Funerals at Woolacombe, Mortehoe and Lee.
At a funeral we say goodbye, celebrate the person’s life and commend him or her into the love and care of God. At a memorial or thanksgiving service we remember and celebrate the person’s life. While a funeral marks the end of a person's life here on earth, as Christians we believe that there is hope in death as in life, and that there is new life in Jesus after death. This faith is expressed through the hymns and prayers of the funeral service.
If you are visiting these pages after suffering a bereavement, we would like to offer our condolences.
Normally the funeral director will contact us to take a funeral service. Some people find planning the funeral with family and friends helpful. Perhaps you already know something of what your loved one wanted. You may even have planned the service together some time ago. The minister who will lead the service can help you choose suitable readings, hymns and prayers and help offer comfort and support. They will want to talk with you to build up a picture of the person’s life. This may take only one meeting but sometimes it can be more. In such a service it is required by the Church of England that there is a Bible reading and prayers.
However, we say goodbye, each funeral service or act of remembrance is unique to the person who has died and the family who mourn their loss.
Any parishioner is entitled to either a funeral service, regardless of whether they attended church or not. Please contact us for more advice. The Church of England website also provides information on planning a funeral and the funeral service.
The clergy of the benefice are available to conduct funeral services in church, at a crematorium, or in a cemetery in the area.
We remember those who have died recently and their families in the prayers of the church – so you are very much in our thoughts and prayers during your time of great loss. We will contact you after the funeral to offer continued support and each year, there is a Memorial Service at St Mary’s Church, Mortehoe, usually in the autumn. Anyone who would like to attend is welcome to do so.
For more information regarding the annual Memorial service, please do not hesitate to contact:
Church Warden:
Roland Grzybek - email:
Weddings at Woolacombe, Mortehoe and Lee.
We are delighted to welcome people who wish to be married in one of our churches. To find out more, please contact the Vicar, Revd Susan Oldham:
Legal requirements
There are certain things that must happen in a church wedding to ensure the marriage complies with both UK civil and church law.
In marriage you take on a whole new legal status. The vicar knows how to advise and prepare you for your wedding day and everything must comply with all relevant UK and Church of England laws. These are the main legal points to consider before you begin planning:
You must be old enough
The legal age of marriage in England and Wales has been raised to 18 under the The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022. This means that 16 and 17 year olds are no longer allowed to marry or enter a civil partnership, even if they have parental consent.
Same-sex marriage legislation
It is not legally possible for same-sex couples to marry in the Church of England.
Marrying away from where you live
It’s possible to get married in a church that’s away from where you live if you have a certain kind of connection with it. You may be legally connected to a number of churches in different ways. Read more about marrying away from where you live.
Until recently, the law established a right for a couple to marry in the Church of England in the parish church where one or both of them lived, whether they were baptised or not, and whether they were churchgoers or not. To marry in any other parish required a special licence or six months of regular attendance followed by entry on the local church electoral roll. But new laws, initiated by the Church of England and approved by Parliament, add to this right of residency, making it just as easy for couples to marry in a church where they have a family or other special connection, even if they don’t live there.
You have the right to be married in a church, if one of you lives within the parish boundary, or if you are a regular worshipper and on our membership list. In addition, if you or your family fulfil one of the following criteria, then you can be married in your Parish Church.
- One of you was baptised or prepared for confirmation in the parish.
- One of you has ever lived in the parish for six months or more.
- One of you has at any time regularly attended public worship in the parish for six months or more.
- One of your parents has lived in the parish for six months or more in your lifetime.
- One of your parents has regularly attended public worship here for six months or more in your lifetime.
- Your parents or grandparents were married in the parish.
And did you know that if you move house, you’re immediately connected to the church there? That means you can marry in the church of your new parish.
In all cases involving church services – i.e. going to normal church services, baptism, confirmation or marriage – this applies only to Church of England services.
If you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, you could create one, simply by attending your chosen church’s usual services at least once a month for six consecutive months. If you decide to do this, leave enough time after your attendance for the banns to be read before your wedding too – about another two months should be enough.
Talk to the vicar there well in advance to discuss the options open to you.
If you’re marrying in a special church that’s not where you live, your local church would still love to support you as you prepare for the wedding, and afterwards too. Find out more information about how they would locally support you.
Fees
Please use this link to take you to the Church of England fees for Weddings: https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/cost-church-weddings
Note:
The fees listed above are the statutory fees payable and do not include charges for heating, the services of a verger, music (e.g. organist, choir), bells and flowers, which are fixed by the Parochial Church Council. In the case of a marriage service in church, any costs and expenses incurred in respect of routine administration (including arranging dates and times and the making of entries in registers), making the church available and lighting it are included in the fee prescribed as payable to the Parochial Church Council.
Documents you’ll need
All couples will need to show the vicar their passport as proof of nationality. If you don’t have a passport, there are other documents which would be acceptable, so ask your vicar about this.
If either or both of you are divorced, you will need to bring your decree absolute for the vicar to see.
You may also be asked to provide evidence of your connection to the church, such as utility bills which show you live or have lived in the parish, or your parents’ marriage certificate if they were married there, for example. Your vicar will guide you on acceptable documents for your particular connection.
Christening at Woolacombe, Mortehoe and Lee.
Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.
A christening is just the beginning of this and so much more.
Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:
- Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
- Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.
- Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
- Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways.
So, it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on.
Whether you’re exploring the possibility of a christening or whether you’ve already decided, the Rector will be delighted to hear from you to talk about it.
You can have your child christened in your local church, and it’s good to make a connection locally so your child’s church family is close by. When you call the church, you may be able to book a date straightaway or someone may call back. You’ll meet the Rector with your child to talk through the service and to help answer any questions you may have.
Or, if you have a strong family link to a different church, you can ask the vicar there about having a christening.
Some questions people ask:
‘Is a Baptism different to a Christening?
There is no difference between a christening service and a baptism service.
Some churches will use the word ‘baptism’ and some the word ‘christening’. The moment when your child has water poured or wiped on their head is the actual baptism and is at the heart of the service.
Babies are baptized during a christening service just as couples are ‘married’ during a ‘wedding’ service.
‘Do parents have to be Christened?’
You can have your child baptized at a christening regardless of whether or not you, the parents, are baptized.
It is only the godparents who are required to be baptized, (so the only time a parent would have to be baptized is if they were also acting as a godparent).
‘What is a God-parent expected to do?’
Godparents are among the most important people at a christening, who make big promises to encourage their godchild to grow in faith and commit to helping them understand how to live their life in a Christian way.
Alongside your godchild’s parents, you will give your time to your godchild to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
Model and encourage them to develop Christian values – being kind and compassionate towards others, being generous towards others in need with time or money and standing against things in the world that cause injustice and suffering.
Pray for your godchild through the ups and downs of their life and their faith journey.
Show them practically how to make good choices in life, for themselves and for others. This might mean talking to them about how to stay healthy, how to resist temptations that can harm us and other people, how to care for God’s amazing world and how to handle peer pressure as they grow older.
Help them to learn more about the Christian faith, through their church and in other ways. Going to church with them, talking about what the Bible shows us and helping them learn how to pray are all brilliant ways to support your godchild.
It’s a demanding role, but help is always at hand, through your church, online, and of course from God, who will bless all you do to help your godchild.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact the Vicar, Revd Susan Oldham