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Welcome to the Ouse Valley Benefice
Welcome to the Ouse Valley Benefice
Welcome to the Ouse Valley Benefice - a group of Churches in West Norfolk that are part of the Diocese of Ely. The Benefice comprises seven rural villages and their churches in or close to the Norfolk fens: Bexwell, Crimplesham, Denver, Hilgay, Ryston, Southery, and Ten Mile Bank. The Benefice came into existence in January 2022 succeeding several earlier groupings to make more coherent geographical sense.
Sermon Blog
Sermon Blog
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
In Sunday’s Gospel reading from John, we hear Jesus deliver a profound promise: the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is rooted entirely in God’s overwhelming love for us.
We see this divine love revealed in the Trinity: God the Father created us in love; God the Son, Jesus, came as our living sacrifice because of that same love. While that sacrifice meant Jesus would no longer be on earth in human form, God had a plan to ensure we were never alone. He sent the Holy Spirit—an Advocate—to be with us forever, offering protection and comfort.
Such unconditional love from God, however, carries a challenge for us. Jesus says, ‘If you love me, then you will keep my commandments’. This is a reminder that love is more than a feeling we can’t control; it is a choice demonstrated in our actions. We choose how we show our love for God, and keeping His commandments is the measure of our devotion. This is the enduring, unfailing love described in 1 Corinthians 13: "Love is patient, love is kind... Love never fails”. That love is now manifest in the Holy Spirit dwelling among us.
The Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Truth. In a world filled with deception and noise, this is an invaluable gift. The Spirit guides us into truth, helping us discern right from wrong, granting us wisdom to make sound decisions, and helping us understand Scripture. It is the Spirit that convicts us of our wrongdoings, leading us toward repentance and new life.
To receive the Holy Spirit fully, we simply need to ask and demonstrate our reciprocal love for Jesus by keeping His commandments. May we all open ourselves to be filled with the Spirit today, trusting in His guidance and comfort.
Joint Council Proposal
Joint Council Proposal
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 links below.
Proposed Parish of Ten Mile Bank
Proposed Parish of Ten Mile Bank
The Ely Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee has prepared a draft Pastoral Scheme for the creation of the new parish of Ten Mile Bank in the area of the benefice of The Ouse Valley in the diocese of Ely and for the parish church of the new parish.
The draft Scheme is on the Commissioners’ website by clicking the button below.
If you want to know any further information, please have a chat with Revd Nigel who will be able to explain the reasons for this proposal.
Lay Ministry
Lay Ministry
Are you feeling a call to serve God and your community in a deeper way? Perhaps you have a passion for teaching, leading worship, pastoral care, or social justice. Lay ministry, whether licensed or authorised, offers a variety of rewarding opportunities to use your gifts and skills within the church and wider world. If you're sensing a prompting to explore how you might contribute to God's mission, we encourage you to prayerfully consider the exciting possibilities of lay ministry. Revd Nigel would be more than happy to chat to you about the options that might be available to you so please do get in touch.
‘For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ - Romans 12.4-6a
Parish Giving
Parish Giving
We are in the process of setting up Parish Giving for each of our churches. This scheme enables people to set up regular giving or make a one-off donation. The advantage of using this scheme is that gift-aid is automatically claimed on our behalf and all of the money that you donate (including the gift-aid) is passed directly onto the church. There are no administration costs involved.
Baptisms, Wedding and Funerals.
Baptisms, Wedding and Funerals.
If you would like to arrange a baptism, wedding or funeral in any of our churches, please see out Life Events pages. There you will find more information about how these can be arranged. For baptisms we would like to point you in the direction of our baptism coordinator who will guide you through the process. For weddings, your first point of call would be our Vicar, the Revd Nigel Moat. Funerals would normally be arranged via your chosen funeral director - but equally, you can contact Revd Nigel directly if you would like more information.
Deepening Your Relationship with Jesus
Deepening Your Relationship with Jesus
You will find some links below to various resources that you might use to deepen your relationship with Jesus. If you would like to suggest some other resources please let us know!
A free bible app that is available online and on your smart phone.
Pray consistently for the people and causes you care about.
The daily prayer app from the Church of England.
Connect with God with the new Everyday Faith app. Journey daily with reflections to inspire, equip and encourage you in your everyday faith.
A free daily devotional with Bible teachings.
If you would like a copy of the Our Daily Bread bible notes, please complete this form.
Weekly Church of England Online Service
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.
Daily Prayer from the Church of England
Daily Prayer from the Church of England
You can catch up with the Church of England daily prayer here.
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