The following activities are taking place each week. All are welcome to join us:
Sundays
- 8:00am – BCM Communion Service
- 10:00am – Contemporary Service (Communion service on the first and third Sunday of the month, informal morning praise on the second and fourth Sunday of the month)
Mondays
- 9:00 – 9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
Tuesdays
- 9:00 – 9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 1:30 – 4:00m – Strictly Come Crafting. 2nd & 4th Tuesday at the Community Hall. Contacts Dorothy Davies 01590 676163 or Shirley Saunders 01590 677628
- 2:30 – 3.45pm – Friendship Teas 1st Tuesday in month (except in August) at the Community Hall. Contacts Shirley Saunders 01590 677628 or Pat Wright 01590 678416
Wednesdays
- 9:00 – 9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 10:15 – 10:30am – Morning Prayer at St Mark’s Church (4th Wednesday only)
- 10:30 – 11:30am – Coffee at St Mark’s Church (4th Wednesday only)
Thursdays
- 9:00 – 9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
- 12:00 – 12:45pm – Advice Outreach, from NFDC and Citizens Advice
- 12:45 – 1:45pm – Fareshare Larder – St Mark’s Community Hall Car Park
Fridays
- 9:00 – 9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
Saturdays
- 9:00 – 9:30am – Morning Prayer on Zoom with St Thomas and St Mark’s – Parish Prayer zoom link
Church Tent, New Forest and Hampshire County Show 2025
Tuesday 29th to Thursday 31st July 2025
Volunteers are needed to serve refreshments and welcome visitors to the ever-popular church tent. This is an opportunity to come together as a Deanery to serve our community, promote the place and importance of our Parish Churches and share the hospitality of God with the thousands of people who visit the show. All volunteers get a free One Day Pass.
Volunteer sessions will be for 2½ hour starting 9am or 11.30am or 2pm (there is no setting up or clearing away involved).To volunteer, or for more information, please contact Mary Robinson at the Brockenhurst church office on 01590 624584 or email Mary@BrockenhurstChurch.com
Volunteers are also needed for Children’s Craft Activities and Facepainting.
Please contact Gordon & Wendy on 07759175779 or email gwh341@btinternet.com. The deanery rely on the support of all the churches in the Deanery and beyond for volunteers. Thank you!
Spring Watch – St Mark’s Style!
How lovely that Blue Tit families have chosen St Mark’s church in Pennington as their home this spring! The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small and colourful bird, easily recognised by its vibrant blue wings, yellow chest, and lively nature. These charming birds are known for their acrobatic antics in the trees and their cheerful, high-pitched calls that brighten any garden or green space.
Bird boxes like the one in our church grounds play a vital role in supporting native bird populations, especially as natural nesting sites become scarcer due to urban development and habitat loss. Providing a safe place to raise their young helps species like the Blue Tit thrive, and contributes to broader conservation efforts. We are thrilled that our churchyard, with its peaceful environment and greenery, has become a haven for wildlife. It’s a joy to see nature flourishing right here in our community, and a reminder of the small but important ways we can care for creation.
Upgraded Sound System for St Marks
Thank you to all those that have generously donated to our recent appeal for contributions to assist with the costs of the roof and heating repairs.
We have just received permission to modernise our sound system in the Church which will be to the benefit of all our congregations and if you are able to help with The cost which will be £5,000 we would be very grateful. these are challenging times for many, we ask you to prayerfully consider what you might be able to give to help us. Every contribution, no matter the size, is deeply appreciated and makes a meaningful difference in preserving our church for current and future generations. A box will be at the back of church for any donations to help fund this new sound system.
Thank you for your ongoing support, prayers, and commitment to our church family. If you would like to contribute specifically toward these expenses, you can do so here.
Change of Plans: Join Our Parish Rogation Walk for St Mark’s!
A shorter, traditional walk replaces our sponsored trek from Winchester.
Please note a change to our planned sponsored walk. Instead of the longer trek from Winchester to Pennington, we will now be holding a special “Beating the Bounds” sponsored walk right here in our own parish. This change allows for wider participation and connects us with a wonderful, ancient tradition.
What is a Rogation Walk or “Beating the Bounds”?
“Beating the Bounds” is a centuries-old tradition, historically carried out around Rogationtide – the days leading up to Ascension Day. In times past, before detailed maps were common, parishioners would walk the boundaries of their parish. This served several purposes: to impress the parish layout on the memory of the community (especially the younger generation, who would sometimes ceremonially tap boundary markers with willow wands!), to check for any encroachments, and, crucially, to pray for God’s blessing on the land, the crops, and the community for the coming year.
These walks were, and still are, a beautiful way to:
- Acknowledge and give thanks for the local environment that sustains us.
- Pray for the well-being of our parish and all who live and work within it.
- Foster a sense of community as we walk and reflect together.
- Remember our local heritage and the generations who have walked these paths before us.
While we may not be physically “beating” any boundary stones, the spirit of this tradition – of prayer, community, and thanksgiving for our local area – is something we can all embrace.
Walk With Us for St Mark’s!
We warmly invite you to join this special sponsored Rogation walk around our parish. It will be a shorter, more accessible route, suitable for many. All funds raised will go directly towards supporting the vital work and mission of St Mark’s Church here in Pennington.
This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fellowship, appreciate our beautiful parish, and contribute to the flourishing of our church community.
Further details about the route, sponsorship forms, and how to register will be available shortly via our notices and social media.
Let’s walk together in this ancient tradition, blessing our parish and supporting St Mark’s! We look forward to seeing you there.
Easy Fundraising
As you shop online, consider using Easy Fundraising to start that journey; doing so, you can help St Marks through affiliation as you shop on many online stores! Details available here:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/stmarkspcc
Holy Communion Intinction
The CoE’s national policy is that intinction (dipping) of wafers is not permitted, to keep safe those with particular health conditions. Those with severe allergies, particularly to gluten, can become seriously ill. There is a chance that a person’s fingers could touch the outside of the chalice or the wine, as hands carry many more germs than found on our lips.
It is important to remember receiving Communion in ‘one kind’ is still Communion ‘in full’.
Jubilee Singers Concert
On Saturday June 7th the Jubilee Singers will be singing in our church at 2pm. We will be meeting with the organisers this Wednesday to finalise details. Make a note in your diaries to come and enjoy a fun singing afternoon.
Craft Market
Every Wednesday from 10.30am – 3pm in the United Reformed Church Hall there is an artisan craft market. They are selling local New Forest products e.g. cakes, jams, gifts, decorations, etc. The URC are members of Christians Together in Lymington and Pennington and it would be a friendly gesture to support their efforts.
Pennington Community Hub
The Community Hub continues it’s successful work on Thursday in the Community Hall from 12pm to 2pm.
Daily Prayer
With St Thomas in Lymington, we continue to ‘pray for our nation, for its leaders, its health and essential services and all those who suffer’ this week at 9am on Zoom. Led by members of St Mark’s and St Thomas congregations, this now runs Monday through Friday.
Daily prayer is also taking place in St Thomas church from 9am on Saturdays
Coming together, we offer daily prayer for the situation in Ukraine.
Please do join them either by computer or phone:
- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
- Meeting ID: 895 2990 2640 Passcode: 2020
- Dial in from a landline phone: 0131 460 1196
St Mark’s Flower Decoration
If you would like to give flowers to commemorate an anniversary or other special day, or remember a relative or friend, please enter your name on the poster at the back of church against the date you would like your flowers to decorate the church and/or contact:- Lin Haley on 01590 677904
YouTube and Facebook
All our services can be found on our YouTube channel here. We also post details about or services and events on our Facebook page too, here.
Online Connection Information
Zoom Details
- Pennington Church General Zoom link:
- From a landline phone: 0203 481 5240 Meeting ID: 944 5816 8956 Passcode: 1839
- Parish Prayer Zoom Link:
- From a landline phone: 0203 481 5240 Meeting ID: 895 2990 2640 Passcode: 2020
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PenningtonChurch
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMarksChurchPennington