St Mary the Virgin, Ashford. A sacred space and a shared space,
proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus in the heart of the town.
Open for prayer only
Before the announcement that churches can open for prayer, we had been preparing to reopen St Mary’s. On Tuesday 7 July we began to reopen the church to the public for the first time since the lockdown came into effect on 23 March.
St Mary’s will be open for prayer on Tuesdays from 12 noon to 2pm and on Fridays from 3pm to 5pm.
We look forward to welcoming everyone who wishes to pray quietly for a while. To help with that, we have prepared prayer prompts on our projector screen and arranged our inspiring church to accommodate social distancing. Public safety remains at the forefront of all we are trying to do, so stay close to God, but keep a safe distance from everyone else.
Details about when the church will reopen for public worship will be posted on the website in due course.
Team Rector for Ashford Parish
We are pleased to announce that the Reverend Canon Dr Jeremy Worthen, currently Secretary for Ecumenical Relations and Theology at the Council for Christian Unity (Archbishops’ Council), has been appointed to the post of Team Rector for the Ashford Town Ministry Team. Jeremy will be licensed on 21 October by Bishop Rose in a service that will comply with government guidelines on access to church buildings and social distancing at that time. Please note that this appointment is subject to a DBS clearance.
Daily Prayer
Be assured that the clergy and congregation of St Mary’s Ashford have been praying for everyone in Ashford and beyond, and will continue as the lockdown is eased. Daily Prayer continues to be offered to God by many in their own homes. Our weekly sheet is available by clicking the link below and will be distributed to others by email or post. Please let us know if anyone else would like to receive a copy.
Sunday services using Zoom
On Sundays at 10am we hold services of Morning Prayer using Zoom. Download our weekly sheet and simply click on the link to join the meeting. Or join using the telephone. Everyone is welcome.
Trinity 4
Resources to help you
Information about what the suspension of public worship means is available on the Church of England website. This page is regularly updated.
The Church of England continues to provide a range of resources to enable people to continue walking with God at this difficult time. Significant provision of resources includes audio content of a simple daytime prayer and night prayer service, video content and some live-streaming, new mental health reflections to support people, and webinars to help churches stream sermons, events and make the most of social media. Read more here. The aim is to make as much as possible available in simple downloadable and printable formats for those who can’t easily access the technology.
Address: St. Mary the Virgin, Church Yard, Ashford TN23 1QG
Phone: 01233 336079
Email Address: sue.sawyer@ashfordchurches.co.uk
Safeguarding
Details Our Parish Safeguarding Officer is Anita Sorrell and can be contacted on 07849 903378 or on safeguarding@ashfordchurches.co.uk
A Church Near You – Safeguarding Page
https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/promoting-safer-church-safeguarding
Welcome ©2019 St. Mary the Virgin, Ashford Town Centre, all rights reserved. Website design: Green Apple Creative Solutions
