The Benefice of St. Bartholomew
Welcome to the website for the Benefice of St Bartholomew
- Details
- Written by Tony Gowers
The Benefice of St Bartholomew covers almost 30 square miles in the south west corner of Wiltshire. The Benefice is located in the Diocese of Salisbury and includes the following Church of England parishes: Donhead St Mary with Charlton, Donhead St Andrew, East Knoyle, Semley and Sedgehill.
Most of the Benefice lies within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with its exceptional landscapes and superb scenery.
This website will tell you about our six Churches: St. John the Baptist Church in Charlton, St. Andrew's Church in Donhead St. Andrew, St Mary's Church in Donhead St. Mary, St. Mary's Church in East Knoyle, St. Catherine's Church in Sedgehill and St Leonard's Church in Semley.
The site also describes:
- The services and events which have been arranged for the whole Benefice.
- The activities organised for children and younger people in the Benefice.
You can also find us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/benofbart/
If you have an item that you would like to be included on this website or have suggestions on how we can improve the site, please click here.
*** IMPORTANT - CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ***
Latest COVID Update Following the lifting of Government’s COVID-19 restrictions on 19th July 2021 and the publication of the Church of England’s new guidance, we are relaxing the coronavirus precautions in the churches across our Benefice. Each church will be adopting a slightly different approach by type of service, and so you should follow the guidance issued by your churchwardens and PCC when attending services or visiting your church. We shall continue as far as possible to Zoom at least one service each Sunday for those unable or unwilling to attend in person.
Latest News And Forthcoming Services & Events
Advent Praise, East Knoyle - 5th December 2021
- Details
- Written by Tony Gowers
There will be a special service of words, music, drama, poetry and reflection to celebrate Advent on
Sunday 5th December 2021 at 6.00 pm
at
St Mary's Church, East Knoyle
There are items to appeal to all age groups, so please do come and share some of the joy and fun of this special season.
Advent and Christmas Services in the Benefice - 2021
- Details
- Written by Tony Gowers
Advent and Christmas will be celebrated at services in Churches throughout the Benefice as follows:
Sunday 28th November
6.00 pm: Advent Carols - St Leonards's Church, Semley.
Friday 3rd December
10.00 am: Advent Eucharist - St Leonard's Church, Semley
Sunday 5th December
6.00 pm: Advent Praise - St Mary's Church, East Knoyle. Click here for more information.
Friday 10th December
10.00 am: Advent Eucharist - St Mary's Church, East Knoyle
Sunday 12th December
6.00 pm: Carol Service - St Catherine's Church, Sedgehill
Friday 17th December
10.00 am: Advent Eucharist - St Andrew's Church, Donhead St Andrew
Saturday 18th December
6.00 pm: Village Carols by Candlelight - St Mary's Church, Donhead St Mary.
Sunday 19th December
4.30 pm: Nine Lessons and Carols - St Andrew's Church, Donhead St Andrew.
6.30 pm: Carols - St Mary's Church, East Knoyle
Friday 24th December - Christmas Eve
3.00 pm: Crib Service - St John's Church, Charlton. For more information, click here.
6.00 pm: Carols with Lanterns - St Leonard's Church, Semley.
11.30 pm: Midnight Mass - St Andrew's Church, Donhead St Andrew
Saturday 25th December - Christmas Day
9.30 am: Christmas Sung Eucharist - St Leonard's Church, Semley
9.30 am: Eucharist with Carols - St Catherine's Church, Sedgehill
10.45 am: Christmas Sung Eucharist - St Mary's Church, East Knoyle
11.00 am: Christmas Sung Eucharist - St Mary's Church, Donhead St Mary
Sunday 26th December
9.30 am: Benefice Eucharist - St Catherine's Church, Sedgehill
11.00 am: Family Service with Carols - St John's Church, Charlton
All are welcome - please do come and join us.
St Mary's Church, East Knoyle - Auction Of Promises - November/December 2021
- Details
- Written by Tony Gowers
Having been delayed for eighteen months and we will not mention why, the Auction of Promises is soon to take place. Expenses for the church have gone on undiminished and now more than ever we are seeking fundraising ideas just to maintain the fabric and the environs. People's generosity remains an anchor for our support and particularly now with the church having been shut during the heat of the pandemic we are hoping to make up for the loss of regular income and indeed social events, such as the fete which we could not hold.
Please support the auction with bids for lots which we know you will enjoy. It is a very eclectic mix for all ages and will start at noon on Monday 22nd November and finish on Monday 13th December at 10.00 pm. The auction will be hosted by the on-line platform called Jumblebee and if you are not familiar with the way it works here is an explanation:
- On the address bar of your browser type in: www.jumblebee.co.uk/eastknoylechurchauction
- Once you have gone onto the website, from the link above, save the address in your browser so you can go back to it easily.
- To bid you have to register - don't forget your password so you can login again.
- The site uses Proxy bidding. This means you can enter your maximum bid but the price will only go up incrementally from the opening price and won't jump straight to your maximum bid. It only increases as others bid. This also means that if you bid on a Lot that someone has already left a higher bid on the system will show you have been out-bid straightaway. Just keep bidding until you win!
The final highest bids at 10.00 pm on Monday 13th December will be the winning bids and Jumblebee will collect your payment.
Lots include: work from local artists, London breaks, afternoon teas, farm visits, bee-keeping tour, hosted dinners, and much more. All pockets catered for!
From the Rector - November 2021
- Details
- Written by The Rev'd Kate McFarlane
For Your Tomorrow We Gave our Today
November is, of course, the month of Remembrance. For Christians it begins with All Souls, remembering those most dear to us whom we have loved and lost, and continuing in the national and international commemorations on Remembrance Day. This year November also sees the immeasurably important UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.
As we begin to understand the severity of the climate emergency, and to appreciate the vested interests we must battle in order to make any meaningful changes, perhaps we should be remembering, and giving thanks for, the dedication and sacrifice of those who are paying the ultimate price for their commitment to protecting life on earth. 227 campaigners were killed around the world in 2020, a record number of people murdered while working to protect our planet and its rich diversity. Since the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed in 2015, on average four activists have been killed each week, though even this is likely to be an underestimate because of growing restrictions on journalists and free speech.
These statistics are made up of people like Fikile Ntshangase, a South African grandmother who campaigned against a coalmine in KwaZulu-Natal province and was shot dead in her home; Oscar Eyraud Adams, an indigenous man murdered in Mexico for protesting when his crops dried up after the community water source was diverted to richer areas and a Heineken factory; and Gonzalo Cardona, a Colombian biologist committed to saving bird species from extinction.
So perhaps this November we can remember not only those who have died in war but those who are now dying in conflict related to the climate emergency, giving their lives for the future of our planet, defending our shared future. The famous Kohima Epitaph seems utterly apt: 'for your tomorrow we gave our today'.
What a challenge and inspiration these people are. The most powerful tribute we can pay to their sacrifice must be both to use our own freedom, won for us by previous generations, to demand change from companies and governments, and to make every personal lifestyle change we can to protect and restore our precious planet.
The Rev'd Kate McFarlane
Prayer Cycle and Prayer of the Month - November 2021
- Details
- Written by The Rev'd June Lane
Please do continue to make your requests for prayer known to us. Prayer changes things. Contact any of us: The Rev’d June (tel: 01747 828427), Julia (tel: 01747 829166), or Theresa (tel: 01747 829188). There are many of us in need of that extra help and comfort that comes from knowing someone is praying for us.
Prayer Of The Month
Sometimes we need to have a little time just to ourselves; sometimes we can use that time to think about God and our own lives.
Loving God,
Here I sit and wait,
Thinking about life
And this wonderful world around us.
I sit in quiet hope that you will come
To water the barren fields of my life.
To make my life blossom
With flowers and fruit like the earth you created.
Be with me day by day I ask,
Help me to live
A life which is a Blessing to others.
Amen