The Ancient Chapelry of St. John at Aust
St John’s Church at Aust offers you a warm welcome.
The Ancient Chapelry of St John’s Aust
We are deeply saddened by the death of Trevor Cook who passed away on Monday 21st September.
Trevor was greatly loved as a man of deep and steady faith who touched the lives of all he met. Faith is not all about declaration and words, but as he demonstrated to us, about a life lived out in a relationship with God that spills out to those around us wherever they are in their faith journey. It’s the sort of faith that is not shaken by things happening that we don’t understand but one that says ‘Lord I don’t understand – but I trust you to see me through’.
Help us Lord to put our hand in yours as we navigate life’s ups and downs alike.
Trevor’s funeral will take place on Thursday 22nd October at 11 am at St Mary’s, Olveston.
Usual Pattern of Services
The Ancient Chapelry of St John’s Aust holds services on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, starting at 10 am. The second Sunday is usually Holy Communion and the fourth is Morning Prayer. However, to accommodate major Christian festivals, these may occasionally be changed around.
2nd Sunday 10 am Holy Communion
4th Sunday 10 am Morning Prayer
Ministers
Rev. David Moss (01454 415190) Vicar of North Severnside Benefice
Churchwardens
Jon Burnett 07968 588103 (jonofaust@icloud.com)
Jenn Dickens (07544 087515)
Aust Village
Because of its location at the ‘old passage’ (the ferry crossing of the River Severn at its narrowest for forty miles upstream) Aust has had a fascinating history since Roman times. Some 800 years ago, the ‘ancient chapelry’ was linked to the bishops of Worcester, who had a palace at Henbury (long before there were bishops of Bristol), and a little later it was linked to the medieval priory at Westbury-on-Trym.
John Wycliffe, a pre-Reformation reformer who with his followers was the first to translate the Bible into English, drew some income from being the Prebend of Aust – ie he had a ‘stall’ at Westbury Priory (though scholars now think it is unlikely he ever visited Aust).
Though a small village, seemingly truncated by the M48 motorway over the Severn Bridge, and a dual carriageway to Avonmouth, Aust is a thriving community. The old church school is now a village hall, used by local groups and available for hire.
St John’s was a major venue during the 1400th anniversary of St Augustine’s mission to England in 597AD, because Augustine may have met the Welsh bishops here. The church was fortunate to receive a major grant from English Heritage for its extensive repairs some ten years ago; is currently planning to improve its basic facilities.