St Peter and St Paul,  South Petherton

General Introduction to today’s church

Our church has been “opened up” through the use of chairs instead of pews, to provide a welcoming space in which to worship.  We hope that our worship reflects this openness.  We are, by God’s grace, aiming for an  inclusive church community.  Our aim is to grow together into a church family of warmth and care.

We hope that the welcome visitors receive here will help them to feel at home, whatever their circumstances and whatever the tradition of churchmanship they come from.

In many ways, our worship combines elements of the traditional and familiar with a willingness to reach out in new ways to express the reality of the presence of God in Word and Sacrament—and to express something of the love of God to each person in our community.

It is important to us that everyone feels comfortable in our church  -  that we can breathe in the layers of prayer and kindness from past centuries and experience something of the life and warmth of Christianity today.

The village and parish of South Petherton have a well-deserved reputation for friendship  -  but not complacency.  We are always aware that we can do better.  The heartbeat of the church is prayer together (most days at 8am) and the sacrament of Holy Communion, and in addition to Sunday services (Parish Eucharist at 9.30am and Evensong at 6.00pm) there are bible study, “Julian” and “Exploring Christianity” groups meeting most weeks, together with the Mother’s Union branch and a monthly childrens’ service with associated activities related to the Storytellers series of videos. For a list of times of regular services click here.

 

Today our church is part of a joint benefice with the church of St Michaels, Seavington— a small village a few miles from South Petherton. Click here to discover more about this archetypal English village church.

 

Our welcome comes without strings and is personal.  The aim is not primarily to recruit new members (although that is good) but to offer Christian friendship to all.