Faith
The Heart of the Village
In a world characterised by rush and bustle, St. Andrew's Church stands as a place of Christian peace and love. Here we seek to worship God and care for our neighbours, as Jesus the Messiah commanded us. Whilst the oldest part of the current building dates from around 1160 AD, the first known reference to a church in our village mentions the year 1086 AD. Consequently, for over 900 years St. Andrew's has served as a focal point for the Christian faith right at the heart of our community.
Our prime focus is the worship of God, through a combination of traditional and modern approaches, reflecting the development of Christian worship right up to the present day. Sunday by Sunday, as well as at other times through the week, a range of worship styles are offered, mainly focused on the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship. Informal Family and Praise Services are also a regular and permanent feature of our life of worship together.
As the Bible reminds us, Christian Service is a necessary requirement for all members of the worldwide Church. At St. Andrew's we seek to equip our whole community for service: through youth work, regular adult discipleship programmes and study groups. Preaching rooted firmly in the Bible is also an integral part of our life of worship, keeping Christ's teachings relevant to our changing everyday lives.
Our fellowship as a congregation, as much as our church building, provides the parish with a healthy life of worship, prayer, study, community activities and events. Services for births, confirmations, marriages, and deaths, along with all the spiritual celebrations of life and the church year, are carried out at the heart of the village as they have been for hundreds of years. Our church is a place where, in the quiet and cool of a summer's day or the warmth and boisterousness of a Christingle service, the still, small voice of God can be heard.
Above all, St. Andrew's is a place for our spirits to be at ease.
The Reverend Ben Flenley
Connectedness
At St. Andrew's our worship of God combines the traditional and the modern. This combination reflects St. Andrew's position in a rural community, the rhythm of the church's year harmonising with the cycles of agricultural life, whilst enabling our church to adapt to changes in that community.
This website is a reflection of one such change: the growing influence of the internet, facilitated by the spread of broadband access to villages like Medstead. The aim of this site is to enhance communication across our large and diverse Benefice, which comprises three other churches besides St. Andrew's.
It does this by advertising our services and events, providing contact and location details so you can stay in touch, by reporting news and by proclaiming the teachings of Jesus.
If you are not yet a Christian but are considering coming to church, already a Christian but do not worship at St. Andrew's, an existing church member or just a casual visitor, we welcome you to our website, and hope you find something to inform, entertain or even inspire. You can also download our Welcome Leaflet.
If you have any comments or suggestions on how we may further improve our site, please do not hesitate to contact us, and if you would like to come along in person to St. Andrew's to find out more, you will be assured of a warm welcome.
St. Andrew's Webmaster
Prayer Book
You may request a prayer for someone in need by using the form below.
These prayers are offered to God, from the altar, during the intercessions, following the date of request.
Our congregation are also encouraged to include in their daily prayers "all those included in our Intercessionary Prayer Book".
You are also welcome to join us at any of our services, where prayers will be offered.
Our Faith In Action
Read more about our faith in action in Karamoja, Uganda and Devakottai, South India:
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