About Us
Our Vision and Values
We are a parish that seeks to bring people to faith and welcomes those who already have faith or who are on a journey to faith. The only qualification for being part of this community is that you wish to join us. We believe that God offers love unconditionally, and it is not our place to set conditions on belonging. This is not a policy that we have set down, but it is the way we act. In this spirit we do not judge people’s uncertainty and hesitancy, and we recognise that life throws up doubt and questions that may have no easy answer.
We are proudly liberal and inclusive in our approach to people, their needs and their role within the church. We offer a home, for a long or short while, to those who feel uncomfortable or rejected elsewhere. We are traditional in our Sunday worship, in the sense that we recognise the centrality of Communion and services that have a place for the still small voice. We are nonetheless, open to new liturgies, and we wish to find better ways to offer the thoughtful worship that is distinctive in our area. We have an increasingly empowered congregation, unafraid to be visible. We have discovered, and seek to nurture, a range of vocations in worship and leadership, inspired by the vocations of priest, reader and missionary that have emerged from our membership in the last ten years.
We see our mission as lying with our membership, the parish population and the wider world, especially our mission partners in Russia and Madagascar. We seek to provide opportunities for worship and for discovering and deepening faith, through worship, study and fellowship. We want to be somewhere where people can worship, explore (life, faith, etc) and find support in life’s trials.
A Church with a Future
During the recent interregnum, new groups have sprung up, creating opportunities for prayer meetings and bible study outside of the main Sunday worship.
We welcome these developments and hope that new members may feel able to join in at any level, from coming to church to enjoy our traditional yet informal style of worship, to participating in the wide range of Christian activities that we offer.
A Team of Ministers
Widcombe Benefice has an interregnum at present, so we share the ministry of the church with a whole range of people who are discovering their own vocation and ministry under God. We have a worship team of leaders and preachers, as well as people who are involved in preparation for baptisms, administration of weddings etc. We also have a pastoral team visiting those in need who cannot physically get to church or those who are bereaved or in need of emotional support. We want to strengthen contacts with those who encounter the church and may want to learn more or rekindle dormant faith. We have a range of small groups and nurture courses to meet people where they are.
Our team also includes three churchwardens, eight deputy wardens, a reader and a reader-in-training. We have a full Parish Council who meet every six weeks, and there are many other members of the Church who have no official titles but who keep the wheels oiled by cleaning, organising rotas, composing and distributing the newsletter, taking bookings for the hall and many other vital 'behind the scenes' activities.