St Bartholomew’s, Tong
Parish Calendar
Every church is the most precious thing
Believers never have, and never will, be reconciled to the closure of church.
We need to understand what a church is to a believer.
It is not just a building;
It is not even like one’s own home.
Every church is the most precious thing in the whole world.
It is washed with the believer’s tears.
With the tears of his father and grandfather.
Here he brings his loftiest feelings;
He was carried here as a baby
And he will be carried out from here into the churchyard;
His parents and all those closest to him were taken from here to their eternal rest.
And now insolent, thick-skinned, coarse people have forced their way in here.
A believer who sees a closed, desecrated church feels as though someone has spat, not in his face (that is easy to wipe away)
But into his soul,
Into everything he holds most dear and sacred.
( written in response to the wilful destruction of a Baptist Church by the authorities in Comanesti, Romania)
Welcome to England’s largest festival of history and culture!
Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore.
Heritage Open Days 2023 – 8th-17th September
Regular services on the first Sunday of each month:
8.00 a.m. – Holy Communion (traditional, half an hour, no hymns)
11.00 a.m. – Family Service (not traditional; 45 – 50 minutes)
Refreshments to follow. We serve real coffee!
Regular services on all other Sundays:
11.00 a.m. – Parish Communion (accessible for all, one hour),
Refreshments to follow.
December 2022 calendar
Sunday 4th –
Advent 2 – 8.00 am Holy Communion ( wrap up warm!)
11.00 Morning Worship
Tuesday 6th –
Christmas trees delivered
Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th –
sponsors decorate trees
Thursday 8th –
7.00 – 8.00 pm Preview for Sponsors with wine & nibbles
Sunday 11th –
Advent 3 – 11.00 Parish Eucharist . Viewing: 1 – 5
Monday 12th –
Trees to be taken down
Tuesday 23th –
12.- 2.00 Chapter lunch
7.30 pm Joint PCC
Wednesday 14th –
9.00 Country Kids’ Nursery Christmas show
Sunday 18th –
11.00 Parish Eucharist
6.30 – Carol Service
Saturday 24th –
4.00 pm Crib and Christingle service
CHRISTMAS DAY – 10 am Christmas Day service with Communion
Sunday 1st January 2023 –
to be decided; possibly said communion with some carols mid morning?? What would you like?
For information,
from the registers:
30th October:
Baptism of Naomi Grace & Joseph Andrew Macpherson
Tong Church has everything
But don’t take our word for it. Join us on a tour of our beautiful church….
We are able to offer a conducted tour of our famous, beautiful church. This ancient building was dedicated in 1410, and is held to be one of the finest examples of a church built in perpendicular style in the country.
Our tour lasts for about an hour, during which time you will see the famous Golden Chapel, our unique collection of magnificent medieval tombs and carved effigies. You can explore our historical links with Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare and not forgetting little Nell!
And, not for the faint hearted, try a tour of the tower. You will see one of the largest bells in the country! Nowadays, due to Health and Safety concerns regarding the very worn spiral steps and extremely limited space we only let visitors up the tower at their own risk and make them sign a disclaimer, but Bell ringing enthusiasts are often still keen to visit.
Would you like to help us?
The Tong Vision for 2020 and beyond had a target to raise £500,000 over 3 years in order to fund urgent and
essential restoration work, and to ensure that all visitors and congregations can continue to enjoy this unique building! If you can
offer your support either financially, in-kind or otherwise, please contact Revd Pippa Thorneycroft ( pippa.thorneycroft@icloud.com ) or
the Vision2020 “Support Us” page on this web site, or visit our JustGiving page by clicking on the image, below.
A big thank you to all our supporters! Particular thanks go to the following:
St Bartholomew’s Church
Tong,
Shropshire
TF11 8PW
General enquiries to:
tong-church@gmail.com
Minister In Charge:
The Revd. Preb. Pippa Thorneycroft
Tel: 01902 375523 pippa.thorneycroft@icloud.com
Events information:
Tel: 07970 869011
Parish Administrator:
(Weddings. Baptisms etc.)
Wendy Aykroyd
admin@shifnalbenefice.org.uk
Find us on Facebook:
If you have visited us, for whatever reason, we would really appreciate it if you would visit our Facebook page and leave a comment, review or a picture or two!
Facebook link
Would You Like To Support Us?
The Tong Vision for 2020 and beyond has a target to raise £500,000 over the next 3 years in order to fund urgent and
essential restoration work, and to ensure that all visitors and congregations can continue to enjoy this unique building!
If you can offer your support either financially, in-kind or otherwise, please contact Revd Pippa Thorneycroft (pippa.thorneycroft@icloud.com) or visit our JustGiving page by clicking the image, below.
At present there are no toilet facilities at Tong Church. For an organised tour and at weddings, baptisms and funerals as well as Sunday services, access to the Parish Hall (two minutes walk) is available. For concerts and fêtes we usually provide portaloos.
If you find it difficult to walk up the slope to church to attend services please let us know by sending someone ahead or Tel: 07970 869011 and we will provide assistance. We regret that we are unable to offer this support during the week for visitors.