This month we launch our North Wakefield Benefice newsletter, this letter from Glenn was from the inaugural edition.
Dear Friends, It is lovely to welcome you to the first edition of our very own North Wakefield Benefice monthly magazine. Many thanks to Ellie at St Peter’s, Stanley who has found time in her busy schedule to put together this edition and for those who have contributed articles from each of the four churches. The benefice magazine will of course evolve over time so please pass onto Ellie or myself any comments and feedback on this edition and future ones.
It is hoped that our benefice magazine will help us stay in contact with each other by allowing us to share our lives, events, stories and prayers and in doing so encourage each other in our own Christian journey. The magazine is very much a shop window for each church to share their events and activities and what is encouraging and blessing them at the present time. You will see when you read these pages that across the four churches there is a great number of activities taking place and we are all thankful to those who contribute to church life in any way. Do have a read and consider supporting an event or activity in another church in the benefice.
It is now reckoned that around three quarters of the churches in the Church of England are in some form of a benefice or team. In each case there is no set formula for how a benefice should organise itself but at the heart is a requirement for good relationships, trust and a common vision. Creativity is very much the name of the game and listening, supporting and praying together will help guide us into the future.
To help us grow together these are some of the areas the benefice is working on:
1. Our church wardens had their first joint meeting with the clergy in June and another one is arranged for early October. These meetings allow church wardens and clergy to share together common themes across the churches and encourage one another.
2. The quarterly meetings between clergy and Readers are continuing and at these meetings service planning takes place and we support one another.
3. David Payne at St Anne’s is heading up a benefice prayer meeting and the next meeting is Saturday 24th September from 10am—11.30am at St Paul’s.
4. On Saturday 29th October at St Mary’s, Outwood, we shall be holding an open meeting from 9:30am until around 12 noon. The meeting will help congregations have an opportunity to hear what is taking place across the benefice and will include worship, tea/coffee and each church will have an opportunity to share news and there will be input about the life of the benefice and possible group work.
5. We are also thankful to Dave Florence who has arranged our benefice logo, which we hope builds up our common life together.
Take care and God Bless, Glenn
Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe and Alverthorpe.