Our Church
Our Ethos
Rev Simon Butler, Rector of Holy Trinity and St Mary’s Churches writes:
For more than two hundred years, Holy Trinity Church and Holy Trinity Church of England School have been at the heart of Guildford life. Holy Trinity Church sits at the top of the High Street right in the centre of the Town. Alongside its sister Church of St Mary’s in Quarry Street, Holy Trinity is an open, welcome and inclusive Church of England Church. It has a strong choral tradition, and a commitment to relating Christian faith to the daily experience of human living in the 21st Century. As the Civic Church, Holy Trinity is there for the whole Town. St Mary’s Church, the oldest building in Guildford, is where lots of our community outreach takes place, and where Year 6 always gather for their moving end of year service each summer.
Holy Trinity School was once situated close by the Church but moved to its current site in Addison Road in the 1970s. Now Holy Trinity Junior and Pewley Down Infant are part of the same Church of England school federation with both schools making the most of their locations next to our amazing North Downs countryside to give children the chance to delight in, and learn to care for, creation.
I arrived at Holy Trinity in January 2024, and I am loving getting to know the children: I take assemblies regularly, lead the children in prayer, and share in their enthusiastic singing! I also sit on the Governing Body.
Christian faith informs so much at Holy Trinity Pewley Down; our Christian ethos informs our relationships, as well as the teaching, learning, leadership and governance. We seek to include and encourage the spiritual development of all our children enabling them to flourish, whatever their faith background. Our vision as a school is that children ‘Learn to Live’, based on Jesus’ words in John 10:10, and experience that fullness of life which is His gift to us. At the end of each term, the children visit the Church, bringing some of their work, their prayers and music as an offering to God and a celebration of their talent. Both Schools and Churches are committed to the same ethos and pattern of living: seeking wisdom, respecting all, delighting in truth, nurturing character and hope.
Children are very much part of the life of Holy Trinity Church as well. We have a large number of children in our choir and our Director of Music is always keen to encourage children to have a go at choral singing at our Sunday Services, morning and evening: they get free singing lessons at Thursday evening Choir Practices as part of their service! We also have a special Children’s Chapel where younger children and toddlers are welcomed at our 10am Parish Eucharist and we are developing a play-based Christian Education programme called ‘Godly Play’ at those services too.
The Church Council gives the School an annual financial donation, as well as the support of time, energy and enthusiasm of people who are parents, helpers and governors. Holy Trinity benefits from links with the school by having children from HTPD in our Junior Church, Choirs and congregation. It is great to meet people in Guildford who once attended HTPD, who speak of the special experience they had there and how they were nurtured by both School and Church.
And we don’t do it alone. We work alongside other Christian churches in the town (it is amazing how many clergy kids have been through HTPD at some point!), seeking to build bridges through the school between Christians of all traditions, as well as building community where all people can flourish and belong.