All posts by KFord

Charity Fundraising

Our Charity of the Year 2026: St Luke’s School Farm

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Help us install live-feed cameras at St Luke’s School Farm, giving pupils with SEND new learning opportunities—and giving our whole community a window into their amazing work.

This year, St Mary’s Church is delighted to support St Luke’s School Farm as our Charity of the Year for 2026.

Our chosen project focuses on installing a live-feed CCTV system in the animal enclosures, that will open up exciting new learning opportunities for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), while also strengthening Redbourn’s sense of community.

These cameras will allow pupils to observe animal behaviour at different times of day, develop digital and observational skills, and enjoy safe, extended learning even when they are not physically on the farm. Staff will also be able to monitor animal welfare more effectively during evenings and weekends.

The live-stream will also allow local residents and families to connect with the farm from home—watching the animals grow, explore, and become familiar faces in our community.

This simple technology helps build bridges of understanding and inclusion, celebrating the remarkable work pupils do each day.

By helping to raise at least £5,000, we are not just funding equipment—we are enabling young people with SEND to learn, flourish, and share their achievements with all of us.

Together, we can open a window that brings learning, care, and community closer than ever before.

Make a donation to st luke’s school farm
Lent

Journey to the Cross

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During Lent we have 12 images on display, representing Jesus’ “Journey to the Cross”, along the lines of the Stations of the Cross.

Created by one of our Lay Leaders of Worship, Lesley Poulton, we hope they will help you reflect on the Easter story as you journey through Lent. They will be available to see each day and used within some of our services. You can find a guide and resources at the back of church to help you.

They chart the events of Good Friday and while being seen predominantly in Roman Catholic settings, Stations of the Cross can also be found in Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist traditions too.

We hope you will take time out to come and visit, reflect, light a candle or leave a prayer for us to pray on your behalf this Lent. Do encourage others to visit too.

Download a guide to the pictures

Jesus said: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11: 28 – end

‘Being’ and ‘Bringing’

There’s lots to look forward to this month especially as we think about how we will journey through Lent.

At St Mary’s we will be having Compline at 9.00pm on Tuesdays when we will be reflecting on the Psalms using Charlie Bell’s ‘Searched me Out and Known Me’.

Then on Thursdays at 7.30pm we will be looking at The Women of Holy Week with the help of Paula Gooder’s book of the same title.


Also during Lent, we will be exhibiting Stations of the Cross, created by our congregation member Lesley. We will be using the artwork to reflect on the story of Lent, Holy Week and Easter and we do hope you will visit. We hope to see you there.

Lent 2025: Churches Together in Redbourn

‘Being’ and ‘Bringing’

There’s lots to look forward to this month especially as we think about how we will journey through Lent.

At St Mary’s we will be having Compline at 9.00pm on Tuesdays when we will be reflecting on the Psalms using Charlie Bell’s ‘Searched me Out and Known Me’.

Then on Thursdays at 7.30pm we will be looking at The Women of Holy Week with the help of Paula Gooder’s book of the same title.

Also during Lent, we will be exhibiting Stations of the Cross, created by our congregation member Lesley. We will be using the artwork to reflect on the story of Lent, Holy Week and Easter and we do hope you will visit. We hope to see you there.

God bless, Rachel

Articles

The Church Development Tool: a way of planning together

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Please take part by 12th October 2024

take part in the survey

This year we are running the Church Development Tool survey in this church. 

It’s a quick, anonymous survey that we’re inviting everyone in the church to complete, to help us understand ourselves as a church and shape our prayers and our planning for the year ahead. 

The survey will help us answer three questions:

  • What should our focus be? Your answers will help us decide about what we could be doing more of or less of as a church.
  • How do we like to express our faith and grow our faith in this church? Your answers will help us spot our strengths and how we could grow in our faith journey together. 
  • What groups of people do we have in our church? The survey will also ask you for some demographic information, such as your age group and ethnicity. We ask these questions so that we can check how far the makeup of our church mirrors the makeup of the local community. This will help us check what groups we’re reaching already and where there are opportunities.

What we find out will help us see where we’re doing well, and help us discern areas where God might be calling us to do something new or different. 

It’s important that as many people as possible in the church answer the survey, so that we get an accurate picture. 

Click below to complete the survey online or ask Revd Rachel for a paper copy. 

take part in the survey

Please respond by Saturday 12th October.

Thank you!