Welcome to Shaw Church
- Lent Course 2023
Meeting on Zoom 7:30pm Tuesdays
and in-person 2:30pm Wednesdays in the Church Centre.
The Parish of St Mary’s Shaw cum Donnington
We are a community of Christians bringing the Good News of God’s love to everyone in the parish, through Worship, Prayer, Teaching, and Serving.
We invite you to come and join us as we gather to worship God on Sundays at 10am, or in any of the other things we have going on.
Shaw cum Donnington lies to the north of Newbury in Berkshire, and St Mary’s Church is in the middle of the parish, just to the East of the A339.
You can find more about us and what is going on through this website, and do get in touch with the Church Office if there’s anything we can help you with or if you would like more information.

A word for the week
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I built a castle on the beach. As it does every day, the tide came in and went out again, so I built a boat, and the next day, a fort – which I defended valiantly from the waves until it was hopeless. Of course, I never intended to live there.
In Newquay, someone wanted to live on the beach and built a house on a rock known as ‘The Island’. Built on rock, not sand. It’s still there.
In Hemsby, in Norfolk, there are houses built on sandy cliffs near the sea. Nearer the sea than they used to be. Too close. For some, moving house has taken on a new meaning.
In 1989 we learned a new word: liquefaction. The sandy soil in the marina district of San Francisco became like water and the houses weren’t left standing. It was an earthquake, not wind and rain. But devastating, all the same. I wonder if Jesus would have used a different analogy if he’d taught in San Francisco?
But it was an analogy, which means we have to think about it a bit. What is ‘rock’ and ‘sand’ when it comes to putting Jesus’ teaching into practice? And what is the rain, streams and wind that might attack what we’ve built?
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…” Mat 7:24
Raymond.
Revd Raymond Obin
01635 38212 / 0781 012 0117