Welcome to Weobley & Staunton Joint Benefice
incorporating the Churches and Parishes of Weobley, Staunton On Wye, Norton Canon, Monnington, Sarnesfield, Byford and Letton in Herefordshire
Inclusive Church
As a Benefice, we believe in Inclusive Church – church which does not discriminate, on any level, on grounds of economic power, gender, mental health, physical ability, ethnicity, race, marital status or sexuality. We believe in Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which chooses to interpret scripture inclusively; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.
Free Bereavement Support Group
The Bereavement Journey
We know that in life, loss is all around us. Often the death of a loved one can be almost too much to bear. If you have lost the person that you love, either recently, or many years ago, grief may stay with you as you navigate your day-to-day life. Weobley parish church (St Peter and St Pauls) is running 7 weekly sessions, starting Wednesday 2nd October at Weobley Village Hall to support you through the process of bereavement. We will be following a series of films and discussions (The Bereavement Journey) that gently guide people through the most common aspects of grief and bereavement, enabling them to process the implications for themselves and discern next steps.
Loneliness and isolation are often felt by the person left behind. By walking with others who have taken the same path, we aim to help you find ways to manage your grief and loss. The format will be an informal, relaxed meeting with refreshments, where you will join others who have experienced similar losses.
Please contact Lesley-Anne Ryder to reserve your place:
Lesley@LesleyRyder.co.uk Phone: 07720 448000
Harvest Festival
Sunday 20th October
10.30am
This year we will be collecting donations toward WaterAid
Byford Parish Church
Family Crafty Harvest Service
Sunday 20th October
3.00pm
Harvest crafts for the children followed by tea
This year we will be collecting donations toward WaterAid
St John the Baptist Letton
Harvest Festival
Sunday 27th October
11.00am
This year we will be collecting donations toward WaterAid
St Mary's Church Sarnesfield
Guinea Service
Tuesday 29th October 2024
7.00pm
Guest Speaker: Rev'd Prebendary Mike Kneen
An annual tradition that has been revived is the Guinea Service, at which a guest speaker is invited to give a sermon and the congregation votes to decide whether the preacher has earned the Guinea.
All are welcome to join us from around the benefice
St John the Baptist, Letton HR3 6DH
All Souls Remembrance & Thanksgiving Service
A chance you gather and remember those we have loved & lost with reflections, readings and music
Saturday 2nd November 3.00pm Weobley Parish Church
Sunday 3rd November 3.30pm Monnington-on-Wye
Remembrance Sunday
Sunday 10th November 2024
10.45am Parade from Broad Street to Weobley War Memorial
10.55am Act of Remembrance at Weobley War Memorial
11.00am Remembrance Service at Weobley Parish Church
10.30am CW Eucharist with prayers of remembrance, Staunton-on-Wye
Coffee Morning
Tuesday 12th November 2024
10.30am - 12.00pm
Our monthly 2nd Tuesday coffee mornings provide an opportunity to relax and catch up with others from the local community. We are always pleased to see a new face and offer a warm welcome to newcomers!
*Tea *Coffee *Cakes *Biscuits & Friendly Chat
Weobley Parish Church
Hymn Singing Festival
Cymnafa Ganu
Saturday 16th November 2024
3.00pm-5.00pm
Conductor: Paul Sweeting
Organist: Liz Lawrence
Join us for our 'Welsh-inspired' festival of favourite hymns, chosen from across our benefice
Refreshments available at the interval for a donation
WEOBLEY PARISH CHURCH
A Year of Faith
Hereford Diocese has branded 2024 the ‘Year of Faith’. The apostle Paul says that ‘faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). Bishop Richard says: "Jesus shows us that self-giving love is who God is, and his fingerprints are all over us. He shows us that a relationship with him provides the personal security: psychological, material and eternal to risk living differently. I hope our year of faith will increase our confidence in that reality and thus our confidence to live in the light of it" (Weekly eNews from Hereford Diocese 4.1.2024). Upon the solid rock of faith, we can build a vision for positive change.
For Year of Faith ideas and resources please click on the button below.
Weekly Reflection
thoughts and reflections from the Rev'd Philip Harvey
20th & 27th October Our final dwelling place
Over the first two Saturdays in October I have been involved in volunteer clean-up days at Staunton and Weobley churchyards. It was wonderful to see a dedicated group come along and tidy up these areas. I am also mindful there are other volunteers who quietly and regularly mow, weed, hack and trim in the other 5 churches of our benefice. For all of this unsung (and unpaid) labour of love I am deeply grateful.
Our churchyards are much visited. They are special places of memory: a quiet place in which to remember, to grieve and to be thankful. They are also refuges for birds and wildlife, with a diverse array of wildflowers growing in designated no-mow areas. Some visitors will speak of a churchyard as ‘a final resting place’ but for those of Christian faith, the greenery and peace of a churchyard is reminder of that place of eternal rest and intimate spiritual relationship that awaits:
The writer of Psalm 90 reminds us:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God…
The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away…
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Rev’d Philip
6th & 13th October An Attitude of Gratitude
While on holiday, I found myself grumbling about a few days of rainy weather. However, my complaint led me to recall the times that I lived in desert environments, in Australia and the Middle East, when I used to lament the lack of green in the landscape. There’s a well-used saying in the UK that ‘You don’t get a green country without rain’. As we celebrate Harvest season, we are also called to give thanks for the blessings that come with rain!
I once heard a story related by an Australian who was working in a dry, remote part of Africa. She was asked by the women of the village about how far Australian women walked to fetch their water from a well. When she replied that most Australian women had access to piped, clean running water, both hot and cold, one of the ladies exclaimed ‘How happy must be the people of your country!’
This anecdote caused me to reflect on how much we take for granted; how we often overlook the simple provisions of everyday sustenance. Perhaps it also illustrates our deeper need to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness. Are we thankful for the material blessings of food, shelter and warmth? And are we grateful for the support of others around us? In the letter to the Ephesians Paul says ‘I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers’. May this Harvest season be a time of heartfelt thanksgiving and may the joyful fruits of this spirit of gratitude be evident in our lives and churches.
Rev’d Philip
Harvest Collection for Water Aid
PCC members across the benefice were consulted about supporting a charity with our harvest collections, and the decision was made to make donations to Water Aid, a charity working in developing nations to provide access to clean water and drainage. More information can be obtained at www.wateraid.org/uk