The Mid Trent Vision
Working together
We are a community of churches in eight beautiful rural parishes operating as one in our aim to grow the number of people touched by the Gospel. We are committed to developing our own faith and discipleship and building on the strength which comes from being part of a large benefice.
Praying together
Prayer has always been at the heart of what we do; we meet regularly for worship in our churches, including monthly Team Services at which we gather together from across the benefice, and we share Morning Prayer daily at St Andrew’s, Weston. We are inclusive and welcoming, and we offer worship in the central tradition of the Church of England. We are praying that the Holy Spirit will empower us to grow in faith and effectiveness.
Reaching out
Our mission theme is growth and new beginnings, which is reflected in our outreach through ‘Open the Book’ at schools in Weston and Hixon, services for schools, workshops for children and their families at various churches across the benefice, breakfast services at Weston and Hixon, fellowship groups, coffee mornings and tea parties, communion in local nursing homes, fundraising and social events, and special services. Our benefice magazine, Compass, to which the whole community contributes, has 2.500 copies delivered free across the benefice. Our online presence (‘A Church Near You’ and Facebook page) keeps everyone up to date with what is happening in our churches.
Doing the basics well
We deliver the practicalities of running the benefice through our effective Team Council, supported by a strong team of PCC members, wardens, experienced administrators and a team treasurer. An integrated service rota has been developed, which includes monthly Team Services. A benefice-wide Common Worship service book is used in all parishes, except for Sandon with Burston which uses the Book of Common Prayer.Lay leaders have been trained to support services, while All Saints’, Milwich, works in an L.E.P. with Methodist members in the village.
Looking forward
Led by the Holy Spirit, we want our churches to continue to grow and thrive, seeking to attract families and young people to ensure we remain a beacon for Christ and the joy of the Gospel in our communities and across the benefice in the future. We look forward to a new leader working with our Associate Minister, Curate (supervised externally) and Reader, as we continue on our journey.
Both St Andrew’s, Weston, and St Peter’s, Hixon, have active relationships with their Church primary schools, including ‘Open the Book’ and regular services both in school and church. All Saints’, Milwich, is developing a relationship with its local primary school. JAM (Jesus and Me)
JAM (Jesus and Me) holds occasional child-friendly worship sessions around the benefice, specially designed for whole families with lots of activities for children.
Breakfast services
Every month, St Andrew’s, Weston, and St Peter’s, Hixon, host popular Café Church-style Breakfast Services, which include children’s activities.
Team services
Once a month, all our churches come together to worship as one, hosted in a different church each time. Donations are collected for a local Christian charity, House of Bread, which supports vulnerable people in Stafford. In recent years, these services have become a focus for developing community across the benefice.
Open churches
We believe in our churches being open, where possible, for people to come and worship privately or just to look around (we have popular walking and cycle routes across Mid Trent).
Daily prayer
Morning Prayer (Common Worship) is offered on weekdays at St Andrew’s, Weston.
Occasional offices
Our beautiful churches, set in long-established communities, attract a large number of weddings and family baptisms. We see these as great opportunities for mission. All eight parishes have open churchyards.
Fellowship
We hold study courses every Advent and Lent, as well as occasional quiet days.
Community events
Regular fundraising concerts are held at All Saints’, Sandon, and St Andrew’s, Weston. Many churches have arts and crafts activities during the year. Weston has an annual ‘Open Gardens’ weekend, famous for its ‘Best Scarecrow’ competition, while Milwich, Hopton and Stowe by Chartley all have garden/produce guilds. Hixon’s ‘Craft and Chat’ group meets once a month in the village memorial hall, while St Peter’s, Hopton, and St Andrew’s, Weston, host weekly ‘Knit and Natter’ groups. There are regular coffee mornings held in St Peter’s, Gayton, St Peter’s, Hixon, St Peter’s, Hopton, and St Andrew’s, Weston.
Heritage
All Saints’, Sandon, is developing opportunities for visitors interested in learning about its heritage, having obtained a substantial grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, building on recent ‘Heritage Open Days’. All of our churches participate in the annual Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust ‘Ride and Stride’ event.
Our parish churches
Fradswell
St James the Less, Fradswell, is a Grade II listed building with a chancel arch dating back to the 13th century. Unusually, the tower, built in 1852, houses a carillon which is still played for calling people to worship. The stained-glass windows in the church are particularly fine and include an example by William de Morgan. In a very remote setting, the church’s monthly services focus on reflecting the rural calendar, including Rogation, Harvest and Christmas.
Gayton
Built in the 13th century, St Peter’s Church, Gayton, is a small church with a Grade II listing. It serves a hamlet community which has raised funds to keep this much-loved church in good repair. A service is held once each month.
Hixon
St Peter’s Church, Hixon, a mid-19th century building designed by Gilbert Scott to serve a small village, is now at the centre of a growing community of around 2,000 people (the largest settlement in the benefice), and has regular services.
Milwich
All Saints’ Church, Milwich, is the latest of a series of places of worship which have stood on this site since the 12th century. The nave was rebuilt in the 1790s and the tower contains the oldest dated bell still in use in Staffordshire, cast in 1409. Regular services are held here, with one led by the Methodist minister each month.
Salt with Hopton
St James the Great, Salt, is a Grade II listed church completed in 1842, with much of the interior being replaced in 1892, including the rood screen designed by Augustus Pugin. The church serves as an important focal point in the village and has regular services. Before the creation of a mission chapel at Hopton (St Peter’s Church), a former barn consecrated in 1876, villagers used to travel to Salt with transportation by carriage provided for the aged and infirm by the Earl of Shrewsbury, the church’s benefactor. The congregations of Salt and Hopton shared clergy before the Mid-Trent Team was formed, with the wardens happy to alternate services between the churches. As a result, the two congregations remain very close and continue to function as one.
Sandon with Burston
All Saints’ Church, Sandon, is located on the edge of Sandon Park. Much altered and extended over the centuries, the influence of the families from Sandon Hall can be seen in wall paintings, tombs, early stained glass, and funeral hatchments. Grade I listed, the church has benefited from much fundraising, including a recent National Lottery Heritage Fund grant. A peal of six bells, dating to the 17th century is in frequent use by a troop of around twenty ringers. Regular BCP services are held.
St Ruffin’s, Burston, is a small 19th century mission chapel in the hamlet of Burston, located on the ‘Two Saints’ Way’ between Lichfield and Chester. St Ruffin’s is currently closed due to building issues.
Stowe by Chartley
St John the Baptist, Stowe by Chartley, is a pretty church with a long and interesting history, situated at the heart of the village. Built in the 12th century to a Norman design and extended in the 14th century, the church contains the tomb of Sir Walter Devereux, a distinguished military leader during the reign of Henry VIII. Also commemorated in the church are two Victoria Cross holders, General Sir John Congreve and his son William la Touche, whose tablets were designed by Sir Edwyn Lutyens. The bell tower has six bells, the oldest of which dates to the 15th century. Regular services are held.
Weston
St Andrew’s Church, Weston, is a Norman church built of local sandstone. Subsequent restoration means that it is now in a style typical of the early 13th century and the bell tower dates from that period. The church underwent extensive restoration and enlargement in 1872. Weston is a thriving village with a community spirit to match. Services are held regularly.