About Us
We are now part of the Rossendale Team of nine parishes forming a Mission Community within the Bury and Rossendale Deanery
St Mary's remains Biblically orthodox in its Christian faith (as defined in the '39 Articles of Faith and the historic formularies of the Church of England). Jesus is Lord of every area of our shared and private lives.
We're all on a journey of repentance and transformation, it would be great to share with you on the same journey
Our Vision
Our vision is:
"To reveal Jesus as we love God and serve others in the power of His Spirit."
Our Purpose
To enjoy fellowship as we worship in Spirit and Truth, grow in discipleship, develop in ministry and deploy in mission
Prayer Request Form
Please submit your prayer requests by completing the box below and clicking Send Prayer Request
Notices
Regular Events
Morning Services
Sunday 11:00AM
Sunday school for children during part of the service
Family Service
1st Sunday of month
Suitable for the whole family to join in or with Sunday school for children
Holy Communion
2nd and 4th Sunday of month
Sunday school for children during part of the service
Morning Prayer
3rd Sunday of month
Mothers' Union
3rd Monday of month 7:30pm
Group for anyone, ladies or men who are interested in the cultivation of family life
Soup and a Sandwich
2nd Wednesday of month 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Free soup and a sandwich lunch, open to everyone
House Groups/Bible Study
We currently have two groups, please contact church for more details
On-line Service
Church Services
All service Readings and Prayers will be posted here and on our Facebook page.
Prayers
16th August 2026 by Sue
This week we have seen a wonderful eclipse, proof, if we needed it, that God exists.
Many students have received their A level, BTech and T level results (equivalent to A levels). Other students are anxiously awaiting GCSE results. We thank you for those who achieved the results they needed to move forward in their education. We pray for those who are unsure of the way ahead and ask that you will give them wisdom.
Last Sunday we had an adult baptism and next week we have an infant baptism. We ask for your blessing on both of these people and on their sponsors and Godparents. We pray for any who may be thinking about having their children baptised.
We pray for all who are suffering because of the continuing hot weather, especially those who have lost their homes in recent fires. We pray for the emergency responders doing their best, especially the firefighters who are constantly fighting fires on the moors. We pray that we will play our part be being responsible.
We pray for all who have lost loved ones in recent weeks. Be with them in their grieving and may they know your peace as they grieve.
We continue to pray for peace in our world. Help us always to focus on the peace that passes understanding, knowing that, we are safe in your hands.
We pray for those who are sick, for those who are weary, the elderly, for those who live alone, for those cared for and those who care for others. Especially we pray for anyone who has a family member who is seriously ill. Be with them in their troubles and may they be given the strength they need.
We pray for all the emergency services who are stretched at the moment, especially hospital nurses, doctors and paramedics.
As we come towards the end of the school holidays, we pray for the children as they prepare to move forward, into a new class, a new school or into sixth form, college or university. We pray for teachers and governors as they prepare for the new school year and ask that you will give them guidance.
We pray for young adults starting to make their way in the world, or leaving home that they might make good choices and that they will be protected from harm.
We ask these prayers in the name of Jesus, our Saviour, Amen.
Today Talk from Jay
16th August 2026
Gen 45:1-15/Matt 15:21-28
CONTEXT
Genesis 45:1–15 and Matthew 15:21-28 the context for these two readings is that both stories tell us of 3 things. Unexpected Grace, Persistence, and the Inclusion of outsiders.
Gen 45: - Joseph is now the right-hand man to Pharoah. He literally makes all the decisions that keep the Egyptians from starving to death. However, to get where was He had undergone the three things mentioned in the Context. Undeserved Grace, Persistence and inclusion.
The same thing had happened to the Syrophoenician Woman. Who was doing everything thing she knew to get her daughter well.
Both of these characters had to progress through their situations. Joseph is given dreams that indicate that He will be not only be at the Head of the Family. But the family will serve Him and be thankful for it.
The Syrophoenician Woman has no doubt been down every avenue open to her to try to help her daughter get well.
Both Joseph and the Syrophoenician Woman had extremely difficult days that they endured. Joseph should have been dead a long time ago only rescued by Reuben. If not, He should surely have undergone beating after beating whilst a slave or in prison. Yet we don't hear anything about this and in fact Joseph prospers, Undeserved Grace is given to Him. The Syrophoenician Women's life must have been hell. She was helpless in being able to cause her daughter to be well. Day after Day She watches as her beautiful offspring gets weaker and weaker, to the point that reality sets in and She knows that her daughter is going to die.
What kept the Two of them going, well for Joseph it was the dreams that God had given Him when He was still at Home. His relationship with God the Father and His understanding that they had to have a positive outcome. His persistence in believing this ensured that He would triumph in the end. Had He only believed what He could see, the outcome would have been very different. But he saw what He believed and didn't allow anything to get in the way of that.
The Syrophoenician Women's persistence in looking for some sort of cure for her daughter finally paid off. She was desperate and would have probably given Her own life to save Her daughter. But she kept looking and heard of Jesus and travelled a very long way to get to him. She found Him and called Him "Son of David" this almost cost her daughter Her life. Jesus tells Her He can't heal her daughter because She does not have a covenant with God. She understands and calls Him Lord her creator.
They are both accepted into kingdoms because of their faith. Jesus remembers that the Gentiles will be invited into His Kingdom and so an outsider is admitted and a child is healed.
Joseph' dreams are eventually starting to manifest and Joseph is admitted into the Egyptian Empire a foreigner is given the same equality as the Egyptians. Becomes Second in Command over all of Egypt.
If we know Jesus as our Personal Saviour, then we are granted Undeserved Grace. No matter what we do or think on a daily basis, whether it is positive or negative; Undeserved Grace is poured out upon us. As we live our lives circumstances, problems, difficulties come our way. However, we handle them? Whether we glorify our saviour or put ourselves first. Undeserved grace is poured out on us by the Holy Spirit. But our decisions do have a result in that Romans 6:16 tells us, "Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
But with the Holy Spirit we are guided and are able to glorify our God. As we see from the two stories the decisions we make are not always easy. However, with God's undeserving Grace we can Glorify His Name.
So, we need to remember that we have been included into God's kingdom because of our saviour's sacrifice, and we need to be persistent in our Faith and see what we believe and ensure we glorify our Saviour and be thankful for the undeserving Grace that we have every single day.
NOW THATS WHAT I CALL REALLY GOOD NEWS
Communion Reflection
This is a short Communion Reflection that you can join at any time. There is a quiet period within it that you can pause if you want a longer period of reflection
Safe Guarding Policy
At St Mary’s, Rawtenstall we work hard to maintain a safe environment for all. We are committed to implementing the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies and good practice guidance.
If you have any concerns or enquiries regarding safeguarding, please contact our safeguarding officer.
- Parish Safeguarding Officer: Vicky Rhodes
- Phone: 01254 389589
A hard copy of the ‘Manchester Diocese Safeguarding Handbook’ and the ‘Church of England – Parish Safeguarding Handbook’ are available for inspection in the vestry at St Mary’s.
The Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is Abbey Clephane-Wilson, she can be contacted at
- Email: safeguarding@manchester.anglican.org
- Phone: 0161 828 1465
- Mobile: 07384 460958
Out of Hours Support
The Diocese of Manchester partners with thirtyone:eight and you can access their Safeguarding Helpline if the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is unavailable. Thirtyone:eight can be contacted on 0303 003 1111.
This also includes any safeguarding queries outside of office hours on weekdays and weekends. An Information Sharing Agreement between the two organisations will allow the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser to receive a copy of the advice thirtyone:eight may offer the caller.
In the case of an emergency
If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Service. Lancashire County Council on 0300 123 6720 or outside of working hours 0300 123 6722
Helplines
NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (lines free and open 24 hours).
- Child-line: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours).
- Parent Line: 0808 800 2222
- National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours).
- Samaritans Helpline: 116 123 (open 24 hours).
- Action on Elder Abuse Helpline: 080 8808 8141 (freephone Monday to Friday 9-5pm)
Facts
Some interesting facts about St Mary's Rawtenstall
Year Opened
Average Congregation
Downstairs Capacity
Electoral Roll (2020)
Activities
- All
- Adults
- Scouts
- Guides
Mothers Union
3rd Monday, 7:30pm
Rainbows
Monday, 5:30pm
Ladies Fellowship
Alt. Wednesday, 2:00pm
Beavers
Wednesday, 6:15pm
Brownies
Monday, 6:30pm
Mens Breakfast
1st Saturday, 8:15am
Cubs
Tuesday, 7:00pm
Scouts
Thursday, 7:30pm
Guides
Monday, 7:30pm
Our Churches/Friends
Team
Meet the team of people at St Mary's who keep the building functioning, but the real church is not the building but the people who use the building.
Revd Samuel Hameem
Team Vicar in the Rossendale TeamRevd Samuel Hameem
Julie Barratt
Associate MinisterJulie Barratt
Pete Terry
Church WardenPete Terry
Jean Lang
Church WardenJean Lang
Nick and Suzanne
Childrens WorkSuzanne & Nick
Contact Us
Please contact us if you need any further information, or clarification of services/times. We will try and get back to you as soon as possible.