St Mary’s, Slindon is a parish church within the United Benefice of Slindon, Eartham, and Madehurst.
Our United Benefice falls within the Diocese of Chichester which is led by Bishop Martin Warner. Website: www.chichester.anglican.org.
St.Margaret’s, Eartham and St Mary Magdalene’s, Madehurst are, like St Mary’s, ancient Grade 1 listed buildings and play a significant role in their communities.
United Benefice Services held in one of the three churches during the year bring the congregations of all three Parishes together.
Retired Vicar who serves in the Benefice
David Thornley
Phone: 01243 814302
Email: dhthornley@btinternet.com
St Mary's Church Warden
Barbara Brindlecombe
Phone: 01243 814285
Email: bbrimblecombe@aol.com
Parish Safeguarding Officer
Glen Hampshire
Phone: 01243 542692
Email: oldoakuk@tiscali.co.uk
St Mary's Church Warden
Mr Tony Richards
Phone: 01243 814735
Email: tony.wordpower@btinternet.com
Treasurer
Mrs Clare Bacchus
Phone: 01243 814264
Email: clare_bacchus@live.co.uk
Choir Master
Mr Gareth Williams
Phone: 01243 814207
Email: garwil23@hotmail.co.uk
PCC Member
Mrs Jane Haywood
Email: haywoodjane@sky.com
PCC Member
Mr Paul Wilkinson
Email: wilkinsonpaul22@gmail.com
David Slee
Gareth Williams
Jan Diamond
Helen Ball
Adam Stone
Lionel Whatley
Carolyn Ball
Annie Simson
Recognising the importance of our role as the Parish Church in our lovely village, St. Mary’s seeks to be a welcoming and inclusive presence through which the love of Christ is shared and celebrated through worship, learning, care and service.
We seek to do so by ‘building on the past, in the present, for the future’.
St. Mary’s, a Grade 1 listed building, is over 900 years old and, as with all old buildings, there is always maintenance work to be done. It costs about £35,000 p.a. to run the church and we rely on the generosity of our faithful givers and the profit from our annual fete and other fund-raising events to cover this large sum.
In recent years, we have carried out a major programme of repair and renewal at St Mary’s that has put the building into the best possible state to meet the needs of current and future generations of worshippers and visitors. That has been possible because so many people have recognised the central role the church plays in the history and the current life of the community, positioned at the very heart of our beautiful village.
If you would like to support St. Mary’s by becoming a regular giver please contact the Treasurer, Clare Bacchus for more information. A Gift Aid Declaration Form can also be obtained from the Treasurer. Telephone 01243 814 264 or email clare_bacchus@live.co.uk
Legacy Giving: We welcome all gifts in wills, however large or small, and we promise to use your gift to make a difference in our parish. We have been fortunate to receive such generous gifts in the past.
Legacy gifts are used to help fund maintenance and development projects or to provide enhanced facilities and resources in line with the needs of the parish. Since needs change over the years, we encourage you to leave a gift in your will for the general purposes of the Benefice or a specific church building, rather than for a restricted purpose. However, we will of course discuss possible uses of your gift with your executors and family when the time comes, bearing in mind any known areas of interest in the church (e.g. music, buildings, churchyards, children and young people) and the church’s priorities at the time. You can be confident that your gift will be used to make a real difference to our future mission and ministry.
We will acknowledge gifts in whatever way the donor and/or his/her executors feel is most appropriate. Equally, we can make sure that gifts remain anonymous if the donor prefers.
If you would like to talk to someone in confidence about the sorts of purposes your gift might fund, and how/if you would like your gift to be acknowledged, please contact either our priest or one of the churchwardens. If you would like to make a gift in memory of a loved one, please do come and discuss this with us, too.
The Church of England has a dedicated website with a lot of useful information about legacy giving for both those considering the idea and their advisers. It can be found at: https://www.churchlegacy.org.uk/
We are 2.5 miles west of Arundel and 6.5 miles from Chichester.
We do not have a car park next to the Church. Please park in Church Hill or one of the surrounding roads.