Welcome to Dulverton Benefice
Welcome to the website of the Dulverton Benefice. We are five Church of England parishes in the beautiful rural area of West Somerset on the edge of Exmoor. We are dedicated to promoting Christian faith and values through worship, prayer, and service. You may be someone who is living here in the community, or someone looking for a church venue for a celebration or a visitor. We hope that you will find this website helpful in providing you with information about our parishes. Our doors are open to everyone, and we very much look forward to meeting and welcoming you.
ABOUT THE BENEFICE
The Benefice consists of the small town of Dulverton and four other parishes. The overall nature of the community is very rural with agriculture and related industries still playing an important role. The overall population is about 5,000 people. We are fortunate to be living in such a beautiful area.
OUR PARISHES
The five parishes of Brompton Regis with Withiel Florey, Brushford, Dulverton, Skilgate and Upton all have their own identity and character. The churches play an important role, not just as centres of worship, but as important centres of community activity and service. We are conscious of the historical legacy, but we endeavour to make the Christian gospel relevant to our present day communities.
CHURCH SERVICES
We have a regular pattern of church services that take place through out the parishes. Our principal day for worship is on Sunday. The style and format of our services essentially follow the Anglican pattern with communion being an important part of our corporate lives. In addition we hold Family Services, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.
LIFE EVENTS
Our churches exist to support our communities and individuals throughout the whole of their lives. However, there are some key events in life that are particularly significant and the churches celebrate these events with particular care and reverence. These include Christenings, Weddings and Funerals.
PUBLIC EVENTS
Throughout the year we hold a number of Public Events which are separate from our basic pattern of church services. These events allow a wider connection between the community and the church. They include school events, talks, concerts, music recitals, exhibitions, charity events and fund raising. Some of these events are organised by the churches; others by different groups.
CHRISTIAN FAITH
Christian faith lies at the core of the various parish activities. This is what motivates and assists us. Christian faith is not primarily a set of beliefs or going to church: it is essentially a way of life based on the the love and grace of God that we strive to realise. This endeavour does not come easily. There are a number of practices and resources available that help us live out the Christian life. Some suggestions are provided.
HELP OUT
We are conscious that although we live in a beautiful area, there are many people in our communities who are finding life difficult and challenging. It is part of the church's work to help and support people where we can. Much of this will be carried out in a private and personal way. However, there are a number of local organisations that really value the involvement of volunteers.
NEWS & INFO
It is important to us to have good communication with church members and community members. We want to improve our performance in this area. One initiative is this revised website. Another initiatiive is the blog. These posts may include our weekly Pew News bulletin which gives information on the coming Sunday's services and events in the coming week. We also publish documents that we think may be of interest.
DONATE TO A PARISH
Sustaining the work of the parishes, maintaining our buildings, meeting our Diocesan quotas and giving to charities comes with a significant financial challenge. We need to raise more than £100,000 per year. We do not receive any grants from Central Government or Local Government. We would be very grateful if you would consider giving a donation to one of the five parishes, and to allow us to claim Gift Aid.
Safeguarding
Statement on Safeguarding and promoting a safer Church from the PCCs of the churches in the benefice of Dulverton.
The Churches of All Saints Church Dulverton, St Nicholas Church: Brushford, The Blessed Virgin Mary Church : Brompton Regis, St. Mary Magdalen Church: Withiel Florey, St James Church :Upton and St. John the Baptist Church :Skilgate
We State:
This group of churches regards “safeguarding” as an essential part of our Christian duty. We are all God’s Children and should be treated with respect and kindness.
The churches will comply with safeguarding procedures and practices as described by the policy of the Church of England.
We as a group will promote the guidance and practices of “The Safer Church” programme.
We will ensure our churches are safe places for everyone to attend and visit.
We have a safeguarding policy promoted in our churches and information and contact advice for those in need.
Our Churches will be vigilant in our duty of care and protection for all.
OUR Commitments
• Promoting a safer environment and culture
• Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children
and vulnerable adults
• Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
• Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse or other affected persons
• Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns/allegations of abuse and
other affected persons
• Responding to those that may pose a present risk.
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Click on the pdf image below to display further information on Safeguarding.
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