Services

Our worship together on Sundays is now back to a full programme.

Our normal pattern of services

We  normally hold services each month in the two churches in our benefice, in Shipbourne or Plaxtol, as set out below . There are also special services for Christmas  and Easter and other festivals of the church: for details of these services, see below.

Every weekday at 8.30am Morning Prayer will be said at Plaxtol and every weekday evening (except Friday and Saturday) at 4.30pm Evening Prayer will be said at St Giles Shipbourne.

Services for Passiontide and Easter

Sunday 26 March, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, is Passion Sunday

8.00am: Holy Communion at St Giles

9.30am: Parish Communion at St Giles

Sunday 2 April is Palm Sunday

9.15am: Clergy and the choir will process from the Village Hall to St Giles Church

9.30am: Parish Communion at St Giles

Tuesday 4 April in Holy Week

9.00pm: Compline

Thursday 6 April is Maundy Thursday

8.00pm: Holy Communion and Gethsemane narrative

Friday 7 April is Good Friday

12.00pm: Choral service in Plaxtol Church

1.00pm: Walk with the Cross from Plaxtol Church to St Giles Shipbourne

2.00pm: Last Hour at the Cross at St Giles

8 April is Easter Saturday

8.00pm: Easter Ceremonies at St Giles

9 April is Easter Day

8.00am: Holy Communion (1662 – Book of Common Prayer)

9.30am: Family Communion

Covid – 19: infection control

Following the end of the last period of lockdown, we have kept our infection control restrictions under regular review and have gradually reduced the safety measures we had adopted. There is now no requirement to wear a face mask during services, but you may do so if you wish.  Hand sanitiser is available in the porch for you to use, as you enter or leave the church.  

As a safety measure we have offered communion at the chancel steps, with the bread being dipped in the wine, rather than using a shared chalice. We are now considering offering the alternative of taking the wine from a shared chalice but those taking communion will be able to take the bread dipped in wine, if they prefer. Communion will be taken once more at the communion rail but for the present the choir will not sing while the congregation is receiving communion.

The clinically vulnerable may wish to come into church during the week when they can be safe on their own, or to our smaller ‘said’ services at 8am on Sundays at St Giles or Plaxtol Church or to morning prayer at Plaxtol Church at 8.30am on weekdays.

Our church is open for individual private prayer daily, except on Mondays, between 9am and 3.30pm

We continue to be the Church: a people of prayer and action. 

Christmas 2020

As well as our Christmas services in church, we recorded a special ‘Festival of Readings and Music’ so everyone can join in, to celebrate the birth of Christ. This can be found athttps://www.youtube.com/embed/5ZZOFPNsVpQ?feature=oembed

As well as our Christmas services in church, we recorded a special ‘Festival of Readings and Music’ so everyone can join in, to celebrate the birth of Christ. This can be found at