All about the life, work and witness of S.Thomas the Apostle, Elson
All about the life, work and witness of S.Thomas the Apostle, Elson
We like to think of ourselves at S.Thomas, Elson as a small but friendly family. We are very child-friendly, open, inclusive and accepting to all people, regardless of race, sex, or orientation.
God welcomes all to come and worship at his altar and we want to extend that welcome to one and all.
This means you may be mixing with tax-collectors, sinners, adulterers, hypocrites, Greeks, Jews, women as well as men, female and male priests, homosexuals, lesbians, the disabled, dying thieves, and other sinners; black people, Asians and other ethnic minorities, Muslims, Bishops, bigots, peoples of other faiths, strangers from Rome and Nigeria, heretics, etc, etc - even you, dear guest are most welcome in fact anyone like those who Jesus mixed with.
So beware, this is not a private club...
WELCOME TO ALL!
I believe in the God of Jesus. The Abba/Spirit God. The God of the Gospels. The God of the Lord’s Prayer. The God of resurrection. The Father of the Prodigal. The God who said of Jesus “Listen to him.” The God of Job who was a redeemer who would one day stand on the earth and tell us all we could know about the mystery. The God who can’t be seen except in the face, words and cross of Jesus. The God of the Gospel, not the God of guaranteed results.
From a blog entry by Michael Spenser, the internet monk. Amen.
http://www.boarsheadtavern.com/archives/2008/05/06/2060508.html
Our parish church which stands on the corner of Elson Lane and Elson Road, was built in 1845, after pressure by local clergy, led by Rev'd Samuel Willberforce, then Rector of Alverstoke and later Bishop of Winchester, (Samuel Willberforce was one of the sons of William Willberforce, the leading campaigner for the abolition of slavery). However, in the beginning it was not classed as a parish, but as a "Daughter Church" to St. Mary's of Alverstoke. It was not until later on when it became a parish of it's own. The parish at the time covered a vast distance, including the hamlets of Hardway, Elson, Brockhurst, Bridgemary and Bedenham.
The design of St. Thomas' church is simple but striking, housing a fine Victorian stained glass window at the east end. The land surrounding St, Thomas' was consecrated on 14th August 1845, and until 1927 burials were conducted within the then churchyard. However, in 1967 - 45 years after the last burial, the gravestones were removed, and the grounds were turned into a tranquil Garden of Rest - as it remains today. A list of burials within St. Thomas' church yard from 1845 - 1900, can be viewed here.
The vicarage (built originally in 1852 and rebuilt in the 1950's) and the church hall (built in 1903) were not built alongside the church itself. Instead they were constructed about 400 meters to the west (vicarage) and east (hall), the only reason for this - other than allocation of land, was that it was a ploy to ensure that clergy and parishioners alike got plenty of exercise.
