Welcome to St Mary's Church 
We are a village church within the Church of England where everyone is welcome. We come together on Sundays to offer our praise and worship - the best that we can bring. We see the mission of our church as carrying the love of God for us as shown in the living of His Son Jesus, to all in the village and those we meet elsewhere. We come to the altar bringing the concerns and needs of the people of God. If you live in Balcombe, or are just visiting the village, you are most welcome to join us at any of our services or social events It is not only on Sundays and Festivals that we come together to worship. Every day prayers are said in this church and are caught up with the prayers which are being said, not just in this country, but all over the world. 
As the fourth verse of that wonderful hymn “The day thou gavest” says: 
The sun that bids us rest is waking 
Our brethren 'neath the western sky 
And hour by hour fresh lips are making 
Thy wondrous doings heard on high 
When we come together to break bread and share wine as Jesus told us to do, we’re stepping into a stream of prayer and worship which crosses all time and all geographical locations. The very stones of this ancient church are soaked with the prayers of those who’ve worshipped here down the years - as indeed the presence of the many visitors will leave an invisible mark on this building. 

SUNDAY SERVICES AT 8AM AND 10AM ALL WELCOME 
Please note that major works at St Mary’s Church started in the week commencing 30th January 2022. Due to the scale of works required this will go on until the end of July. It is unavoidable that the works will impact on the level of church services while the Chancel is under renovation as there will be scaffolding externally and internally. These works are being carried out in direct response to the St Mary’s Church 2018 Quinquennial Report which highlighted the extensive water damage to the Church roof and building which was worsening each year. The need for repairs was compounded by the partial fall of the plaster ceiling in the Lady Chapel ceiling at Christmas 2020. The key areas being addressed are: Exterior repairs to the South Aisle and Lady Chapel roof, abutment with the Chancel roof, Choir Vestry roof and North Aisle roof, as well as repairs to the North and South wall elevations Interior repairs to water damage to the Church’s North Aisle, Vestry, junction of the North Aisle and Nave roof, Chancel arch, Lady Chapel ceiling and exterior walls Unfortunately, this means that the Church will not be open as usual outside our usual pattern of services. However, the plan is to continue with normal Sunday services where possible. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and cooperation during this, relatively, short period of work and upheaval. The outcome of the project will be a much more weather resistant church building and some significant internal weather damage repairs and redecoration.

Donors

We are very grateful to our Benefactors who are supporting our current restoration project

Safeguarding 
St Mary’s are pleased to welcome a wide age range of worshipers to our services. The safety and well being of all members of the Church is of paramount importance to us, and especially the safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults. 
To this end, our PCC (Parochial Church Council) has, in accordance with Diocesan and National Guidelines, and in response to the Parish Safeguarding Handbook approved by the House of Bishops, appointed a Safeguarding Officer to oversee all areas of Safeguarding within the Parish. Our Safeguarding Officer is Mrs Julia Wilson and her contact details are available on the; 
Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement 
Further information regarding safeguarding in the Diocese of Chichester can be found on the; Safeguarding pages of the Diocesan Website
Nationally, the Thinkuknow organisation carries a wealth of useful information. Their website can be found here; Think u Know