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
Worship in our Churches
- Since Sunday 12 July 2020, services to which congregations may come are generally held at 9.30am in Little Gaddesden, but sometimes in Great Gaddesden. See the Services Calendar for more information.
- Spaces will be limited, to approximately 35, due to the need to maintain social distancing.
- Please understand, that once the designated number of places are filled, we won’t be able to allow any more people to enter the church.
- Please arrive at least 10 minutes beforehand and be aware that there will a ‘one way’ system in operation. The wearing of a face mask is encouraged, but once seated we ask you to remain in your seat for the duration of the service. Recorded hymns will be played, but you are asked not to join in.
- If the service is one of Holy Communion, for the time being only the priest may receive the sacrament.
- We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks and will change arrangements as necessary, but the aim is to enable you to worship and keep you as safe as possible.
- Sunday services will be Joint Services for all three churches for the time being and will continue to be at 9.30am irrespective of the church used.
- Nettleden Church will be open for private prayer from 9-10.am on Sundays when there is no service there.
- If you are shielding you will need to consider very carefully whether you should attend, but be assured, we shall continue to record the services which we will try to make available on the websites by 12 noon on the given day, to ensure that participation on some level will be possible.
- We may take a register of those attending worship.
- There will be no toilet facilities at any of the churches.
- To avoid contamination and a lot of cleaning of the church used on a given Sunday it will have to be closed for 72 hours, for everyone’s protection.
- These measures will remain under constant review
John Russell 05-07-2020 – updated 17-07-2020
Limited Church Opening for Private Prayer
Although Little Gaddesden Church remains generally closed apart from the services mentioned above, the church is open for private prayer at the limited times set out below. Volunteers will be manning the church to help people and to ensure safe distancing.
| Morning | Afternoon | |
| Monday | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | CLOSED | 2:30-4:00pm |
| Thursday | 10:00-11:30am | 2:30-4:00pm |
| Friday | 10:00-11:30am | CLOSED |
| Saturday | CLOSED | CLOSED |
| Sunday | Service if in Calendar, otherwise CLOSED | CLOSED |
Updated 07-07-2020 16:55
Please Note:
- Access to the church is under supervision. Please help the volunteers who are supervising by doing what they ask.
- The building works for the Thomas Field Hall are underway, but should not significantly interfere with permitted church access.
- There are no toilet facilities and no running water because of the building works.
- Please use hand sanitiser on entry to and exit from the church.
- Only allocated prayer pews are to be used. Access to the rest of the church is cordoned off.
- No more than five visitors (including the supervisor) are to be in the church at one time.
- Social distancing is to be observed.
- Opening times are subject to change.
Video Recordings of Services: Sunday Mornings and Wednesdays at 10:00am
Video recordings of Sunday services, and pre-recorded midweek services on Wednesdays, are made 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.
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.
Coronavirus Precautions
Updated 5 July 2020:
- Little Gaddesden Church has a limited schedule of services and is open for private prayer at limited times (see above).
- Everyone is urged to follow the Government’s current instructions 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 2 July 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
Scroll down to see four of our most frequently visited pages (Coming Up…, How to Find Us, Contact and a digest of the latest News), or browse the menu above to see everything.
Keep Up to Date with Little Gaddesden Church News via Email
Enter your email address and your name to receive our newsletter and other news items by email, free of charge. We will send you an email to confirm. You can opt out at any time, and we won’t send you any spam.
Our mailing list partner is Mailchimp.
Photo credits: Barbara Sheard, Lyn Hyde, Andrew Sheard
Tuesday Morning Coffee and Cake is back!
