Leaflets

‘Mission Action Plan’ -This leaflet, produced in October 2021, highlights some of the areas we are focusing on as a Church.

Generosity brochure -This leaflet, produced in September 2023, highlights some of our church’s work, how generosity sustains our mission and ministry, and the difference your support continues to make.

Films

'St. Guthlac's Church life in the local community' is a 20 minute glimpse at some projects and people we as a church support. Filmed in 2021, we hope you enjoy it.

There are some other films we have made and are available on our YouTube channel which you might be interested to see, including:

• Meet Rev George - Rector of St. Guthlac's' - Filmed in June 2020 shortly after Rev George arrived to St. Guthlac’s Church, this is a short interview between her and Licensed Lay Minister Nigel Bacon.
• St. Guthlac's wins an eco award!' - This is a 5 minute interview between Rev George and Georgie Gray, the then co-ordinator of the Churches Environmental Group, after the Church had been awarded a Bronze Eco Church Award in 2021.
• 'The story of St. Guthlac's church organ restoration' - A half hour film about the 2019 restoration of the Church organ.

Other organisations

As a Church we are pleased to be connected with some other organisations, including:

• The Church of England.
• The Diocese of Lincoln.
• Inclusive Church.
• William Hildyard Church of England Primary and Nursery School.

For more information about each church, do visit their websites: 

- Deeping St James

- Deeping St Nicholas

- Crowland

- The Ness Group

A Prayer for the Welland Local Mission Partnership

Loving God, we pray for the Welland Local Mission Partnership; for all those who worship and minister in its churches and for the communities we seek to serve in your name. We give thanks for those who have cherished the buildings, nurtured the people and sustained the life of your church through prayer. Give us wisdom and courage to follow their example, holding fast to faith in Christ while being open to the guidance of your Spirit, as we seek to further your kingdom in this place. May we share our resources graciously and generously while supporting one another in love and friendship. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

For information about our Church Hall, known as 'the Green School', please click here.

The Church Building - Some history

St Guthlac’s Church has features dating from the 12th century onwards, reflecting its long history. The entrance includes a 12th-century arch and a 13th-century porch, while the main part of the church, known as the nave, has arches from the Norman and Early English periods.

The carvings on the ends of the choir stalls symbolise the change in character of the local area when the Church was built -On one side is bitterns amongst rushes and on the other are partridges with corn. You can also see in the Chancel ceiling, six carved wooden angels with folded wings, carrying shields, books and scrolls.  On each side of the main window behind the altar, are 14 century carved figures of St Hugh of Lincoln and St Guthlac. Below the window, the Altar Reredos is a beautiful, intricate mosaic depicting a cross in the middle, with two kneeling angels either side in the pre-Raphaelite tradition. On the south wall, opposite the organ, are the St Guthlac stained glass Windows, which contain twelve circular scenes from the life St Guthlac, based on scenes from The St Guthlac Roll, held at the British Library. The church also has other beautiful stained glass windows, including the notable Archangels’ Window in the North Aisle. More information on all of the windows can be found in our booklet 'The Stained Glass Windows of St. Guthlac's Church and the people to whom they were dedicated'.

The organ, built by William Hill of London and installed in 1882, was fully restored in 2019 by Clevedon Organs, with substantial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. A film about the restoration can be watched on the Resources page of this website.

On the south wall of the nave, is the local War Memorial commemorating those locally who served and lost their lives in the two World Wars.

The tower of the church was built in the 1440s and outside features a clock installed in 1763, along with two historic 18 century sundials, inscribed with the words, 'The Day is Thine' and 'The Night Cometh'.  Also outside, you can see the coat of arms of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, who had strong connections with the area.

For more information about the Church building, please pick up a copy of the booklet ‘St Guthlac’s Church Market Deeping ~ A Short History & Guide’.

All our booklets can be found in the church, near the main door as you come in, for a small cost (ranging between £1.50-£2.50) and feature more detailed information about the building.

The Bells

St Guthlac’s Church has had six bells since 1766. They were made by the same bellfounder, Joseph Eyre of St Neots, Huntingdonshire, at the same time, which was quite unusual at the time. Each bell has its own inscription, with messages about faith, the glory of God and the life of the Church. Two of the bells also name the Rector and Churchwardens at the time, Rev'd Lawrence Maydwell, John Mawby and John Boyall.

In 1887, coinciding with Queen Victoria's jubilee year, the bells were repaired and improved. Further work took place in 1989, when they were re-hung with new fittings and re-tuned.

To mark the approaching millennium in 2000, two new bells were added. They were made by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, who are one of the two remaining bellfounders in England.  One of the bells has a Latin inscription meaning 'Praise be to God' and the other records the names of the Rector and Churchwardens at the time, Rev'd Derek Earis, Stewart Jones and Kay Roberts. Both bells also carry a Millennium Commission medallion. They were blessed by the Bishop of Lincoln and all eight bells were first rung together in 1998. The project was made possible through local fundraising, community support and a grant from the National Lottery Millennium Fund. The bell ringers and other volunteers assisted the contractors with the work in both 1989 and 1998. The bells continue to be maintained by dedicated volunteers, who help keep them in very good working order.

If you are interested in learning how to ring the bells or in joining our group of bell ringers, we'd love to hear from you - Please see the ‘Groups & Activities’ page for more information.

Saint Guthlac

The Church is dedicated to Saint Guthlac who lived in the late 7th and early 8th centuries. Guthlac was a local Anglo Saxon hermit who came to the Island of Crowland from the Monastery at Repton. As a young man, Guthlac was a soldier, before dedicating his life to God, which he did so by becoming a monk, and through offering spiritual guidance to others, and spending time alone in prayer and reflection. A few years after Guthlac died, around age 40, Crowland Abbey was founded in his memory by Ethelbald, King of Mercia.

The life story of Saint Guthlac was first written down by a monk called Felix, at the request of King Ælfwald of the East Angles. Written within 35 years of Guthlac's death, it drew on the memories of people who had known him. Later, other stories about Guthlac appeared, which included poems, and details and traditions that had grown over time at Crowland Abbey.

The Guthlac Roll is a beautifully illustrated manuscript, believed to have been created by monks at Crowland Abbey in the late 12th or early 13th century. It tells the story of St Guthlac, drawing on the earlier written accounts and local traditions. Made from vellum (prepared animal skin), The Roll features 18 circular illustrations and stretches almost three metres long. We do not know exactly why it was created, but today it is treasured as an important historical work and one of the most highly regarded illuminated manuscripts at the British Library.

For more information, a booklet called ‘St Guthlac – His Life & the Guthlac Roll’, which tells the story of Guthlac's life through The Guthlac Roll, is available online, or in paper from the Church for £1.50. If you would like a copy, please contact our Administrator.

We are based in the south of Lincolnshire, in the small town of Market Deeping, and are committed to supporting people locally and beyond. We seek to share the love of God, along with the hope and joy which flow from this, through our worship, prayer and action.

The Church is open daily between 9am-5pm for your own private prayer and reflection.

The Church Hall, known as The Green School, is just across the road from the Church.

We have excellent links with various local groups and schools in the area, including our Church School, ‘William Hildyard Church of England Primary School’.  We are also part of the Welland Local Mission Partnership, where we work together with other local Parishes.

To find out more about us, please read our Vision and Values.  Also do visit our 'What's On' and 'Latest News' pages to see some of the services, events and activities on offer at St. Guthlac's, or to find our even more about us you can view some short films or read some leaflets we have produced over recent years on the Resources page.

Our Vision:

Our vision statement seeks to express some of what we find important at St. Guthlac’s:

• Reaching out in love – God loves his people and we aim to share this by supporting others in various ways.
• Growing in faith – We are a growing church, both in terms of people who come to the church for worship or as part of one of our groups, and in terms of encouraging and supporting people’s individual faith to develop, deepen and grow.
• Welcoming all – Following the example of Jesus, we welcome everyone to experience the love of God, whatever your background, identity or personal situation.

Our Mission Statement

St. Guthlac's Church seeks to share God’s love by building a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive community rooted in faith. We express our commitment to compassion and spiritual growth through worship, prayer and action, reaching out to support others locally and beyond. Together, we aim to grow in faith, share God’s love and encourage all to discover and live out their unique calling in God's love. 

Our Values

St. Guthlac's core values are based around who we are and what we do:

• We are rooted in faith in a loving God, and express our faith in various ways, including through worship, prayer and music, both when we meet together and individually.
• We are a loving community, sharing the love of God through compassion in our words, thoughts and actions.
• We are a welcoming church, encouraging friendship between all.
• We are supportive, which we express through pastoral care and practical actions for those within the church, the local community and beyond.
• We are an inclusive church, inviting everyone with us in experiencing God’s love as your true self, the unique individual God made you to be.
• We are a growing church, encouraging participation in the life of our church and local community, and for each person to deepen their faith in God and understanding of how that impacts their daily life. 

'These three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.’ (1 Corinthians 13.13)

Here is our leadership team: