Weddings and Blessings

If you have just got engaged, Congratulations !

To book a wedding please contact :Rev Peter Butterfield on p.gb@hotmail.co.uk.

Please be patient as Peter works full time for Cornwall College.

I look forward to meeting you and promise that as a church we will be praying for you. You may like to attend a service so you can see what the church is like when in use.

Since October 2008, you are entitled to be married in Gulval or Madron Parish Church if either you, or your intended, have lived in the parish for six months; if you or your partner’s parents did; if your parents or grandparents were married in the church; or if you were baptised there. In law, Madron and Gulval are separate, even though they are part of a team – you can’t marry in Gulval if you live in or have qualifications for Madron.

If one of you has been married before, we can offer you a service of blessing after a civil ceremony. Since November 2019, you may marry/remarry in any of our churches but this will be subject to a process of interviews and is not automatically granted. Alternatively, another minister may be brought in to do the ceremony. Normal rules apply about connections with the parish.

Our Services of Blessing are very beautiful occasions and are considerably cheaper than a full service. They are very similar to wedding services and often take place immediately after a ceremony at the Register Office. These are also much cheaper and can happen for people who do not legally qualify for a marriage by residence.

If you live in Heamoor or Madron, you are entitled to be married at either church.

Marriage Certificate

From May 4th 2021, the church will no longer issue the certificate. The details will be entered by the minister on a ‘marriage document’, which will be signed on the day. That document will then be passed to the Register Office, who will issue the certificate. If you are married by license, that paper, to be passed to the vicar, is called a ‘marriage schedule’. The same process will apply on the day and beyond. If you need proof of marriage, but will be immediately honeymooning, the minister can give you a special form to prove you are married, but that will not be a legal certificate of marriage.

Prices as at March 1st 2023!

Some useful information and help with choosing hymns, readings and other music can be found on www.yourchurchwedding.org/project

Anniversaries

We welcome people who wish to renew their vows or celebrate an anniversary. We create an occasion in keeping with your wishes.

Baptisms

Please contact Kay Short on readerkayshort@gmail.com or phone 01736 761948

We welcome children to baptism living in our parishes and from outside if there is a clear ongoing worshipping connection which is going to continue regularly (not just at Christmas), such as grandparents attending the church regularly. We regard baptism not as a one off occasion, but as one of joining of the local church. Parents and godparents promise commitment to God and to coming to church. All baptism families receive preparation at home and are expected to come to a Family Service first, so that we can be introduced to them and the child in advance of the baptism. The service is free of charge.

Baptisms normally take place at a Family Service  – 9.30am at Heamoor, 11am at Madron and at Gulval 11am.

Thanksgiving and dedication services

Where parents are unsure of whether they can declare a public belief in and commitment to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We encourage them to come to a short service thanking God for the child and asking his blessing on them. As this service does not include any commitment to the church, it can take place on any day at any time. Saturday afternoon is a popular choice. This service is also free. It is becoming more popular, especially among those with past local connections to a church but where there is no ongoing worshipping link now.

Funerals

Please contact Rev Jo Thomas  Email: josophiet@aol.com | Mobile: 07779785962

Anyone at all can have a Church of England funeral and we will be glad to help you say goodbye to a loved one. We are fortunate to have very personal and professional Funeral Directors in our area, with whom we have a good relationship. They will help you, with our support, customise your service.

At Madron, we have a floating candle stand, where, when the church is open, or in services, you can light a candle to remember or pray for a loved one. There is also a website called www.churchofenglandfunerals.org where you can light an online candle and encourage others via a social media link to do the same.

The churchyard at Gulval is still open for burials – we give priority to residents and natives! At Madron churchyard, we can still have burials of ashes. The Council maintain Madron churchyard, supplemented by ourselves. At Gulval, we do our best, at great expense, to keep things tidy but you are welcome to join in, especially to maintain a family grave. All income received from burials and headstones at Gulval is ploughed back into churchyard maintenance.

You and your family will be prayed for at services before and after the funeral of your loved one.