About Us

Barhams brass lecturn In the Bible, Paul writes to the church in Corinth and suggests that a church family is like a body. Many different parts, some more obvious than others, but each part having an important role to play. He also speaks about the variety of different gifts that people have, all of which can be used in serving the Kingdom of God.

In the Barham churches we seek to encourage both young and old to discover and use their gifts. We also believe that God’s Holy Spirit continues to bestow abilities that we never knew that we had. All that is necessary, is to be prepared to try out different tasks with prayer and humility - and who knows what gifts we might discover!

Our understanding is that God has given us this wonderful world to enjoy, and to live in it in such a way as to look after the world, and to care for the whole of humankind.

Our hope is that we may be a loving and worshipful community, where people find acceptance and the love of God.

Like a big family, all of us are involved in different ways. And in working together, we find the Christian life to be more rewarding.

Our Barham Downs church family is spread across five mediaeval church buildings:

Holy Innocents, Adisham, is a historic church building in the middle of the village, which is used by the congregation for worship and concerts. We are inspired by our vision of God, and empowered by an inclusive Christian ministry and mission, to strengthen the community life of our village. The congregation is small, hard-working and enjoys socials as well as worship. We like being part of village life, working with our fellow Christians, and would be really happy if you could join us serving God and our neighbour.

St. John the Baptist, Barham, with its prominent green spire, overlooks the village and is the largest in the group. We are a family-friendly church, and offer a mix of traditional and contemporary worship, and a range of meetings for children and young people. Details of services and events for this, and each of the other churches, will be found on the 'What's On' page.

St. Mary the Virgin, Bishopsbourne, is the most historic of our four mediaeval buildings, having had Richard Hooker as its priest - Hooker was a significant contributor to the formation of the Church of England in the time of Queen Elizabeth I. Worship here is mostly traditional in format, with two services each month, one of which is Evensong.

St. Giles, Kingston, is almost hidden in the centre of its village. It is the smallest of our buildings, which makes for a friendly welcome to any visitors. It is popular as a wedding venue where large numbers are not anticipated. There is currently one Family Communion and one Holy Communion service each month.

St Margaret of Antioch, Wymynswold, The mediaeval church of St Margaret of Antioch is situated in the centre of a picturesque village and is open to everyone throughout the year. It serves the three hamlets of Womenswold, Woolage Green and Woolage village. We offer a friendly welcome to pilgrims, visitors and those who attend our two services each month. These services always include hymns accompanied by our beautiful organ and everybody enjoys singing encouraged by the good acoustics of the church. The chancel has been reordered and updated for smaller services. It is a picturesque venue for weddings. The church allows anyone to enjoy not just the worship but also private devotion during the day. It is also a great building for concerts and talks. There is a small car park to the rear of the church.

Decorated cross for Easter You may use the 'What's On' page to find out what is happening in each church.

The decorated cross created by families as part of our 'Messy Friday' celebration before Easter.

If you would like to make a donation towards the work of the Barham Downs Churches, you may do so by going to our Just Giving page, or text BARM66 £5 to 70070.