Sharing Life Serving Community Worshipping
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WORSHIPPING GOD SHARING LIFE SERVING COMMUNITY Wychert Vale Benefce Foreword from a monthly Messy The Archdeacon of Buckingham Church in Dinton Church. The Wychert Vale Benefce is ready for a Cuddington’s Mission 1 Foreword new chapter with the arrival of Rev Cassa Action Plan expresses 2 Brief description of Benefce Messervy as their new rector in April a desire for worship relevant to people of 3 Our location and they are seeking a priest to join her and their experienced team to focus on all generations, recognises the need for 4 Our mission Cuddington. spiritual growth, and refects the need to 5 Our strengths St Nicholas Cuddington is a lively, growing develop lay leadership in worship, pastoral 6 What we want to do church set within a small friendly village care, and administration. They are seeking someone who is comfortable 7 Type of person we’re looking for with an active social life, set in beautiful engaging with a multi-generational church 8 The Benefce churches countryside, and with easy access to London and Oxford. It often has seventy and can deepen their spirituality, but they 9 The current team worshippers on a Sunday including 20 to are especially keen to have someone who 11 Benefce churches - church 30 children. These numbers have held up can develop and mentor lay leadership. 13 Benefce churches - community well during lockdown, especially when They hope you will enable members of the community to reach out in pastoral care, 14 2 Church Close worship has transferred to the churchyard. The church runs many events such as lead all age worship, and that you will 15 Financial summary of our churches an annual Easter Pantomime aimed at mentor those who might be interested in 16 Statistics children, a January celebration lunch for being a PCC secretary, or churchwarden. 17 The Diocese and Deanery Information older people, and a Harvest Hog Roast attracting nearly 200 people of all ages. I commend this profle to you and I would Cuddington is part of a wider benefce welcome conversations about the role with that formed in 2006 and has historic links interested candidates. with neighbouring Haddenham. It shares 1 a church school with Dinton. Families Guy Elsmore, in Cuddington work with families from Archdeacon of Buckingham Dinton, Stone, and Aston Sandford to run www.wychertvale.org Brief description of Benefce Wychert Vale Benefce is comprised of a network of 6 churches serving a group of vibrant and growing Buckinghamshire villages between Thame and Aylesbury. Our leadership is team-based with lay and ordained people working together. Wychert Vale was formed by joining Haddenham Benefce with the parish of Stone and Dinton with Hartwell on 1st March 2016. We held a service to celebrate our new benefce on Palm Sunday evening 20 March 2016 where we signed a formal Covenant agreement. All congregations have been enjoying doing more together and continue to see great potential for growth as a larger benefce. With signifcant housing developments across the benefce, we are looking for a new Locally Supported Priest to help us identify opportunities for growth, individually and collectively. 2 Our location OXFORD, BIRMINGHAM AYLESBURY BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Stone church Cuddington church Dinton church A418 ARRIVA BUS 280 & X8 OXFORD / AYLESBURY VIA HADDENHAM HADDENHAM & THAME PARKWAY Haddenham CHILTERN MAINLINE church Aston Sandford church Kingsey church M40,OXFORD A4129 A418 BUCKINGHAMSHIRE THAME OXFORDSHIRE A4010 LONDON 3 1Km www.wychertvale.org Our mission When the new benefce was formed, we identifed three common Covenant Purposes: WORSHIPPING GOD SHARING LIFE SERVING COMMUNITY Our Covenant Principles for working together: Childrens’ fancy dress competition at Cuddington fete To share resources of all kinds. To get to know one another and to work with, listen to, support and value one another. To determine to play our part gracefully in the improvement and strengthening of communications of all kinds throughout the new benefce. To commit ourselves to ongoing prayer. Remembrance parade, Haddenham 4 www.wychertvale.org Our strengths Our Church families are known for showing the love of God to all Welcoming and accommodating different needs Diversity of worship styles Quality & variety of leadership Beautiful & historic church buildings Encouraging involvement in the community: Parenting courses, Foodbanks, Cafe In The Park, Cafe+, Messy Church, Christmas Tree Festival, Hymns & Pimms Strong connections with local schools Messy Church, Dinton. Remembrance: 5 community-made doves and poppies. Celebration: Christmas Tree Festival. Involvement: Thame Foodbank www.wychertvale.org What we want to do To support people in their faith journeys and lives. and prayer, enjoy free and open discussion and celebrate special occasions. To celebrate a renewed energy in the village communities. Enjoy a wider representation of ages with vibrant youth To have a better understanding of how our buildings, activities and growing numbers of people coming to a real services and social activities can further beneft faith in Jesus. our communities. Provide challenging and thought-provoking teaching Enable our church family to increase and fourish with places relevant to the modern world. of worship where people may come to faith in Christ and where the whole community feels they can come for support 6 l www.wychertvale.org Type of person we’re looking for Someone who is immersed in Scripture and has a longing to share it. Someone who will value the individual qualities of our churches and encourage us to embrace our diversity whilst supporting each other to grow in unity. Someone who will recognise the opportunities in the challenging times ahead and direct our efforts and energies. Someone who will lead us and walk alongside us. A strategic leader who will take us forward and support us. Someone gifted in leading worship relevant to all generations. 7 www.wychertvale.org The Benefce churches Click on church name for weblink St Michael & St Mary’s, All Angels, Haddenham Aston Sandford St Nicholas, St Nicholas, Cuddington Kingsey St John St Peter & The Baptist, St Paul, Stone Dinton 8 l www.wychertvale.org The current clergy team Wychert Vale Benefce has been running as a united Ministry Area and all the clergy serve across the benefce, each with particular focusses on different areas of ministry. Our ministers work as a team collaboratively. Revd Canon Dr Phil Groves Revd Trish Mander Associate Associate Minister SSM Locally Supported Priest (full time) stipendiary Revd Nigel Featherston Revd Cassa Messervy Revd Jonathan Hawkins SSM Curate Rector Assistant Area Dean SSM Ven Dr Gordon Kuhrt Retired PTO LLMs: Olive Kuhrt ARCM Adrian Collier David Robinson LVO 9 www.wychertvale.org Our Churches This 13thC church, remodelled in traditional, refective style of • To reach out in mission as a St Michael & the 1870s, can accommodate service with coffee in one of the welcoming church All Angels, only about 50 seated people village homes afterwards. We • Searching for more help in although we have up to 100 on also have occasional weddings running the church Aston Christmas Eve. In the monthly or baptisms as well as one or two Communion service, of some funerals a year. The number of • Retain our traditional style Sandford 35 adults and several children, people attending services is fairly of worship 20% will be from Aston Sandford constant with a high average age. • Excellence in Pastoral Care with others attending from • Help develop the Wychert surrounding villages for a quiet, Our key mission aims are: Vale Benefce We are a church family that be accessible for all: at times downs of daily life through St Nicholas, has been enjoying new growth contemporary and informal at our Sunday services, weekday and associated challenges for others more structured. Our activities and home groups. Cuddington several years. Our congregation tradition is evangelical, although Our key mission aims are:- is a delightful mix of babies, our congregation is drawn from toddlers, school children and a variety of church backgrounds • Providing worship for adults. We do our best to be a and from a wide surrounding everyone church for the whole village and area as well as from the village • Deepening our faith have a service every Sunday itself. Members fnd friendship morning which is designed to and support in the ups and • Developing leaders Our mission statement: parish supporting each other and toilet and kitchen facilities and are St John the ‘To belong, believe and build the wider community including working and praying for this to happen. with Christ as our cornerstone.’ excellent relationships with Stone We take part in many local, Baptist, We are an enthusiastic, united Methodist Church and CofE school. diocesan and world wide events congregation that welcomes We want to enable the church such as Thy Kingdom Come, Stone and supports both regular and to grow and have a service every National Prayer Weekend, occasional worshippers. week providing something for Historic churches Ride and Stride, We believe in our church and everyone. We now need to build a Christian Aid and Poppy week. 10 www.wychertvale.org Our Churches Open to all and embracing Our key mission aims are: • Making Life occasions St Mary’s, diverse ways of being ‘Church’ special • Supporting all Ages we are a committed group of Haddenham • Caring for Creation people with a real passion for • Being a strong presence in our community and for being a the community place where everyone can feel • Welcoming Newcomers welcome to seek and explore the Christian faith. St Nicholas Kingsey is a church Food and drink is never far November and also runs the St Nicholas, founded on a deep Christian away from this church which village fete in July. Kingsey faith and cake. It is frmly fulfll both spiritual and physical It is a welcoming church full embedded in its community.