Welcome to St Martin’s Chipping Ongar
with St Peter’s Shelley.
 picture courtesy of
Northcliffe Media, Brentwood Gazette |
Welcome to our Church!
We hope you will find all the information you need on our website, whether you are thinking of visiting us, or are already a member of our church community. We strive to create places of Christian faith and worship in our two beautiful church buildings; St Martin’s in Ongar Town Centre which was built nearly 1000 years ago and St Peter’s which was built in Victorian times in the fields beyond Shelley. We love to welcome visitors, tourists and those seeking something more spiritual and if, when you have browsed the website, you would like to find out more, please contact the Rector, whose details appear in our ‘Who's Who’ page |
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Recent News
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People & Events
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| Katie, Ruby & Harrison help make the Easter Garden
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Katie, Ruby and Harrison by their finished garden!
| | Our flower arrangers were delighted to welcome some extra assistance on Holy Saturday when they invited Katie, Ruby and Harrison help make the Easter Garden. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, working alongside the church floristry ladies. Thank you all three of you!
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| Holy Week 2012 in our Parish | | Holy Week was as busy as ever with services each evening in St Martin’s and a Good Friday meditation at St Peter’s. Good Friday also saw the congregations of all the local churches come together for the Walk of Witness through Ongar High Street calling at St Helen’s Catholic Church, St Martin’s and the URC church. |
Sue, Shirley and Mary | Sue and Shirley distributed hot cross buns to the shops and shoppers during the Walk of Witness whilst Mary co-ordinated the display of the Stations of the Cross at each of our churches |
On the evening of Holy Saturday – the night when Our Lord “passed over” from death to life, from darkness to light, around 16 of us met in the Church Rooms for supper (many thanks to Sue King and her team for catering and allowing for our various dietary requirements!), story-telling and the Easter Vigil. All of us took part in dramatised readings about man’s relationship with God which ranged from the story of Adam and Eve, Noah, the crossing of the Red Sea, the resurrection of the dead in Ezekiel and the Song of Joy from Zephaniah.
| We then gathered outside St Martin’s for the Service of Light where we lit a fire in the churchyard. From this the Paschal Candle – a symbol of Christ – was lit and, in turn, our own individual candles. After this we entered the dark and silent church, led by our Rector, Susan Cooper, bearing the Paschal Candle which she periodically raised, as we processed to the chancel, proclaiming the words “The Light of Christ” to which we enthusiastically responded “Thanks be to God”. After the Liturgy of the Word we moved to the font where we renewed our baptismal vows followed by a joyful exchanging of the Peace. |  The Paschal Candle was lit from the fire |
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