The Ham Hill Villages Benefice is a thriving, welcoming, loving Christian family, living and telling Jesus’ story of love and forgiveness in our communities.  We have seven beautiful, ancient churches which are the spiritual centres of the villages of Chiselborough, Middle Chinnock, Montacute, Norton sub Hamdon, Odcombe, Stoke sub Hamdon and West Chinnock surrounding the iconic Ham Hill in South Somerset.  

We give a warm welcome to everyone, Christian or not, sharing Jesus’ teaching from the Bible. We have a strong focus on serving our communities, particularly with children and youth work in our four wonderful primary schools and Stanchester Academy.

We offer a wide range of worship with most of our churches having a traditional 9.30am or 11am Communion or Morning Prayer service every Sunday.   For those who enjoy contemporary worship we have a very relaxed 10.30am Café Church on the 2^nd Sunday of the month starting with refreshments and a time of fellowship before worship, sharing Jesus teaching, song and prayer.   Equally popular is our very informal, fun Family T@4 for young families at 4pm on the 4^th Sunday of the month.   All our churches are popular places for Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals.  

Finally, as part of the Church of England, our churches are open every day for anyone to visit to sit and pray or just enjoy their beauty and spiritual peace. Christian or not, do come and join us and find the love and peace of God which passes all understanding!

Although the Ham Hill Villages Benefice is currently in Vacancy (Meaning we are in the process of finding a new Rector), we have a strong Ministry Team (see Who’s Who) who continue to lead services and carry on the work of the church with the support of the churchwardens, PCCs and other volunteers.

Vacancy Update: The job ad for the position of Rector of the Ham Hill Villages Benefice has now been published in The Church Times and online here. Interviews of any applicants will be held in September with a view to appointing someone to start early in 2026.

Click here to see the Services for October 2025

Have you tried using the Diocese Prayer Calendar?

It is available here to download as a PDF: Prayer Calendar for October

A new Archbishop appointed.

Downing Street has announced that the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE is to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

Bishop Michael has responded to the news of the announcement.

He says, “I am delighted that the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, has been appointed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. This is wonderful news for the Church of England, and the wider Anglican Communion. As our country’s former Chief Nurse and as someone who has served as bishop of one of our largest and most complex dioceses, Sarah brings an abundance of leadership skills to the role which will be hugely important as we move forward together as a Church, as a country, and as part of a global society.

“Having worked closely with Sarah in her role as lead Bishop for Health I have experienced at first hand Sarah’s ability, wisdom and empathy. Sarah’s nomination also marks a wonderful milestone for our Church. In England, our journey has taken us from the ordination of women as priests in 1994 to the consecration of our first woman bishop in 2015. Now the first woman will serve as Archbishop of Canterbury and her appointment will change our Church and the whole Anglican Communion forever.   “I and all of us in Bath and Wells, will be praying for Sarah, Eamonn and their family as Sarah prepares to take on this role.”

See more photographs in the Gallery

For all enquiries about Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals please contact gary.edmunds@hotmail.com – 07485789968

This benefice is a group of seven parishes, located around the famous Ham Hill, just south-west of Yeovil in South Somerset.

The  churches include some 120 regular worshippers who are committed to serve God and their communities.

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We are part of The Church of England
within the Diocese of Bath and Wells

‘I have come that they may have life in all its fullness’  (John 10 )