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 Community Gatherings News Foodbank Bishop Michael Revd Chris’ Blog Huntspill News Heritage Project West Huntspill Church Hall
Social Events and Special Services
If you are looking for social events planned for the year ahead visit our Social Calendar
To find out more about upcoming events in East Huntspill visit Huntspill.org or email allsaintscommunitygroup@outlook.com to receive monthly flyers.
Thursday 8th May VE Day Celebrations, West Huntspill
Tea and Talk
May 8th 2.30PM
Huntspill Hub TA9 3RN
VE Day Celebrations
Serendipity singers, sandwiches and cake
Entry £5
Sunday 11th May Annual General Meeting, Mark Church
Mark Parish Church Annual General Meeting
Sunday 11th May Holy Cross Church
The meeting will commence at approximately 10.45am after the Morning Service
Wednesday 14th May Christian Aid Coffee Morning, Mark
Coffee Morning in support of CHRISTIAN AID
Wednesday 14th May
10.30 to 12.00hrs
Mark Church, Church Street, Mark TA9 4NF
Free Entry// Refreshments // Raffle // Quiz Challenge
Contact 07725 149581 to donate cakes or raffle prizes
Saturday 17th May Fish Supper with Fun Prize Bingo, East Huntspill
Start the evening with a Fish and Chip supper provided by East Huntspills finest ‘Barnford’s Mobile Caterers’.
Afterwards try your hand at our Fun Prize Bingo and enjoy catching up with a friend or two.
Fun starts 7 for 7.30pm.
£7.50 please bring your own drink.
Limited space so please contact us to reserve your ticket Sara 788665 or email allsaintscommunitygroup@outlook.com
The Bible Course, Wednesday 28th May, All Saints Church East Huntspill
4th session of 8
3pm Wednesday 28th May
All Saints Church, East Huntspill
New to the Bible or want to go deeper? The Bible Course is for you. It shows how the key books, famous characters and epic events form one BIG story, from Genesis to Revelation. The course also provides tools and skills that help apply the Bible to everyday life.
This eight-session course is ideal for groups. Each session includes video content, discussion time, personal reflection and daily readings. Explore the BIG story and discover its relevance for today.
For more information or to book your place, email markchurchbiblecourse@gmail.com or contact Yo on 07725 149581.
Visit biblesociety.org.uk/thebiblecourse to find out more.
Community Gatherings
Come along to one of our socials for a coffee, cake and chat. For further information Community Gatherings and Huntspill Hub
Daily 10am- 4pm, Huntspill Hub Honesty Café
Monday 10.30 -12noon, Coffee Morning, West Huntspill
Tuesday 10.00-12noon, Craft and Chatter, Mark
Wednesday 10.30-12noon, Coffee Morning, Mark
Saturday 10.30-12noon, Coffee Morning, East Huntspill
3rd Saturday 10.30-12noon Monthly Cake Sale, East Huntspill
News
For a snapshot of village life, check out Gallery: East Huntspill Gallery: West Huntspill Gallery: Mark
Licensing of Rev Margaret Hayward service held at All Saints, East Huntspill
My name is Margaret Hayward and I am delighted to be part of the ministry team in the Benefice of the Huntspills and Mark.
I was licensed as an Associate Priest in this benefice on 22nd January 2025 and look forward to being part of rector reverend Christine’s ministry team and work part-time as directed by her.
Freda Carey visits East Huntspill
Freda Carey, of the Church Mission Society, visited East Huntspill Church and gave us all an in sight in to her work in Pakistan.
All Saints Church, East Huntspill decorating completed
Check out the video for a views of All Saints you don’t normally see and more in our gallery! Gallery: East Huntspill
Ashley Fox MP visits Huntspill Hub, West Huntspill
Ashley Fox MP for Burnham & Bridgwater visits the Huntspill Hub at St Peter & All Hallows Church, West Huntspill
Burnham RNLI’s helm Matt Edwards tied the knot with fiancé Abbey,
After their traditional service and the signing of the register, they left the church to see a group of lifeboat crew and well-wishers were formed in two lines outside the church door with an archway of oars.
The happy couple walked to the end of the lines accompanied by congratulatory applause from lifeboat volunteers and wedding guests.
Thank you burnham-on-sea.com’ for the lovely photos! Burnham on Sea .com
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 Gallery: East Huntspill to see more photos
Foodbank
Donations can be left in all three Churches.
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,
April 2025 ‘Passion and Passivity’
Are you passionate? I wonder, what you are passionate about? How do you show that passion? What difference does it make?
From the Song of Solomon (8: 6) in the Old Testament of the Bible, a reading that is popular at weddings speaks of passion: ‘Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave.’
Why all this talk of passion? Surely hearts carved on trees and Valentine’s Day belong in February? Very true, but Passion Sunday this year is on 6th April! I guess any and every day is a good time to show your feelings for those you love, but as we approach what is referred to as ‘The Passion of Christ’ we find that Jesus showed his passion for us by being passive, allowing himself to be taken by the soldiers, put on trial and executed, on what we now call Good Friday. Passiontide marks the fortnight before Easter Day, when we remember all that happened leading up to Jesus’ death – showing the depths of God’s passion for us all, marked out on a different sort of wood.
It won’t be long before we are remembering the importance of this by eating hot-cross buns – which I very much hope you enjoy – and then Easter Eggs, to celebrate that Jesus rose from the grave, leaving behind an empty tomb. But let’s not rush ahead too quickly!
Passiontide is not an easy time, but it reminds me of one of my favourite children’s books, by Sam McBratney, where two Nutbrown Hares (one Little and the other Big) compete with each other to say how much they love each other (‘Guess how much I love you’). At the end of a tiring day when, just before drifting off to sleep, Little Nutbrown Hare has said ‘I love you right up to the Moon!’, Big Nutbrown Hare whispers into his ear ‘I love you right up to the Moon – and back!’.
The empty tomb of Easter is truly wonderful! It shows us that even faced with the worst that humanity can do, God still has a way through.
Easter is joyful and marvellous and filled with ‘Alleluias!’ However you choose to celebrate Easter this year, may it bring you great happiness – and may it hold within it the good news of ‘Good Friday’ – that you are loved and treasured ‘to the Moon and back’ by the one who made you and delights in 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
Balliol Hall, West Huntspill
The Hall is available for hire to members of the public and is a fantastic venue for events and occasions, such as parties, fund raising events, meetings, wedding receptions, indoor sports, clubs etc.
Its position right next to the Church makes it particularly convenient for refreshments before or after events at the Church.
There are two function rooms, the Main Hall and the School Room, as well as modern kitchen facilities.
For more information visit The Balliol Hall
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