Children & Families

St Mary's, Linton our vision for ministry
amongst children and their families

Nicola Collard's drawing shows the many and varied activities for children and families in the Linton Tea

Tots in Tow is a well-established group for those caring for infants and pre-school children.
We aim to:
Welcome everyone
Give a warm welcome to everyone, whatever their age, relationship to the child, culture, religious background, colour, gender or disability.
Be excellent
Show excellence in all that is done in our group, from making coffee to comforting a person in distress. At all times to try to maintain our high standards.
Provide a safe and happy environment
Offer a safe and happy environment for parents, carers, children and for the team.
Offer friendship and support
Offer true friendship to everyone who comes to our group and create an environment where friendships can be made among our group members.
Involve parents and carers
Encourage parents and carers to assist and participate fully in the group as the group is for them and their children. The group is supported by St Mary’s Parish Church.

In May 2021 we started Tots Plus, a group where young families meet with the older residents of Linton for a time of songs and stories in Chalklands. There is something very special as we bring the generations together!

messy church 2
craft table Feb2017 Our Messy Church was established in 2003 and meets on the third Sunday of the month. Messy Church is a lively gathering of people of all ages, especially geared to people who don’t naturally sit still. Everyone is very welcome. Messy Church includes a short Christ-centred celebration based on the theme of the day.
It’s fun! There’s noise, we make things, there’s plenty of mess and always food!
Messy Church is part of BRF. You can find out more here

Baby Steps header
Baby Steps is a five-week course aimed at babies not yet mobile, together with their carer. We all want the best possible start for our new baby and Baby Steps helps us nurture our baby’s spiritual development. Over the five weeks, we explore our relationship with God and with each other using bubbles, water, play, songs and stories. Carers have quality time with baby and get to meet other parents with babies of a similar age.

Make lunch Poster
St Marys Church partners with Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) and local schools, together with friends from across the Linton community, to offer Make Lunch Club in the school holidays. We strive to create a safe and caring environment where children and their families can meet, try some crafts, play some games, make some new friends and eat a hot and healthy meal together. Our team members are from across the generations and are all safely recruited and well trained.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here

Planning your Visit

Welcome to St Mary's, Linton

Where and When

Our main service is 10am every Sunday, after an early said Holy Communion in traditional language at 8am, but there are a number of other ways we meet, both in church (details here) and in homes and other venues across our community. There is some parking on Church Lane, or on the High St, or Medical Centre car park, just a few minutes walk away. If you're new or visiting us, do say hello to one of our welcomers on the door.

The 10am is usually an hour long, sometimes less, and we serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the 10am service, apart from Cafe Church - every fourth Sunday morning - where coffee, etc is served before we begin. All refreshments are free, but donations to keeping our ancient church open for everyone are always appreciated. Thanks.

Other types of worship offer contemplative space (The Well, every second Sunday evening at 6pm), Taize worship, as well as prayer for healing (Services of Hope and Healing) where blessing with anointing is available. Evensong (BCP) takes place in Bartlow, 5 minutes drive from Linton, every third Sunday at 6pm. We are very active in our community and host school worship - our Infant School meet here every Friday in term time - and a range of special events (such as a recent Vigil for Ukraine).

St M's is open every day of the year (c9.30am-4pm), for locals and visitors alike. Many people drop by to light a candle, or to find some quiet, or to read or draw with their child or grandchild. Dogs are most welcome, too.

Celebrating life events

If you're visiting our website because you would like to arrange a wedding, funeral or Christening, do contact us. We'd love to help you mark these precious times in your life and the lives of your loved ones. It doesn't matter if you are not a churchgoer - all are welcome here.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a loo in the Pavilion (which has wheelchair access) at the back of the church.

Young people

We really value worshipping God all together as a family. There is an area in the south aisle dedicated to children and their carers, which allows them to take part in the service, while also having books, drawing materials, toys and other resources to hand. We really don't mind if your child makes a noise - they are as welcome as anyone else!

There are other activities, like Messy Church and Tots in Tow, that nurture young people's faith in positive and caring ways. More info can be found on this site.

Children

Root & Branch (RnB) Groups

Being part of one of our small groups is a great way to make new friends, share questions of life and faith and explore the Bible. No previous experience necessary. Four groups meet across the Linton Parishes; three in homes across Linton. Usually, we meet fortnightly, in 'terms' of around four or five dates. Check out our Small Groups and see if there’s a time that works for you, and let us know if you'd like to come along.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Peace and blessings,

Revd Paul