Who's Who in our parish?

A message from the Vicar - Revd Andrew Birks

Arriving in November 2023 year I hit the ground running as we went straight into the Christmas Fayre, Remembrance Services and then Advent and Christmas.

Upon arrival, I made a commitment to all of you about my ministry here and what I envisaged it would look like. I said that I would seek to be very much a strong presence in the community, taking mission and ministry both to the people in our pews, and to the community outside our church buildings. I have a strong belief in putting the church at the heart of the community and the community at the heart of the church – something you will have heard me say very often. We are all disciples, and we are all on a faith journey together. I passionately believe that our church should be open and welcoming to all who wish to come and join us in prayer and praise of God; a place where all can feel comfortable being in fellowship with one another and can contribute to our mission where they feel able.

I hope that you will feel that I have achieved my commitment to you all. During the year there have been a lot of challenges to face, but in both parishes, we have held public meetings to find out what our communities want from their parish churches and indeed the wider benefice. There are a number of development opportunities for us, and we have seen some of that come to fruition over the last few months with more plans heading to a church near you in the next few months!

Our numbers in church attendance have grown, and we have increased our services in both churches. These services are always being reviewed to ensure that they meet the needs of the community in which we serve. Whilst there is lots to do, I hope that you will recognise that I am here for each and every member of our parish. If you would like to contact me please do so using the ‘contact’ page or by contacting me on 01763 230178 or [email protected].

We are entering an exciting time for our parishes; I look forward to working with you all.

I am very lucky to be supported by my Lay Minister, Pat and my Churchwardens, whose contact details are shown below.

If you would like to keep updated with what is happening in the parish, we produce a weekly e-News which provides you with lots of information about the parish. Please contact us if you would like to receive a copy, which is distributed via email on Friday of each week.

Thank You for visiting our website.

With Prayers and Best Wishes

Andrew+