The service paints many vivid pictures of what happens on the Christian way.
If you are engaged to be married and looking for a church to be married in, then congratulations! A wedding is one of life's great moments, a time of solemn commitment as well as good wishes, feasting and joy.
If someone you know and love has died, a funeral led by a Church of England minister can be held in church, in a churchyard, by a graveside, or at a crematorium. The minister will be there to support you every step of the way.
In recent years services have been established that suit the whole parish of St Edith’s. On the first Sunday of the month, we have a said Holy Communion at 8am; on the second Sunday there is an 11.15am Holy Communion. Worship has been enhanced and developed to include a popular family service at 10.15am, usually on the last Sunday of the month. We recognise that this pattern could change in future but we would like family services to remain a regular feature of our worship.
The church hosts the annual Remembrance Day service and an Advent Procession. The church receives many visitors annually and we usually have two or three weddings a year.
Bishop Wilton is one of the larger parishes in the benefice. We are fortunate that the village is supportive of the church whether or not people attend services. We have a team of regular cleaners, gardeners and flower arrangers. PCC members are often involved in other groups, including the community shop, the WI, and the village hall.
St Edith’s has two churchwardens and a thriving PCC. The church continually raises funds, both through regular activities, such as the annual Christmas bazaar, and special one-off events. In recent years the PCC has, under the leadership of the churchwardens, held an extremely successful flower festival and two well-attended socials at the village hall.
The PCC has created strong links to the community. The Beck & Bells project combined the restoration of the historically important church bells with a heritage weekend and the publication of A Local History of Bishop Wilton, a collection of articles first published by the Bishop Wilton Local History Group. The project encouraged children and adults to explore the heritage of the church and village, including the beck. To hear, see and ring the restored bells has brought great pleasure. We created an eye-catching permanent display in the church, with a screen for specially-made films that can also be seen on the Garrowby Churches website.
The project was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Church Care supported the bells restoration.
Bishop Wilton schoolchildren at a service in St Edith’s church. The school holds at least one service a term in the church, to which parents and village residents are invited. The children’s behaviour is always exemplary!
What better way to teach children about the coronation than to stage our own during a Sunday family service? This was a truly exciting and memorable event.
Confirmation: work with young people and children is one of our biggest priorities, with Confirmation being both an important step for young people and a chance for the church community to celebrate with them.
2023’s flower festival was a resounding success, bringing hundreds of visitors and raising awareness of St Edith’s. A Bishop Wilton resident at the flower festival with her beautiful display, which featured traditional equipment and natural materials.
A garden party at the rectory was a great opportunity for the community to get to know each other better. Residents of the whole benefice were invited, new friendships created and relationships deepened.
A competition to win a Christmas hamper has become an annual fixture on the village green. All the items in the hampers are donated, a very good sum is raised and the winners are always delighted.
St Edith’s is dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon royal saint, Edith of Wilton in Wiltshire (961-984). The church dates from the Norman period and contains some remarkable early carvings above the south door and in the chancel arch. The two aisles, spire and porch were added over subsequent centuries. The church was sympathetically restored in 1858-9 by Sir Tatton Sykes of Sledmere and boasts a beautiful painted roof decorated with gold leaf.
Among the many points of interest is the stunning mosaic floor, copied from the Vatican. The tower clock is of great interest and the three bells, which have recently been restored, are historically important. St Edith’s is a Grade 1 listed building and is justly known as the Queen of the Wolds.
Seating Capacity: 150
Graveyard: Open
Lay participation: Lesson readers; intercessions (at Family Services)
Services per month: 3
Attendance:
8:00 am Holy Communion: 9
10:15 Familiy Service: 20
11:15 Holy Communion: 12
Approx Civil Population 550
