ABOUT US
COME WITHOUT OBLIGATION
OUR VISION
Many people have stopped going to church or have never been because they feel that attendance comes with an obligation either to come regularly or to subscribe to a set of beliefs. We encourage people to come on their own terms and with their questions and doubts. Very few people have a faith that remains constant and unchanged throughout their lives. Faith develops and evolves and is stronger at some times than others. New questions arise as life throws new challenges at us.
WHAT WE DO
We come together to worship God and to serve one another and our community. We are part of the Church of England in the Diocese of Hereford.
I'M NEW HERE
If you are planning on coming along
to one of our services for the first time,
leave enough time to stay on and chat
after the service, when we serve coffee.
WHAT IF I'VE NEVER BEEN TO CHURCH BEFORE?
Try our Iona Service on the 4th Sunday of each month.
You will be assured of a warm welcome.
St. Matthew's is part of the Wye Brooks Benefice in the Diocese of Hereford. The other churches included in our group are St. Giles Goodrich, St. Deinst Llangarron, Christ Church Llangrove, St. Mary the Virgin Welsh Newton, St. John the Baptist Llanrothal. We meet regularly for joint benefice services, warden's and reps meetings, house groups and prayer meetings. To find out what is happening across the churches of the benefice access via the following link:
https://wyebrooksbenefice.wixsite.com/my-site
Fully Accessible W.C
Hearing Loop Installed
(The installation of the Hearing Loop and audio system was made possible with grants from The Rowlands Trust and The Rank Foundation Pebbles Trust and we are really grateful for their support.)
SAFEGUARDING
We want St. Matthew's to be a safe place for all. As such we follow the Safeguarding Policies of the Diocese of Hereford.
Our Safeguarding Officer is appointed by the Parochial Church Council and supports the church leadership with the formation and implementation of our safeguarding policies and procedures. They are also the first port of call for any safeguarding concerns or questions at St. Matthew's.
Our Safeguarding Officer is:
Wendy Price
Tel. 01989 770450
National Lottery Heritage Fund
In August 2019 we completed major repairs to St. Matthew's. The church's stonework had been deteriorating badly for years, the structure was becoming unsafe and the building was put on the 'At Risk Register' in January 2017 by Historic England. Urgent action was needed but we were also aware that repairs would cost a huge amount of money. In total we made three bids to the NLHF who came to the rescue with a grant in 2017 in response to our third bid attempt. We were then given the exciting task of making detailed plans, not only to make the structure safe and watertight but also to re-order the nave to provide a multi-purpose community space.
As a condition of our NLHF grant we were required to raise some of the money towards the costs ourselves and we thank the many local and national charities, residents and friends of the Church who responded so generously to our fundraising.
The grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund has been the most important factor in ensuring the success of our project and we are extremely grateful for this support which has been made possible by National Lottery Players.
