Church News Blog
Please also see our upcoming events, weekly activities and Sunday services pages for regular church activities.
Update on Church Bells - Ringing and Practices
While most in our community welcome the sound of the church bells we realise the need to limit ringing times, so no one living nearby starts to think they are getting too much of a good thing!
We’ve taken a couple of steps recently to help with this……..
Women’s Weekend Away - spaces left
Further Information:
We still have a couple of spaces for our weekend away to Kington. If you are interested then please speak to Sue Pouncey or Helen Jackson………
Wanted for Quiz Evening - items for hampers
Items to make up hampers as raffle prizes for the Woodchester Quiz Evening on Friday 24th April.
Donations of bottles (of any kind), chocolates or other food items would be very happily received by Sally Bull or Gail Birch. ………..
Monthly Message from our Rector - April 2026
Good News!
About 20 years ago, I had a meeting with my Bishop to talk about the possibility that I might be ordained. I prepared for the sort of questions I thought he would ask me. Why did I want to be ordained? Why did I feel I had a sense of Calling? What did I think a priest was anyway? Maybe even what did I consider the good news actually was?
But I wasn't prepared for the scenario that was presented to me: “So, imagine you're in the village pub…. and it's Good Friday. Someone, who knows you are a Christian, says to you: what's so good about Good Friday? What do you say to them?”…….
Special Sunday Service, Annual Church Meeting (APCM) & Hot Lunch
The Spring APCM service (Annual Parochial Church Meeting) is always really important. We will be getting an update on the church’s vision across Stroud deanery and seeing how those ideas might benefit our Woodchester community – We want to play our part.
The service starts at 11.00 as usual and will be followed a short APCM then finishing with a delicious hot lunch – a chance to relax, spend time together as a church family…….
St.Mary’s Prayer Group - starting again 15th April
St.Mary’s Prayer Group - Starting again on April 15th
Prayer group is reconvening weekly from 7.30 to 8.30 every Wednesday evening in term time starting on Wed 15th April.
The format each week will be coffee or tea, followed by a short Bible passage, then 20-30 minutes of prayer and closing promptly by 8.30 with Lectio 365’s night prayers for that day…..
Mission Update - Tanzania
Diocese of Gloucester Visit to Theological College in Western Tanzania
In February, a small team from the Diocese visited the theological college in Tanzania where our two sponsored ordinands Obadiah and Redemta are studying……….
Save the dates - social events in St. Mary’s in 2026
Please save these dates for our programme of social events taking place in and around St. Mary’s Woodchester in 2026
Give a gift!
Can you help give a Bible to College students in Tanzania?
The Gloucester Diocese link team with the Diocese of Western Tanganyika in Tanzania (DWT) have recently heard that the Bible College students in DWT are short of Bibles. It would be great to fund new Bibles for them, particularly needed by those who are studying in English. The Bibles can be purchased locally in Tanzania.
We invite you, if you would like, to contribute towards this cause………
A series on: Living Out our Faith
Outside church, members of our congregation try to live out their faith in all sorts of ways depending on their individual gifts, strengths and interests. We have invited some church members to summarise their particular ministries: how they witness to others in their every day lives………
No 1. Elizabeth Cole - Science and Faith for Children