Margaret Bradley is one of the church wardens at St Mary Magdalene at Quatford. She wrote this introduction piece for the welcoming service for our new curate.
Quatford is a village three miles south-east of Bridgnorth on the Kidderminster Road. The church is the oldest in the team, founded in 1086 and enlarged over the centuries. It has a wonderful atmosphere which is always remarked upon by visitors.
When I moved into Bridgnorth 19 years ago from a nearby village, I hadn't been to church for three years, my first lapse, but was asked by a friend to go to Quatford, and found such warmth and friendship there that I felt at home right away.
We are a small congregation week by week, but no visitor comes without receiving a warm welcome, even at Christmas carol service when the church is packed - no stranger goes unnoticed.
Our services are varied and aim to meet the spiritual needs of all. Come on the first Sunday of the month and you will find tambourines, maraccas and all sort of instruments in use. But the following week, there is a quieter atmosphere with communion from the Book of Common Prayer.
Our small, faithful congregation accept all services equally, and we have amazed ourselves, especially I think, at our vigorous playing of the tambourines!
We look forward to welcoming Helen when she comes to visit us at Quatford, and all wish her well. I would add that with our unique lift, there is no longer the necessity to climb the thirty-four steps to our door, which has been the lot of worshippers for centuries. The lift is proof of our intention to keep our church alive in the twenty-first century, as it was in the twelfth, to continue to share the warmth and friendship which welcomed me.
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