St Mary’s is the parish church for the three villages of Ambrosden, Arncott and Blackthorn.
Each village has their own characteristics, challenges and opportunities.
Our aim is to reach out to all three villages, to be involved in the varied community life in a way that expresses our Christian values and beliefs and for people to realise we are not just there for baptisms, weddings and burials (Hatch, Match, Dispatch!).
We serve a diverse population – families, workers, retired people, asylum seekers and military personnel, to name just a few, and there is a mix of old and new houses, farms, a primary school, a military base and housing, a prison, new housing developments and an assortment of businesses.
The back of the church has been fitted with a kitchen, multi-use area and an ‘access for all’ toilet.
A large gazebo (affectionately named the tabernacle) has been erected for smaller groups to meet, especially during lay-led services and during wintertime, it also helps to reduce our heating costs.
We encourage groups to use the back of the church area and have held coffee mornings and lunches in this area.
The church has an impressive mechanical clock that is regularly maintained and regulated.
We host visiting bell ringers, and a small group of ‘mature’ people are learning to ring the bells with support from local ‘expert’ bell ringers (see here) – it’s never too late to learn!
Please join us for one of our church services the details of which are on the services page.
For more information, please email the churchwarden, Jill Colyer, at st.marys.church.ambrosden@gmail.com