Nestling in the north of Staffordshire along its border with Derbyshire, the villages of the Longnor Benefice encompass the Peak District and the Moorlands, with rolling hills and acres of heather. We have three churches and two daughter-churches in the Longnor family, along with three Church of England Primary Schools.
Churches in our benefice are committed to Safeguarding and have adopted the National and Diocesan Safeguarding Policies.
Sheen Parish Safeguarding Ofiicer is Malcolm Hawton and can be contacted on 01298 402129
Other churches in our Benefice the Safeguarding Officer is Janet McNicol, who can be contacted on 01298 812053
We believe that the door to salvation is always open and so are the doors to our churches. We strive to show God’s love and concern for his creation at every opportunity. Through works of charity and opening our doors to listen and love, we feel that we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Sunday 4th January
11.00am Morning Prayer : Longnor
Sunday 11th January11.00am Holy Communion : Sheen Cancelled
Sunday 18th January
9.30 Holy Communion : Newtown
Sunday 25th January
11.00 Holy Communion : Longnor
Sunday 1st February
tbc
Thursday @ Newtown when announced
Happy New Year everyone, and I hope you had a good Christmas. It is cold and windy outside but, I must admit cosy inside and, since I have had a couple of post Christmas days off very relaxed. Boxing Day was spent by me largely snoozing! The Christmas Season was wonderful this year and I am not quite sure exactly why, but every single service was really well attended. So whilst bittersweet as it’s the next of the “last” seasonal events for me as my leaving date canters nearer, it was also totally joyous too.
The view also feels a teeny bit bittersweet because I know I am on countdown time and like all good things, I don’t want it to end. However, we have a lot of good times ahead to share, with a relatively early Easter to plan for. January is usually a quiet time, with little going on, but my diary looks pretty full to me. There is nothing significant in terms of key or special services, and in a way I am ready, after a rich diet of joyous and exciting services, for some quieter, more thoughtful and reflective times. It’s a time to settle, to remain still, and to quietly nurture our faith in the fallow January soil.
Jesus often used the metaphor of the vine, in his teaching, and I know that from 28th December when we get our Christmas break over in our little old house in SW France, that we will be surrounded by bare brown fields with bare brown vines like sticks. No way can you imagine that from those sticks will come a blossoming of leaves, flowers and fruit that by the Summer tell us whether the vintage will be a good one or not. Under that bare, very stony soil, the vine is building its strength, nurturing its potential, and preparing to burst forth in the spring. It is much the same for us. We can use January to prepare, to build up our strength and be ready to flourish. And flourish you all will. I came here to see if the church was going to survive or thrive in our communities. And thrive they are doing. As Tony Gaddum often reminds me, “the spirit is moving in this place” even when we cannot see, feel or tell that it is.
The seekers, the questioners, the lost and the unsure will be found and as spring comes, we will burst forth and rejoice in the wonderful flourishing church and village communities we are part of.
Have a nourishing, restful and quiet January, with every blessing for a good start to 2026.
Revd Jane
