Church News Blog


Please also see our upcoming events, weekly activities and Sunday services pages for regular church activities.

Special Sunday Service, Annual Church Meeting (APCM) &  Hot Lunch
St Marys Church David Hood St Marys Church David Hood

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…….

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St.Mary’s Prayer Group - starting again 15th April
St Marys Church David Hood St Marys Church David Hood

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…..

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Mission Update - Tanzania
St Marys Church David Hood St Marys Church David Hood

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……….

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Monthly Message from our Rector - March 2026
St Marys Church, Community David Hood St Marys Church, Community David Hood

Monthly Message from our Rector - March 2026

Lent isn’t just about giving up chocolate

'Lent isn't just about giving up chocolate' is something I feel like I have said countless times, especially when explaining the concepts behind Lent to school children. In scripture, prayer and fasting often go hand in hand, as we give up one activity or habit in our lives to enable another………..

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4th Men’s Weekend Away
St Marys Church, Community, Special Events David Hood St Marys Church, Community, Special Events David Hood

4th Men’s Weekend Away

4th Men’s Weekend Away 27th - 29th March

What a treat we have for you, following a long gap!

We will be based at the Kington Accommodation in Kington, west Herefordshire - previously a Youth Hostel but recently repurposed and upgraded by its new owners. Room for 20….so book early.

Activities will include walking (for which the area is very well suited) and a trip out to see nearby Hay on Wyes with its bookshops. There will be something for everyone!

Please come and join us, you will be very welcome!

Follow the Read More Link below to get more info and joining instructions…..

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Give a gift!
St Marys Church David Hood St Marys Church David Hood

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………

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A series on: Living Out our Faith
Children, Community, St Marys Church David Hood Children, Community, St Marys Church David Hood

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

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