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
Messy Church Picnic Sunday 8 June
MESSY CHURCH
Bring a picnic tea and a blanket to sit on. If the weather is good we will meet outside the Castle. If it’s rainy we will picnic in church!
Bible Story, crafts, songs, news and games
Sunday School
Youth Club 1, 15 and 29 June
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.
Three meetings this month. 1, 15 and 29 June
Summer BBQ July 13 in the Castle Grounds
Saturday 7 June Village Evensong
Come and join us for Village Evensong at 4pm. Conducted by an informal group of singers who like to sing Evensong village style (as opposed to Choral/Cathedral style) at a range of churches throughout Durham. They will be coming to St Brandon’s on the eve of Pentecost. All welcome to come and enjoy this simple service
Sunday 22 June Durham Consort Evensong
6pm Sunday 22 June
Come and hear the Cathedral’s top notch volunteer choir at a special Evensong. The choir will sing music by Edward Baistow, Francis Grier, George Dyson and John Stainer.
A great opportunity to enjoy a peaceful evening of choral music in a beautiful setting.
Saturday 5 July Durham Singers Concert
7.30pm Saturday 7 July
The Durham Singers present a concert exploring composers’ responses to the idea of sleep. The programme features works ranging from Lucy Walker’s beautiful setting of the office of Compline to Parry’s Songs of Farewell.
We hope you will come along to enjoy this poignant musical landscape at twilight.
Tickets from www.ticket-source.co.uk or choir members
Friday 18 July
Pamela Pritchard and her Ladies Choir will be returning on 18th July for their second concert at St Brandon’s. More details to come
Saturday 9 August Vintage and Classic Sports Car Day
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.