We are part of the Radlett, Aldenham and Shenley Team Ministry which has two Team Vicars working together.  The three parishes are separately funded and Shenley has paid its Parish Share in full for the last 12 years.  Radlett PCC pays 40% of the stipend for the Team Vicar for Shenley, who assists in the Team as well as being responsible for Shenley parish.

Shenley is surrounded by picturesque working farmland five miles south of St Albans.  There are excellent road links nearby with the M25, M1 and A1 within easy reach.  We are 25 minutes by train from London and there are stations at Radlett (2 miles), Borehamwood (3 miles), St Albans (5 miles) and Watford (7 miles).

Community

There are approximately 5,600 people in Shenley parish, 900 new homes having been built over the last 20 years on the site of an old psychiatric hospital.  The original village that grew up during Victorian times around several large estates in the area still has a strong community spirit and this is spreading well in the new development.  This has attracted many commuters and young families and the wide range of housing styles means that Shenley also has many elderly folk and single people, making this a richly diverse community.  We have a Village Hall (which is used by a number of clubs and organisations such as the WI), two convenience stores, a Post Office, chemist, doctors’ surgery, dental practice, two estate agents, a takeaway, three pubs/restaurants, and a tearoom in Shenley Park.  We have thriving Rainbow, Brownie, Beaver and Cub Packs. There is a golf club within the parish, tennis courts at Shenley Park, and international cricket matches are held at Shenley Cricket Club.  Miles of footpaths pass through the parish and surrounding countryside.  We have a Parish Council and are part of Hertsmere Borough Council.

St Martin's is situated next to the secular primary school with which the church  has built an extremely good relationship. Most children move on from here to attend secondary schools in  Borehamwood (within the parish boundary), Watford and St Albans.  There is a State-funded Jewish primary school which has welcomed input from the Team Vicar on occasions as well as three other pre-schools.

Worship

We are a friendly, fully inclusive and welcoming church.  Worship is informal and lively, using Biblical teaching with a light touch.  There is a Eucharistic service each Sunday at 10am, and an 'All Together Worship' once a month.   Additional services are held on special occasions.  The flexible seating means that various styles of service are possible, and that the church can be used for social events as well, which bring the wider community into the building.  Worshippers are from a wide range of ages and many children have been admitted to Holy Communion before Confirmation.  The average attendance on Sundays is now about 30-40, of whom 15 are children.  A strong group of leaders provides three Sunday Schools a month for children at the weekly service. 

Pastoral and Ecumenical

There are good ecumenical links with other faith groups in Shenley; shared services are held with the Methodist church about four times a year and we sing carols in the village streets together at Christmas.  We join with the Roman Catholic church for a service on Good Friday, and with the Methodists for an open-air Sunrise service early on Easter Sunday.  Enjoyable socials/meetings are also held periodically with the growing Orthodox Jewish community.  The Team Vicar leads a weekly Under 5s group at St Martin’s and many families attending this go on to join our regular Sunday worship.  A small group visits one of the three residential homes for the elderly within the parish in turn each week and the leadership of this is shared between lay members and the Team Vicar.  Pastoral care visits are undertaken by a small group and an evening prayer ministry is offered in the church each month.  There is a Churches Together group in Radlett at which the Team Ministry is represented but St Martin’s is not currently involved in its own right.

Youth work at St Martin’s is run by volunteers and the Team Vicar.  The Youth Group meets fortnightly and our young people regularly read at services.  Other activities include a Men's Breakfast, Women's Breakfast, both of which are held monthly in the Shenley Park tearooms.  A variety of social and fund-raising activities are held at least four times a year and are open to the wider community, such as cream teas, barn dances, barbeques and carol concerts.

Leadership

The churchwardens see their primary role as supporting the Team Vicar, maintaining the fabric of the building and encouraging the various groups within the church.  They meet regularly with the other churchwardens in the Team Ministry.  The PCC currently has 12 members and meets every four- 5 times a year.  Members range in age from 34 - 75

Electoral Roll

There were 109 people on the 2023 Electoral roll.  Many of the congregation have been led to faith in the past decade, including most of the PCC.  In the last ten years, fifty-five people of all ages have been confirmed.

  Buildings

The parish church of St Martin was built in the 1840s and is a Grade II listed building, much of which has been refurbished.  Later additions include a room attached to the main church which is used for Sunday School and PCC meetings and is occasionally hired to outside organisations for meetings.  There is a Vestry and Choir Vestry but no office (nor secretarial provision, except for the PCC Secretary who occasionally provides support on a voluntary basis).

All the Category 1 and 2 recommendations of the last Quinquennial Report in 2008 have been carried out and the work completed.  Maintenance of the church and grounds is mainly carried out by the church-wardens assisted by a few members of the congregation.  Cleaning is undertaken by members of the congregation on both a paid and voluntary basis.

The Vicarage is situated in a very convenient central location a few minutes’ walk from St Martin’s Church and the local shops, opposite the duck pond.  It has three bedrooms, a box room, three reception rooms, kitchen, bathroom, garage, off-street parking and a large garden.  There are beautiful views over farmland to the rear.  Some upgrading of the property is envisaged by the Diocese.

Communications

St Martin’s produces a weekly news leaflet for the congregation which, as well as being distributed in church, is emailed after the service.  A monthly Parish News Magazine with a circulation of around 550 subscribers is also produced which, as well as news from all the faith groups in the community, contains information of interest to Shenley residents and articles supplied by the Parish Council and many groups and organisations.