St Mary’s Harkstead is a beautiful little village church. The Domesday book mentions two churches for Harkstead, St Mary’s being one of them. Like most churches bits have been added and changed over the centuries.

The first thing to catch your eye when you come in are the splendid glass tiles behind the altar and the pulpit inlaid with coloured tile, showing the emblems of the four evangelists.

There are many more gems to be discovered in St Mary’s including some interesting medieval grafiti.

The church is always open during the day and you are welcome to come in and investigate, to sit and pray or simply enjoy the peace and quiet.

St Mary’s can be found outside the village overlooking the fields and the river Stour at the horizon. Our postcode is IP9 1DD.

Services

We celebrate Holy Communion on the first, third and fourth Sunday of each month. On the second Sunday we have Morning Prayer. All our services start at 9.30 am. After our worship we like to put the world aright over a cup of coffee. Please keep an eye on the service rota for the occasional deviation from our usual pattern. On this page you can also find in which parish the benefice service on the fifth Sunday of the month is.

We have large print orders of service available for those who need them and as well as a hearing loop.

St Mary’s is a wonderful place to get married. Please contact the rector to discuss your plans for a wedding in our beautiful church. You can also find a lot of information on the wedding page. The rector is also the person to contact about baptisms.

Outreach

Every Thursday morning a coffee morning is organised in Harkstead Village all. All are welcome between 10.30 am and midday.

After natural or manmade disasters, we often organise prayer meetings to give people in our villages the opportunity to be still and pray for the people affected. You are always welcome to join us, whether you are a regular member of the congregation or not.

On our pew sheet we mention people for whom we pray during our services and in our private prayers. If you would like to be supported by prayer, either publicly or in confidence, please make your request known to the rector or a member of the ministry team.

If you need a listening ear after a bereavement, or would like to discuss funeral arrangements, the Rector or a members of the ministry team can be contacted by phone or by using the contact us page. We are here to help.

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