Contacting us

Details of our address and how to contact us are given in the next page of this section; and a map of our location can be viewed on the page after that.

In the remainder of this page, we provide some guidance if you are considering using St Mary Magdalene's for family occasions such as baptisms, weddings and funerals. The Church is often asked to pray for, or visit, family members or friends: please visit the final page of this section, on pastoral care, to find out more.

Baptisms

St Mary Magdalene's is very happy to welcome children into the family of the Church. A date and a time need to be fixed with the Rector (telephone 01382 690234). Then the family will be sent a booklet explaining the purpose of baptism and a form to be filled in with the names of the child, the parents and the godparents. This is then returned to the Rector.

On the night before the baptism, there will be a meeting at the family home to go through the service and arrange any last-minute details. After the service, the family is given a baptismal certificate and candle. The child is then added to the Church's family list. and receives a birthday card each year. Magazines are sent to the family, keeping them up-to-date with events in the Church.

Baptisms are free, but a donation is usually given to the Church.

Marriage

St Mary Magdalene's is a Church that likes to say "Yes" — especially in the case of marriage. The first contact is usually by telephone. A time and a date are usually fixed with the Rector (telephone 01382 690234) and a form is sent to the couple, together with some helpful notes about things that need to be considered in a Church wedding (music, flowers, legal documents, service sheets, and so on).

Once this form is returned, there is a meeting with the couple to discuss their plans and go through a preliminary walk-through of the service — which gives everyone an idea of what will happen on the day. As arrangements are finalized, a further meeting may be required.

On the night before the wedding, we normally have a full rehearsal with the bride and groom, best man and bridesmaids, father giving away his daughter away and anyone else involved in the ceremony.

Marriages are conducted free of charge, but a donation is usually given to the Church.

Funerals

Funerals are normally arranged through an undertaker. The Rector (telephone 01382 690234) will then contact the family and arrange a time for a visit. During his visit, he will discuss the music and readings that will be used during the service, together with a tribute for the person who has died. The service can take place in Church, at the crematorium, the graveside, the funeral service room or at home — whatever the family prefer.

If the main service is in Church, the coffin is normally brought in the night before, and is placed in the Chancel, covered with a purple pall and flanked by two candles, giving the person who has died quietness and dignity in death. The dark and empty Church signifies the tomb in which Jesus was laid after his crucifixion — and the flowers which surround the coffin at the service symbolize the Easter Garden where Jesus was raised from the dead.

Funerals are free, but the undertakers normally give a donation to the Church.