St Brandon’s is the parish church serving Brancepeth village and the surrounding area. (See map.)
Our purpose as a church is both to worship God and to share the love of God that we celebrate here, through our activities as a church and as individual Christians. Church members meet to worship God each week and at special times throughout the
Christian year, and all are always welcome.
We are currently waiting for a new Priest-in-charge to be appointed. If you need to contact us about anything to do with the church, please see the details on our Key Contacts page
You are also welcome to come and see what we are doing
on our Facebook page!
This includes live streams and recordings of many of our services.
Upcoming Events
Sunday School
Confirmation & Baptism Discussion Group 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th October
Confirmation and Baptism Discussion Group
8, 15, 22, 29 October
6pm-7pm in the castle
Would you like to join a small group of adults for fice short evenings of learning, laughing, and of course eating together, as we consider what this elusive thing ‘Faith’ looks like? What did Jesus teach and do for us? What ccan we personally believe in, and what does the Church believe in on our behalf?
We will start each time with som supper to make it friendly for those coming straight fro work and then move into discussion and see where we are led. It will not be academically challenging or require any homework. It will instread focus on our personal sense of fathe and the questions we all want to ask.
Please contact Alison Hobbs directly or message us here if you are interested. You are not committing to anything by attending, just have fun and see where it might lead you.
Friday 31st Ocotober
Service of Commemoration on All Souls Day Sunday 2nd November
Evensong sung by Chapel Choir of St John’s College November 9th
On November 9th the Chapel Choir of St John’s College will join us for a sung
evensong. This will be their first visit since Anna’s retirement so please do
attend the service to welcome our young guests. Time to be confirmed closer to
the date.
Youth Group
The Youth Club is an open club run by the church, and all young people in the village (and beyond and their friends) are warmly welcome. The age range is 11-17 years inclusive.
We meet fortnightly in the Village Hall 6-8pm though we may finish earlier if numbers are low.
November 2, 16, 30
December 14
Messy Church 16 November
Soup and Sandwich Lunch 16 November
Diane Coles is proposing to try out a couple of village events centred around St Brandon’s to raise much needed funds for upkeep and repair.
The first will be a Soup and Sandwich lunch on Sunday 16th November from 1pm. The second is a festive Afternoon Tea in December.
The initial feedback has been very encouraging but Diane would love to know if others think it is a good idea and would support either events or both.
Please send us your thoughts directly to Diane or via our Facebook Page.
Home Eucharist Services
Prayer Space for November
Darkness
November – dark evenings and long nights, Remembrance Sunday and All Souls
Hold in God’s love those
who fear darkness, inner and outer;
who grit their teeth and endure this month;
who feel lost in a landscape they cannot even see.
“. . .even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.”
(psalm 139 v 12)
Hold in God’s love those
who walk into the darkness , inner and outer;
who face the long nights with courage and curiosity;
who know the beauty of the stars.
“To know the dark, go dark.
Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings.”
(Wendell Berry)
Christmas Cards
It’s time to start thinking about Christmas cards!! Not just buying them, but making them!
As usual, there will be a range of printed Christmas cards for sale in church……. but
building on the success and the amazing art work which emerged in the ‘make-a-Christmas-card’ project last year I would once again encourage everyone to have a go at making a Christmas card which can be sold for church funds. You can
draw, paint, use felt pens, coloured pencils, ink, even recycle an old card ……in fact anything you fancy …….along the themes of the Christmas Story, or St.Brandon’s Church in winter.
To ensure some conformity, blank A6 cards (and envelopes) are available through me and from church. The completion date is
Sunday 2nd November, and the cards will go up for sale in mid November.
Everyone loves a homemade card which someone has taken the time to make – so why don’t you have a go and help raise funds for St.Brandon’s! It’ll be fun, and you may even surprise yourself at your
creativity!
Jean Hodgson 07821004560.
Services and Opening Times
Our Sunday morning services take place in the church building, and are also livestreamed on our church Facebook page.
St Brandon’s church building remains open for individual private prayer. We are open every day from 9.30 am until dusk. Please do visit us, take photos to remind you of the space, or simply sit calmly in the stillness.
You can also see a recent brief video of the church on YouTube.
The clergy and other members of the St Brandon’s congregation continue to pray for our community, with a particular focus on praying for those who are self-isolating or ill. If you have a prayer request, please email it to Alison Moore.
As a church, we are committed to caring for our neighbours and doing our part to stop the spread of coronavirus. In all this, we are working within the current Church of England guidelines.
Visits, Prayer and Care
If you are new to the area or the church, and would like a visit from a church member, please let us know, by contacting Alison Moore on 0191 373 5674.
Please also do let us know if you are ever unwell or troubled, and would value a visit from a church member, or home communion. To arrange this, please contact Alison Moore.
Safeguarding
At St Brandon’s, we are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and nurturing environment for everyone: children, young people and adults. We have adopted and approved the Church of England policy for promoting a safer church, and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). The Diocese of Durham’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advises our PSO. A full text of the parish safeguarding policy and other safeguarding information can be found under the ‘Safeguarding’ link in the main menu above.
If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.
The Church of England offers a simple online tutorial promoting basic awareness of safeguarding issues. St Brandon’s Parochial Church Council recommend that all members of the congregation take this tutorial.
Giving
St Brandon’s runs on generosity.
Everything we do together is possible only because people are generous with their time, their energy, and their skills.
We also depend upon people being generous with their money.
- It costs more than £1,000 a week to keep St Brandon’s open, and to sustain our life together.
- We depend entirely upon donations, and on the money we raise ourselves.
- We don’t get any financial support from the diocese or the national church.
Please consider setting up a regular gift, or making a one-off donation.