Churches in the villages of Peasedown St John, Wellow and Shoscombe will take a break from regular Sunday services on Sunday, 12th June to celebrate HM The Queen’s 90th Birthday.
The Queen, who is Head and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, turned 90 in April, but official state celebrations are being held across the country during the weekend of 11th and 12th June.
St John’s in Peasedown, St Julian’s in Wellow, St James’ in Foxcote and St Julian’s in Shoscombe, collectively known as the St J’s Group, will be marking the occasion with special services.
Revd Matthew Street, the Anglican Priest who leads the local group of churches, said: “As Head of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth II has been a positive role model to us all by demonstrating the values of service, humility, steadfastness and leadership. As a Christian, the Queen has shown how her faith has made a positive impact on her life and reign as monarch. Across the country, churches will be joining in with the national celebrations to mark the 90th birthday of this remarkable woman.”
As Head of State, the British Monarch has also been the Supreme Governor of the Church of England since its establishment in 1536 by King Henry VIII.
Although the monarch’s authority over the Church of England is largely ceremonial, the position is still very relevant to the church and is mostly observed in a symbolic capacity.
Regular services across the St J’s Group will be postponed on Sunday, 12th June, with celebratory services as follows: 10 a.m., St James’ Church, Foxcote and 11.15 a.m., St Julian’s Church, Wellow.
The 4.30 p.m. Soul Food service at Peasedown Youth Centre will be held as usual. There will be no morning services held in Peasedown St John.
For more details about the work of the St J’s Group, readers can follow them on Twitter, @stjsgroup, or visit their website, www.stjsgroup.church, which includes details of future events, the church’s work in the community, activities going on during the week and live recordings of Sunday sermons.