The Dorking Deanery— Leith Hill Churches Group
St JOHN the EVANGELIST
WOTTON
The church in the fields
Over a thousand years of prayer and worship
January 2014
Few churches in Mole Valley stand out so prominently as historic and picturesque St John’s. It lies
a stone’s throw from the busy A25, with the North Downs as a back drop within the Surrey Hills
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A church has occupied the site since Saxon 4mes and much
of the present construc4on dates from the 11th century.
A warm and peaceful welcome awaits in our Grade 1 listed building a5er you approach through
our idyllic oak gates and along the millennium path.
Our building and surrounds lend themselves as a unique place for
prayer, reflec4on and worship and are frequently in demand as an
ideal se8ng for Weddings of couples who join our church family.
Sunday services have a week by week pa:ern of Book of Common
Prayer Ma4ns, Common Worship Holy Communion with Sunday
School, Holy Communion and Holy Communion on the four regular
Sundays each month and we join with our friends across the Leith
Hill Group each fi5h Sunday.
Throughout the year, special services mark the cycle of 4me for the
rural community. Christmas Eve is a highlight with families
gathering together as they return to the village to visit rela4ves, filling our Chris4ngle Service to around 80 worshipers.
Good Friday morning brings a service with Hot Cross Buns to follow and November starts with a service for All Souls day.
Congrega4ons for regular services average between 20 and 25, about the same as ten years ago and as a hundred years
ago, reflec4ng the very stable characteris4cs of the village community of Wo:on. The parish has a popula4on of around
330 people with housing in one close of 27 modern houses, a sheltered accommoda4on complex of 17 dwellings for older
residents and a mix of rented estate co:ages and privately owned housing
sca:ered across the area. The main business locally is farming and woodland
estate management, with a small business park, a village hall and two pubs.
Around half the congrega4on live outside of the parish boundary, although
most within the historic area of the Wo:on Hundred. The age profile tends
towards those who are re4red and whilst our services are tradi4onal in style,
in tune with our surroundings, they are friendly and encourage
congrega4onal par4cipa4on whenever possible.
Our Wedding couples, and their families, join with locals and regular
congrega4on members to
deliver our main annual
fundraising event, August
Bank Holiday Fete. Stalls,
children’s
entertainments,
classic cars & bikes, raffle and
the famous and ever popular
Cream Teas draw crowds from miles around and months of planning
culminate in fun for young and old alike.
This event, like much we do, could not happen without the support of the
Wo:on Estate and our Patron Mr Evelyn who lives within the parish.
Within the church building is the Evelyn Chapel and an a:ached Parish
Room provides the venue for the monthly Sunday School which provides for
the needs a few regularly a:ending children.
We have a thriving flower rota and displays complement our church. A
Flower Fes4val based around the Evelyn family was held alongside the fete
in 2013.
We have recently started a significant programme of fabric renewal. Electrics and woodwork
have been reviewed and external stonework has been lovingly repaired. Our three bells are
all of historic value, da4ng from the 14th and 17th centuries and one is in need of some repair.
The roof to the Chancel needs the Horsham Slate rese8ng to prevent the occasional water
ingress and in 4me the interior needs repain4ng.
Our monthly community ac4vi4es include Wo:on Teas at
the village hall, popular with many re4red residents, and
delivery of a shared Parish Magazine with St Mary’s
Holmbury. At Christmas, a card including details of all our
services is delivered to every home in the parish. A key highlight of the year is Harvest
Fes4val, followed by communal lunch in the nearby village hall. Our church does not
benefit from mains water, restric4ng ac4vi4es that can be undertaken in our own building.
St John’s lies in the centre of the Surrey
Hills and is o5en captured as an iconic
pain4ng or photograph. The Churchyard is
encircled by footpaths, encouraging many
to explore around us. Nowadays, cycling
forms an o5en used mode of local
transport bringing more and more visitors
to us. Church Lane abuts the main A25 which was part of the Olympic Road
Cycling Race route and currently sees the annual Ride London / Surrey
event, making it necessary to worship only at Holmbury that weekend.
A new “occasional” church car park has been created to serve for weddings, funerals, bap4sms and other larger services.
We are regularly open for guided visits by history groups and socie4es and the annual Heritage Weekend is o5en an
opportunity taken by local residents and others travelling from afar to learn more about our building and its history.
The church appoints a governor to Surrey Hills Church of England Primary School, alongside four other local PCCs. Created
in 2010 through the amalgama4on of Westco: Church of England First School and Abinger Common First School, a £2.1m
building investment programme has enabled expansion to primary status and preserved local educa4on for around 300
children.
Families who a:end
St Johns, as with the
other local churches,
receive preference
for places at the
school within its
Admissions Policy.
STATEMENT OF NEEDS
We are looking for a priest who is able to relate to all ages including our children, mo4va4ng villagers
and visitors to join us for worship and prayer, making the most of the environment we are blessed to
be guardians of at the start of the 21st Century.
Our priest needs to work well with our regular organists, churchwardens and elected PCC members.
The role would be challenging for a non-driver.
They will need a warm welcoming personality with a good sense of humour and to be able to respond
quickly to calls for Pastoral care within our rural community.