The Parish of Flecknoe
PRIEST-IN-CHARGE (SELF-SUPPORTING OR HOUSE FOR DUTY) LEAM VALLEY BENEFICE St Marks, Flecknoe St Peters, Grandborough All Saints, Leamington Hastings (with Church of the Good Shepherd, Broadwell) St Nicholas, Willoughby PARISH PROFILE Page 1 of 26 BISHOP’S INTRODUCTION ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’ (Matt 25:21) – words of Jesus that come to mind when I think of the Leam Valley Benefice, and the many people who have served the Lord and the life of the Church in their villages with great dedication and imagination. They are, indeed, good and faithful servants of Christ! I’m also reminded of another saying – ‘Tangerines are not small oranges’ – that I’ve heard used by people when talking about the differences between urban and rural ministry, alluding to the unhelpful tendency of applying urban or sub-urban methods to a rural context, or the unrealistic hope that small rural villages could one day have regular congregations as large as some of those in cities. Well…… tangerines are not small oranges, and God deals with the particularities of different communities in liberating and gracious ways. You’ll notice in the Person Specification that it says, ‘We would welcome applications from Spirit-filled candidates who understand and value rural life and ‘the small’. In other words, we would welcome applications from priests who like tangerines (!) and who can see the great opportunities of ministry in this sort of setting. As I say, the four parishes have not simply been faithful but also imaginative. They’ve shown impressive creativity, even ingenuity, in their mission and ministry, adapting to local circumstances, seeking ways to make worship accessible.
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