On Sunday 3rd December (Advent Sunday), we're holding a prayer vigil in the church - a chance to spend time praying and being in God's presence.

This is open to anyone. You don't need to have any special knowledge or experience - just a willingness to spend time with God. We'll provide creative materials to help you focus your prayer, but you're equally welcome to just sit quietly.

You can sign up for a one-hour slot here or by emailing stmaryswelshnewton@gmail.com - we'll let you know what slots are available and sign you up.

On the fourth Sunday of every month we are holding an informal Prayer Service at 6pm, where we learn about prayer and spend time praying for our church, our community and each other. All welcome. If there's something you'd like us to include in our prayers, you can pop a prayer request in the box at the back of the church or can send a prayer request to stmaryswelshnewton@gmail.com

Our 24 hours of non-stop prayer from Maundy Thursday over to Good Friday were an amazing experience. Our prayers ranged from fervent intercessions for healing and outdoor prayers for the local community to silent meditation in the middle of the night. We were lucky enough to have sunshine in the day and a clear, starlit night with an almost full moon, and there were even prayers outside in a moonlit churchyard. The vigil ended with a powerful service led by Rev. Mark Melluish. Huge thanks to everyone who gave their time to pray. We wait to see what God does next!

A few of us from St Mary's were lucky enough to spend a day learning more about prayer from author and founder of the 24/7 prayer movement, Pete Greig, in a study day organised by Hereford Diocese. We heard inspiring stories about answers to prayer, learned about how to make sense of times when God doesn't seem to be listening, and enjoyed meeting people from other churches. There's always so much more to learn!

We'll keep updating the website as soon as we have more prayer events.