About Us
Vision, Who's Who, Charles Kingsley's CE School

A CofE Church in Eversley, North Hampshire, part of the benefice of Darby Green and Eversley, with strong connections to Charles Kingsley's CE Primary School.

[St Mary's Church]

Welcome to St Mary's CofE Church in Eversley.

You're very welcome to have a look around and to join us for one of our services or activities that we have week by week.

If you need further information or have a question, don't hesitate to Contact Us.

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain.

Diversity of Worship

We will look at all the ways people worship God, from the traditional to the contemporary, and invest in creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to meet with God.

We will survey our community to find out what will help people find and grow in their faith. This could include:

  • Mid-week services
  • Sunday services
  • Traditional services
  • Holy Communion in different forms
  • Cafe Church
  • Diddy Disciples
  • Church in different places e.g. Eversley Village Hall and Bramshill Mission Chapel or outside
  • Small groups

We will listen to the answers and to God, and act upon what we hear.

A Visible Presence in the Community

We will work to better integrate church and village life to help people see the relevance of church today, aiming to meet the diverse needs of our community. We will:

A Sustainable Future

We will enhance our community and buildings for future generations, securing the best of the past to serve the needs of the future. Part of this work will include:

  • Restoring and renewing our Grade 1 listed building
  • Enhancing the welcome and hospitality of our worship facilities
  • Developing our hall facilities for wider community use
  • Using the Eco-church framework to help us manage and utilise our green spaces and other resources
  • Building a sustainable financial future for the church

Clergy

[Rev Faith Bailey]
  • Rev. Faith Bailey
  • Vicar
[Photo of Rachel Hartland]
  • Rev. Rachel Hartland
  • Associate Priest

Lay Ministers/Workers

[Photo of Jane Hughes]
  • Jane Hughes
  • Licensed Lay Minister

Church Officers

[Photo of Tim Ellis]
  • Tim Ellis
  • Churchwarden

Parochial Church Council

  • Tim Ellis
  • Jane Hughes
  • Iris Scammells
  • Niell Becker
  • Jane Pickup
  • Susan Brooker
  • Martin Clark
  • Sharon Brooker
  • Mick Hibble
  • Rev. Rachel Hartland
  • Rev. Faith Bailey

We have a very active and close relationship with Charles Kingsley's CE School.

Clergy and lay members of our church help each week to lead Collective Worship, either individually or as part of our Open the Book team through a nationally recognised scheme for telling Bible stories, produced by the Bible Society and acted out by local people.

At key points in the year, such as:

  • Founders Day
  • Harvest
  • Christmas
  • Easter

the whole school, or a part of it, walks to St Mary's for Collective Worship, welcoming parents to witness the children lead worship under the guidance of their teachers. The school choir and senior teachers, also help to lead Sunday worship on the 1st Sunday in Advent.

[Children's boots and shoes line the path after walking to St Mary's]
Children's boots and shoes line the path after walking to St Mary's

The children also lay a wreath on Remembrance Sunday.

Both clergy and some other lay members of our church support the school as Foundation Governors, and some share with parents of all denominations in the school Prayer Group that meets half-termly.

We are currently working with the leadership of the school to explore in what further ways the mission of the church to the local community can be linked with the way the school works with people living in the area.

What is it?

A church’s Electoral Roll is the register of its voting members; it is a list of those qualified to attend and to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM).

The APCM is where the elections take place for the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and the parish's representatives on the Deanery Synod.

Who can be on the Electoral Roll?

Baptised adults (over 16 years) who live in the parish, or who have worshipped regularly at St Mary's for at least six months and are committed to being part of the life of the local Church of England congregation.
see [1] below for full eligibility

Why join?

Enrolment is a way of saying “I belong”. For us it is an act of commitment to St Mary's and the church as a whole. It opens the way for a greater involvement in the life of the church at parish, deanery, diocesan and national levels.

As a voting member you can help to ensure that the PCC, the Deanery Dynod, the Diocesan Synod, and the General Synod are fully representative of its members. This provides an opportunity for partnership between bishops, clergy and the congregation in the life of the Church, to enable church people at every level to be in touch with the Church as a whole and to have their say in all aspects of church life, including its doctrine and services.

Did you know?
Electoral roll returns are one of the key indicators monitored by the national church when allocating clergy across the length and breadth of the UK.

How do I join?

Complete the Electoral Roll Application Form and return it to:

  • Iris Scammells
  • 01252 873503

[1] You are eligible to become a voting member of St Mary's if you have been baptised, are sixteen or over, and either:

  • are a member of the Church of England (or a Church in communion with the Church of England) and are resident in the parish
    or
  • are a member of the Church of England (or of a Church in communion with the Church of England) and, not being resident in the parish, have habitually attended public worship in the parish during the period of six months prior to enrolment
    or
  • are a member in good standing in a Church (not in communion with the Church of England) which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and also declare yourself to be a member of the Church of England and have habitually attended public worship in the parish during the period of six months prior to enrolment

[2] The Electoral Roll is completely renewed every six years; the next renewal is due in 2025. In a year of renewal, no names are carried over from the old roll and everyone must make a new application to be included on the new roll.

[3] The Electoral Roll application form will also request your email address. If you consent to give it, we hope this will improve our ability to keep you up to date with parish events and information. Also, if you consent, we will share your email address with the Communications Department at the Diocesan Office in order that they, too, can better keep you informed both of diocesan-wide events and also with messages from our Bishops and Archdeacons.

Each year we try to support a mix of international, national and local charities.

Some we support via a special service, for example the Remembrance Sunday collection goes to the Royal British Legion, while others might be a special appeal, such as the Disaster Emergency Committee.

Charities we supported in 2019

Ivan Tumusiime, our Sponsored Child

[Photo of Ivan]

Ivan Tumusiime, who was born 29th April 2003 and lives in Uganda, is the child we have sponsored through Compassion UK.

Ivan lives under the care of his mother. His home duties include washing clothes, carrying water and helping out in the kitchen. There are 4 children in the family.

For fun, Ivan likes playing house, playing hide and seek and playing ball games. He attends Sunday School and Church regularly. He also attends school.

Please remember Ivan in your prayers and pray that he is well and happy. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop.

If you would like to write to Ivan, please contact Jane Hughes who has special paper. I'm sure he would love to hear from some of us!

The Children's Society

We support the Children's Society through the Christingle Services held on Christmas Eve. Tescos supplied the oranges to make the Christingles, so our thanks go to them. The donations received by the Children's Society enable it to make a real and practical improvement in the lives of children.

  • Sian 12 tells us:

    Our house was dirty, there was no food and dad was drunk. The Children's Society helped. I mean really helped. Life is so different now.

  • 16-year-old Emma has walking difficulties:

    Other children say I'm different. They call me names. They think that because I can't walk properly I don’t understand. The Children's Society helps me feel better about myself. They talk to me about what I want to do. They helped me find work in a pet shop. I love it! I feel so happy about the future.

  • Lorna came to the Children's Society when she and her children became destitute:

    The Children's Society has helped us so much with food, clothing, getting support and if I just need to talk to somebody ... whatever we need. I've started to think that maybe things will work out.

  • Benefice Administrator

    The churches of St Barnabas, Darby Green and St Mary’s, Eversley are looking to appoint an Administrator to support a wide range of ministry and mission that happens across both churches.

    The successful candidate will have strong administration skills with an eye for detail and great interpersonal skills. They will have a good understanding of MS Office software packages and comfortable to learn other systems to support the day to day running of the church. Reporting directly to the vicar they will have a key role across both parishes and supported by a team of volunteers. In addition to good organisational skills the person will have good people skills and will reflect the Christian values of the benefice by their life and work.

    For further details, download the Benefice Administrator Job Specification

    If you would like an application pack or an informal discussion about the role, you are welcome to contact our vicar:

    • Rev. Faith Bailey
    • 07470 328210
    • Every day except Friday

    Closing date for applications: Tuesday 9th April 2024 at midday

    Interview date: w/c 15th April 2024