St. Mary’s, Litton Cheney, is part of the Bride Valley Benefice.
Rector: The Revd Jane Williams has been appointed as the next Rector of the Benefice. Jane is currently Assistant Curate in the
Wareham Team in this diocese. Here she has gained much experience of a mixed benefice embracing town and villages with a
variety of worship styles, formal and informal and has been involved in ministry to all ages, both pastoral and outreach to those in the
community outside of church. She had a career in the NHS as a Senior Nurse Manager and Hospital Matron at Swanage and
Wareham Community Hospitals before training for ordination at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. Jane has a passion for rural ministry
and she and her husband Nigel are very much looking forward to moving to the Bride Valley in the summer once Jane has completed
her curacy. It is hoped her licensing will take place sometime towards the end of July.
Church News
The Annual Church Meeting will take place on Thursday 11
th
April at St. Mary’s at 7.30 p.m. All are welcome, but you may only
participate in any vote if you are on the recently updated Church Electoral Roll.
THE MINISTRY
VALLEY NOTES CD
ST MARY’S CHURCH
SERVICES for April 2019
Sunday
7
th
-
9.30am - Morning Worship
Sunday 14
th
-
9.30am - Holy Communion
Sunday 21
st
-
9.30am - Holy Communion - Bishop Karen Gorham
Sunday 28
th
-
9.30am - Morning Prayer
Parish Council
Village Organisations
Village Information
Local Information
About Our Village
St Mary's is one of seven Parish Churches within the Bride Valley Benefice. Church
business is dealt with on a day to day basis by the standing committee of the
Parochial Church Council:
Chairman: The Rector,
Churchwardens: Richard Jones and John Vercoe
Secretary: Wendy: Firrell
Treasurer: Freddie Spicer
The full Council meets four times a year including the Annual Church Meeting in April.
The pattern of Worship currently in use on a monthly basis is Morning Worship at
9.30 a.m. with refreshments afterwards, Holy Communion with hymns at 9.30 a.m. on
the 2nd Sunday, Matins at 9.30 a.m. on the 3rd Sunday and Holy Communion at 9.30
a.m. on the 4th Sunday; the service on a 5th Sunday varies and is usually a United
Valley Service at one of the Valley Churches.
Copies of the Parish Magazine and Bride Valley News are available in the Church.
The Churchyard: The churchyard surrounds the Church and slopes
fairly sharply in places from north to south; the extension at the north
end is presently a wildlife area with paths and picnic places from
which you can enjoy a vast panoramic view of the coastal ridge with
Hardy's monument to the east. There are many interesting old
gravestones including box graves cut from Purbeck stone liberally
adorned with yellow lichens. The grass is cut and the yard generally
maintained by a small band of volunteers who are constantly on the
lookout for additions to their number!
The War Memorial is situated to the west of the church porch. More
details here
in the Bride Valley
Litton Cheney
Dorset
