Churches July/August 2025

PCC Meeting

To Be Confirmed.

St Helen's Contact Details

Revd Elaine Jones revelainejones@gmail.com 07521 106158

www.mitfordandwansbeckchurches.com

People can also get in touch via the Benefices administrator at 

Wansbeckvicarhelp@gmail.com or on 01670 943414.

Their hours are Monday 9.00am - 5.30pm, Tue and Wed 9.00am - 1.00pm.

Thought for the Month - from the new Priest in Charge at St Helen’s

As I begin my ministry among you here at St Helen’s, I want to say how deeply grateful I am for the warmth of the welcome I’ve received. It is a rare and precious thing to arrive in a place and feel, almost at once, that you belong - that people are glad to see you, ready to include you, and eager to share something of themselves. This is a village that knows the value of kindness and community. For those of you who haven’t met me yet, I am also Priest in Charge of Mitford and Hebron and the Upper Wansbeck group of Churches and have been in post since December 2022. I am governor in three church schools, including Longhorsley where I enjoy being part of the school community and have been welcomed by staff, pupils and parents alike.

In our Christian tradition, particularly among the Northern Celtic saints - figures like St Aidan, St Cuthbert, and St Hilda - hospitality was not just a social nicety, but a holy calling. They believed that in welcoming the stranger, we might well be entertaining angels without knowing it. Their monasteries and communities were places of open doors and open hearts, rooted in a rhythm of prayer, work, and welcome. No one was turned away. Everyone was offered food, rest, and a place to be known.

That same spirit was alive and well at our recent celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day. What a wonderful event it was! It felt like the village itself opened its arms wide. People of all ages gathered - not just to remember the past, but to embody something enduring: a sense of togetherness, a pride in community, and a gratitude for those who lived with courage and sacrifice. I was moved by the way people offered their time, their gifts, and their energy so freely. These are the quiet acts of love that build up a people.

That event reminded me that Christian hospitality is not about grand gestures, but about making space for others in our lives, especially those who are lonely, grieving, or uncertain. It is about sharing what we have - our stories, our homes, our prayers - and recognising Christ in the face of our neighbour.

The saints of the North knew that the Gospel is most powerful when it is lived out in simple ways: by lighting a hearth, setting a place at the table, or walking alongside someone in their time of need. My prayer is that St Helen’s will continue to be that kind of church - where the light of Christ is visible in the way we care for one another, where no one is forgotten, and no one stands alone.

May we carry forward this sacred tradition of hospitality, drawing from the deep wells of love, welcome, and faith that have sustained generations before us.

With every blessing, 

Revd Elaine Jones, Priest in Charge, St Helen’s Church

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St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church had very successful Easter Celebrations. We noted good attendance on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We had the joy of receiving our young adult into Catholic communion on Easter vigil. We went through hard times as well. We lost one of our oldest members of the Church, Mary Noble (Winefride) was a pillar in our community. 

As we closed Easter season with the celebration of Pentecost, our next activities will run to the end of the year. We discussed many things, however, the immediate event is restoring communion under both kinds (host and blood, the practice that was there before Covid 19). This will start from the 22nd of June on Corpus Christi Sunday Mass. We shall have Jubilee Garden Party.

This year marks my second Easter celebration in Ashington and Longhorsley. It is such a refreshing experience to me in the North East of England. I drive several times to Longhorsley and to other villages around. The communities are welcoming and lively. One of the families hosted me to a meal to celebrate my birthday, for the first time ever in my life. We continue to express the love of God in the way we live our lives. We have lots of things to celebrate in our ministry. 

There are good things we have seen although we need to correct some of the things in our church, especially the gutters and replacing a few stone slides. Our challenge is that the church is a listed building, and we need lots of consultations with the committee on Historical Buildings (Churches). 

Fr Ascensio Vincent Waiga CSSp

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Other Sunday services by arrangement, information thereof being available from our Contact below.

For our other group meetings, please see the Group Activities sections.

Visitors are always very welcome to all our events.

Longhorsley Mission Bible Convention, 5th and 6th July 2025

Held in Memorial Hall, Longframlington.

Speakers:  Mark Fisher (Oxford) and Andrew Lucas (Omagh).

Saturday 5th July at 3.30pm and 6pm

Sunday 6th July at 11am, 3.30pm and 6pm

Tea provided each day following the afternoon meetings. All are welcome.

Contact Ian Pagan 788263 idpagan@btinternet.com

Website: www.longhorsleymission.org.uk

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