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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.
Building on our Relationship with God
Building on our Relationship with God
This month, I encourage us all to intentionally nurture our relationship with God. Whether you're at home or away, let's commit to regular moments of personal devotion, Bible reading, and prayer. Perhaps you could spend some time each day reflecting on a favourite psalm, or simply offering gratitude for God's blessings. What new insight might God reveal to you in these quieter moments?
Our monthly Bible Study group resumes in September and continues to be a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of God's Word together. About 10 of us get together at the moment, but we have room for more. If you want to know more about this opportunity, please have a chat with Revd Nigel. It's a supportive space where we can ask questions, share insights, and grow in faith.
On an exciting note, we've recently had another inquiry about adult baptism, which is truly wonderful news! This has prompted Revd Nigel to look to plan a new Baptism and Confirmation Preparation Course for the autumn. If you've been considering baptism or confirmation, or simply wish to explore what it means to make a public declaration of faith, please do get in touch. This will be a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper into the foundations of our faith and understand the significance of these important steps in discipleship. We also have a number of infant baptisms scheduled over the autumn period, and we look forward to welcoming the children and their families into our churches.
May August be a month where we draw closer to God, growing in grace and truth each day.
With love and blessings, Revd Nigel Moat.
Revd Nigel's Sermon Blog
Revd Nigel's Sermon Blog
Matthew 11.28-30 - Come to Me Reflection
Matthew 11.28-30 - Come to Me Reflection
It’s so easy to feel overburdened by everything that might be going on around us. We may be suffering from ill health, loneliness or grief. All times when we may feel that we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.
But what Jesus is saying is that no matter how heavy our yoke might be - no matter how heavy our burdens are - we can come to him and he will give us rest. In fact what he is doing is inviting us to take his yoke in exchange for ours. He is willing to carry all of our burdens whilst we carry his - for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
But whilst that offer is available to us all, we have the responsibility to accept the exchange. The invitation is there - ‘Come to me - and I will give you rest’. It’s an invitation followed by a promise. We are making the active decision to come before Jesus. And we are acknowledging that we cannot do this on our own. And it is through our acceptance of that invitation that Jesus carries out that promise of giving us rest.
He knows our weaknesses and he knows our struggles and he is prepared to take them from us. So I want to invite you to pause in silence and come before the feet of Jesus and accept that invitation. Maybe just close your eyes as you imagine the scene. You might be weighed down by your yoke - a yoke you can no longer carry. But Jesus is here and he offers you his yoke in exchange. He takes your heavy yoke, the one that is weighing you down, whilst you take his which is easy and light and which gives you rest for your souls.
This is what prayer is about. We are opening up our hearts to Jesus; and we are letting him know what it is that is weighing us down. And through this we are inviting him to share our burdens.
And this is what the Bible helps to teach us. For the Bible is full of God's promises of love and grace. And the Bible reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles and that God is with us and he will never forsake us.
So in the silence, bring your burdens to Jesus and accept the offer that Jesus has for you all.
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
Anna Chaplaincy
Anna Chaplaincy
The Ouse Valley Benefice now has two Anna Chaplains - Pay Blyth and Jonathan Webster.
Anna Chaplains offer spiritual care in later life in a wide range of contexts. They accompany older people in reflecting on their life and their relationship with God, breaking down generational barriers and offering friendship and community.
The Anna Chaplaincy is a truly integral part of our ministry team. Our Anna Chaplains, Jonathan and Pat, serve alongside our clergy, our Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs), and our Authorised Lay Ministers (ALMs), enriching our outreach and pastoral care. Their specific focus on the spiritual needs of older people, and indeed all who are facing the later stages of life, ensures that everyone in our community feels valued, heard, and connected.
Anna Friends
Anna Friends
Alongside the development of Anna Chaplains, another role has emerged organically: that of an Anna Friend. Such volunteers are proving invaluable as they work alongside the Anna Chaplains, often giving a few hours a week to suit their own circumstances and play to their strengths and gifts. In this way, whether as Anna Chaplains or Anna Friends, the Anna Chaplaincy movement is empowering more lay people to be part of supporting older people and meeting their spiritual needs.
If you feel a calling to serve our community as an Anna Friend, we would love to hear from you. Please speak to Revd Nigel, Jonathan, or Pat to learn more about how you can get involved. There is also an opportunity to attend an Anna Friend training day on Saturday 27th September at St Mary's Church Ely, from 10am to 2pm (including lunch). If you would like to attend, please contact the Ely Diocese Anna Chaplaincy coordinator via anna.chaplaincy@elydiocese.org.
News and Events
News and Events
For all our latest news and events, please see our News and Events page which is regularly updated.
You can also catch up on all the latest information in our monthly newsletter. Click the button below to see the latest edition.
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.
Bexwell Online Services
Bexwell Online Services
Some of our services from Bexwell can be found online. Everyone is more than welcome to join us. Please see the calendar for the online services - the zoom link and Meeting ID's can be found in the calendar entries for each. If you have any problems accessing the zoom service please drop as a line by contacting is using this online form.
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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