Facilities and features

Accessibility

We have a toilet with disabled facilities in the Chapman room at the rear of the church.

Baby changing facilities are available in the Disabled toilet area.

Car parking is available on the road outside the church. There are parking restrictions around the school opposite when the children are arriving in the morning or departing on the afternoon.
Additional parking is available at the Village hall around the corner.

A toilet with disabled facilities in the Chapman room at the rear of the church.

A defibrillator is available outside the Community shop next door.

Our new porch floor offers an easy access to the church for wheelchairs.

A hearing loop is installed in the church.

Large print books are available

Assistance dogs are welcome in the church.


Our Building

The church is a grade 2* listed building. It was originally built in the 14th C. The Chancel and the chancel arch date from this period. The Nave was rebuilt in 1706, and the Tower in 1743. Five of the bells and the bell frame date from 1744, one bell from 1948 and two from 2017.

There is a Community Post Office next door. It is open Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 12noon. It also opens Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 16:00 to 18:00.


Music and Worship

There is an enthusiastic group of bell ringers who ring every Friday from 19:45 to 21:00 for practice and they also ring for all Sunday morning services.

We have the occasional concert in the church. We have the Othona Community Music Week concert in the church in August.

We have a lovely historic Bates pipe organ that has a beautiful sound. We have a project to have this cleaned and restored soon.

We do not have a BCP service at the moment but are planning to have a BCP evensong across the benefice every three months.


Groups, Courses and Activities

We have joint Lent courses.

Brownies meet in the village hall and come to church parade services.

We have a Pop Up Café in the Chapman room in the church every Friday from 8:45 to 11am during school term time.

Guides meet in the village hall and come to church parade services.

Mental health support

Messy church is held occasionally on one of the churches in the benefice.

We have a Thursday Group for the over 60s which meet in the church for tea and a chat on the first Thursday in the month from 14:30 to 16:00.

Parents and toddlers come and meet at the Pop Up Café on Friday mornings.

Pilgrim courses are occasionally run.

Rainbows

Help for Visitors

Guided tours can be arranged, we can also provide refreshments for groups if required. We offer combined tours of the Church with St Peters Chapel.

Pop Up Café every Friday from 8:45 to 11am during school term time.

We have a community shop next door. We also sell card and books in the church.

The church is open most days between about 9:00 to 16:00. Sometime in bad weather it remains closed.


Other Features

We have a Dengie Food Pantry box in the church for local food support in the area.

The church sits in a conservation area and is surrounded by lovely old buildings.

There is a Village hall around the corner that is available to hire. We can accommodate small groups in out church rooms by arrangement.