A special service of celebration to mark the joining of five local Churches, under one new Team Ministry, was held at Thaxted Parish Church on Tuesday 13th June.

The Bishop of Colchester, Rt Revd Roger Morris conducted the service which included musical performances by children from local village primary schools (Radwinter, Great Sampford and Thaxted), The Sampford Singers and Thaxted Church Choir.

The service also included the reading of a poem, specially composed for the occasion by Margaret Suckling, and was followed by refreshments which gave the chance for everyone to get to know each other a little better.

The unification means that Little Sampford, Great Sampford, Radwinter, Hempstead and Thaxted Churches are now part of one group, under a new Team Ministry led by Rector Philip Tarris.

During his sermon The Bishop, expressed his delight that the five churches had come together and his hope that it would be the start of a bright future for all of them.

Photo left to right: Father Christopher Brown (Associate Priest), Adrian Wright (Lay Reader), Rt Revd Roger Morris (Bishop of Colchester), The Ven Robin King (Archdeacon of Stansted), Rev Lyn Hillier and Rector Philip Tarris.