St Mary's
Sturminster Marshall
St Stephen's
Kingston Lacy
St Bartholomew's
Shapwick
CHURCH AT HOME: WEEK 10
Dear Friends in the Bridge and Lower Stour Benefices,
It's good to be in touch again. I hope and pray you are all keeping well.
Thank you very much to Sally, the Bridge Benefice Choir and friends, to Nigel and to John for their contributions to the service for May 24th. Here is the link:
Here is this week's Pew Sheet which includes the other readings for Sunday. Please don't forget the information on there about our new prayer chain. I hope you will use it too! It is good to support each other in prayer.
Our weekday Morning Prayer services take place via Zoom on Wednesdays at 9.00am with a focus on the Bridge Benefice, and on Thursdays at 9.00am with a focus on the Lower Stour Benefice. Everyone is welcome to join us - please contact me for the log in details. I am enjoying connecting with people in this way. It is a great way to keep in touch.
Last Thursday was Ascension Day in the church which, as one of my clergy friends pointed out, is the day Jesus started to work from home! We are in the in-between time this week as we look forward to and wait for Pentecost next Sunday - the coming of the Spirit, and the birthday of the church. Life feels a bit like that at the moment too, doesn't it? Being in 'in-between times' . . . waiting. It can be frustrating to wait. Think of young children on journeys asking "are we nearly there yet?", sometimes within minutes of leaving home. Acts of the Apostles tells us that the disciples spent this time in the waiting room praying. Why not set aside a specific time each day this week to pray? Pray for each other, the country, your neighbours and family and friends.
God Bless,
Carolyn
About the Bridge Benefice
These three beautiful villages are situated between Wimborne Minster and Blandford Forum in the county of Dorset and in the Diocese of Salisbury. Each village has its own church, with lots going on, but we also enjoy getting together for joint services and social events.
The photo at the top of the page shows White Mill Bridge, where the three parish boundaries meet. There has been a mill here on the River Stour for centuries. Now in the care of the National Trust, it is well worth a visit.
To find out more about what's going on across the Benefice please explore our website further.
We also work closely with our neighbouring parishes in the Lower Stour Benefice: Spetisbury, Charlton Marshall and Lower Blandford St Mary. In fact, we share a priest-in-charge, Rev Carolyn Couzens.
PLEASE NOTE There will be no printed copies of the Bridge Magazine until further notice. So please do read the online version.
Coronavirus update
Due to Covid-19 all regular church services are cancelled and our buildings are closed for the foreseeable future.
However, the church is still active in the community and we are still praying.
If we can support you in any way, please do contact us:
revcarolyncouzens@gmail.com or 01258 858353
May you know God's blessing and peace.
Carolyn
Rev. Carolyn Couzens
Priest-in-Charge
Our Monthly Service Rota
Safeguarding
In the Bridge Benefice we take our responsibilities concerning the safeguarding of children, young people, and vulnerable adults very seriously, and we try to ensure that we always work in accordance with best practice. To view the Safeguarding Policy of each of our churches please visit their webpages.
For any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our Safeguarding Officer,