Church
The church of St Andrew, Helions Bumpstead in the diocese of Chelmsford lies at the spiritual and physical heart of the village. It has long shared its priest with the adjoining parish of St Mary’s, Steeple Bumpstead, but is now part of the much larger group of parishes known as the Two Rivers Benefice. Service times for St Andrew’s are printed on the Notice Board outside the church but services for all the churches in the Benefice, including St Andrew’s, can also be found online: go to stmaryschurch.org.uk and click on More Info under Services on the Home page of the website.
The vicar is the Reverend Jonathan Lowe who can be contacted at the Vicarage, Steeple Bumpstead, on 731 687 or by email. Unless the matter is urgent, please try to avoid Thursdays. If you would like someone to visit, talk or pray with you, please contact Jonathan or either of the churchwardens.
The regular congregation is modest in size, but on special occasions such as Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas Day services can draw 40 or more worshippers.
The organ is played for services by a small but talented team of organists from Helions and the surrounding parishes.
St Andrew’s runs the annual fund-raising Harvest Supper, held in the Village Hall. During the winter months the church hosts Soup lunches also held in the Village Hall.
The church building is a well maintained Grade II* Listed Church with a churchyard which remains open for burials. There has been a Church on the site since the Norman Conquest, but the present building dates from the 14th century with additions made in the 15th and 16th centuries. The original tower was demolished in 1812 and was rebuilt in brick in 1824 with bricks made from a brick kiln in the village. The tower contains a fine peal of 8 bells, which attracts visiting bell ringers from far and wide and enables the churchwardens to find bell ringers for weddings
Major restoration work commenced in the 1950’s, demolishing the vestry and porch and building a new entrance porch. Since 1978 a number of projects have been completed including the total refurbishment of the Chancel, new gutters on the North and South walls, a new roof to replace the previous corrugated sheet iron roof on the South Aisle, a new tower roof with new timbers and complete rewiring and interior redecoration. The new Vestry with disabled toilet was completed in 2023 and a new audio visual system with a screen installed, both of which enables the Church to hold concerts, film and television screenings. We are hoping to set up a film club in the near future.
The Church is open during daylight hours and the visitors book records its impact on the visitors who step inside. Their entries in the book often record an ancient connection with the parish and the church; some travel from Australia and New Zealand to visit the community where their ancestors grew up. They often comment on the church flowers, which are faithfully managed by a small but dedicated team.
Please feel free to contact any member of the Parochial Church Council if you would like to know more.
Sunday Service Schedule for St Andrew’s
1st Sunday Service of Evensong at 6.00pm in summer/4pm in winter
2nd Sunday Service of Holy Communion at 9am
3rd Sunday Service of Holy Communion at 6pm/4pm
Please see Notice Board for details
Wednesday Mornings
A monastic mix of prayer, reflection and music from 9.30am
Please feel free to contact one of the churchwardens or the Vicar.
Churchwardens:
Jane Slade (730 803)
Juliet Corfield (731934
