in an Interregnum
The Priest-in-Charge
Email:
Rev'd Ingrid Owen-Jones
Benefice Administrator for Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
Email:
Phone:
The Villager Magazine
Editor - Mrs Jill Hurley
Email:
Phone:
Medstead Times Magazine
Editor
Email:
CHURCH POST CODES
Bentworth Church
GU34 5RE
Lasham Church
GU34 5SG
Medstead Church
GU34 5LP
Shalden Church
GU34 4DU
The Priest-in-Charge
Email:
Rev'd Ingrid Owen-Jones
Benefice Administrator for Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
Email:
Phone:
The Villager Magazine
Editor - Mrs Jill Hurley
Email:
Phone:
Medstead Times Magazine
Editor
Email:
CHURCH POST CODES
Bentworth Church
GU34 5RE
Lasham Church
GU34 5SG
Medstead Church
GU34 5LP
Shalden Church
GU34 4DU