St Brandon’s is the parish church serving Brancepeth village and the surrounding area. (See map.)
Our purpose as a church is both to worship God and to share the love of God that we celebrate here, through our activities as a church and as individual Christians. Church members meet to worship God each week and at special times throughout the
Christian year, and all are always welcome.
We are currently waiting for a new Priest-in-charge to be appointed. If you need to contact us about anything to do with the church, please see the details on our Key Contacts page
You are also welcome to come and see what we are doing
on our Facebook page!
This includes live streams and recordings of many of our services.
Upcoming Events
Funeral of Richard Hird 24 February
We are very sad to announce the death of Richard Hird. Richard had been our organist for many years and played a central role in the musical life of St Brandon’s. He will be sorely missed not only for his music but his cheerful smile and conversation every Sunday morning.
His funeral will be held at Durham Cathedral at 2pm on Monday 24 February followed by a buffet at the Duke of Wellington Pub, Darlington Road, Nevilles Cross, Durham DH1 3QN
Messy Church Sunday 9th March
Messy Church 3-5pm in Church.
Games, stories, songs and the famous Messy Church tea
Sunday School
Youth Club 9 March
The Youth Club is an open club run by the church, and all young people in the village (and beyond and their friends) are warmly welcome. The age range is 11-17 years inclusive.
We meet fortnightly in the Village Hall 6-8pm though we may finish earlier if numbers are low.
Dates for this term are:
March 9 & 23, April 6.
Mothering Sunday 30 March
We will be making posies on Saturday 29 March and collecting gifts of toiletries to take to the Durham Women’s Refuge
Sunday 18 May
Annual Parochial Church Meeting after morning service at 11.30. Come and join us.
Services and Opening Times
Our Sunday morning services take place in the church building, and are also livestreamed on our church Facebook page.
St Brandon’s church building remains open for individual private prayer. We are open every day from 9.30 am until dusk. Please do visit us, take photos to remind you of the space, or simply sit calmly in the stillness.
You can also see a recent brief video of the church on YouTube.
The clergy and other members of the St Brandon’s congregation continue to pray for our community, with a particular focus on praying for those who are self-isolating or ill. If you have a prayer request, please email it to Alison Moore.
As a church, we are committed to caring for our neighbours and doing our part to stop the spread of coronavirus. In all this, we are working within the current Church of England guidelines.
Visits, Prayer and Care
If you are new to the area or the church, and would like a visit from a church member, please let us know, by contacting Alison Moore on 0191 373 5674.
Please also do let us know if you are ever unwell or troubled, and would value a visit from a church member, or home communion. To arrange this, please contact Alison Moore.
Safeguarding
At St Brandon’s, we are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and nurturing environment for everyone: children, young people and adults. We have adopted and approved the Church of England policy for promoting a safer church, and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). The Diocese of Durham’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advises our PSO. A full text of the parish safeguarding policy and other safeguarding information can be found under the ‘Safeguarding’ link in the main menu above.
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.
The Church of England offers a simple online tutorial promoting basic awareness of safeguarding issues. St Brandon’s Parochial Church Council recommend that all members of the congregation take this tutorial.
Giving
St Brandon’s runs on generosity.
Everything we do together is possible only because people are generous with their time, their energy, and their skills.
We also depend upon people being generous with their money.
- It costs more than £1,000 a week to keep St Brandon’s open, and to sustain our life together.
- We depend entirely upon donations, and on the money we raise ourselves.
- We don’t get any financial support from the diocese or the national church.
Please consider setting up a regular gift, or making a one-off donation.