Serving God in the heart of our community since 1881

St Andrew's Church, Taunton

"St. Andrew's is a community of celebration and of hope"

This is how one of our church members recently described St Andrew's, and our aim is for this website to capture that spirit online - our faith, our worship, our people, and our community. We hope that you will enjoy looking around, and will come back often, as the site is updated every week.

 

Holy Week and Easter at St. Andrew's This year, rediscover the miracle of Easter hope

Holy Week services are the most powerful and moving of the church year. We are able to share in the experiences of Jesus and his disciples during a week that changed the world.

 

Palm Sunday euphoria; betrayal and isolation on Maundy Thursday; the shattering experience of Good Friday; Easter Eve – the anticipation of something extraordinary; blazing dawn light and pure joy on Easter Day.

 

It’s a journey unlike any other. Challenging, moving, exhausting, transforming.

 

This Holy Week and Easter we warmly invite you to join us at St. Andrew’s to rediscover the miracle of Easter hope

 

Please click here for details of Holy Week and Easter services

 

We are delighted to welcome the Venerable Dick Acworth to lead many of our services during this week.

 

Quote of the Week

“Love is the threshold where divine and human presence ebb and flow  into each other.” 

 

 From ‘Anam Cara - Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World’  by John O’Donohue, available in the Parish Library.

Gospel for Sunday 18 March 2007 Luke 15:1-3,11b-end

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable:

‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” Then the father^* said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”

During our interregnum please join with all of us at St. Andrew's in our Vacancy Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, our friend and saviour, you promised to be with us always, until the end of time.

 

We thank you for being with those whose vision led to the founding of St Andrew’s Church.

 

We thank you for being with the men, women and children who, since then, have filled the church with prayer, praise and thanksgiving.

 

Be with us now as we live out today’s chapter in the story of your people at St Andrew’s.

 

Be with all those who carry the responsibility of leadership in our parish life, especially Stephen and June, our Wardens, and all members of our PCC.  Help each of us to play our part; to love and serve each other and, above all, to serve you in the heart of this community.

 

We pray for all involved in the process of appointing a new incumbent and for the person you are calling to join us.

 

Help us to face the future with faith and courage; to keep alive the vision that brought this church into being and to become the people you want us to be.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to trust in your love and faithfulness and to serve you with joy and thanksgiving now and always. 

 

Amen.