St Martin's & St Paul's
Parish Canterbury
St Martin's & St Paul's
Parish Canterbury
| Canterbury Deanery |
Tom Sander, our existing Parish Assistant, will be leaving at the end of June. We are looking for a replacement; could it be you? More details of the post will be found by clicking the hyperlink. The parish is growing and includes thousands of young people at schools, college and universities. Are you ready for this challenge?
Peter Litman, our current organist, will be moving to North Wales at the end of July. The Parish is seeking a new Organist to replace Peter and develop the choir and musical tradition of the Parish. Further details of the role of the Organist and of the main organs in the two churches are available by clicking on the hyperlinks. Please think about applying for this post - we are a friendly parish and are keen to build up the role that music plays in our worship.
This website is experimental and will soon be expanding and getting more colourful. We are part of the Church of England, and are a parish serving the south east of Canterbury, about 60 miles south east of London in the heart of Kent, which is known as the Garden of England. We are not yet web savvy; however, you will find links to events and services in the next week or so, and location plans for the two churches. We look forward to seeing you soon!
You can find more information here about services or how to find our churches,
Canon Noelle Hall, writes "I am Rector of the Parish (since 2000) and am married to Malcolm, an organ tuner and builder. We have an eleven year old son. I have been in the ministry of the Church of England since 1986 and have served in four parishes.
"Our Parish is one of ten in the Deanery of Canterbury, and while St. Paul's Church is close to the City Centre the Parish extends a long way out on the Eastern side of the City. St. Martin's Church is the oldest Parish church in the English speaking world and part of Canterbury's World Heritage Site. St. Augustine came here in 597 to begin the mission authorised by Pope Gregory the Great.
"Our churches stand in the centre of the Anglican tradition and we have an enthusiastic choir and a lively Sunday School called Sunday Zone which meets at St. Paul's at 10.30 am in term time.
"If you would like me to visit you or if you would like to discuss a baptism, wedding, or funeral or any other special service please contact me on 01227-462686".
This is a Vision for the Parish approved by the PCC (Parocial Church Council) in December 2008. Will you join us?
Tom Sander will be leaving the parish on the 28th June to have a well earned rest before continuing his training at Westcott House in Cambridge in the autumn. If you would like to contribute towards a farewell gift, please pass your donation to David Beddall (our Treasurer) or one of the Churchwardens.
There will be a barn dance on the evening before Tom's departure - not to celebrate his going, but to mark the occasion. The details are:
Saturday 27th June
7.00pm
Parish Hall, Church Street St Paul's
Canterbury.
Tickets £7.50 (includes Fish & Chip Supper). PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN DRINKS.
For tickets please contact the Parish Office on 01227 768072 or Jackie on 01227 452131.
Taizé is a simple and meditative form of worship. The strength of the Taizé style lies in the repetitive chanting of familiar words to rich, but simple harmonies. At St. Martin's Church the Taizé services are lit by candlelight and accompanied by musicians. The Service is simple and unimposing, ideal for first time visitors or those thinking about the Christian faith. You will be very welcome to come along and join us. Taizé services at St. Martin's are held once a month. St. Martin's Church is located at the east end of North Holmes Road. you can find a map here
Taizé is a village in France, home to a community of Brothers who have devoted themselves to the international and interdenominational development of young peoples' spirituality. For more information on Taizé, please see the website www.taize.fr/en
The next Taizé service will take place in July, starting at 6.30 pm: more details to follow soon.
The 26th May was the Feast of St Augustine. We celebrated this by holding a sevice jointly with students from Canterbury Christ Church University in the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey, where St Augustine was buried for over 900 years - indeed, he may still be there today , as no-one knows what happened to his body when the Abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII in the 1530s. The service started at 5.45 pm at St Martin's Church, with a procession down to the Abbey ruins.
The annual Parish Meeting was held on the 27th April 2009 in the Parish Hall. You can read the annual report of the parish's activites by clicking the hyperlink. The meeting was a happy occasion, when Noelle gave a report on all the activities of the last year and Marylyn Collins was thanked for her many years service as Churchwarden of St Paul's Church. Christopher Wacher was elected to take over, together with Sue Spillet, as the new Churchwarden. David Beddall took us through the finances. (yes, we do need more money! Please think of ways of increasing our income). Also, Tom Sander spoke wittily about the joys and pitfalls of his year as the Parish Asssistant, and Brian Munday mentioned about a new 10 week course on the basics of Christianity planned for later in the year, and asked for feedback about possible topics. During the mid meeting break, there were many discussions about a myriad of subjects.
Tom Sander and several younger members of the parish joined the Easter Monday pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. About 700 pilgrims came to the Cathedral, and shared worship (which was somewhat noisy, at least so it seemed from my perch in the bell tower - Ed) and activities with the Archbishop and Bishops Stephen and Graham. There is also an interview with Tom in this month's Outlook; click here to read it.
Bishop Graham Cray, the Bishop of Maidstone, confirmed Isabeau McEwan, Toby Read, and Andrew Varley in St Paul's Church on the 7th March 2009 in one of the last Confirmation Services that he will undertake before he left for his new job as leader of the Fresh Expressions team based at Lambeth Palace. The service was a happy occasion for the friends and family of the three candidates, who learned from the bishop that Confirmation was a process of asking God to toughen them up for their Christain pilgrimage through life! In the photograph, you can see (left to right) Canon Noelle Hall, Andrew Varley, Toby Read, Bishop Graham Cray, Isabeau McEwan, and Tom Sander: apologies for the poor quality of the image.
The parish pantomime, Snow West and the Seven Fresh Expressions, took place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February. You should be able to view more photographs of it on the website within the next few days.
If you would like to leave any comments about this site, please click here to send an email
Images of St Martin's Church (left) and St Paul's Church (right). For a larger picture, please click on the photograph. More pictures can be found on other pages in this website.
© PCC St Martin's and St Paul's Canterbury 2008 - 2009
