Edge
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Welcome to the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Edge
About us: Edge Church sits on the A4173 main road from Stroud to Gloucester, just above our village of Edge. Newcomers to the village often wonder why the church is not nestled in among the village houses, this is because it was built by Samuel Whitfield Daukes in 1865 as a chapel of ease, and became a parish church a few years later. Daukes had previously built nearby Harescombe Grange in 1861-64. The large Victorian houses around The Park in Cheltenham are also his work, although most of his church buildings are in the Midlands, with a few in London and Kent. Our church building, although built in a fork between a main road and a country lane, is blessed with a lovely peaceful setting. The view from our churchyard is amazing, with views of the Brecon Beacons, Gloucester and most of the southern Vale of the Severn.
Churchwardens: Vivienne Barrett Tel; 01452 814564 email: vebarrett@btopenworld.com Martin Freeman Tel; 01452 814805 email: freeman855@btinternet.com PCC secretary: Barbara Freeman Tel; 01452 814805 email: freeman855@btinternet.com Services and Prayer Meetings There are two services a month at Edge; a 3 Parish communion service on the first Sunday of the month, where we are joined by other parishioners from Pitchcombe and Harescombe, and a Family or themed service on the fourth Sunday of the month. Our services are friendly and you will not be expected to dress formally. We have a small kitchen at the back of the church, so we can enjoy plenty of coffee, tea and cakes or more seasonal refreshments together after services. Our services combine the traditional and the informal as we strive to be inclusive and community minded. As our vicar will tell you things are always a little different in Edge! The usual traditional services such as Easter, Harvest, Remembrance Day and Christmas are all celebrated in usual Edge style! We hold regular prayer services on the first Monday of the month at 9.30am usually for half an hour. If you would like us to pray for anyone, please let us know. You are also very welcome to join us for our informal monthly Benefice prayer meeting at 9.30am, these are usually on a Friday but dates vary and are displayed monthly on the church notice board. Other Church Activities Natter Group We hold a monthly Natter Group usually in the church on the last Friday of the month at 11am. There is usually a speaker or some kind of activity for about 20 – 30 minutes before the serious business of chatting, drinking coffee and eating cake begins! A summer afternoon tea party and Christmas party are also included in the timetable – more excuse for cake! This is a non-religious meeting for everyone to meet other villagers and for those who have difficulty in getting out in the evening. We do offer lifts to and from the church for those who have difficulty with transport and there is disabled access. Flower workshops We run these usually twice a year in the church or the village hall depending on numbers. They are great fun and again involve coffee, cake and community as well as flowers. Our flower arranging rota has benefited greatly from these workshops which is why we originally introduced them, as some of us felt our flower arranging skills were somewhat deficient or totally absent! Summer Fete The summer fete in June is a great highlight of the year with the hard work and profits being shared by the Village Hall and the Church. The church is often used to display artwork, flowers or as neutral territory for the cake competition. Community is the buzz word here. Open Gardens Several gardens are opened to the public, usually in June on alternate years, with the Church and the Village hall used as refreshment and information stations. Open Gardens is another fantastic community activity with profits being shared between both the Church and Village Hall. Harvest Lunch The harvest lunch is organised by the Church and WI. The lunch follows the service with the WI providing a wonderful seasonal Harvest meal. The PCC also arrange concerts and other performances in the church.
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