The main serviceis
on Sunday mornings when we have many young
families. Our worship is lively and informal,
suitable for people of any age. After services
there are refreshments, and we also offer
people the opportunity to pray with someone
over any joy, problem or need they may have.
The church is normally open
to visitors on Sunday afternoons from
2.30pm until 5.00pm.
Every Sunday in summer: First Sunday of month
in Winter.
The Church Centre
is used for a wide range of community groups
and activities, and is available for bookings.
Parent and Toddler
groups take place on Tuesday mornings and
Thursday afternoons.
New musicians and singers are always welcome
in our music group.
We are always looking for new bell
ringers to help with the peal of
8 bells.
St Andrew's is
the oldest church in Clevedon. Built in the Middle
Ages on Saxon foundations it has been used as a place
of Christian worship since Clevedon was a small fishing
village and farming community. Modern developments
in the town have brought a large increase in newer
houses all around the church. Today "The Old Church"
remains a lively place of Christian worship with a
congregation of mainly young families.
The earliest parts
of the church, such as the round arch across the Chancel,
are Norman. The Nave, was extended in the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries in an Early English style
before the South Aisle was extended and the Porch
built in the fifteenth century. The once fine Jacobean
Pulpit was altered when the church was extensively
repaired and refurbished in the nineteenth century.
The present layout was completed in 1904.
One of the finest
features of the church is the carved screen behind
the Altar Table, called a Reredos. It shows the risen
Christ sharing bread and wine with two friends from
Emmaus. It reminds us that Jesus not only died that
we might know God but also that he is alive and meets
with us today.
Two Mediaeval Sanctuary
rings are hidden behind the Victorian Choir Stalls.
They show the church has always been a place of safety
and care.
The hole, called
a Squint, cut through the pillar in the St Thomas
Chapel allows people to see what is happening. The
church is there to let people see Jesus. You will
find the story of Jesus told not only in words but
in stained glass, carvings and in the modern banners
that beautify the building.
The chapel also contains many
memorials to members of the Hallam and Elton families
of Clevedon Court, including the monument to young
Arthur Hallam whose death inspired Tennyson's famous
poem, "In Memoriam".
Together with the
many stones in the graveyard the monuments in church
testify that we believe that those who die in the
faith of Christ are not lost but live in the eternal
presence of God.
The Parish Registers
go back as far as 1727. The older Registers, at least
before 1900, are on loan to the County Archives Dept.
at Taunton, where there are better facilities for
preservation.
