The Ouse Valley Benefice

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

As we enter APCM season and look ahead to the future of the Ouse Valley Benefice, our Gospel reading from John 10 offers vital guidance. This passage, often linked to leadership, asks us to reflect on two crucial questions: Whose voice are we following, and through which door are we walking?

In a church culture filled with competing expectations and modern anxieties, it is crucial that we tune our ears to the voice of Jesus. The shepherd calls his own sheep by name, and they follow because they recognize his voice. Our shared vision for the benefice must be shaped by Christ, ensuring we are not led astray.

The metaphor deepens when Jesus declares, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep’ (John 10:7). This was more than just a lovely picture; the shepherd of the day would literally lay down across the sheepfold opening, becoming the door. Jesus is our protector, offering us safe passage. John 14 reinforces this by saying, ‘He is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him’. Perhaps for our community, this means that all our activities, our outreach, and our plans should also pass through that gate.

Why is Jesus so central to our decision-making? The final verse gives us the profound answer: Jesus came ‘so that we may have life, and have it to the full’. This is not a promise of materialistic gain, but of an abundant, overflowing, deep, and eternal relationship with him. The Christian life is meant to be an "exuberant affair, full of the joy of the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit," leading us not into desolate places, but into lush meadows that provide true, life-sustaining nourishment.

So as we move forward as a benefice, let us commit to following the voice of the Good Shepherd, trusting him as our Gate, and stepping confidently together into the abundant life that he offers us.

As you may be aware we have been developing proposals for formalise the Benefice Pastoral and Administration Team (effectively a meeting of the churchwardens) into a formal Joint Council. This is absolutely not a move to take power away from local PCCs. Each Church will still have control of their finances and responsibility for all local decisions. Each church will retain its individual identity. 

A Joint Council would however streamline the administration, the mission and ministry of the benefice and encourage joint working. For example, if we want to approve someone for lay ministry, we have to seek approval from 6 individual PCCs. Missing the intake deadline could delay training by a whole year. 

Informally, the Churchwarden have already been doing this sort of role since the benefice was created, but without the authority to make these decisions. For those areas where a shared Benefice decision makes sense, a Joint Council would be a huge benefit.

Each APCM meeting will be asked to vote on this proposal. Your can read the rationale and Frequently Asked Questions by clicking the linke below.

Weekly Church of England Online Service

Do you know someone who is unable to get to church? 

If so, why not point them in the direction of the weekly online service from the Church of England. They can sign up to a weekly mailing with details of the service and watch each of the services online. Click the button below for more details and to sign up.