Little Gaddesden Parish Church
St Peter and St Paul’s –
Church of England
We are lucky enough to be the custodians of a beautiful, ancient church, tucked away in the Hertfordshire countryside, in an idyllic setting – the quintessential English Village Parish Church.
Coronavirus
The Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England have urged everyone to follow the instructions given by the Prime Minister to stay in their homes in a national effort to limit the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
All Church of England churches, including Little Gaddesden Church, are now closed in line with the Government’s instructions. There will also be no Church weddings or baptisms.
The rest of the website should be read as subject to this notice.
24 March 2020
UPDATE: Although new guidance means that the Vicar or in certain limited circumstances someone appointed by him can now enter the church, it has been underlined that our church buildings remain closed.
6 May 2020
Broadcast of the Eucharist: Sundays at 9:30am and Wednesdays at 10:00am
During the coronavirus outbreak, we plan to make broadcasts of services available on the Services page. See Coming Up… or the Calendar on the Services page for details of these and any other live or recorded services.
Broadcast of the Revd John Russell celebrating the Eucharist this Wednesday at 10:00am.
See the Services page.
Messy Church At Home
Messy Church hasn’t been stopped by the coronavirus outbreak…it’s just moved to Messy Church at Home on the Children’s page! You’ll find some activity sheets there, produced by the BRF.
From the Vicar, The Revd John Russell
Eucharist for St Augustine
This recording has moved here from the Services page.
Wednesday 27 May 2020
Ascension Day Eucharist
The Vicar’s sermon is from time point 25:06 to 30:14.
Thursday 21 May 2020
More videos from the Vicar are available on The Revd John Russell’s Vimeo channel.
24 March 2020
Dear Friends,
Whilst all public acts of worship have stopped and churches closed, we must continue to ‘be church’, functioning albeit in an unprecedented form.
At my Induction Service as Team Rector of the Berkhamsted Team, Bishop Michael, Bishop of Hertford, challenged us to find new ways to be the church in these extraordinary and unprecedented times; to find new ways and means to be ‘generous, joyful, imaginative and courageous’, in all our actions. The time has come when we must ask ourselves what our Christianity actually means to us.
I shall continue to say my Daily Prayers and as Michael Ramsey once wrote, will be praying with the prayers of the people on my heart – that is one of the vitals roles of a priest in God’s church, but I simply ask you to do the same.
Do please refer to the Little Gaddesden church website which will be updated frequently to reflect the latest news from the church. If you’ve signed up to receive news items from our website, you will have received this automatically. If you haven’t signed up, please do subscribe (click here for the sign-up form). The website will be updated frequently to reflect latest news from the church and the wider Church of England.
I can be contacted by email (vicar@littlegaddesdenchurch.org) or by phone or text (01442 214898/07950 105802).
We also have three Licensed Readers who are part of our leadership team and will support in any way they can:
● Anthony Archer (01442 842397)
● Gill Moore (01442 842054)
● Heather Tisbury (01582 842507)
In the meantime, do please continue to keep in touch with one another over the coming weeks and months, by phone and electronic means, it’s amazing how uplifting a 10 minute chat with somebody can be over the phone.
Please pray for me and all my ministry colleagues, rest assured that you are in our thoughts and prayers as we endeavour to mirror the love God shows for each and every one of us. We journey on together in the light and power of the Holy Spirit through these unprecedented times, hoping and believing we will soon be delivered from these dark times.
I am yours in Christ,
John.
Coronavirus Precautions
Updated 7 May 2020:
- All Church of England churches, including Little Gaddesden Church, remain closed. The church can only be entered either by the Vicar or in certain limited circumstances by someone appointed by him.
- Everyone is urged to follow the instructions given by the Prime Minister to stay in their homes in a national effort to limit the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
- The current practice of hand hygiene is to be rigorously maintained and physical contact of all kinds should be avoided.
- We should be vigilant in keeping a close eye on those around us for signs of illness.
Further official guidance and advice for churches is available on the Church of England’s website.
Please keep an eye out for further information on our News page or subscribe to receive news items (scroll down or click here for the sign-up form) .
Thought for The Day
Anthony Archer, Reader, shares his Thought for The Day on Thursday 28 May 2020
More Thoughts for the Day are available on Little Gaddesden Parish Church’s Vimeo channel.
Read on for our usual front page content, including our mailing list sign-up form…
The church of St Peter and St Paul, Little Gaddesden, has stood here for centuries and, just as it has always done, represents a beacon of hope and light in a world which isn’t always as we would like.
The congregation and community are thriving and full of life, so whether you’re a visitor or a new resident, you will always be welcome to our services. Our style of worship combines, we hope, the formal (delivered in a relaxed and friendly way) with opportunities for teaching and reflection.
Our principal Sunday service is Sung Holy Communion at 9:00 am most weeks – although on the second Sunday of the month we have a Family Service, sometimes with communion, which offers a simplified form of worship and is aimed more especially at families and younger people. The Family Service takes the place of our recently introduced, informal ‘Café Church’ service during the coronavirus outbreak.
Children are very welcome: on Sundays other than the second of the month, a Sunday School is run during the morning service, and on the second Sunday there is a separate teaching activity for younger children during part of the service.
At least three times a month there is Sung Evensong (Book of Common Prayer) at 6:00pm, and occasionally there are alternative evening services. Please see the Services page for details.
The church is open daily for private prayer and to light candles, should you so wish, and on most Thursday mornings there is quiet service of Holy Communion at 10:00 am.
On most Tuesdays from 10.30 till noon, coffee and delicious cake are offered together with lively conversation.
The Churchyard is very important to our community. It is a place of respite for walkers and visitors to the church, who discover it to be very peaceful and tranquil. Not only is it a beautiful setting for just sitting and admiring the view, but it also provides the perfect place for people to come to remember their loved ones who are buried here, or whose ashes are interred here. For details about funerals, please first look here.
We welcome all those who would like to receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism, (Christening), and many couples are married here or have their marriage blessed. If you would like to know more about Holy Baptism (discussed briefly here), please contact the Vicar. For more details on weddings, in the first instance please go to the Weddings page.
Ministry at Little Gaddesden is shared with the adjoining parishes of Great Gaddesden and Nettleden.
The Revd. John Russell
Vicar
Little Gaddesden Church
Church Road
Little Gaddesden
Hertfordshire
HP4 1NZ
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Photo credits: Barbara Sheard, Lyn Hyde, Andrew Sheard
The Midweek Discussion Group’s Lent sessions were cut short by the Covid-19 lockdown. However, Anthony Archer is organising a new series over the next few weeks which will be held via Zoom. 
