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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.
Make Room for Jesus This Avent
Make Room for Jesus This Avent
For the secular world Advent marks the end of the year, but for the Church, it is a new beginning as we look ahead to the birth of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
The word Advent, from the Latin adventus, signifies a time of expectant waiting and preparation, focusing on the coming of Jesus: His birth in Bethlehem; His continued presence through the Holy Spirit; and His promised second coming. Interestingly, adventus in Roman times referred to the ceremonial entry of an emperor - a fitting parallel for the expected return of Christ.
Herein lies our challenge. As our pastoral letter highlights, for many, Advent is anything but quiet and reflective. The Advent we seek is countercultural to a world that ramps up for Christmas with shopping, planning, and events. The countercultural call for us as Christians is to slow down and anticipate Christmas with the hope and joy it truly deserves, pushing back against the drive for consumerism.
As we seek to do this, let us not repeat the sentiment in Luke 2 that there was ‘No place for them in the inn’ by putting up a ‘no room’ sign in our own hearts. Are the pressures of work or misplaced priorities getting in the way? We must remember that the true, perfect Christmas was created over 2,000 years ago in that lowly manger.
The passage from Romans emphasizes this call to readiness when it says to ‘clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ’ and ‘put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.’ This is central to our Advent journey, and the Gospel from Matthew reminds us, through the story of Noah’s Ark, that we must be prepared and live in a constant state of readiness.
This readiness is not passive waiting. It is about creating an intentional space where God can dwell in our hearts each day. To help with this, Heidi has produced the Ouse Valley Benefice Advent Calendar - a prayer guide that calls on us to ‘Make room for Jesus this Advent’ through solitude, prayer, and study. This can be found on our website and there will be daily updates on the Ouse Valley Benefice Calendar.
What could you drop from your daily life to allow this space? Remember - Jesus made room for you. Do you have the room for him?
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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