| St John's Church | |
| Church of St. John Baptist | |
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St John's Church
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| OS grid reference | ST699575 |
| Location | Peasedown St John, Somerset |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | www.psjparish.com |
| History | |
| Founded | 1874 |
| Founder(s) | Miss Anna Mary Jarrett and Miss Emily Elizabeth Jarrett |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd Matthew G Street |
St John's Church, Peasedown St John (or more formally the Church of St John the Baptist, Peasedown) is the Anglican parish church for the village of Peasedown St John in North East Somerset. The Parish was founded in 1874 and the current building dates from 1893. It is home to a growing[1] congregation drawn largely from the village of Peasedown St John and the surrounding area. The Church now forms part of the ‘St J’s’ Group of Churches, a single benefice also including the parishes of Wellow and Foxcote with Shoscombe.
Contents |
Sunday Services show an emphasis on Bible teaching and on the work of the Holy Spirit[2]. The morning service features organ and keyboard-led worship with Common Worship Liturgy, and the afternoon service features band-led worship. The current weekly pattern of worship consists of:
10.30 Morning Praise every Sunday (Holy Communion on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month) with a more informal style worship on the 2nd and 5th Sundays. In 2011 a Sunday School was started at this Service.
16.30 Soulfood Service held in Peasedown St John Youth Club every Sunday with a Childrens' Church known as 'Sundayz Cool' and a weekly family tea.
The Church also hosts is also a regular pattern of mid-week events.[3]
[4] The district of St John the Baptist, Peasedown St John was formed in 1874 by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners from adjacent portions of the three Parishes of Camerton, Dunkerton and Wellow and formally approved by Queen Victoria in Council at Osborne House on 6 August 1874[5].
A temporary Iron Church was funded by the Miss Anna Mary Jarrett and Miss Emily Elizabeth Jarrett of Camerton Court who became Patrons of the Living and the endowment was provided by them, with assistance from the Vicar of Wellow, the Revd George William Horton. Added to this was an annual grant of £50 from the Church Building Commissioners. It consisted of a chancel, nave and a central turret containing one bell. There was seating for 250 and the Church registers date from 1874. In 1880 the Church was enlarged to cater for the growing population of the village which at this time was around 1400. Anna and Emily Jarrett also funded schools built near the Church and provided a parsonage house which was erected in 1878 (later demolished to make way for Vicarage Gardens in 1964[6] with only the original Coach House remaining). The Church was dismantled in 1893 and re-erected as the Church of St John in Fishponds, Bristol.[7]
The present Church was built in 1892-93 at a cost of £2000 by Bodley and Garner[8], Church architects of London. The organ, which was made in 1875 by W C Vowles, was transferred from the original Church. The ground for the Church and Churchyard was granted by the Jarretts who also contributed to the building fund. The new Church was consecrated on Saturday 24 June, 1893 by Bishop Charles Bromby, Assistant Bishop of Bath and Wells. The village was decorated in honour of the occasion, with several arches spanning the road and a large attendance of parishioners. The Church was extended about 1905 when the north aisle was added to increase capacity.
The Font dates from around 1912, erected in memory of the Rev Gamlen, who was Vicar when the Church was built. The Churchyard was extended in 1918 and consecrated on Easter Monday. Always involved in village life, there was a Church Poor Fund in being for many years to help in alleviating distress during the hard times of the miners' stoppages. In 1928 the memorial was erected in the Church to the fallen of the First World War. There are two war graves from this conflict in the Churchyard. The memorial to the fallen of the Second World War was unveiled on Sunday 5 July 1953 by Brigadier Cazenove and dedicated by the Bishop of Taunton, the Rt Revd Harry Thomas.
In 1959 the Patronage of the Church was transferred from the Executors of the late Sir Frank Beauchamp of Woodborough House to the Bishop of Bath and Wells[9].
The Church was refurbished during the winter of 1989-1990 during which time Services were held in the adjacent Church Hall. The Centenary of the current church building was marked in 1993 with visits from the Bishop of Bath and Wells (the Rt Revd Jim Thompson) and a Solemn Evensong at which the Archdeacon of Bath preached.
In 2007, at the invitation of the Vicar of St John's, a group of thirty adults from Holy Trinity Church Combe Down, Bath joined St John's Church on a temporary basis to launch 'Soul Food' - a new informal afternoon congregation to complement the existing traditional service. Although much of the original team has now returned to Holy Trinity Church following Soul Food's launch, St John's Church retains strong links with Holy Trinity Church and Bath City Church in Bath, and with the Methodist and Catholic Churches in Peasedown St John.
Revd C H Little 1874 - 1883
Revd Charles Gamlen 1883 - 1908
Revd J M Morson 1908 - 1914
Revd F L Sheppard 1914 - 1927
Revd O P Revely 1927 - 1928
Revd R B C Carson 1928 - 1933
Revd E B Rothwell 1933 - 1954
Revd Cyril W Hollinshead 1954 - 1976
Revd R H Peter Hazelton 1976 - 1989
Revd Hugh R L Bonsey 1990 - 2004
Revd Matthew G Street 2005–present
The PCC now also employs on a part-time basis a Childrens' Worker, a Worship Leader and a Church Administrator. The Revd Richard Fothergill is Licensed to the Benefice as Associate Priest.