The Church of St John the Evangelist
Our small but committed congregation looks forward to welcoming you to our beautiful and historic church. We are open in outlook, all inclusive, rooted in the Gospel, thankful for the inheritance of faith into which we have entered but always looking to God's plans for the future in Tolpuddle.
We are part of the Benefice of Puddletown for which the vicar is the Reverend Canon Sarah Hillman (sarah.c.hillman@outlook.com). We have one church warden: Jayne Brayshaw (jayne.brayshaw9@yahoo.com) and a sacristan.
The church of St John the Evangelist is a beautiful historic building with a long-standing connection to the village. The church belongs to the whole community, an integral part of the village as it has been for hundreds of years and it is open every day for people who want a quiet space in which to sit, reflect, pray, read or just have some time out - a valuable resource for our mental health.
The Reverend Canon Sarah Hillman works around the four villages that form our benefice, running our church services, conducting weddings, baptisms and funerals, supporting the two schools as well as acting as Rural Dean. Her role in Tolpuddle is not just about church life, she is also available to the whole community for pastoral care.
The Churchwarden is Jayne Brayshaw and she is responsible for taking care of the church. There is also a small team of people working with her on the PCC - Parochial Church Council - Heather Saunders, Julie Batchelor, Ian Bishop and Morten Vilhelmsen.
Please get in touch if you want to ask anything of them - 07739100181 or jayne.brayshaw9@yahoo.com
Click here for the Church History page.
Services in St John's:
St John's Church
Services currently held at St John’s are as follows:
First Sunday of the Month at 09.30:
Parish Communion (traditional communion service)
Second Sunday of the Month at 17.30:
Evening Reflection (a quiet service of readings, poems, music and reflection)
Third Sunday of the Month at 09.30:
Parish Communion (traditional communion service)
Fourth Sunday of the Month at 10.00:
Go Fourth (a lively informal family orientated service with band, singing, coffee and biscuits)
Please do join us. For further information about all services contact the churchwarden:
Jayne Brayshaw: jayne.brayshaw9@yahoo.com
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals:
To enquire about Baptism, please come along to any Sunday Service and introduce yourself to the person leading the service. One of the Clergy will then contact you to arrange a meeting and give you more information.
To enquire about Weddings or Banns of Marriage, please contact the vicar: Rev’d Sarah Hillman: sarah.c.hillman@outlook.com
For Funerals, please ask your Undertaker or Funeral Director to contact us.
Enquiries regarding flowers for weddings, baptisms or funerals can be made to Jayne Brayshaw: jayne.brayshaw9@yahoo.com
Churchyard
Morten is now undertaking the organising of the churchyard team. Please contact him if you would like to join in occasionally and help with the churchyard tidy up: mortimusmaximus00@gmail.com
Food Bank
During the Harvest Festival the Church collected items for a small Food Bank which is situated at the back of the church...……. if you are struggling at this difficult time do come and help yourself - don’t be shy.
There is also information there about other sources of help too.
Parochial Church Council
Our Parochial Church Council (PCC) holds meetings four times a year and discusses such matters as the fabric of the church , the churchyard etc. The PCC secretary is Heather Saunders: heather@heathersaunders.co.uk.
Children's Trail
We are pleased to offer a Children's Trail around the church and churchyard together an informative answer sheet.