Welcome to the page for St Andrew Orwell which is part of a group of five churches that make up the Benefice of Orwell in South Cambridgeshire. All five churches are here to serve you, whether you are a regular church attender or not. As rural parishes, many of our congregations have members of various traditions who all worship together, be they Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, or whatever, and all are welcome. After all we all worship the same one God.
All of the church buildings in the group are listed, three of them being grade 1 (eg Orwell) which makes them of national importance. It also means worship and spiritual development has been going on amongst these parishes for at least a thousand years if not more, even if the buildings have changed. This does not mean we fossilise, and as social changes occur around us we endeavour to respond to the challenges that are presented to us (see 'About us' for details of the development of the church).
The particular quality of St Andrews must be the light flooding into Chancel, the wonderful restored ceiling, and the modern East window by Evitts that sprinkles multi coloured light across the side walls of the Sanctuary. It also has an Aumbry in the north wall that still contains its green colouring and that memorial to Radcliffe that helped translate the bible into English.
Currently the church of St Andrews is now open for public worship as well as private prayer at other times of the week. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, services in the Benefice moved on-line to YouTube and Zoom™ and these continue alongside the live services now taking place in three of our churches, we are also finding on-line ways to continue Bible Study and Messy Church.
This is a difficult time for many people who suddenly find themselves with less resources through no fault of their own. There is a Foodbox in our church porch which all who need it are welcome to use, there is no need to ask, simply help yourself to what you need.
The parish of Orwell: St Andrews 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 Ely’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.
