'But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15 verses 57 and 58

Dear Church Family

Emma and I have been enjoying the latest instalments of Wolf Hall, the TV drama based on Hilary Mantel's fictionalised biography documenting the life of Thomas Cromwell. It is really very well done. Watching it I've been reminded of the origins of the Church of England.

The break with Rome and the establishment of an independent Church of England came during the reign of Henry VIII (1509–47). In October 1517 Martin Luther published a set of objections to the selling of indulgences which were both corrupt and utterly ineffective. Initially, Henry VIII responded to defended the Roman Catholic Church. However, when pope Clement VII refused him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, he broke with Rome and, through the Parliamentary Act of Supremacy in 1534, became Supreme Head of the Church of England. Not a particularly righteous beginning but I believe The Church of England has been used by God to bring great blessing to our nation and beyond.

A couple of weeks ago in a sermon in St Peter and St Paul's, I listed three areas of concern I have with The Church of England today.

First, is the way the church is moving to redefine sex and marriage despite what God has set out in His word.

Second, is failures in safeguarding.

Third, is the way the Church is being managed more like a business rather as a people belonging to God.

The safeguarding failures in particular have added to the suffering of victims, some of whom I know personally. We do well to remember we are called to weep with those who weep, Romans 12 verse 15. If you are impacted by the recent revelations or have any safeguarding concerns please do speak to Ros Baldwin, our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Helen Bennett, her deputy, or to me - our contact details are on the Benefice website. Alternatively, you can always contact the Diocesan Safeguarding lead, Ben Goodhind, at Flourish House in Wells on 01749 588917 or via e-mail: ben.goodhind@bathwells.anglican.org.

In light of all this, it is perhaps not surprising that rumours are circulating. Recently several have said they have heard that I or the PCC or the church intend to leave the Church of England. As I said at our last Church Family Meeting, despite serious concerns, I remain committed to my Ordination Vows, to the Church of England and to the Shepton Mallet Benefice. I don't believe in walking away when things get difficult rather, I believe in serving my Lord and Saviour where He has called me. I trust this is reassuring to you if you too have heard such rumours.

What are we to do? Well, 'Let nothing move you.' Let's always '...give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord…' learning from, living for and loving like Jesus as we make Him known on our various frontlines.

With Christmas before us, who will you bring to our Carol Service, Nativity Services, Midnight Communion or Christmas Morning Family Communion? '...because we know that our labour in the Lord is not in vain.'

With my love and prayers
Jonathan

Our services are now live-streamed via our online radio station Shepton LifeStream and are available to listen live on Sunday mornings and at regular times throughout the week here

The audio recordings of the reading and sermon from these services are also available to hear again. Click on the play button in the players below.

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Parish Church, Church Lane, Shepton Mallet BA4 5BW (w3w: self.outs.think)

Parish Office, Peter Street Rooms, Peter Street BA4 5BL (w3w: growth.impulses.packages)

We regret that Peter Street Rooms are not currently available for hire

Basis of Faith

We are a part of the Church of England. We uphold the biblical truths on which the Church of England was founded. These truths are described in the laws which govern the Church of England. 

'The doctrine (the truths we believe and live by) of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.' 

This is canon A5 and can be found here

The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion can be found here, The Book of Common Prayer can be found here. They are both quite detailed and a bit difficult to read. The following is a faithful and true summary of the core beliefs they describe.

We believe . . .

in the one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

in the love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.

in the divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God – fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.

in the dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.

in the incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.

in the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.

in the bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.

in the justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.

in the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.

in the church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers — given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.

in the personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.

Who we are

We are learning from Jesus, that we may live for Jesus and love like Him. We believe that is what Jesus calls us to do. 

When and where

Our weekly service in Shepton Mallet is on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am in the Parish Church. To locate us precisely go here. Our village church services times are here

What to expect

We are a diverse Church family of all ages and backgrounds and who appreciate differing kinds of services. Being together is more important than having exactly what any one of us wants but we do strive to provide a breadth of styles to our services for all to engage in and enjoy. 

How long is our service?

The Sunday service in Shepton Mallet lasts for about 75 minutes. 

Other services and events

Currently we have Holy Communion three times each month - on the second and fourth Sunday at 10.30, and on the third Sunday at 5pm. On the first and third Sunday of the month we have a service of Morning Worship at 10.30.

On the second and fourth Sunday, our children and young people return from their teaching groups so that we are all present either to receive the bread and wine or to receive prayer.

We also have a monthly Revive event with guest speaker, worship and prayer. See here for details of the the next Revive event.

Prayer ministry

Prayer is offered each week during and after the service

Benefice Clergy, Readers and Staff

Shepton Mallet Standing Committee

Shepton Mallet PCC Members

Ros Baldwin

PCC Member

and Shepton PSO

Calendar

Featured events