St Michael the Archangel, Smarden
All Saints Church, Biddenden
Events – 2025
November / December
https://www.merryopera.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgTUixijfIs
An unusual production of Handel’s Messiah by the Merry Opera Company will take place in All Saints Church, Biddenden on Sunday 30th November 2025 at 4 pm. All are welcome to attend. Twelve professional singers play characters from everyday life who find themselves in a church. Some of them carry the concept of a Messiah in their hearts, some are not religious at all. As they sing through this traditional work, they engage with each other and themselves, ultimately experiencing the transformation from need and despair to understanding and hope.
This production was created in the UK in 2011 by the Merry Opera Company. It has been brought back by request almost every year since. Audiences report that it gives Handel’s Messiah ‘new meaning’, ‘new invigoration’.
Performances will take place at venues around South East England in November and December 2025. Here at All Saints Church, Biddenden we will host a performance on Sunday 30th November 2025 at 4 pm. Tickets (£25) are available through Lindi Harman at fundraising.biddenden@sbcofe.org or tel 01580 292134. A proportion of the proceeds will go to our Church.
News
All Saints, Biddenden: Have you had a chance to pause and appreciate our beautiful Grade I listed village church recently? All Saints has been at the heart of Biddenden for over 700 years, providing a place of worship, comfort, and community through both joyful and challenging times. Today, it continues to serve in new ways housing a Takeaway Pantry, Community Library, and much more. The care of this special building and its ministry is entirely the responsibility of our small congregation, with no external funding from the Church of England or government. We now face urgent structural repairs and need to raise a significant sum to preserve the church for future generations. If you could spare a moment, please do watch our short YouTube clip and read our Fundraising Information Leaflet explaining what’s needed. Your support would mean so much.
All Saints:
The church now has an ‘Easy Fundraising’ account.
If you shop online you can support the church by nominating
All Saints Church following the link:
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/all-saints-church-biddenden
Then each time you shop using one of the partners that support easy fundraising, eg TUI, Tesco, John Lewis and loads more, that retailer donates a percentage of what you spend to the church, no extra cost to you. Please consider signing up and helping us to maintain our beautiful church. Thank you.
Raise Funds for St Michael’s Church – at no extra cost to you! Every time you shop online, you could be helping to raise vital funds for our church, without spending a penny more. By signing up with www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/st-michael-the-archangel, over 7,000 retailers (including supermarkets, travel sites, and high street brands) will donate a small percentage of what you spend directly to us. It’s completely free, quick to set up, and those pennies soon add up to make a real difference. Please take a moment to register today and support our church family through your everyday shopping.