In the light of God’s call and our situation here, our vision is to respond to the Holy Spirit and God’s love discerned through prayer and worship.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit we aim to encourage all members of ‘Christ’s body’ to be likewise empowered, using their gifts, time and talents in Our Lord’s service and show His love to the wider community.
You are lovingly welcomed into our fellowship and you will have the opportunity to be listened to, to experience healing and to learn more about Jesus and His love of all people.  We are anxious to reach out to the Benfleet Community and would like to know of any Parishioners who need help.

Prayers

If you have a need for support by Prayers we will be delighted to assist. Just contact us or put your request in the book in Church.

Weddings

Congratulations on your engagement! We are happy to help arrange your Wedding Ceremony. Our beautiful Church is a great setting for weddings and our recent improvements mean we can be very flexible to accommodate your needs.

• Seating for 120 people
• Pipe organ or piano for musical accompaniment
• Heating for cold days
• Step-free access for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and prams
• Accessible toilet facility
• Baby changing station
• Toys and colouring area for smaller children available
• Sound system to enable all attendees to hear ceremony and readings

We understand that organising a wedding can become complicated and stressful. You can arrange flowers, music etc through us. To make arrangements please call Fr Leslie on 01268 754 268.

Baptisms

It is always a pleasure to welcome new members of God’s family to St Mary’s congregation. Our beautiful Church is a great setting for weddings and our recent improvements mean we can be very flexible to accommodate your needs.

• Seating for 120 people
• Pipe organ or piano for musical accompaniment
• Heating for cold days
• Step-free access for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and prams
• Accessible toilet facility
• Baby changing station
• Toys and colouring area for smaller children available
• Sound system to enable all attendees to hear ceremony and readings

To learn more and make arrangements please call Mrs Marian Howe on 01268 754 046.

Blessings

These can be organised by agreement with the Parish Priest. Please contact Fr Leslie by completing a church enquiry on our contact us page.

Funerals

Please speak with the Funeral Director, who will contact the Parish Priest on your behalf and make the arrangements.

We also offer bereavement support at this difficult time.

Confessions

By appointment. Please contact us to arrange this with be Parish Priest.

Healing

A service for Healing is held on the first Wednesday of every month, when the Laying on of Hands is offered. Members of the Healing and Prayer ministry team are always available to pray with those in need.

Home Visits

Home Communion or other Pastoral visits are willingly arranged. Please contact us to discuss your needs.

Bereavement Support

There is a Bereavement Ministry Team who not only pray for those grieving the loss of a loved one but are available as a listening ear for anyone who would like. You can also arrange a visit if you would like to meet in your own home. They can be contacted via the contact us form. We also run a bereavement support group, meeting regularly each month at the Church Hall.

Friends of St Mary’s

In 1997 the “Friends of St Mary’s” was established. The “friends” aim is to raise a Capital fund of £50,000. This will be used to make a worthwhile annual contribution to the Church and still retain the Capital fund thereby generating income for the future years. We have still not reached that objective and we continue to arrange many fundraising events to add to the donations already received.

ALPHA Courses

We believe that often it is easier to make this exploration in the company of others in small groups. We run two or three Alpha Courses a year. The course lasts ten weeks and each meeting will involve food, a talk about an aspect of faith, and a discussion about the week’s topic. Check our events page for meeting times, or contact Cathy Ranson for more information.

Church Hall

We have Church Hall situated at 376 High Road, Benfleet. The hall is used regularly by various groups, including a Theatre club and Guides. The Hall is available for hire under strict contract conditions, bookings can be arranged by contacting Lisa Chesneau via our contact form or by telephone on 07712669298.

St Mary’s Fellowship

The Fellowship is a gathering of people who do not necessarily attend Church. They meet once a month usually the 4th Monday. The meetings are held in the Church Hall at 1:45pm. There is a short prayer, and then it is customary to have a speaker to give an entertaining talk. Past topics have included the History of the Benfleet area, Steam trains, and Bell ringing. Everyone is welcome, so please contact us.