Welcome to St Catherine's Church, Drayton....
Our church stands at the very heart of the village.
We're in a time of transition, as we move towards being part of a new Benefice with Curry Rivel, Fivehead and Swell, Aller, High Ham with Low Ham and Huish Episcopi cum Langport. The Benefice is currently "in Vacancy" - meaning that there is no full time Benefice Rector - but the good news is that the recruitment process is now firmly under way. Even more good news is that, as of Sunday 28th July 2024, Revd Scott Patterson is now licenced to the parish of Drayton as Associate Minister, and we very much enjoy his ministry. We look forward to appointing a new Benefice Rector as son as the right person is called.
Our normal pattern is that we have our service (usually Holy Communion with hymns) at 11am on the second Sunday in each month. Our congregation is small, but the welcome is big, and we enjoy our fellowship after services over a cup of coffee (when we can).
Drayton is an active village and church members are involved in many aspects of village life and societies. The monthly Drayton Market in the Village Hall is run for the church and has stalls selling local produce and crafts. There's the ever-popular cafe selling coffee and bacon rolls, and that's a great place to meet and catch up with friends. Other church events including the annual "Safari Supper" (the hottest ticket in town!) are held to raise funds.
We were fortunate enough to win a substantial grant from the Heritage Fund to reslate the north slope of the roof of the nave - for the first time in 125 years - and that work has now been carried out. It looks very smart and we feel we are well set for the next century. About 100 people from the village recorded their names and a message on the underside of the new slates, and these will only come to light when the roof comes off next time.
The grant funded many community events engaging people around the church. A mosaic - designed by local stone carver Nick Durnan and installed by Liam Carroll - is now at the entrance to the church. It uses local stone (hamstone and lias) and fragments of old sates removed from the roof when it was being reslated - reminding all those who pass over it of the church's patron saint and the project that.created it.
