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.
For many years Full Sutton was a small farming community of around thirty houses situated around a small village green, with an airfield nearby that operated as RAF Full Sutton up until 1959. With strong ties to the neighbouring village of Skirpenbeck and a thriving Sunday school, regular annual events such as seaside visits and sports days took place.
Full Sutton is no longer a typical East Riding village. The airfield is now an industrial estate. In the late 1980s, HMP Full Sutton was built at the far end of the village, with a new housing estate to accommodate prison officers and their families. In the year 2000, a further twenty seven houses were built, creating a second village green. The number of houses in the village now stands at around 160 with a population of around 500. As the population has grown in a short space of time, the average age is fairly low compared to similar sized villages in the area.
The church has struggled financially over the past few years with a dwindling congregation, and structural issues forced the church to close its doors for several months in 2022. Throughout this difficult period, the churchwarden/treasurer and a small number of dedicated worshippers have kept the church spirit alive with regular monthly communion services.
Following a recent crisis meeting with residents of Full Sutton, several villagers have come forward to offer help and support to ensure the future of St Mary’s will be far brighter than it has seemed possible for many years, with plans to form a ‘friends’ society to raise funds, help with general maintenance and to apply for maintenance and improvement grants. Full Sutton has no other publicly accessible building so there is a desire within the community to improve facilities and to build a greater sense of community based around the church. The sense of purpose that many villagers now see has grown out of the threat of closure, and is beginning to form the foundations to be built on over the coming years.
A service of Holy Communion
Our Christingle service
Palm Sunday and a donkey procession around the village.
The church, a grade II listed building, is set back from the road in the oldest part of the village. Dating from 1845, and built using stone from a much earlier mediaeval building, the church contains the original pews but lacks running water or toilet facilities. The church bells used to ring each Sunday morning but have been removed due to safety concerns and are on display in the church. One of these bells dates from around 1370.
We have plans to develop the activity in Full Sutton. To this end we have investigated the possibility of removing some of the pews at the rear of the church to create a small meeting place, have explored the feasibility of adding running water and toilet facilities, and would dearly love to see the church bells restored to their rightful place.
Seating Capacity: 70
Graveyard: Open
Lay participation: Lesson readers
Services per month: 1
Attendance: 5
Approx Civil Population 512
