St Mary and St Gabriel

Sharing the love of God

Letter from Harriet, the Rector – 10^th April 2021

Letter from Harriet, the Rector Happy Easter to you all! I hope you had a good Easter weekend.  It was lovely to see you all in church, and also to join with you on the telephone service. As the restrictions continue to ease, we are going to begin worshipping together again at Elsted on the Second Sunday of each month which means that tomorrow we are at Elsted for the Benefice Eucharist at 10am. The 8am service of Holy Communion will also return this week, and will be held at Harting as usual.  Please note that this service will be held in the main body of the church until the restrictions lift as it is much easier to maintain social distance this way. We also hope to have some more services at Didling soon which I will keep you updated about in this newsletter. I'm sure you will all agree with me that the flowers in Harting over Easter were magnificent, so a huge thank you to all our very talented flower arrangers who gave of their time and energy to decorate the church, and also to Selina and Sue for creating the wonderful Easter Garden, and to Rosie for the miniature Garden of Gethsemane at Elsted for Maundy Thursday. It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh yesterday, and all three churches will be open as usual for prayer and reflection.  We are not allowed to have a physical book of condolence at the moment due to the Covid restrictions, but the Church of England has set up an online book which can be completed here: www.churchofengland.org The flags at Harting and Elsted will remain at half mast for the period of national mourning and we will have prayers and a minute's silence at our Sunday services. On a different note, our APCMs are fixed for the following dates: Harting - Wednesday 19th May at 7pm in church Elsted and Treyford cum Didling - Tuesday 25th May at 5pm in Elsted church All those on our electoral rolls our welcome, and I hope we will be in a position to begin to look to the future as we see the restrictions gradually lifting. If you are not already on the electoral roll and would like to be added, please get in touch with Harriet for a form. I hope you all have a good weekend and week ahead.  May God's blessing be with you. with every blessing, Harriet

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Welcome to our website. Please browse the pages to learn about us. Should you require further Information, do not hesitate to contact us by letter, telephone, or email.

The Parish Church of St Mary & St Gabriel, in the West Sussex village of South Harting, is part of the United Benefice of Harting with Elsted and Treyford cum Didling (in the Diocese of Chichester).

For nearly 800 years, our Church has witnessed to the love of God. Over that period, people have gathered Sunday by Sunday for worship and to share in the Eucharist (Holy Communion). They have come here to be baptised, married, and finally to be buried. 

The Church building is widely recognised as one of the finest in England, and we are pleased to welcome many visitors, especially during the Summer months. South Harting is on a popular cycling route, and is very close to the glorious South Downs Way. Our Summer cream teas (Sundays 2.30pm to 4.30pm) attract villagers and travellers alike.

Of course, although our building is very important to us, the essence of our Church consists of the people who belong to it. We seek to follow Christ, and to share God's love with our local community. Aside from our Sunday services, we hold regular courses (especially during Lent and Advent) where people can learn more about the Christian Faith, and dare to ask questions. We like to think of ourselves as very open minded. Authentic Christian Faith is not about blind belief, but about growing in faith and love and service.

We enjoy an excellent relationship with the local Congregational Church. The Rector and the Congregational Ministers work closely together, and meet together most weeks to share news and to pray.

If you are able to visit us, or to join in any of our activities, you will be most welcome. 

Last updated - 10/4/2021

Email webmaster: pjhaymanathome@btinternet.com

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We are delighted to welcome our new Rector, The Reverend Harriet Neale-Stevens. 

Harriet joined us on the 24th September when she was formally Inducted as Incumbunt of Harting with Elsted and Treyford cum Didling at a service led by the Bishop of Horsham. 

We extend to Harriet and her young family a huge welcome and hope they will be very happy here in their new home.

We have support from our Benefice Deacon Emma D'Aeth, together with Roger Williamson (Honorary Priest) and our Lay Reader Patricia Grigsby. The Deanery also supports our weddings and funerals.

Please refer any church matters to the Churchwardens, Hatti and Sarah – click here for the contact page. Information about services will be updated regularly. 

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding Policy Statement

As members of the PCCs of Harting and Elsted with Treyford cum Didling we are committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of all our members.

We recognise that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

We are committed to implementing all safeguarding policies and practice guidance issued by the House of Bishops

We will carefully select and train all those who work or volunteer in positions of trust.  We will use the Disclosure and Barring Service, amongst other tools, to check the background of each person.

We will respond, without delay, to every concern made that a person for whom we are responsible may have been harmed. 

We will co-operate fully with statutory agencies during any investigation concerning a member of the church community.

We will seek to ensure that anyone for whom we have pastoral responsibility who has suffered abuse is offered support that meets their needs.

We will respond appropriately to those who have committed sexual offences who wish to join our fellowship, following House of Bishop's guidance and the advice of the Safeguarding Team.

We will review this policy annually and as part of this process will ensure that all our procedures, particularly in relation to the Disclosure and Barring Service, are up to date.

Our Safeguarding Representative is Jane Thwaites

Address: Pond Cottage, Elsted, West Sussex, GU29 0LA

Telephone: 07444299054 or 01730 82565

Email: jane.thwaites@btinternet.com