St Brandon's Church

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.

Our Priest-in-charge is Anna Brooker. She can be contacted on 0191 378 0578 or on rector@stbrandon.org.uk.

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

Youth Club Sunday October 6

All young people in the Village (and beyond, and their friends) are warmly welcome. The age range
is from 11 to 17 years inclusive.
We meet fortnightly in the Village Hall on Sundays 6-8pm. The dates for this term
are:
October 6, 20 November 3, 17 December 1, 15

Churchyard Tidy Saturday 12 October

CHURCHYARD TIDY
I plan an autumn tidy up in the churchyard on Saturday October 12th. Anyone
willing to volunteer an hour or three from 0930 that morning would be made most
welcome. I will always find a job for anyone with weeding equipment, rakes,
loppers, secateurs and strimmers. I have received much positive comment about
the churchyard this year, especially from visitors, so let’s keep up the good work.

Edward Staines

Shoebox Sunday – 13 October

SHOEBOX SUNDAY 2024
Once again, we are marking Shoebox Sunday at St Brandon’s. In past
years, Brancepeth has been very generous in its support for families in
Eastern Europe.
Contributions and shoeboxes may be brought to church on Sunday, 13th
October, either at 10.15am Eucharist or 3pm Messy Church where
children will sort collections of socks, stationery or toys. Knitwear is
especially welcome, thanks to Knit and Natter.
We have a few shoeboxes and bags (shoeboxes have been difficult to find
in recent years). The lorry will collect at the end of the month from
Darlington.
More information about what to include in your boxes can be found here https://blythswood.org/shoeboxappeal/

Messy Church Sunday 13 October

Screenshot

Farewell to Anna and Nick Saturday 19 October

Screenshot

Youth Club Sunday October 20

All young people in the Village (and beyond, and their friends) are warmly welcome. The age range
is from 11 to 17 years inclusive.
We meet fortnightly in the Village Hall on Sundays 6-8pm. The dates for this term
are:
October 6, 20 November 3, 17 December 1, 15

Light Parade Thursday October 31

Screenshot

All Souls Saturday 2 November

Screenshot

Services and Opening Times

Our Sunday morning services take place in the church building, and are also livestreamed on our church Facebook page.

Morning Prayer (8.15 am) and Midday Eucharist (12 noon) are celebrated Monday to Friday online. Please email Anna Brooker for the details of how to access these services.

Evening Prayer is hosted online on alternate Thursdays at 7.30 pm. Please email Anna Brooker if you would like to be included in the invitations for this service.

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.