St Peter & St Paul Muchelney

St Catherine's, Drayton

Welcome to St Catherine's Church, Drayton....

Our building stands at the very heart of the village (opposite the pub) and is surrounded by its churchyard.

It's a time of transition for us, as we are moving towards being part of a new Benefice with Curry Rivel, Fivehead and Swell, Aller, High Ham with Low Ham and Huish Episcopi cum Langport. The Benefice is currently "in Vacancy" meaning that there is no full time Benefice Rector, but the good news is that the recruitment process is now firmly under way. Even more good news is that, as of Sunday 28th July 2024, Revd Scott Patterson is now licenced to the parish of Drayton as Associate Minister, and we very much look forward to the future under his ministry. We also look forward to welcoming our new Benefice Rector, now likely to be in 2025.

Our normal pattern is that we have our service (usually Holy Communion with hymns) on the second Sunday in each month. Our congregation is rather small, but the welcome is big, and we enjoy our fellowship after services over a cup of coffee (when we can).

Drayton is an active village and church members are involved in many aspects of village life and societies. The monthly Drayton Market (selling local meat, bread and vegetables, as well as local crafts such as pottery - with refreshments available!) is held in the Village Hall and is run on behalf of the PCC. It's an important social and community event, and the income helps to maintain the fabric of the church. Other church events include a "Safari Supper" (always popular and always sold out!), a Harvest Lunch and Christmas events.

We are also involved in a major project to reslate the north roof of the Nave. More on this as time goes on, but if you feel you'd like to support this work with a donation, please just follow the link below.

Holy Trinity

The communities of Long Sutton and Long Load are vibrant communities sharing a church building and church community.

Our church is now open daily during daylight hours and church services have resumed. Please use hand sanitiser on entry and respect the preferences of others. For services here and in the benefice, please look at 'Services and Events' - calendar section.

Before pandemic struck, the style of services varied from an 8.00am BCP Communion service once a month through Evensong and Traditional Language Common Worship to an informal Cafe Praise grouped around tables at the back of church.

The 1st Saturday in the month Coffee Morning & produce stall is a regular item in people's diaries, and money raised is between £400-£700 each month.

The west end of the church is flexible, and social events such as the Harvest Supper are held there.

The church and the school are closely linked and the children worship in church once a month and have special services for church festivals and for Remembrance and Shrove Tuesday (pancakes are popular!)

There is an active 'Friends of Long Sutton Church' (FOLSC) who raise money for the repair of the building when needed. They arrange fund-raising social events through the year.

Long Load have recently dedicated a new War Memorial, replacing the one left in the church as it was too fragile to remove when the church was sold.

Safeguarding:

"The parish of Long Sutton & Long Load 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 Bath & Wells’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."

St John the Baptist

Welcome to St John the Baptist, Pitney

Our church is open daily during daylight hours and all are welcome to visit and enjoy the tranquility of our little village church. For services here and elsewhere in the benefice, please look at 'Services and Events' - calendar section.

Pitney is a small church with a 'Sunday Club' for children which meets in term time in the Village Hall and sometimes outdoors or elsewhere in the summer months.

On the first Sunday of the month there is Holy Communion in the church and on the third Sunday we meet in the Village Hall for Cafe Church, where we explore what it means to follow Christ. Learning is interactive and lively and all are welcome: families, those interested in discovering more about faith as well as those who attend church regularly.

In addition to these, special and festive services occur throughout the year. For instance, Harvest Festival is celebrated on a farm with piles of grain as a background, and Rogation Sunday includes a prayer walk around the village, concluding with an open air Communion service. A Bible Study group meets most Tuesdays.

Some services are lay led.

The church community runs occasional Friday Feasts for the village (a Friday evening meal in the Village Hall giving busy families an evening free of cooking!) and through the winter months on Mondays from 11 to 2pm we operate the Pitney Social Hub where folk can meet with friends and neighbours, enjoy tea, coffee and home made cakes and soup at lunchtime. These activities are very well supported by church members and the people of the Pitney village community.