Frensham Churches
Services for May
Weddings
If you would like a church wedding, please read the information from the Church of England website which is a very good starting point.
If you would like to be married in Frensham, we have prepared some information specific to St Mary's Church. Please click here to read it and complete the short form. We will then contact you.
Please visit our other pages on weddings for more information on music, photography and flowers.
For small weddings of approximately 50 people, you may like to hire St Mary's church hall . Details of how to do so can be found here.
Baptisms
When a baby or child is baptised, godparents and parents will make promises on their behalf, and prayers will be offered for them and the family. For information and help concerning baptisms in The Benefice of Frensham, please contact the Reverend Jane Walker. If you would like to read Jane's thoughts on baptism, they are here.
If you are considering baptism but don't feel ready you may wish to consider Thanksgiving for the gift of a child.
There is no fee for the service of Baptism or the service of Thanksgiving for the gift of a child. However, there is a cost for certificates of £18.00 each for 2023.
For those with a connection or association with the Benefice through marriage or historical family links you will need to consider completing a church electoral role form by clicking here. We also invite you to become a Friend of Frensham Churches to ensure an ongoing connection with the Benefice.
Should you wish to hire St Mary's church hall for refreshments after the service, please click here for details.
If any of your guests need wheelchair access, this is available via the Church Hall entrance behind the bell tower at the West side of the church.
Funerals
There are many ways of organising a funeral - at a church or at a crematorium or natural burial sites. Here in the Benefice of Frensham we can offer funeral services at both churches, and we can conduct burials (with or without a service) or interment of ashes at the Church of St Mary the Virgin. Should you wish a church service and then cremation this is also possible. The Vicar can also conduct funeral services at the local crematoria for those in the Benefice. Ashes can then be interred at a later date.
In order to be buried in the graveyard the deceased has to be a parishioner living in the Benefice of Frensham or a person whose name is entered on the church electoral roll whether living in the parish or not (the same applies to ashes except where they are interred with a relative already buried in the church graveyard). In certain circumstances if a regular attender of the church is not on the church electoral role, at the Vicar's discretion, they may have a service with burial or the interment of cremated remains.
If you are wishing to bury your deceased loved one or their ashes in St Mary's Church graveyard, it is important that you know that the plot is 'graced' to your loved one for perpetuity. This is not the same as in a municipal cemetery where you buy the lease to the plot and the next of kin owns the rights. In the Benefice of Frensham there is specific graveyard information and regulation.
For information and help organising a funeral at Frensham, please complete the funeral request form and send to the Reverend Jane Walker. If you are organising a funeral or a memorial service you may find it helpful to look at the information on the Church of England website. A list of hymns suited to the service can be found here.
In the Church of England, Churchyard Regulations apply and there are certain stipulations that must be adhered to which are governed by Church Canon law. Therefore, any monument or additions to the graveyard need permission from the Vicar before they are put in place. Other useful websites include Help to Understand Funeral Costs and a Guide to Choosing a Headstone.
If you would like to hire St Mary's church hall for refreshments after the service, please click here for information on booking.
Healing Services
On the fifth Sunday of the month we hold a quiet and prayerful service of healing and wholeness at 6pm in St Mary's Church. Do come along if you would like healing for yourself or if you are concerned for others.
During the service there is a period of contemplation and you can be anointed if you wish. You will be supported in a peaceful, safe and loving environment.