Welcome to the Ness Group of Churches

Link Posted on May 23, 2019 Updated on December 21, 2025

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE UPCOMING EVENTS TAB ON OUR CHURCHES !

Here’s a question to get you thinking: Who is the church for and what on earth does it do?

The Church of England unlike banks, post offices and businesses has a branch in every community. If you live anywhere in England, you live in a particular parish. And living in a parish, gives you automatic rights to have your baby baptised (christened) or a service of thanksgiving for your baby if baptism is not right for you; everyone living in the parish has the right to be married in their parish church and anyone who lives in the parish has the right to have their funeral service in the church.

And all of these rights are there for you WHETHER YOU ATTEND CHURCH REGULARLY OR NOT. Sometimes people have said that they would feel a hypocrite by being married or having a funeral in church when they don’t darken the doors of the place at any other time. But the church is your church, please don’t feel like that at all and each service will be tailored for your needs.

So what on earth does the church do? We meet to worship God first and foremost, that doesn’t mean we are all holy and righteous, it means that in this messy life we have found a place where we are loved and accepted for who we are now, we have found a place where we can ask questions and try and find a better way to be. We have all made mistakes and believe me rather than a place full of people who are good it is a place where all those who know they have made mistakes come, finding love, forgiveness and community. The Church is unique in that it exists for the benefit of those who do not belong to it.

What we can offer you

We offer opportunities to meet with God and each other at the important times in life, those milestones.
For parents of children we offer services of Baptism, or thanksgivings

For couples wishing to celebrate their love and commit themselves to each other, we offer Marriage services together with preparation and also blessings after Civil Marriage services.

We are here for people in bereavement through Funeral Services, visiting afterwards and an All Souls Service for people to remember loved ones.

We offer a place where as a community we can remember and honour those who have made sacrifices for us, through our Remembrance services.

We are here for people who want to explore the Christian faith. In particular we hold Confirmation classes for those who want to take the step of making a public commitment.

We offer groups for people wishing to explore different aspects of the Christian Way – for example, the Mother’s Union group provides opportunities to meet others, make friends and grow in faith.

We also offer a wide variety of worship opportunities through the group, from café style church family services, to evensong and communion services with a little Taize thrown in.

We also offer community and friendship, we are a church family and so we also enjoy ourselves. We have a range of activities to which all members of the community are welcome: Parish Suppers, Concerts, Coffee Mornings, Flower Festivals, Exhibitions, Lent Lunches, Christmas Fairs and Bell ringing to mention some of the activities that help make life in the parish rich and enjoyable.

The Church building in the village is your parish church – it would be great to see you there but even if you don’t come- it’s still your church!
Come along and say hello!

Rev.Canon Carolyn Bailey

UKRAINE COLLECTION – A MESSAGE FROM RICHARD ASTLE

Hello everyone!

I wanted to let you have a brief update on our work in the last couple of months and, as ever, thank you for your support in helping make this all happen.

Our latest delivery of donated items from the UK arrived in Kyiv at the beginning of December and it was our largest yet – a full lorry load – 26 pallets – of clothes, blankets, food, medicines, toys and gifts for children, sanitary products, even pet food!  We were also able to raise an incredible £11000 in 72 hours in late November, to buy much needed energy products, such as torches, lanterns, candles, power banks, generators and eco flows.  These also went out on the lorry and are now being delivered to communities across the front line in eastern Ukraine.

In addition, we have provided financial donations to our partners in Ukraine – The Cross Charity (who were recently recognised as one of the 100 best volunteer organisations), who provide warm food and equipment to front line communities; From Person to Person who deliver supplies and provide mental health counselling, Pastor Aleksander and Pastor Vitaliy, both of whom work tirelessly to help their own communities and to distribute aid.  We also send money to a charity for the deaf in Odesa, who used it to be sanitary products and power banks for deaf people in that city.

All in all, we have been greatly encouraged by the continued support for Ukraine, as demonstrated in these amazing quantities of donations both physical and financial.

We will take a break over Christmas but will start work again in the New Year to continue to help our Ukrainian friends, doing whatever we can to help them and above all to demonstrate our continued support for their cause.  Sadly the war is nearing its 4^th anniversary, a tragic landmark.  Since March 2022, HOUF has made 26 deliveries/projects to Ukraine, delivered over 100 tonnes of donated aid, and seven 4×4 vehicles and two ambulances.

Not of this would be possible without the support of people like you – once again, thank you, very much!