A NEW teaching programme in a group of rural churches has been put together to encourage parishioners to think about the significance of animals in the Bible, and what the stories about them can teach us in 2026.

Churches in Peasedown St John, Foxcote, Shoscombe and Wellow over the next year will look at the theme of ‘Ask the Animals: And they will teach you’. They aim to delve deep into the Bible to look at what guidance the scriptures have for us in the 21st century.

Sunday sermons from January through to December will look at a different topic each month.

Rev Matthew Street, who leads the set of churches known as the St J’s Group, said: “The Bible is a powerful book with information that not only tells us about historical events, but how teachings revealed by God to prophets, holy men and His Son Jesus still have relevance for us today.

Over the next year, we’ll be encouraging parishioners to think and learn about the animals in the Bible. We can discover how creatures, real and symbolic, reveal God's character, human nature, and vital spiritual truths.”

Themes covered throughout 2026 will include sheep, reflecting the message “I am the good shepherd,” and the dove, representing “The baptism of Jesus.” Other topics will focus on fish, illustrating “Jesus, the fisher of men,” wolves, with the warning to “Beware of false prophets,” and the serpent, exploring “The Serpent in the Garden of Eden.”

The new teaching programme will run across 42 Sundays in 2026. Services will take place at St Julian’s, Wellow, at 10.00 am, and at St John’s, Peasedown, at 10.30 am.

At St Julian’s, Shoscombe, the morning service will be held at 11.15 am, while a Soul Food service will take place at St John’s, Peasedown, at 4.30 pm.

Recordings of each talk will also be available after each Sunday on the St J’s Group website – www.stjsgroup.church, which also includes details of future events, the church’s work in the community, and details of activities going on during the week.

Nathan Hartley