Church
Acts of Worship and other Assemblies
As a Church school we give the children opportunities to take part in Christian Worship both in occasional church services and at the school. Parents are welcome to attend any of our school times of Collective Worship. The beliefs and integrity of each child and family are always respected and you do have the right legally to withdraw your child from RE and Acts of Collective Worship if you so wish. A special family “Celebration Collective Worship” also takes place on Friday each week where we encourage children to value each other’s work whilst drawing together thoughts about the week’s Collective Worship theme sharing prayers and celebrating achievements together. The first Friday of each school year includes an extra special Collective Worship, to which all are invited, where we ask God’s blessing on our school in the year ahead.
SHALFLEET SCHOOL HAS STRONG LINKS WITH:-
The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, Shalfleet.
We aim to be a welcoming and friendly village church.
Our services maintain the Anglican tradition, which we try to make accessible and warm-hearted. The Family Service (usually on the 3rd Sunday of the month) is less formal, more participative and shorter, and usually attracts a fair-sized congregation of children and adults of all ages.
The Sunday service is at 10.30 am each week. The form of service varies with the Sunday of the month:
1st Sunday: Matins (traditional language)
2nd Sunday: Communion Service(contemporary language)
3rd Sunday: Family Service
4th Sunday: Communion Service (contemporary language)
Sunday Club
Do you enjoy Bible stories, crafts, games, singing? Are you aged 5+? Then come along to Sunday Club at Shalfleet Church / Village Hall, 10.30 – 11.30 am on Sundays within school term, where you will be able to do all this and more!
For more information, please ring Sandy (531518) or Jacqui (760614).
On the 3rd Sunday of the month we join the adults in church for Family Service.
Village News– the local church and community magazine – lists up-to-date service details on its diary page, as does “Village Talk” in the County Press newspaper.
The church is open every day from before 9.30 am to c. 6 pm (or dusk in winter): you are most welcome to look round or to use it for quiet or prayer. It is a Grade I listed building of considerable historic and architectural interest. (It features in Simon Jenkins’ Britain’s One Thousand Best Churches). The massive tower dates from about 1070. Saxon Christian burials from the late 7th or early 8th century have recently been discovered. A guidebook and a leaflet about the archaeological discoveries are available in church. The Parochial Church Council and the church Fabric Trust work hard to maintain and enhance the building, and to share it with visitors. The community can be justly proud of it!
There is a car park off Church Lane (one-way: enter from the main road opposite the New Inn). Level wheelchair access to the church is signed from the porch. A loop system is provided for those with impaired hearing. A toilet is available in the Hall during services.
The small choir welcomes new members. An afternoon Learning and Prayer Group meets once or twice a month in a local home. The Shalfleet Friendship Group meets in the Hall on the first Tuesday afternoon of the month to listen to a speaker or share interests. Details of both groups are in Village News.Help is appreciated for occasional churchyard working parties.
The Hall will soon be refurbished, and will then be available for hire.
Parish records and family history
The current baptism, marriage and burial registers are held by the church. Earlier records are at the County Record Office. Some of the earlier registers have been transcribed by Shalfleet resident Steve Holden and are published on his website: www.steve.shalfleet.net.
Getting in touch:
Vicar:
David Bevington (Rev)
The Vicarage,
4 Manor Green
Shalfleet,
Newport
PO30 4QT
email:
dbevington@lineone.net
(for general information, and to arrange services of Baptism,Thanksgiving for the birth of a child, Marriage, Wedding Blessing, etc.)
Churchwardens:
Barbara Smith (531995)
Brian Mead (760161)
Assistant Priest: Mollie O’Donnell (Rev) (531320)
Other local churches
Shalfleet is in the same benefice as All Saints’, Calbourne, and the Church of the Holy Spirit, Newtown. The other local place of worship is Wellow Baptist Chapel (contact: Ruth Witchard 531308)
St. Michael the Archangel is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth (website: www.portsmouth.anglican.org), and is linked with the parish of Yelwoko in northern Ghana.