West Orchard: St Luke

Compton Abbas: St Mary the Virgin

Our church building is loved by our visitors and is especially well cared-for by our members. It was consecrated on 11th February 1868, by the Bishop of Salisbury. Its story began long before that. We hope you will enjoy a visit sometime.

There has been a church in Compton Abbas since Saxon times, when this village belonged to the Abbess of Shaftesbury. Originally, the church was in East Compton, at one end of the parish. By the mid 19th century, however, the old thatched church was in very bad repair. It was decided to replace it with a new building in a more central position, on the newly opened turnpike road – now the A350.

There is a picture of the old church in the porch. Its tower still stands in the old churchyard and can be found by turning right out of the car park and then, almost immediately, right again down Chapel Hill. It is about a quarter of a mile down the road, on the left hand side.

A considerable amount of stone from the old church was used in building the new one. The rest came from the quarry at Whitehall, on the main Shaftesbury road. The local landowner, Sir Richard Glyn, gave the land for the new church and £1,200 towards the total building cost of £2,430.

While the new church was being built, services were held in the village school and a temporary wooden bell tower was constructed ‘in order that the villagers should not be without their church bells.’

Motcombe: St Mary

St. Mary’s is a church where we have fellowship, freedom and fun, to worship the Lord Jesus Christ in traditional and also in more informal ways. It is a place where we can laugh, cry and genuinely be ourselves in our worship and it is a place where we have begun to expect to see the Holy Spirit at work. St. Mary’s is a place where we are challenged and made to think about our faith not just in the church but also in our daily lives. We have recently installed a kitchen and toilet to help our building to be more welcoming space and are fundraising currently for heating and lighting. However the Kingdom of God is not just about the building or the congregation but rather the people of our community. We seek to make God known in our community and enjoy working with the schools in the village, the community shop, and with those who live in the local retirement complex.

We enjoy meeting together and with rest of the Shaftesbury team and our brothers and sisters at the Methodist Chapel.

We recognise and teach that creation care and action to address the climate and nature crises are integral to Christian faith, life and worship. We are committed to responding to this by participating in the A Rocha UK Eco Church Award Scheme.

Enmore Green: St John the Evangelist

St John’s Enmore Green is a small church with a strong sense of community where you can be sure of a friendly welcome.

We try to create an open, warm and caring atmosphere where all can feel comfortable, accepted and valued and where we can each develop our faith at our own pace. Being small, we know one another and care for one another at those times when support is needed.

For more information see 'About Us' etc.

Shaftesbury: St Peter

Welcome to St Peter's Church. We are a church with 12th Century roots, but very much a part of present-day Shaftesbury. We are in the centre of the town, at the top of picturesque Gold Hill.

St Thomas's Melbury Abbas

Our aim is to encourage the current congregation on its Christian journey and to encourage new members to join us.

The parish of Melbury Abbas and Cann consists of Melbury Abbas and Cann, East and West Melbury, Cann Common and Guy’s Marsh. It is a scattered parish with farms, cottages and larger properties. The population contains significantly more retired people than young families. St Thomas’s church is a delightful country church, set in a quiet country lane with views towards Melbury Hill and Fontmell Down. The church continues to provide support to the community; the post office, public houses and school having become private dwellings. The church was rebuilt in 1852 on the site of previous churches, the first one recorded in the 12th century. Its distinctive tower houses five bells.

The original Victorian stained glass windows were designed by Thomas Willement [1786-1871] who was Queen Victoria’s “Artist in Stained Glass” by Royal Patent. A more modern stained glass window, by Heaton, Butler and Bayne who made stained glass windows for churches and cathedrals across Britain, Europe and North America, was placed in 1920 in memory of the Rector’s son, Lionel Carver, who was killed in the closing months of the First World War.

There is a pipe organ and microphone system. Recent improvements include a kitchenette and WC. The church is in good structural and decorative order. The licensed village hall hosts social events and is used by St Thomas’s for some of its fund-raising events. St Thomas’s is a welcoming church, open every day.

Services: The pattern of worship consists of two services each month, with Matins led by our lay worship leader on the second Sunday and a service of Holy Communion on the fourth Sunday. The Benefice includes a Team Rector and a Team Vicar and one of these leads our Communion services. St Thomas’s would not run without the invaluable help of members of the congregation: two sacristans, lesson readers, altar assistants, lay intercessors and a lay pastoral assistant. The electoral roll stands at 49. The congregation averages 20 people, but numbers significantly increase for services at Easter, Harvest Festival, Remembrance Day, Rogation, Mothering Sunday, the Pet Service and Christmas. The Carol Service brings in people from a variety of village organizations and in 2022 seventy people came to the beautiful candle-lit service. We host the monthly team service when required. At our 2023 Team service we initiated a collection to provide lamps for the people of Ukraine, which eventually brought in almost £2000. The Coronation of King Charles was celebrated with a special Commemorative service followed by a Coronation lunch in the Village Hall.

We reach out to the Community in a number of ways: Once a month on the first Friday we hold a church breakfast which also attracts non-church-goers. St Thomas’s Preservation Society holds social events to raise funds for restoration and maintenance projects. The Diocesan link with Lui, South Sudan, is supported in prayer and financially. Members of the congregation and others form a team of bell ringers, ringing at services at least monthly. Our Christmas collections and collections on other special occasions are given to a chosen charity. Smartie pots are handed out at Harvest Festival and people return them filled with 20ps. In 2022 this brought in over £300. Communion is taken to any house-bound parishioner.

We support the inter-denominational Churches Together services and events; Open House Shaftesbury, a Church based charity providing benefit and housing advice and Food Bank; and Churches Together Lent Lunches in aid of Christian Aid.

People who keep the church running smoothly: The seven-strong PCC includes a secretary, treasurer, and team council representatives. There is a regular organist. The church could not run so well without the help of many parishioners including sidespeople, those who do flower arranging, church cleaning, churchyard maintenance, serving coffee after services, daily opening and closing of the building. St Thomas’s contributes to KeyRing, a Benefice publication which enables the churches to communicate and share their news.

Working with the Deanery: A PCC representative attends Deanery Synod meetings and reports back with information and requests.

Margaret Marsh: St Margaret

"The parish of The Orchards and Margaret Marsh 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 Salisbury’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."

Shaftesbury: St James

The parish of St James is its own small village under the hill south of the town and is the oldest part of Shaftesbury. St James’ is a lively and welcoming church - newcomers and visitors particularly comment on our friendliness. The church is open during daylight hours with a quiet prayer corner. We also have a permanent outdoor labyrinth, changing with the church seasons, to allow visitors to unwind from the rush of daily life. We have a very strong relationship with our adjacent church Primary School. They have a monthly worship in the church, while special services have been crafted for parents of new or leaving pupils. Their harvest,and carol services also attract a large following.

St. James’ Church – reaching out to others with a valued ministry of hospitality.