St. Mary’s Uffington – ‘Sharing Christ’s passion for people’

St. Mary’s is here to celebrate the love of God and to meet the spiritual needs of the whole village community.  All visitors, friends, children and those with special needs or disabilities are welcome to the church and not just for weddings, baptisms or the Christian festivals.  The church is open in daylight hours for prayer and reflection.  It is accessible to wheelchair users and there is limited off-road parking for the disabled.  There is a sound loop system, a kitchenette and a w.c.

Uffington is one of four parishes in a group (benefice) which includes Baulking, Shellingford and Woolstone. The Vicar of Uffington has responsibility for all four parishes and is assisted by the Ministry Team. Our local bishop is the Right Reverend Andrew Proud, Bishop of Reading, and we are part of the Deanery of the Vale of the White Horse.

The Vicar (Priest in Charge) - The Reverend Rosanna Martin lives in the Vicarage, opposite St. Mary’s, and may normally be contacted on tel: 01367 820633 (except Mondays).  Born in Berlin, and brought up in Scandinavia, Rosanna was one of the first women to be ordained priest in 1994. She read English at Bristol and later studied for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. After a curacy in Stanford-in-the-Vale, she went on to head a church ‘plant’ in association with Christ Church, Abingdon.  Her career has also included working with the Church Commissioners and Blue Circle Cement.  She is married to Peter, and they have two children and two black Labradors

Sue Saunders is a Locally Licensed Minister (LLM)

It’s about having fun, being creative and getting messy with all ages worshipping together. After a welcome, there is an hour of craft activities, songs, blessing and prayers following which we share a light meal together.

All villagers and visitors are made most welcome to the One Family Service, Holy Communion and Service of the Word. The One Family Service is informal and is based around a theme from the Bible or everyday life, and features songs, drama and reflection, with activities for small children. Refreshments are also served.  Service of the Word is a simple service without Communion, but with hymns, readings from the Bible, a short sermon and reflection.  At our Communion services all members of any Christian denomination, especially children, are invited to receive the bread and wine, and anyone may come forward for a blessing.

Baptisms and Weddings:  We look forward to welcoming babies and children into the church through Baptism, and we value the commitment of parents and godparents to bring up children in the Christian faith. Baptisms are normally arranged for a Sunday morning service when the whole church family can welcome new members but, on occasions, these have been conducted during ‘Songs of Praise’ at the White Horse Show.  St. Mary’s is a popular church for weddings and we advise early planning. We regret that we are unable to arrange weddings during August.

Maintenance. We work hard to maintain our beautiful 13th century church and churchyard and strive to meet our Parish Share, currently £32,000 per annum which is paid to the Diocese.  St. Mary’s has its willing band of volunteer sidesmen and women, readers, bell ringers, cleaners, flower arrangers and those in the churchyard working party.

Outreach.  St. Mary’s plays a central part in the life of the village, particularly during Christian festivals.  The Vicar and Ministry Team members conduct assemblies in the school, services in the church on special occasions for the school.  Community coffee mornings are held in the school twice each term. We support the following charities: Christian Aid, The Children’s’ Society, Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute (RABI), Swindon Food Bank, The Royal British Legion, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and ACCESS, a Christian charity in Bangalore, India.  Activities organised by members of the church community include weekly lunches during Lent, Summer Lunches in June and July, Sunday teas in the church from June to September, an Autumn Fair and Auction, a produce stall, a chocolate fountain and Songs of Praise at the White Horse Show, a pancake party on Shrove Tuesday and apple-pressing in the autumn.

The Friends of St. Mary’s is a separate registered charity formed to raise funds for improvements to the church from a wider community than the village itself.  The Friends host Sunday lunches during the winter months and hold concerts in the church and the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall.   It has funded the conversion of the former choir vestry into a kitchenette and w.c., provided a CD player and a complete CD set of hymns, the restoration and display of two ancient prayer books, and the installation of glass doors in the main porch, dedicated in 2011.  Improvements to lighting, heating and a remotely operated winch for the chandelier have recently been completed (Dec. 2012) with assistance from The Friends.  In the future there are plans for more lighting improvements, new altar frontals and a major project to refurbish the parvis – the Priest’s Room over the main porch which has been lying semi-derelict for over 30 years.

Tel: 01367 820230

For maps, historical and architectural information about the church click here.