We are Boulton St Mary’s, part of the Church of England and the Diocese of Derby. Our church has been serving the people of Alvaston since the 13th Century.
Welcome to Boulton St. Mary’s
We strive to be a church at the heart of our community, sharing our faith through our worship and the way we live in a place where everyone is welcome. None of us are perfect, but we are people seeking to love God, love others and care for the world we live in. This means engaging with the issues facing our community, asking questions about how the Bible speaks into daily life, and what it means to follow Jesus today.
If you are looking for a place to journey with others as you seek to encounter God, you will find a welcome here. Boulton St. Mary’s is a place where you can come just as you are. You don’t need to hide your struggles or pretend everything is perfect. We all carry challenges, but God will meet us where we are, and as we walk daily with God, we experience the amazing – and unconditional love God has for us. God’s love has no on/off switch, or even a dimmer switch. How awesome is that?!!
If you’re in Alvaston, come along and join in. We believe you will feel welcome and discover why many people call Boulton St. Mary’s home.
Who’s who: get in touch
Meet our church members
Everything that happens at Boulton St Mary’s is made possible by our dedicated ministry team, church wardens and volunteers. Here are just a few of the people that help make Boulton St Mary’s, Alvaston such a special place.
Phillippa Taylor
Vicar
Cheryl Baxter
Reader
Lisa Ollerenshaw
Reader
Sue Duffill
Reader
Paul Baxter
Churchwarden
Elizabeth Brooks
Churchwarden
Rachael Dunn
Safeguarding
Know it, Live it, Share it. Faith That Works.
History of Boulton St. Mary’s Church
The site of Boulton St Mary’s Church has been a place of Christian worship for over 900 years. Evidence suggests the church was founded in around 1150 by Robert Sacheverell, a local lord for the Manor of Boulton.
For many years the church served as a chapel of St. Peter’s Church in Derby, until 1865 when Boulton St Mary’s became a parish church in its own right. The church is also mentioned in the Chantry Roll of 1547, which records its founding by Robert Sacheverell. Over the centuries, the church building has undergone several significant renovations:
Boulton St. Mary’s Founded
The history of Boulton St. Mary’s church is believed to date back to around 1150. The founder of the church is Robert Sacheverell of Hopwell (Sawley), a local Lord of the Manor of that time.
Court Enquiry
In 1271, the church becomes the focus of a dispute between the Abbot of Darley and the Sacheverell family who wish to keep the church for the Manor of Boulton. A Court of Enquiry is convened to resolve this matter but it finds against the family and the church is designated as a chapel of St. Peter’s Church in Derby.
Major Building Works
A major extension enlarged the nave and added a vestry on the north side, along with other alterations.
Further Extension
A twin bell turret was built on the west end of the church.
Lych Gate
A further extension to the west end replaced the twin turret with a single bell turret, which is still in use today. The wooden lych-gate at the entrance from Boulton Lane was built just after the First World War as a memorial to local servicemen, welcoming all who come to worship and visit.
Know it, Live it, Share it. Faith That Works.
Services at Boulton St. Mary’s
Worship at Boulton St Mary’s is varied with something for everyone. We offer a range of styles from a simple said service, to traditional choral Holy Communion, informal family friendly services and our music group-led PrayZe service featuring modern worship songs.
As well as our regular services, we celebrate special celebrations throughout the year, such as Christmas, Easter, Harvest and Remembrance Day, as well as memorial services to remember loved ones.
On Sundays, we have two morning services:
9am: Usually a spoken service of Holy Communion
10.30am: Alternates between Morning Worship and Holy Communion
We also offer a monthly Prayze service, with a more charismatic style of worship, and a monthly Messy Church which is aimed at families with children up to age 11 years old. No matter your style of worship or stage of faith, there’s a place for you to join in, worship, and be part of our church community.
Music has always been an important way for Christians to express our faith, and it continues to be an integral part of our worship at Boulton St Mary’s. We embrace traditional, contemporary and contemplative styles, and are very fortunate to have both an organist and a live music band.
Life at our church is all about community and family. We love people to get involved in lots of ways, from playing in the worship band, carrying the processional cross, reading from the Bible, leading prayers, or helping with refreshments!
Children are always welcome at Boulton St Mary’s, and we welcome the noise and energy of infants and young families. Our 10.30am service usually includes Bible stories, prayers and activities for children. Services typically finish with refreshments, and everyone is warmly invited to stay and join in.
Check out What’s On page for details of both regular and occasional services.
Know it, Live it, Share it. Faith That Works.
FAQ’s
We know that coming into church for the first time can feel a bit daunting, particularly if you aren’t sure of what to expect. Try not to worry too much about this, we just want you to feel welcome and comfortable. We hope these FAQs will give you some helpful hints and answers about what to expect.
Communion is an important celebration for Christians as we remember the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples the day before he died. We say a special prayer that helps us remember everything that Jesus did for us and then we share bread (a wafer) and a sip of wine. Anyone who believes in Jesus is welcome to come and share communion with us. If you don’t want to receive communion, we would be happy to say a prayer of blessing for you, or you can simply stay in your seat.
Absolutely. Some of our services have separate activities for children but they are very welcome at all of our services. Don’t worry if they make a noise or run around, it’s what children do!
Service lengths to suit different styles of worship.
- Evening prayer (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) 4.30pm: around 25 minutes
- Sunday 9am: approximately 40 minutes
- Sunday 10.30am: just over an hour.
The person leading the service will guide everyone through what’s happening and what will come next, so you’ll always know what to expect. You’re welcome to join in with as much or as little as you like.
All our services include prayers, Bible readings, and a talk. Some services also include communion and opportunities to sing songs of praise and worship.
Come in and make yourself at home. You can sit anywhere you want to (there are no reserved seats). The words and songs for our services are displayed on screens , so you won’t need any books. If you have any questions, just ask one of our welcome team who will be waiting at the back of church under the balcony.
There’s no dress code at Boulton St Mary’s, so come wearing clothes that feel comfortable to you. Even our ministers will wear normal, everyday clothes during Sunday services. Spending time together is the most important thing! The church can be a bit chilly in the winter, so you might want some extra layers in the winter months.
