What are we for? What do we believe?

The Parish of St Mary's Ketton is part of the Church of England, the Christian denomination which has developed in this country from its foundation in the 16th century. As Christians, we try to follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who lived in the Holy Land in the first century AD, and who preached a radical interpretation of the ideas which had become the official religion of the Jewish people. He famously condensed the complex set of Jewish laws into two 'great commandments'; the first was to love God with all one's heart, mind, soul and strength, and the second was to love one's neighbour as oneself.

Christians try to observe these dual commandments in two primary ways: relating on the one hand to God, by taking part in worship and studying the Bible; and on the other hand, to our neighbours, which means everybody. Christianity is a faith of community, and St Mary's purpose is to enable the Christian community in our village to grow in its relationship to God and to serve its neighbours. As a close-knit, friendly community this is at the heart of our collective beliefs.