ST. MARY'S CHURCH

The Church of St Mary Boxford is a beautiful 'wool' Church located at the centre of the village and is the architectural centrepiece in the middle of the village which is full of other architectural gems. It has provided spiritual succour to the people of Boxford and the surrounding areas for 800 years or more. It is the largest church in a large group of friendly and welcoming rural village churches, known as the Box River Benefice, which also includes:
St Mary the Virgin, Edwardstone;
St Bartholomew, Groton;
St Lawrence, Little Waldingfield;
and All Saints, Newton.

We reach out and provide pastoral and spiritual support to our villages and their surrounding areas. During the pandemic this has included providing spiritual and pastoral support to the lonely, isolated, infirm and vulnerable.
There is a Bring and Share Foodbank in the North Porch which is there for anyone to use who finds themselves in a pickle. Just take what you need and leave what you can!

St Mary's has a service every week. These include:

• A monthly Family Service once a month, where Children are especially welcome and included in the service itself, often doing readings and contributing to the conversation.
• Mid-week informal short communion services on Wednesdays, which are followed by coffee and time for a chat. These are held in Mary's House, which is a delightful church-owned cottage in the centre of Boxford village, a couple of doors away from the Post Office.
• There is a Sunday morning Eucharist/Mass at St Mary's Boxford at 11am. This is a rich, reflective and engaging service of spiritual and sacramental depth open to all. And please don't worry if your children make a little noise, infant chatter and the odd bang only adds to the richness of the occasion! These are streamed online at www.facebook.com/boxriverbenefice
• Varying forms of Evening Worship, including Evensong in traditional language, Compline, Taize Night Prayer and Celtic Prayer.
• An 8am Book of Common Prayer communion service is also held monthly at St Mary's Church throughout the year.
• Each day morning and evening services are streamed online at www.facebook.com/boxriverbenefice

Boxford has a robed choir and an active team of bellringers, both of which welcome new people, whether adults or young people, and training can be given in bellringing. The choir sings at all main services, except the informal family service. Sunday services normally last about an hour, family services a little less, and early morning services last about 30 minutes.

You would be most welcome and we look forward to seeing you!

Do visit our website: www.boxriverbenefice.com

Do visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/boxriverbenefice. During the COVID-19 pandemic services are live-streamed here.

If you would like to contribute to the upkeep of St Mary's Church, please visit;

• For a one-off donation - give.net
• For a regular gift - Boxford St Mary - Parish Giving Scheme

MARY'S HOUSE

Mary's House is a small church-owned house situated at 5 Swan Street, Boxford, Sudbury, CO10 5NZ. This is just round the corner from the Post Office. It offers a venue for small groups to meet in the informal atmosphere of a domestic sitting room and it has as a small kitchen for the preparation of tea and coffee.

An informal mid-week service of Holy Communion is held every Wednesday morning here. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings it is open to everyone for tea, coffee, biscuits and cakes from about 09:30 to 12:30. Do look in for a chat amongst good company. There is no formal charge but appropriate donations are the custom. (Please note that just occasionally the house can not open because of a shortage of volunteers).

It is often the venue for coffee mornings on Saturdays held in aid of specific charities, or in support of other village organisations.

It can be booked for meetings or small social gatherings in the afternoons or evenings and on Saturdays. There is a Booking Diary kept in the house. The suggested donation for bookings is £1.00 per head for a two hour session.

Sadly, due to the current pandemic, Mary's House is not able to be used by the public. For more information please contact our administrator on boxriverbenefice@gmail.com