The church St. John's is a quarter of a mile from the centre of Newcastle village, on a minor road to Whitcott Keysett, just off Offa's Dyke, with wonderful views over the upper Clun valley. It was built in 1848 by Edward Haycock on land given by the Earl of Powis. It has a hammer beam roof and lancet windows, pine pews, organ case and pulpit. The east window was designed by David Evans. It is in good repair, light and airy, warm and welcoming.It has an interesting lychgate which swivels in the middle like a turnstile which is grade 2 listed in its own right. The churchyard us regularly maintained and is a credit to our church.
Worship
Services are shared with St Mary's Bettws on a regular basis , at Bettws on the first Sunday of the month and at Newcastle on the third.
The children from the school are involved with the harvest and Christmas services when the church is full. The Mothering Sunday service is held in Newcastle Community Centre again with a full attendance. This si shared with Bettws and Clun Churches.
Electoral roll and parochial church council There are 30 on the electoral roll. The PCC has only 3 members at the present time and there is no churchwarden.
Finances
The church finances are sound and we pay our parish quota in full every year. Our biggest fund raisers are our coffee mornings held every month. They are well supported and are held sometimes in the community centre and sometimes in people's homes.
This last 24 months we have been busy fundraising for our roof to be repaired. The slates will be re used. we need to raise £60,000 so far we have raised just over £25,000.
Community outreach
The community centre is used by the church for the Mothering Sunday service, a joint service with Bettws and Clun. The parish of Newcastle is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs. The Diocese of Hereford’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSOs. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.
"Our parish of Newcastle is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of Hereford’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the PSO [add their details here or use the button to link to a page that shows the info] or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor [add their details here or use the button below to link to your own page that shows the info or the diocesan safeguarding page]. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services."
