Welcome - This website was last updated on the 11th July 2025
"On the road down to Jericho"
See PEW NEWS page for the latest Church Diary dates & times, Services, Groups, Social Events, as well as any letters from our Bishop at the diocese + updates on 'Time to Change Together', Deanery Synod etc.
Letter from Archbishop of York (8th January 2025) now on Pew News page
Letter from Bishop Stephen (28th January 2025) regards Prayer now on Pew News page
Announcement (3rd Feb 2025) that Bishop David (Grimsby) is retiring in July. See Pew News page
Letter from Bishop Stephen (26th Feb 2025) regards the Makin Review now on Pew News page
Letter from Bishop Stephen (21st March) regards clergy time off. See Pew News page
Announcement (25th March) that Archdeacon of Boston is leaving to take up a new role. See Pew News page
Announcement (12th May) that Archdeacon of Stow & Lyndsey is retiring in Dec. See Pew News page
See SAFEGUARDING PAGE for the latest news from the Safeguarding Team & Safeguarding contact numbers
See WORSHIP FROM THE RECTORY page for Audio PODCASTS and the latest service sheet for the radio service
There are now over 300 Audio PODCASTs on the Worship from the Rectory page.
For individual Churches click on 'OUR 8 CHURCHES' page which directs you to each particular church in our group or see PEW NEWS page for service times & events etc.
For baptisms, weddings and memorial services please contact Rev Chris 01529 460904
THE CHURCHES IN OUR GROUP THAT ARE OPEN EACH DAY
Great Hale Church - open daily from 10am to dusk for private prayer.
Howell Church - open daily in daylight hours.
Swaton Church - open in the mornings only
Heckington Church - open daily from 9am to 5pm. If anyone, or any group, would like a personal tour of St Andrew's Church Heckington please contact our tour guide Mike Rose (01529 461293).
SPECIAL SERVICES/EVENTS COMING UP
Bishop Nicholas to bless the new roof at Helpringham 13th July at 3.30pm
Bishop Nicholas to authorise the new Authorised Lay Ministers at St Deny's Sleaford 20th July at 3pm
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP on 'HECKINGTON LIVING COMMUNITY RADIO' at 11am each Sunday
Our Sunday morning broadcasts continue each week. Each week I put a Sunday Morning Service on the 'Worship from the Rectory' page. It has the readings set for that week along with prayers, hymns and a sermon, so you can join in at home if you want to. I record the service at the Rectory either on Friday or Saturday to be broadcast live on 'Heckington Living Community Radio' at 11am that Sunday and afterwards put a podcast on this website (though sadly the sound quality for the music is not as good as the live broadcast). In order to add variety, and include the ministries of others, Rev Stephen also contributes sermons, and those who usually lead the intercessions in our churches send in their prayers which I read out on their behalf. To hear the service on a Sunday just Google 'Heckington Living Community Radio' and click on the play symbol - If you don't hear the service straight away don't worry you are on the station just wait for the music to finish which sometimes is 11.05am. The complete service is between 45mins to an hour.
LIBRARY OF SUNDAY MORNING BROADCASTS
There is a growing library of Audio PODCASTS of the radio broadcasts available to download from the 'Worship from the Rectory' page. There are now 310 from the start of the Corona Virus pandemic in March 2020 right up to, and including, the Fourth Sunday after Trinity (Year C) - 13th July 2025.
SOUNDS FROM THE SUNNYSIDE - Sundays at 12noon + more opportunities to listen mid week
Rev Chris also DJ's a weekly two to three hour music show on Heckington Living Radio (HLR) called 'Sounds from the Sunnyside' which is broadcast straight after the worship service on Sunday lunchtime usually around 12noon and is repeated on Tuesdays at 9am and sometimes on Tuesday evenings at 8pm, on Thursday afternoons at 2pm and Saturday mornings at 10.30am. If you want to read what is going to be played that week go onto the 'Sounds from the Sunnyside' page on this website and you can download a copy of the playlist (not the music). They are a selection of great records from the 1950's onward. So if you like rock, prog, country, blues, pop, new wave, especially records from the 60's 70's & 80's you will enjoy this show. Check it out.
DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE - Sundays at 5pm
Rev Chris has also started a one hour Gospel Music show on Heckington Living Radio (HLR) called 'Down by the Riverside' playing some wonderful gospel music, negro spirituals, new Christian music, and songs with a spiritual message. It is on every Sunday teatime at 5pm. The playlists (though not the music) can be viewed or downloaded from the 'Down by the Riverside' pages of this website. Come and be refreshed down by the riverside. CURRENTLY OFF AIR.
PRAYER MEETINGS & STUDY GROUPS
For the past three years a silent vigil has and is being held on Wednesday evenings at 7pm at Great Hale Church in solidarity with those suffering in Ukraine and Gaza. It is a chance to light a candle and sit in silent prayer or contemplation for half an hour as a response to the war in Ukraine and against Hamas.
We have a regular weekly prayer meeting after the midweek communion in the Lady Chapel at Heckington on Wednesday mornings at 11am.
Bible Study Group meets at Great Hale church every Wednesday evening at 7.30pm with a series of studies on Ezekiel with Rev Stephen .
There are a few home groups meeting around our group of parishes (if interested in joining one contact Rev Chris)
We have a monthly JULIAN MEETING on the Second Thursday of each month at 10.30am. It is 30 minutes of silent contemplative prayer with readings from the writings of Julian of Norwich and Scripture that top and tail the meeting. There is a time of fellowship afterwards with a cuppa. The next one will be on 10th July at Great Hale Church.
OTHER RESOURCES
Please do look at the Church of England Website - (churchofengland.org) where there are national updates and lots of resources for prayer and worship at home + links to live-streaming of services around the country. There is also the website of Lincoln Diocese (lincoln.anglican.org) with local news, letters and updates from our Bishops.
In addition to our Sunday Service on Heckington Living Community Radio at 11am every Sunday, there is a daily service on BBC Radio 4 LW at 9.45am each morning with plenty of thoughts for each day.
BBC Sounds App has lots of resources too. It's a chance to catch up with some great radio programmes you may have missed in the past. In this digital age we are certainly not short of resources!
Financial and Practical Help is available
Please see the 'Practical Help' page on this website for details
WHO WE ARE
The Heckington & Helpringham Group of Parishes are a group of eight Anglican Parish Churches who are part of the Lafford Deanery within the southern part of the Diocese of Lincoln. The churches in our group are:
St Andrew's Asgarby
St Andrew with St Nicholas & The Blessed Virgin Mary, Burton Pedwardine
St John the Baptist Great Hale
St Andrew's Heckington
St Andrew's Helpringham,
St Andrew's Scredington
St Michael's Swaton.
They each have their own pages on this website. Do browse the site, and if there is anything you are looking for but can't find it please do contact me.
Rev 'Captain' Chris Harrington