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St Edburg's Church seeks to be a welcoming and caring family, living in Christ's love through Christian fellowship, worship, service to one another and the wider community.

Associated Churches

https://www.stedburgschurch.org/associated-churches

With thanks to Xi Gong for many of these photos

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Worship

Youth

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I'm new

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Weddings

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Baptism

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Thought for the Week

Thought for the Week

Thought of the Week

SAFEGUARDING

If there is immediate risk or danger contact the police on 999

Parish Safeguarding Officer:                                                                

Richard Brown (01869 249075) safeguarding@stedburgschurch.org

Church Warden: Ian Cribbes (07501973421)

Church Warden: Adrian Balshaw (07710440031)

Diocese Safeguarding Advisor: 01865 208290

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We are a

Fairtrade

Church

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A safer Church

Charity Commission Registered Number - 1132842

Thursday will be the feast day of St George, the patron saint of England. However for several centuries the national saints of England were thought to be St Edmund, King of the East Angles martyred by the Danes in CE870, Edward the Confessor (died 1065) the founder of Westminster Abbey, and Pope Gregory the Great (died 604) who in 597 sent Augustine to convert the English. All of these had strong English connections.

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St George, on the other hand, had no connection with England in his lifetime. Our patron saint is principally known today as the slayer of dragons and rescuer of beautiful princesses. According to the legend, this dragon terrorised the country of Silene in Libya. The local king had done a deal and the dragon stopped raiding provided that he was given 2 sheep daily. When they ran out of sheep, the dragon agreed to be provided with one human each day. The victims were chosen by lot and eventually the choice fell on the King’s daughter. She was duly chained up for the dragon.  Enter St George who defeated the dragon, piercing him with his spear, and led him, using the princess’s girdle as a leash, and the princess back into the city. George refused all reward for this act except the conversion of the people of Silene to Christianity.

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Very little is known about the actual St George. Most probably he was a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian and martyred in the Great Persecution of Diocletian around 303. He is said to have been buried in Lydda/ Lod in what is now Israel. He is known as a megalomartyr – Great Martyr - in Eastern churches. Over time he acquired a posthumous reputation as a great warrior and his cult appealed greatly to soldiers and generals. His cult was brought back to England by King Richard the Lionheart who had visited his tomb while on the Third Crusade. His popularity gradually grew so that by the 16th century Shakespeare, who incidentally shares his birthday, could use him in his play Henry the Fifth.

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His heroic character as a great warrior means that he has ended up as patron saint of Aragon, Bosnia/ Herzogovina, Bulgaria, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Lithuania, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Ukraine, Moscow, Beirut, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice.

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So our patron saint is widely venerated in east and west, known as a military saint and also a man who maintained his faith under torture. He is an example to us of fortitude and devotion who maintained his faith despite all attempts to make him give it up.

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