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New Children and Families Worker post

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CHILDREN & FAMILIES WORKER

 

An exciting opportunity has arisen at St Mary’s Church Market Drayton for a new role.  This post is a key development, strongly supported by the church, to come alongside and support families and young lives.  The successful applicant will take the Gospel out into our community with new ideas and develop relationships that will help young children and families grow and flourish as they come to know and love Jesus and will build on and support the work already going on in this area.

 

Hours:             19 hours per week to be worked flexibly by agreement, but to include attendance at two 10.30 am services per month (to include baptism services). 

 

Salary:            £13,000 per annum.

 

Contract:      Initially for 3 years, starting in January 2026, but with the possibility of further extension.

 

As this is a Christian ministry post, there is a genuine occupational requirement that the holder of this post should be a practising Christian and therefore this post is exempt under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

 

For a recruitment pack please contact Elaine Cook  opsmanagerofstmarys@gmail.com  or for a more informal conversation about this post, please contact the Vicar, Revd. Catherine McBride on 01630 656943

 

Closing date for applications:  5pm Tuesday 30th September 2025

 

More information about St Mary’s can be found at www.stmarysmarketdrayton.org.uk

Mothers Union Celebration

St Mary’s MOTHERS UNION held a special party in The Parish Rooms, Market Drayton on Monday 14th July to celebrate 3 of their ladies having been members of this wonderful worldwide organisation for 62, 60 and 60 years.

Molly Lucas, Beryl Hinton and Mary Leonard-Johnson were presented with certificates to mark the occasion by Vicar Catherine McBride and fellow members and friends enjoyed a social afternoon of tea, cake and quizzes.

Arson at St Mary's

St Mary’s would like to thank everyone in town for their concern and kind words of support following the recent fire at the church.

A door to the rear of the church was badly damaged and will need to be replaced, but thankfully the fire didn’t spread to the inside of the church. The main issue inside will be dealing with the smell of smoke, meaning carpets and upholstery will need to be cleaned.

It’s quite clear that the fire was deliberately started, so if anyone does have any information which may help the police with their enquiries, we would encourage them to contact West Mercia Police quoting incident number 68i of June 9, 2025.

Thank you again

Organ Fund Appeal off to a great start - nearly £1,700 raised in one night!

On Saturday 3rd May, we held a social in the Parish Rooms in aid of the church organ fund.

Our members came together to provide entertainment and a lovely sociable meal.

 

Our scratch choir opened the evening with a hymn 'As the Deer Pants'.

We were entertained by music: various duets, a string trio, and the Tern Valley Tinkers.

David, our MC, mused about his love of Handel and we laughed out loud at Stephanie's Black Country jokes.

We thanks Gill's Puddings and Field Floristry for their donations of desserts and flowers.

We are truly blessed with talented members. Everyone has said how very much they enjoyed themselves and that we must do it again.

An excellent start to our organ fund. Nearly £1,700 was raised. Thank you everyone who contributed and all who attended.

26th February, 2025: Confirmation in Hodnet Deanery

Four members of St Mary's were recently among others from across our Deanery to be confirmed by Bishop Michael.

The service, which took place last Sunday, 23rd February at Christ Church Little Drayton, was a lovely time of celebration for those being baptised and confirmed. Members of churches throught Hodnet Deanery met together to support the confirmation candidates and the service was followed by a wonderful meal of fellowship.

We thank God for all those confirmed and their commitment to Him, and pray that their knowledge and love of Him will grow as they continue their Christian lives.

Children's Choice

St Mary's was delighted to take part in this year's Ginger & Spice Festival on Saturday 28th September. The church was part of the Heritage Trail covering nearly 50 Gingerbread Characters and we welcomed over 150 visitors. We were surprised but happy to discover that the children on the trail had chosen our Alfie Hewitt gingerbreadman as their favourite. The Ginger & Spice report follows:

?BEST DRESSED GINGERBREAD CHARACTER CONTEST - RESULTS?

Children's Prize Winner: St Mary's Church

? Congratulations to St Mary's Church! ?

We are delighted to announce that St Mary's Church is the Winner of the Children's Prize in the Best Dressed Gingerbread Character Contest at this year’s Original Biscuit Bakers Heritage Trail during the Ginger & Spice Festival!

The most children picked this entry as their favourite during the trail on Saturday 28th September 2024.

Character Name: Alfie Hewitt
Name of Olympic Sport 2024: Wheelchair Tennis

St Mary's wonderful contribution made a significant impact on our young participants.?

Many congratulations to everyone!

A huge thanks to headline sponsors Original Biscuit Bakers and all of the supporting sponsors of the trail.

Church Clock

The beautiful clock at St Mary's Church in Market Drayton has long been a symbol of the town, faithfully keeping time and chiming its bells for hundreds of years. However, the clock has recently come to a halt, perpetually stuck at the noon position.

This unexpected silence has been deeply felt by the community. Draytonians, whether visiting the church or sharing their sentiments on social media, have expressed how much they miss the familiar chimes and the sight of the clock's hands moving on the tower.

Church Warden Peter Fox shares, "It takes a lot to keep these ancient but vital buildings open to the community, and this is just one example of the work needed. We know how much St Mary's means to Market Drayton and enjoy welcoming everyone in. However, it's felt like something has been missing without hearing the chimes. We're very grateful to the congregations from our Sunday worship and Messy Church for supporting the repair of the clock, and we are hopeful that the townsfolk will help too."

Every penny received will go towards the repair of the clock and, consequently, the restoration of the chimes. You can contribute by scanning the QR code on the church noticeboards, dropping in at the church, or by clicking here. https://givealittle.co/c/4LCcgzIeOjgqN78gn05FSA

Let's come together to restore the heart of our town and bring back the beloved chimes of St Mary's Church. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Newsletters

As a worshipping community we feel as a church that it is important to ensure that all those who are part of that community can keep up to date with what's happening within the community. 

We therefore have a weekly newsletter! 

Each newsletter is emailed, where we hold an email address for you, and available in church and below.

 

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