Hatfield Heath United Reformed Church

Minister with Pastoral Charge

Reverend Blair Kirkby
Tel: 01279 443400
Email: bkirkby@msn.com

Covid Safety

Please consider wearing a face covering as a courtesy to those around you especially when moving around the building. Please do not come to church if you are unwell. Let's continue to keep each other safe.

Sunday Worship at 10.30 am

• Our weekly worship is 10.30 am every Sunday.
• Holy Communion is celebrated monthly.
• We enjoy a fairly free and informal approach to worship, but we aim to offer worship that is dignified and which is characterised by a sense of joy and thankfulness.
• Sometimes, the Minister of our Church or another Minister from our group of churches will lead worship. At other times, a Lay Preacher or Accredited Worship Leader will be the leader. Other members of the congregation take part in various ways and all are encouraged to use their gifts for the glory of God..
• All are welcome.

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About Us

We are a local congregation of the United Reformed Church (URC).

We share our minister, 'Reverend Blair' with 2 sister churches in HAEBEA: St Andrew's Methodist Church in Harlow, and St James LEP in Staple Tye. A variety of visiting Ministers and Preachers lead our worship.

Our History

Hatfield Heath United Reformed church was founded in 1665 by John Warren, who in 1662 had been ejected from the vicarage of Hatfield Broad Oak. He was licensed in 1672 as a Congregational minister. In 1680 members of his congregation, including Lady Barrington, were fined for attending a conventicle in the house of Anne Parker.

After Warren's removal to Bishop's Stortford in 1690 his work was continued by James Small, a former chaplain to the Barrington's, who remained until 1704. The meeting house at Hatfield Heath was enlarged in his time.

The congregation numbered 300 in 1716, but by 1724 the meeting house was so dilapidated that the congregation moved to temporary quarters in a barn.

In 1725 they leased another building, on the site of the present church. The freehold of the new meeting house was bought in 1730, and a manse was built soon after. The church declined in the mid-18th century, but was revived by Samuel Gaffee, pastor 1780-1809, who enlarged the building c. 1788. During the ministry of Cornelius Berry, 1811- 64, a British school, was opened.

The church, again enlarged in 1829, had a congregation of about 500 in 1851, and was rebuilt in 1875. Hatfield Heath joined the United Reformed church in 1972.

The United Reformed Church

Who is the United Reformed Church? We are a family of Christians, worshipping in the name of Jesus in about 1500 local churches from Orkney to Cornwall.

• 'Reformed' means that we delight in the Bible, we do not fear change, and we try to run our churches in ways that take everyone's insight and contribution seriously.
• 'United' is an important part of our story. We started when English Presbyterians merged with English and Welsh Congregationalists in 1972. Churches of Christ joined in 1981 and Scottish Congregationalists in 2000. We still work as closely as we can with Christians of all traditions and styles.
• And we are one 'Church'. We aim to grow through supporting one another and taking decisions together.

All our tasks and posts are open to women as fully as to men. We are an intercultural church, where people with varied ethnic roots enrich each other's Christian living. Our people hold a range of opinions about theology and church life. In the words of the denominations Statement of Nature, Faith and Order (1990) together we are firmly committed to 'God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The living God, the only God, ever to be praised.'

Find out more, by exploring the URC website, or (even better) by coming to meet us and worshipping with us.