About Us

We are now part of the Rossendale Team of nine parishes forming a Mission Community within the Bury and Rossendale Deanery
Rossendale Team Ministry

St Mary's remains Biblically orthodox in its Christian faith (as defined in the '39 Articles of Faith and the historic formularies of the Church of England).  Jesus is Lord of every area of our shared and private lives.

We're all on a journey of repentance and transformation, it would be great to share with you on the same journey

Our Vision

Our vision is:
"To reveal Jesus as we love God and serve others in the power of His Spirit."

Our Purpose

To enjoy fellowship as we worship in Spirit and Truth, grow in discipleship, develop in ministry and deploy in mission

Our Values

Faithful to the Message - Focussed on Ministry - Flourishing in Mission

Prayer Request Form

Please submit your prayer requests by completing the box below and clicking Send Prayer Request


Notices

WHAT'S ON

Morning Services

Sunday 11:00AM

Sunday school for children during part of the service


Family Service

1st Sunday of month

Suitable for the whole family to join in or with Sunday school for children


Holy Communion

2nd and 4th Sunday of month

Sunday school for children during part of the service


Morning Prayer

3rd Sunday of month


Mothers' Union

3rd Monday of month 7:30pm

Group for anyone, ladies or men who are interested in the cultivation of family life

Mothers Union


 

Soup and a Sandwich

2nd Wednesday of month 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Free soup and a sandwich lunch, open to everyone

Drop-In with Soup and a Sandwich 2nd Wednesday Monthly


House Groups/Bible Study

We currently have two groups, please contact church for more details


 

Renew


 



On-line Service

Church Services

All service Readings and Prayers will be posted here and on our Facebook page.

Prayers

8th June 2025 by Steve

Prayer for a Troubled World
(Based on John 14:8–17, 25–27)

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today with hearts burdened by the weight of this world. Our eyes see suffering on every continent — conflict, injustice, poverty, disease, fear, and division. And yet, amid this chaos, we turn to Your Word and find Your promise: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”.

Lord Jesus, like Philip, we long to see the Father — to know Him, to understand His ways in the face of human sorrow. But You remind us gently, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”. You, Jesus, are the visible image of the invisible God. When we see Your compassion, we see the Father's heart. When we remember Your sacrifice, we see the depth of His love. Help us to hold tightly to this truth when the world feels like it’s unravelling.

We remember Your promise that we are not alone. You said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth”. Holy Spirit, come. Pour Yourself out on this weary world. Speak truth where there are lies. Speak unity where there is division. Speak life where there is death, and peace where there is war. Abide with us. Dwell in us. Guide us.

Lord, our world is plagued by violence — from the streets of cities torn by crime, to regions devastated by war and terror. We lift up those who live under constant fear, and we ask You to send Your peace — not as the world gives, but the peace that surpasses all understanding. May Your Spirit stir within leaders of nations, inspiring wisdom, humility, and justice. Where power corrupts, let Your righteousness reign.

We pray for the poor and the hungry, for the refugees and the displaced, for the orphans and the widows. Jesus, You promised not to leave us as orphans. So let Your presence surround those who feel abandoned. May Your Church rise up in compassion, becoming Your hands and feet, embracing the hurting and feeding the hungry. May we not close our hearts to suffering but be stirred into action by Your Spirit of truth.

We confess, Lord, that often our hearts are troubled. We see division between people — races, cultures, and communities set against one another. Forgive us, God, for our complicity in systems of injustice. Forgive us when we fail to love our neighbour. Holy Spirit, teach us to see others through the eyes of Christ. Heal our hearts and make us peacemakers in a fractured world.

Jesus, You said, “Because I live, you also will live”. In that promise, we find our hope. Let us live not in fear, but in the courage that comes from knowing You dwell within us. Let us love with the love You poured out on the cross. Let us forgive, even as we have been forgiven. Let us speak truth, even when it is costly. And let us cling to Your peace, even when the world is shaking.

God, we lift up our children — the innocent ones who inherit the burdens of broken systems and divided societies. Protect them. Strengthen them. Raise up a new generation who will walk in Your ways, who will not be led by fear but by faith. May they know Your Spirit as Counsellor, Comforter, and Friend.

We also remember Your words: “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. Teach us, Holy Spirit. Remind us when we forget. In this world of noise and distraction, help us to remember the truth of Christ — His words, His life, His love.

We also remember those who are known to us who are sick and suffering, may You offer a touch of healing, We ask that Your Holy Spirit be a comfort to them at this time.

Finally, we pray for ourselves — that we may not merely survive in this troubled world, but shine as lights in the darkness. Fill us with Your Spirit daily. Anchor us in Your truth.

Help us to believe, even when belief is hard. And above all, keep our hearts from being troubled.

In closing I would like to use a small portion of text from Michaila Roberts Licencing Service last week, it serves as a timely reminder in this day and age, of what we have been called to be.

Together, we are the body of Christ in this place. Through You Father, we commit to continue his work in this world today.

The five marks of mission recognised by the worldwide Anglican Communion reminds us of our calling:

  • To proclaim the good news of the kingdom
  • To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
  • To respond to human need by loving service
  • To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
  • To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

 

Father, we pray that we may make full use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that You have bestowed on us. That we might be instruments of peace and love. That we may support one another in our lives and homes. We pray you will help us strive for justice. And we pray that all we do will be in the name of Jesus.

You, Lord, are our peace. You are our hope. You are our strength. And You have not left us alone.

Come, Lord Jesus. Heal this world.

Amen.

 

Today Talk from Pete

1st June 2025

Acts 16:16-34 & John 17:20-end.

Our readings to day focus on prayer. In Acts it is Paul and Silas that are praying and in John, it is Jesus who is praying. Let’s look at Acts first.

Have you ever had one of those times when things seem to be going well and then suddenly, they get worse and worse and worse.

Paul and Silas in our reading today had a good day that turned bad and for them the consequences were pretty painful. They had been preaching in Philippi, a Roman colony, and things were going well. On the face of it they even had a servant girl who was proclaiming that they were “servants of the most high God telling people the way to be saved”. Of course, Paul became annoyed because he realised that this was an evil spirit and he commanded the spirit to leave her at once. The owners of the slave girl realised that they had just lost control of her and their ability to make money from her going forward. They were able to persuade a local magistrate that Paul and Silas were causing uproar in the city, and they should be cast into prison. They weren't just cast into prison of course they were beaten badly first, and it wasn't a modern prison like today, they were thrown into the darkest dungeon and put in stocks as well. It's fair to say if that had happened to us, we would most probably be feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. But we read that Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas had prayed, and they knew God would hear them and so the next step for them was obvious - to praise him. They knew God had a plan for them. Then the earthquake happens, all the prison doors fly open, and everyone's chains are loosened. This causes the jailer to prepare to kill himself, because he would have been killed by the authorities if they found out that prisoners had escaped. The magistrates had ordered him to keep them securely which was why he put them in the inner most cell and put their feet in stocks.  When Peter escaped prison, having been arrested by Herod, it says in Acts 12 verse 19, that when Herod couldn’t find Peter, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. But Paul calls out to him not to hurt himself because no one has actually left. This gives Paul an opportunity for evangelism and the jailer, with his family, came to believe in God.

Our passage for today ends at that point, but if you read to the end of the chapter, you see something of the strength of character of Paul. When the magistrates realise that they might have got this wrong, and in particularly that Paul was a Roman citizen, they probably panicked and advise the jailor to release them. It was illegal to whip a Roman citizen, and they had a right to a fair trial. But Paul is not having any of that. He won't go quietly; he wants the magistrates to come and release them. You and I might have just been glad to get out of there and indeed get out of the city, but the final verse of the chapter tells us that Paul went to Lydia's house, who we read about last week, and met with the brothers and sisters to encourage them before they eventually left. The church at Philippi was the first Christian church in Europe, planted by Paul on his second missionary journey. Paul visited Philippi again on his third missionary journey.

There is a clear lesson for us in this reading. Notwithstanding the very difficult circumstances in which they were, and the physical punishment, Paul and Silas turned to prayer and praise. We might not be thrown in prison, but we do have times of difficulty, days that go from bad to worse or situations that go from bad to worse. These times and situations can become our prison experience and like Paul and Silas we too have the opportunity to pray knowing that our prayers will be heard. Julie reminded us last week that God’s purpose and plan are bigger than us and our lives and, as Paul said in Romans 8: 28 “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Also, we can praise God in those situations and like Paul and Silas, we might be presented with an opportunity to share the gospel with someone as a result of our experience.

Someone who went through difficulties in his life was Joseph Scriven the author of the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” His life was full of tragedy. To mention two instances, his first fiancée was drowned the night before their wedding and his second fiancée died of an illness shortly before their wedding. He wrote the hymn originally as a poem called “Pray without Ceasing” which he sent to his ailing mother. It was subsequently set to music, and the verses make it clear that our response to our troubles is to take them to the Lord in prayer.

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.


Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.


Prayer is the topic of our second reading from John. It is set after the last supper and before Jesus is arrested. Knowing that he is about to leave them, Jesus is praying for his disciples. He doesn’t pray for success or safety for his followers. He knows they will face failure, opposition, and even persecution as demonstrated in our Acts reading. Instead, he prays simply “that they may all be one” At verse 20 though he extends his request to the Father to include those who will be in Him through the words of the disciples i.e. you and me. Just as Jesus and his Father are one, so his prayer is that we will be as one and through that oneness demonstrate God’s love in the world. There are many divisions in our world, in families, among friends and on a more national or global scale. In our lives there will always be such divisions, but being one is not about resolving those divisions through human effort, but about showing God's love through them, through humility and willingness to see Christ in others. If we open our hearts to those who are different or difficult, we bear witness to the risen Christ within us and may create the opportunity for that unity that the world desperately needs.

Going back to Philippi we read in Paul’s letter to the Philippians in chapter 4 of a dispute between two members of the church. In verse 2 Paul writes:

“I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.”

He then continues, reminding us of his response while in prison:

 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So, what’s the conclusion? Well whether it’s our own problems, the problems of others, or the disunity in our world - as the hymn says “take it to the Lord in prayer” and don’t forget to rejoice and give thanks along the way! Amen.

Communion Reflection

This is a short Communion Reflection that you can join at any time. There is a quiet period within it that you can pause if you want a longer period of reflection

Safe Guarding Policy

At St Mary’s, Rawtenstall we work hard to maintain a safe environment for all. We are committed to implementing the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies and good practice guidance.

If you have any concerns or enquiries regarding safeguarding, please contact our safeguarding officer.

  • Parish Safeguarding Officer: Vicky Rhodes
  • Phone: 01254 389589

A hard copy of the ‘Manchester Diocese Safeguarding Handbook’ and the ‘Church of England – Parish Safeguarding Handbook’ are available for inspection in the vestry at St Mary’s.

View Policy Church of England Handbook

The Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is Abbey Clephane-Wilson, she can be contacted at

Out of Hours Support

The Diocese of Manchester partners with thirtyone:eight and you can access their Safeguarding Helpline if the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is unavailable. Thirtyone:eight can be contacted on 0303 003 1111.

This also includes any safeguarding queries outside of office hours on weekdays and weekends. An Information Sharing Agreement between the two organisations will allow the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser to receive a copy of the advice thirtyone:eight may offer the caller.

In the case of an emergency

If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Service. Lancashire County Council on 0300 123 6720 or outside of working hours 0300 123 6722

Helplines

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (lines free and open 24 hours).

  • Child-line: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours).
  • Parent Line: 0808 800 2222
  • National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours).
  • Samaritans Helpline: 116 123 (open 24 hours).
  • Action on Elder Abuse Helpline: 080 8808 8141 (freephone Monday to Friday 9-5pm)

Facts

Some interesting facts about St Mary's Rawtenstall

1838

Year Opened

45

Average Congregation

250

Downstairs Capacity

85

Electoral Roll (2020)

Activities

  • All
  • Adults
  • Scouts
  • Guides

Mothers Union

3rd Monday, 7:30pm

Rainbows

Monday, 5:30pm

Ladies Fellowship

Alt. Wednesday, 2:00pm

Beavers

Wednesday, 6:15pm

Brownies

Monday, 6:30pm

Mens Breakfast

1st Saturday, 8:15am

Cubs

Tuesday, 7:00pm

Scouts

Thursday, 7:30pm

Guides

Monday, 7:30pm

Our Churches/Friends

Team

Meet the team of people at St Mary's who keep the building functioning, but the real church is not the building but the people who use the building.

Revd Samuel Hameem

Revd Samuel Hameem

Team Vicar in the Rossendale Team

Revd Samuel Hameem

Julie Barratt

Julie Barratt

Associate Minister

Julie Barratt

Pete Terry

Pete Terry

Church Warden

Pete Terry

Jean Lang

Jean Lang

Church Warden

Jean Lang

Nick and Suzanne

Nick and Suzanne

Childrens Work

Suzanne & Nick

Contact Us

Please contact us if you need any further information, or clarification of services/times. We will try and get back to you as soon as possible.

Address

St Mary's Terrace, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 8SQ, United Kingdom

Phone Number

07514 773070