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Welcome to the new website for St. Mary's, Newport, Essex
Welcome-image

St Mary the Virgin, Newport, Essex

 
Are you new to the church or the area? If so, you are very welcome! Please check out our New to Church page which has some helpful information for you.

We are a group of ordinary people who believe that church is a great place to make friends and experience God together. We are a family who believe that church should not only be great fun but also a place where lives are radically transformed. 

ABOUT US     

Church services


The church is open every day to visitors and there is a service each Sunday at 9.30am. (If there is a 5th Sunday in the month this may be at another church in our benefice at 10am).

Everyone is welcome.

Location St Mary the Virgin, Church Street, Newport,
Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 4QL

what3words: ruins.contemplate.vest

Find us on a map

Our Churches

We are a Benefice of three friendly churches in the West Cambridgeshire villages of Alderlake, Butterfield, and Castlegate.

St. Andrews 
The parish church of Alderlake.
St. Bedes
The parish church of Butterfield.
St. Cuthberts
The parish church of Castlegate.

What’s On

Upcoming Events

Holy Communion
Sun 19 May 2024 9:30pm – 10:30pm
Online Morning Prayer
Tue 21 May 2024 9:00am – 9:30am
Coffee Morning
Wed 22 May 2024 10:00am – 12:00pm
Knit and Natter
Thu 23 May 2024 10:00am – 12:00pm
VIEW THE CALENDAR

Latest Talks

10/01/2024
Sample Preacher
28/08/2022
Sample Preacher
21/08/2022
Sample Preacher
14/08/2022
Sample Preacher
07/08/2022
FULL MEDIA LIBRARY
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Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

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A Warm Hello 

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet in the Church (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 9:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

We serve tea, coffee, biscuits and cake after the service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is a portable ramp for wheelchair access as we have one step down from the porch into the church, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are toilets in the Church House building next to the Church.

Our Service

The main service begins at 9.30am with a warm welcome. Then follows a time of sung worship. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. If it's a communion service everyone is welcome to come forward to receive the bread and wine in memory of Jesus or to receive a blessing. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

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What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

  • Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times. The creche is in the main Church.
  • Sunday Club is for ages 3 to 8. The group meets in Church House during school terms. Parents are asked to drop their children off at Sunday Club and to pick them up from Church at the end of the service.
  • SURE is a club aimed for children aged 9 to 13. Sure meetings take place in Church House during school terms in place of the church service. At SURE we socialise, have snacks and explore stories in the bible in a fun and interesting way. On the first Sunday of the month the children remain in church for the Family Communion.
  • MESSY CHURCH Messy Church is a place to have fun with crafts, paints, glue, etc.  It’s a place where we learn about Jesus in a fun way. 
    Each Messy Church will have time for activities, where it is possible to move around and try lots of different things. We'll sing a song and have a short talk on the theme. Afterwards we'll join together for a meal.
    Messy Church is not just for children, families are encouraged to take part in activities together and sit down and eat together. We also offer coffee and cake for the parents after our small service, giving you a chance to stop and chat with others. It's all very friendly.
  • Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.


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Getting Connected

 
Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. 

 
Get in touch with us to plan your visit
If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome or if you have any questions please fill out the form below.
 
Name:
Telephone:
Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.
 

Leadership 

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We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Reverend Peter Allen