Pant Valley Churches

16/05/2026

Church Weekly News -

General intentions: For peace, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine; for those seeking asylum living at the Wethersfield base and those who care for them

09/05/2026

Church Weekly News -

General intentions: For peace, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine; for those seeking asylum living at the Wethersfield base and those who care for them; as we continue to hold our annual parish meetings, for all our churchwardens and PCC members, and all who give time and energy to the runn...

08/05/2026

A lovely reflection from Canon Janet Nicholls on the significance of this Sunday in the Church calendar. Known as Rogation Sunday (from the Latin word for 'asking'), it is a time when, for many centuries, prayers have been offered for the fruitfulness of the land and all who work on it. Janet will be preaching at a special service for all our churches at 10.30am this Sunday in St Andrew's, Shalford, and we will also be walking prayerfully in the spirit of the Rogation tradition in the afternoon. If you would like to join us for the walk, meet us at The George in Shalford at 2pm, and we will be back by around 4pm.

This coming Sunday 10 May is Rogation Sunday. In the latest edition of WEPRAY, the Revd Canon Janet Nicholls, our Diocesan Rural Adviser and Agricultural Chaplain shares a reflection ahead of :

"Rogation is the second agricultural festival of the year. It is the festival that draws our eyes to the good earth. Although Rogation worship might take place in a church building, the associated activities such as Rogation walks, or “Beating the Bounds”, happen outside. Very often, services are open-air too.

If you join a Rogation walk, you will probably be invited to stroll at a slower pace than usual so that you can tread gently and observe carefully as you go.

One of the routes I will walk this Rogation Sunday was flooded during the winter. The excessive rain of January and February saturated swathes of the agricultural land of our diocese. For long periods, our good fertile soil was underwater as the usual safe guards of rivers, ditches and drains were overwhelmed by the excessive rainfall. It was difficult to imagine that this saturated land could nurture growth in future seasons.

And yet, this Rogation Sunday, as our eyes focus on the land of our communities, we might observe the miraculous signs of growth all around us. Acknowledging the land’s gentle recovery from the harsh winter serves to deepen our thankfulness as we ask God’s blessing on the emergent growth this Rogationtide.

As Agricultural Chaplain, I often observe how the “good soil” of our agricultural land reflects something of the “good soil” of our souls. Our God of Creation holds earth and humanity as one.

This Rogationtide might speak especially to those whose hearts and souls are overwhelmed at present. It might remind us that with gentle patience, the season of overwhelm will pass and gradually our good soil will recover, guiding us into future seasons of growth and flourishing."

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04/05/2026

It was a wonderful occasion yesterday evening in Thaxted Parish Church as we celebrated together our May Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thank you to Fr David for welcoming us, and we look forward to their return visit when we will be celebrating Corpus Christi, the feast in celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, on the evening of Sunday 7 June in St Mary’s, Great Bardfield at which Fr David will be preaching.

Thank you to all who came to worship in yesterday’s Evening Prayer, Procession & Benediction for the May Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was wonderful and lovely. Thank you Pant Valley Churches’ Fr Alex Shannon for preaching an inspiring sermon, and for the wonderful violin playing of his son.

O God, who by the mighty resurrection of thy Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, has given joy to the whole world: grant that, aided by the prayers of his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may attain the joys of everlasting life, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

04/05/2026

Coming up this weekend in Wethersfield church, our annual art exhibition which includes, as in previous years, a number of our stunningly talented local artists. Do come along and enjoy what’s on offer, and see if something takes your fancy. This event does also help raise money for the church which is much needed (with a vestry roof repair on the horizon), so do come and support it.

02/05/2026

We’ve reached the month of May, and the signs of spring are all around us! May is traditionally a month in which we honour the particular place of Mary in our faith, and we will be joining with our friends in Thaxted Parish Church this Sunday evening at 5pm for a special service including a procession in honour of Mary. All are very welcome to join us for this occasion, and we look forward to seeing you there.

25/04/2026

Church Weekly News -

General intentions: For peace, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine; for those seeking asylum living at the Wethersfield base and those who care for them; as we begin our annual parish meetings, for all our churchwardens and PCC members, and all who give time and energy to the running of our....

24/04/2026

Join us this Saturday morning in St Mary Magdalene Wethersfield for our Plant Share and coffee morning. Now in its fifth year, this annual event has become a firm fixture in our church calendar, enjoyed by all for both social and horticultural purposes! Do bring any spare seedlings you might have, and be ready to take some away, and refreshments will be available. 10.30am-12.30pm this Saturday 25 April.

23/04/2026

If you’re in Finchingfield, and are wondering why the bells have been ringing, firstly it’s in honour of St George’s day, but it also marks 60 years since Roy Threadgold, one of our Ringing Masters, rang his first peal at the very same church! Congratulations, Roy, on those many years of much ringing, and thank you for all you do to keep ringing flourishing across our churches!