Upcoming Events and News
Welcome to The Benefice of The Huntspills and Mark.
In addition to the schedule of events shown on the right, you can find further details about upcoming events below and a monthly calendar at the bottom of this page.
If you are looking for social events planned for the year ahead visit our Social Calendar
For a snap shot of village life, check out Gallery: East Huntspill Gallery: West Huntspill Gallery: Mark
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Social Events and Special Services Coffee Morning News Foodbank Bishop Michael Revd Chris’ Blog Huntspill News Heritage Project West Huntspill Church Hall
Social Events and Special Services
To find out more about upcoming events in East Huntspill visit Huntspill.org or email allsaintscommunitygroup@outlook.com to receive monthly flyers.
Saturday 12th October Flower Demonstration, Mark
Join us for a delightful morning of floristry at Holy Cross Church, Mark, from 10:00am to 12:00pm where our talented florists, Carol and Claire, will demonstrate a range of techniques with a special emphasis on eco-friendly practices.
In addition to the demonstration, enjoy a relaxing morning with tea, coffee, and the chance to win the floral arrangements in our raffle which will be raising money to support Holy Cross Church, Mark.
Tickets are available for £10.00 at www.bookwhen.com/bouquetflorist
Sunday 13th October Songs of Praise, St Andrew Church Burnham on Sea
Songs of Praise
Hosted by St Andrews Church, Burnham on Sea TA8 1AW
6pm
Churches together in Burnham and Highbridge Area
Songs of faith, moments of reflection
Sunday 20th October Harvest Lunch, Mark
Harvest Lunch 12noon
Proceeds to local Food Bank and Matthew Rusike home
Tickets essential: Adults: £15.00 and Children: £7.50
Contact Karen 641623
Friday 25th October Film Club, Mark
Marck Church Hall
Film starts 6.30pm
Adults:£5 and Children: £2.50
Includes snacks, please bring your own drink
Portion of chips £1 and Ice cream 50p
Tuesday 29th October All Saints’ Supper, East Huntspill
Join us for All Saints’ Supper.
6.30 for 7pm start.
£7.50 please bring your own drink.
To book your tickets please phone Sara 01278 788665, Sue 01278 786790 or email allsaintscommunitygroup@outlook.com
Coffee Mornings
Come along to one of our coffee mornings for a coffee, cake and chat. For further information Coffee Mornings and Huntspill Hub
Daily 10am- 4pm, Huntspill Hub Honesty Café
Monday 10.30 -12noon, West Huntspill
Tuesday 10.00-12noon, Mark
Wednesday 1030-12noon, Mark
Saturday 10.30-12noon, East Huntspill
3rd Saturday Monthly cake sale 10.30-12noon, East Huntspill
News
Ecclesiastical Insurance
The next time that you renew your home insurance why not get a quote from ecclesiastical
Call 0345 777 3322 or www.ecclesiastical.com/home-insurance/
Each time one of our community takes out a home insurance policy with ecclesiastical, they will donate a £130 to our church, just by referencing TRUST 130 on the telephone or using promotion code TRUST 130 online
One of the UK’s most trusted home insurance providers and a ’Which?’ Best Buy
Enjoying the countryside
Our local Police Officer, PC Tracey Jones, has asked that we share the following information concerning livestock as they have been responding to problems recently along these lines.
We have also found these guidelines to help make our area safe for all.
Bishop Michael gifts a thousand tree saplings
A thousand Hazel tree saplings were given as gifts at Bishop Michael’s installation in 2022.
In his sermon, Bishop Michael shared how this gift was an example of just one of the things we can do to bring about the harvest of God’s life into God’s world and asked all those present “will you plant a sapling as a sign that under God each of us, in every place, can play our part in working for change, for transformation, for life. Small actions that when we undertake them together make a big difference.”
The hazel saplings are a symbol of a commitment to everyone to turn words into action.
East Huntspill has nurtured their sapling, which has grown strong and was today planted within the church grounds and we all look forward to watching its growth and changes throughout the seasons. Visit our Gallery to see more photos
Taking the next step…
On 4th November Bronwyn, Louise & Lynne (from The Huntspills & Mark Benefice) took the next step on their faith journey. They were amongst the 86 people confirmed by Bishops Michael, Ruth & Christopher at a joyful confirmation service in Wells Cathedral. They each affirmed for themselves the faith in which they had previously been baptised, and this was confirmed through prayer and the laying on of hands by the bishops, with us all praying that the Holy Spirit will give them the power they need to live life as a committed disciple of Jesus Christ. Many friends, family and parish members attended the amazing service in support of them all.
Reflecting on the service, Bronwyn said: ‘I’m not sure what I expected, but I thought it was a beautiful service. Everyone was so kind, helpful and welcoming that it felt almost like a family occasion. I was honoured to be confirmed in such a beautiful Cathedral. It has taken me a long time to get there (I think I must have been the oldest candidate). Everyone enjoyed it immensely and it was lovely to have physical support from our churches and friends.’
Lynne and Louise expressed also felt the event was important for them – Louise said: ‘I found it to be an extremely moving and uplifting experience participating in the service on Saturday. It was a very special day.’ and Lynne: ‘What a very special day at Wells Cathedral, surrounded by the people who love and care for me. A day that will never be forgotten on the journey that I have just begun.’
It has been a joy to accompany these three as they have prepared for this important step. Our faith journey is always an onward going one. If you would like to explore confirmation, or any other aspect of your faith, please do get in touch with Rev Chris.
Foodbank
Donations can be left in All Saints Church, East Huntspill
We welcome donations of in-date non-perishable, food and toiletries.
We also welcome clean & unbroken ‘bags for life’
Please note we cannot accept alcohol or baby formula
Thank you for your support
Highbridge Area Foodbank
Bishop of Bath and Wells: Refreshing our diocesan vision
Our Diocesan Vision: In response to God’s immense love for us we seek to be God’s people living and telling the story of Jesus.
We seek to live this story as disciples of Jesus Christ in the world and to tell it, both in sharing the good news and by the way in which our lives speak about Him.
This has been our vision for a few years. With our new bishop in place, now seems like a good time to ask ourselves how we are doing that, and how we want to do that in the next season of our diocesan life together.
As he travelled around our diocese in his first months, Bishop Michael identified four areas that might help us focus our activity in the future:
• Valuing and cherishing the people and resources we already have
• Developing new Christian worshipping communities
• Sharing in ministry and leadership
• Deepening and growing faith
You can hear Bishop Michael sharing his thoughts on refreshing our vision:
Visit Bath and Wells website to find out more
Rev Chris’ Blog,
October 2024 ‘The Harvest of our Lives’
Across our three rural parishes Harvest Celebrations happen through September and October, though ‘harvesting’ itself has a much wider span. It is a time and an activity that I greatly enjoy. Whether gathering in the reward of months of hard labours, or simply picking blackberries from the hedgerows and apples from the trees, there is something wonderful about harvesting and then sharing the spoils. This year the apple trees in the rectory have been productive, despite me! My sister helped while I balanced precariously on the stepladder to reach the fruit – and we particularly enjoyed using an old ‘apple picker’ passed down through generations – it was a great help and satisfying to use, though is in need of a little mending sometime soon. Having gathered most of the fruit, and left the squirrels, birds and insects a few for their gleaning, we then enjoyed delivering bags of apples to those we knew would use them. What a joy to receive back photos of the outcomes:
From the first to the last, the smallest to the positively ginormous, the Harvest Meals (Harvest Home, Harvest Lunch and Harvest Supper) are fabulous celebrations that draw our communities together to enjoy the wonders of the harvest and to share food and fun. Mindful, too, of those who are not able to celebrate the harvest, who are struggling to feed themselves and their families, we have been pleased to support various charities through this, including our local Highbridge Area Foodbank.
As we celebrated other things alongside – including a golden wedding anniversary (Many Congratulations to Sue and John!), it struck me that it is not just the harvest of the ground that we celebrate – but the harvest of our lives. I recently came across this excerpt from a poem entitled ‘The Harvest of Life’: ‘The seeds you’ve sown, in hearts and land, grow and flourish, a legacy so grand.’ I wonder, how is the harvest of your life doing this year? What has grown well? How have you tended to the fruits of your life? What might you have neglected? Is there need for some reparation? The great news is that, if action is needed, then you don’t need to wait until next autumn, or even spring, to take steps to make things better…..and God (and your local church) are here to support you.
God bless you, Rev Chris
The Huntspill News
The Huntspill News is now available in printed form or an electronic version View this month’s publication (PDF)
St Peter and All Hallows Church Heritage Project
Find out more under our Heritage Section Heritage Project and Huntspill Hub
The Benefice Church Halls
All Saints Church Hall, East Huntspill
Did you know that you can hire East Huntspill Church Hall for £25 per session? This includes heating and use of the kitchen. Ideal for children’s parties, family gatherings and other social events. Regular users £17.50 per session.
To book or for further details please contact Booking Clerk Ruth Edwards 01278 784329 easthuntspillchurchhall@hotmail.com
Holy Cross Church Hall, Mark
Mark Church Hall is a small hall with a kitchen, toilets and a stage. Perfect for meetings or a party.
To book, or for further details please ring Peter Higman on 01278 641479