You are invited to the annual Rogation Day Service at St James’ Church, Roydon Road, Stanstead Abbotts on Sunday 25th May 2025 at 11am. All are welcome to this special thanksgiving service in the beautiful old Parish Church of St James.
Traditionally Rogation Day included ‘beating the bounds’, which was an opportunity to re-establish the area considered to be the Parish of Stanstead Abbotts and to ensure the boundaries were clear. This year, we will meet outside St James’ Church at approximately 12pm and head out on a short, led walk that is suitable for families. Do wear sturdy shoes, bring a bottle of water and, if the weather in nice, why not bring a picnic!
8th May 1945 was a day of immense relief and celebration across Britain and the Commonwealth after nearly six years of conflict.
During the war years, the villages of Great Amwell, St Margarets and Stanstead Abbotts played their part in the national effort. Residents served in the armed forces and civil defence roles, while the countryside and local facilities were used for various wartime purposes. Local residents would have experienced rationing, blackouts and the arrival of evacuees. The local railway line was a key part of the transportation network, linking local communities with the broader wartime logistics system.
This year’s 80th anniversary commemorations not only honoured the past, but also brought the community together in a shared act of remembrance and unity.
Stanstead Abbotts & St Margarets Village Club The Village Club was a hub of celebration on Sunday 4th May.Organised by The Village Club in partnership with Stanstead Abbotts and St Margarets Parish Councils, the event that ran from 12 to 4pm welcomed visitors to 4–6 High Street for an afternoon filled with music, fun and community spirit.
Mick was a Paratrooper in the Falklands
St John the Baptist Church, Great Amwell In Great Amwell, delicious cream teas were served from 2.30pm on Sunday 4th May in the beautiful setting of St John the Baptist Church to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day.
It was a lovely afternoon. Sitting in the quiet of the historic church, provided an opportunity for members of the community to come together, reflect and remember the significance of the day.
Displays Information of wartime life in the villages, where Spitfires shot up our High Street, Flying Bombs took roofs off, and where our brave soldiers and airmen fought and fell are to be found on two notice boards in the villages:
One on the Local History Board at the High Street car park entrance and the other (with extra photos of VE Day street parties) outside the entrance to The Village Club (Home Guard HQ 1939–45).
These will be on show for the next few days for all to see.
As the nation reflects on eight decades since the end of the war in Europe, local commemorations such as these serve to remind us of the importance of remembering history, honouring sacrifice and preserving peace.
Coffee and Coping Hertfordshire have a brand new group concentrating on addiction in all forms, for concerned family members as well as addicts. This community pastoral care is done in conjunction with the The 3 Churches Benefice.
Addiction is a real and present in our community, and those facing this need help and support. Coffee and Coping strongly believe that creating a strong sense of community, providing a safe space to talk with empathetic listeners, as well as offering practical support, is the way to help.
If you are interested in knowing more, or would like to come along to this new group, please drop in. You don’t need to book – just turn up.
HOPE IN ACTION Addition, heavy use and concern group
When: Every Wednesday, 17:00–18:30 Where: St Mary’s Church, St Margarets on Hoddesdon Road
The mission of Warm Welcome Spaces is to support organisations to open their doors and provide a warm welcome for those struggling to heat their homes this winter. If you’d like to know more, please visit https://www.warmwelcome.uk/ .
Have you heard about the very special family event that happens on Christmas Eve in the villages? The 3 Churches Benefice hold ‘The Christmas Journey: The Nativity Story Reimagined’: a service for everyone, young and old, to become part of the nativity story!
Meeting at St Margarets Train Station at 3pm, we journey together like Mary and Joseph, stopping at inns along the way to see if there is any room. Finally, we travel to the stable (at St Andrew’s Church) to find baby Jesus has been born! With singing and readings at each stop, we follow the nativity story, and the kids get to be part of all the action.
Martha (age 6), who has attended every year since it started in 2021, said: ‘It is really fun and exciting. We knock on the doors and see if there is room, but there isn’t, so we have to keep going until we find the stable. Baby Jesus is there and there are lights. It looks really pretty. I love the singing and being with Rev’d Sarah.’
Every year we see the numbers who attend The Christmas Journey increase and there is quite a buzz in the local community in the lead up! This year, we had a fantastic 180 children and adults (not to mention dogs) gathering together at St Margarets Train Station to make the journey to meet baby Jesus in the manger.
As our numbers swell, we are even more conscious of the need for road safety. As such, we had a greater number of helpers in hi-vis jackets marshalling everyone safely on our journey. Thank you so much to everyone who helped.
We visited inns along the way and, as always, love to see the engagement with the general public as we sing and share the nativity story. Special thanks to The Jolly Fisherman, The Oak and The Red Lion for taking part again this year. We were amazed to see our Innkeeper at The Red Lion dressed for the part – that was an extra treat!
We are really pleased that this special service continues to go from strength to strength and has become a Christmas tradition for local families. It will be on again this year, so make sure to wrap up warmly and join us!
We have lots on over Advent & Christmas! Why not join us?
Advent Carols Sunday 1st December 4pm at St James, Stanstead Abbots
Christmas Tree Festival Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th December 2–6pm at St Mary the Virgin, St Margarets
Carols by Candlelight Sunday 15th December 6.30pm at St John the Baptist, Great Amwell and Sunday 22nd December 6.30pm at St Andrew, Stanstead Abbots
The Christmas Journey: The Nativity Story Reimagined Tuesday 24th December ~ Christmas Eve Starting 3pm at St Margarets Train Station and ending at St Andrew, Stanstead Abbots
Christmas Eve Midnight Holy Communion Tuesday 24th December ~ Christmas Eve 11.30pm at St John the Baptist, Great Amwell
Christmas Day Service Wednesday 25th December ~ Christmas Day 10.30am at St Andrew, Stanstead Abbots
It’s that time of year again when we welcome people to come together at our annual Lights of Love services to remember precious babies gone too soon.
Our Lights of Love services, and other seasonal events, take place across the country every year with readings, music, and candle lighting. They are FREE of charge and for ANYONE to join.
We know that many people find this a challenging time of year. Lights of Love is designed to provide peace and comfort to parents, siblings and anyone else affected by pregnancy or baby loss, helping them to prepare emotionally for other seasonal celebrations in which they are taking part.
Lights of Love Services locally…
You might also be interested in…
Sands Helpline: 0808 164 3332 / helpline@sands.org.uk The Sands National Helpline provides a safe, confidential place for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby. Whether your baby died long ago or recently, we are here for you.
Do you like a good quiz? Do you like supporting incredible charities? If yes, then we have an evening of fun for you!
Join The 3 Churches Benefice for an epic evening of poverty-beating, community-building fun! Every penny raised will go to Tearfund, who work tirelessly to fight extreme poverty throughout the world.
WHEN: Saturday 16th November, 7pm at The Wilshere Hall, St Andrew’s Church
DETAILS: £5 per person, Teams of up to 8 people, Bring your own drinks & snacks
Get tickets in advance by emailing peter.melrose@ntlworld.com or purchase (in cash) on the door!
To learn more about Tearfund and the important work they do, you can watch this video HERE or visit their website: https://www.tearfund.org/
There has been a lot going on at St John the Baptist Church, Great Amwell, over the last few months. Here is a little about what it…
South African Braii
In August, in the lovely summer sunshine, we had a South African braai in the churchyard of St John the Baptist, organised kindly by parishioners Graeme and Paola McSorley. We enjoyed boerewors followed by melktert, washed down with fabulous South African wine.
Visitors come to St John the Baptist
St John’s church has been blessed this year with visitors from overseas. Recently, we have had visitors from America, who can trace their ancestry to Richard and Elizabeth Warren who were married in the church in 1610. Richard being one of the Pilgrim Fathers on Mayflower 10 years later.
Front: Tim Van Leer, Jodie Picoult, Rev’d Sarah Forrest and Eric Nye; Back: Martin Vaughan, Margaret Mellor and Sue VaughanSue and Tom Dietrich
In September, came Sue and Tom Dietrich from Arizona, followed on 3rd October by well-known authoress Jodie Picoult and her husband, Tim Warren Van Leer from New Hampshire. On the same day, Eric Nye, a visiting professor at Cambridge and related to the Warrens, joined us. It was great to welcome them to St John’s and show them round the church and the churchyard.
The Three Villages 