News from the Milborne Benefice

X View over the village. Photo by Martin Hewitt

Available at the Quiz Night, at the Light Switch on, at Waynes, at Church. Covers of the magazine from 2026 are reproduced for each month of 2027.

The Price remains the same as last year at £5.00. Postal envelopes available @ 25p each – they make great presents! Cash preferred please.

Thankyou - Felicity

X Marys Meals logo

During November St John's will be supporting Mary's Meals. They are a charity that provides school meals to children living in some of the world's poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts hungry children into classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/

X PHP logo

In recent days there have been reports in the press of a security problem with websites that use the PHP programming language. Many websites have been taken down to prevent being hacked. As some 70% of websites make use of PHP it was essential to find a solution to the problem. So on Wednesday this week, the PHP Foundation released new versions of PHP to solve this problem.  

The Milborne Benefice website makes use of PHP but our hosting company, LCN.com, has installed the updated version and, fortunately, I had updated to the latest release of PHP two years ago.  This is one of the releases of PHP that has been updated so the website is protected from hacking via this vulnerability.

Other websites which use earlier releases of PHP will not be as lucky as the developers need to make substantial changes to the code as well as using one of the latest releases of PHP.

X Tearfund logo

During October  St John's will be supporting Tearfund. This important Christian charity partners with churches in more than 50 of the poorest countries. Their mission is to tackle extreme poverty through sustainable development, responding to disasters and challenging injustice.

X A photo of Revd Rona Stuart-Bourne

Revd Rona would like to thank all those who kindly and generously contributed to her leaving gifts. The monthly book subscription starts in October, and she has already bought a good selection of gardening equipment with which, she says, she can start to tame her garden.  We wish her well in all her literary and horticultural endeavours.

X Salvation Army logo

During August St John's will be supporting The Salvation Army. Founded in 1865 by Methodists William and Catherine Booth, they are a church and charity serving in more than 130 countries offering God's love and hope to all in need through practical help and unconditional support.

https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/

X Little Jays

As Little Jays celebrates its first birthday, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped make it such a joyful part of our church and village community.

It has been a real privilege to get to know so many babies, toddlers and their carers over the past year. There has been laughter, friendship, coffee, crafts, songs and stories—and Friday mornings have become one of the highlights of our week.

We're fortunate to have a wonderful team of helpers, including one who travels in from outside Milborne Port. We'd now love to welcome one more person to join us.

This isn't a desperate plea to fill a gap. Quite the opposite! It's simply an invitation to become part of something that is genuinely fun, life-giving and deeply rewarding. If you'd enjoy spending a couple of hours on a Friday morning helping little people (and their grown-ups) feel welcome, we'd love to hear from you.

We can't promise you'll leave without a little glitter or a tune stuck in your head—but we can promise you'll understand why we all say that Friday mornings are some of the best hours of the week.

Rev Rona

X Scripture Union logo

During June St John's will be supporting Scripture Union.

This well known charity is an international evangelical organisation founded in 1867.
Its aim is to use the Bible to inspire children, young people and adults to come to know God through Jesus Christ.

scriptureunion.org.uk

X Front page of Holy Week in Words and Music

A new page has been added under More to include documents comprising the text for certain important services. The first to be added are for two of the services in Holy Week earlier this year and are Holy Week in Words and Music and Stations of the Cross.

Please see Text for Services for these documents.

X Eco Church logo

We are in the process of trying to join Goathill Church in becoming an Eco Church. A Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme equips churches in England and Wales to care for creation. 

Eco Church is a learning community of churches of all shapes and sizes. It provides a framework to support your church and its leadership to take practical action on caring for God’s earth. It includes a toolkit of resources, an online award survey, a quarterly email update, online events, prayer forums and occasional conferences.

Please see Eco Church for more information.

X Great Cary Branch Ring image

From Joe Wheller, Branch Secretary:

We completed The Great Cary Branch Ring on Sunday 17th May (National Bell Sunday). It was a great success.

We managed to reach all of our target 44 towers and 245 bells. All told, over 75 ringers took part. 

It was a fantastic opportunity to ring out across the whole of the Bruton & Cary Deanery. 

Thank you ever so much for your support and the support of the churches, officers, and congregations across the benefice.

https://www.facebook.com/BellringersOfBruton/

X Ripple Effect logo

During May 2026, St John's will be supporting Ripple Effect.

They help small farms in Uganda and neighbouring countries to  improve the productivity of their small plots of land and become  more self-sufficient by working alongside families in rural Africa, so they can grow more food, earn a living, and break the cycle of poverty - for good.

X St John's Church, Milborne Port

The Electoral Roll for Milborne Port with Goathill is now closed. There are a total of 110 on the Roll and a list of names is available on the noticeboard in St John's Church, Milborne Port.

Since last year the parish of Goathill has been merged with Milborne Port, resulting in additional names being added.

X Charlton Horethorne church

Charlton Horethorne and Stowell Electoral Roll

The Electoral Roll is open for revision until 29th March. This year, those already on the Roll do not need to re-apply, but anyone not currently on the Roll and who wishes to apply will need to complete and submit the application by 29th March at latest. 

To apply online, please go to https://www.milborneportchurches.org.uk/electroll, select Charlton Horethorne with Stowell and complete the form including your name and address. Please note that, after clicking on Continue you will need to check the form and, if it is correct, click on Continue again to complete the application. 

Alternatively, application forms (paper or digital) can be obtained from Charlie Beney (01963 220550 or charlesbeney132@btinternet.com and will need to be returned to Charlie by the deadline of 29th March.

ADVANCE NOTICES

APCM is on Sunday 19th April, after the 6pm Evensong.

Music for Pleasure - our popular concert for all will be held on Saturday 9th May.  Further information next month.

HOMELESS CHARITY

Unwanted clothes, blankets etc. are still being collected, until the end of March. Please leave them inside the church in black bags.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

PCC - if anyone is interested in being a member of the PCC, please contact Amanda Hughes in the first instance.  Members will be voted in at the APCM on 19th April, so applications need to be before that!

SYNOD REPRESENTATIVE - we have two vacancies for Synod Rep. This is not onerous - just four meetings a year, with feedback to be provided to the PCC.  The only requirement is that the applicant is on the Electoral Roll.  If anyone is interested, please contact Amanda Hughes before the APCM date (19th April).

FLOWER AND CLEANING ROTAS - if anyone is willing to help with cleaning or providing flowers for the church, on a rota basis (the more volunteers the less often any individual needs to do it!), please contact Christine Brown for cleaning, or Jenny Hunt for flowers (or Amanda Hughes, who will liaise with Christine and Jenny).  All cleaning equipment is provided.  For the flowers, the volunteer provides and arranges the flowers, but a limited amount may be reimbursed against receipts.  Further information available on request.

Amanda Hughes contact details: amanda.cracknell@hotmail.com or 07768 874818 

X St John's logo

Help us preserve our village church

St John the Evangelist has been at the heart of our village for more than a thousand years. Each generation has left its contribution to our lovely and historic building: much of the church is Norman or Victorian, our tower belfry was added in the fifteenth century, and the statues at the East end were added in the 1970s. St John’s is a Grade I listed church, which carries with it a heavy responsibility for its upkeep.

What needs to be done

• Repairs to our leaking roofs. Water damage is the most urgent issue the church is facing. 
• Repairs to, and conservation of, the interior and exterior stonework and mortar of the building.
• Repairs to and conservation of the windows, including the glass, and the metal frames.

Where does the church get its money?

We receive no funding from government or church bodies to keep our precious historic building in
good shape. Its upkeep relies on the generosity of parishioners, local residents, and our loyal supporters.

What help is needed?

It costs £226 per day to keep this Historic Grade I listed church open. The PCC is faced with a daunting task to raise money for everything that needs to be done on top of this, which is likely to be in the region of £175,000. 

But I don’t go to church

St John’s is not only a place of worship. It is there for community events such as the Spirit of Milborne Port Christmas Lights Switch On, for christenings, weddings, funerals, and as a place of support and celebration.

Making a donation
The easiest way to make a donation is online at lovegiving.co.uk/stjohntheevangelist