SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY

2 INVERCLYDE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING 1016 GIBSHILL ROAD
HOLLYBUSH FARM WARSTONE ROAD SHARESHILL WOLVERHAMPTON WV10 7LX TELEPHONE
KËSHILLI BASHKIAK V E N D I M NR

M UNICIPALIDAD DISTRITAL DE SHILLA COMITÉ ESPECIAL PERMANENTE “AÑO
REPUBLIKA E KOSOVËS REPUBLIKA KOSOVO REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO KËSHILLI
SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY

SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY

Shill Valley and Broadshire Benefice

Benefice Profile








Our Deanery

Witney Deanery occupies rather more than half of the District of West Oxfordshire, and embraces much of the residential area which identifies itself as ‘the Cotswolds’, but would be more accurately described as ‘upper Thames Valley’. It has an overall population of between 65 and 70,000, of which 20% (13-14000) is of school age. Ecclesiastically there are 38 churches, and electoral roll numbers vary from 8 to 300, with a Deanery total of 1639 in 2011. It is served by 21 licensed clergy and a number of retired clergy, sector ministers and lay ministers whose contribution is highly valued. Together they form the Chapter, which comprises approximately 65 members.

The clergy meet monthly over lunch to support one another and pray, sometimes with a visiting speaker attending. There is a Quarterly meeting for the full Chapter including Retired clergy and LLMs.

The Deanery is working to focus on Mission and Support as a means of enhancing the ministry of the members of our churches. In particular we are looking to learn from one another in our ministry to schools in the deanery and also to develop a new deanery plan for mission and ministry.

We hope that new members of the Chapter will want to be actively involved in our common life and be committed to furthering the effectiveness of mission at a deanery level, as well as in the parishes. We can offer a warm welcome and firm support.


Toby Wright
Area Dean of Witney



Our Benefice


Our benefice lies on the edge of the Cotswolds, just south of Burford and reaches to the River Thames at Kelmscott. It is a rural benefice of eleven parishes uniting fifteen small villages and twelve churches. We offer a wide variety of worship from traditional Book of Common Prayer to more informal Family Services. All our church buildings are beautiful examples of historic places of worship. Each of our village congregations seeks to build and sustain a Christian presence in their village and provide the spiritual heart for the community.


We have close links with our two excellent Church of England schools; a primary school in Langford and an infants’ school in Alvescot, both with strong links to our churches. There is also a day nursery and a pre-school. We hold regular Communion services at the nursing home in the benefice.


Each village has its own special character, but they all share a mixture of people who have lived here all their lives and others who have chosen to move to a rural lifestyle. Many commute to Oxford or Swindon; some work locally in small businesses, and there are a number of working farms. Tourism plays an important role in local life, especially the Cotswold Wildlife Park and the Cotswold Woollen Weavers.


As a Benefice we seek to provide a Christian presence at the heart of each village that draws people into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Each of our villages are different and so our particular passion is to work with each village to see how God wishes us to work out this call in each unique community. For us, such a Christian presence centres around prayer, the Bible, loving service, Christ-centred community and mission. The wide range of village congregations mean we appreciate a breadth of tradition both in ministry and in worship. While many of our congregations are small because of the size of the communities they serve, they frequently have a desire to grow in faith and to serve their communities.



Our Villages

Alvescot

Alvescot has about 200 houses and over 400 adult residents. We have a popular pub and a thriving Church of England Infants’ School. We are also fortunate to have a splendid children’s play area and all weather sports pitch adjacent to our village hall.



SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY


St Peter’s Church celebrated its 900 year centenary in 2010, and the site is likely to have been a place of worship for longer than this. Our small village church is cruciform with a west tower. It is built of coursed limestone rubble with a Cotswold slate roof. In the bell tower, which was added in the 15th century, we have six fine bells. There is an active group of bell ringers. The church was subject to major renovation in the 19th century when the roof was raised, a vestry built, pews inserted and some window glass replaced. The church looks today much the same as it has for the past 140 years. It is now time for more renovation and plans are in hand to remedy the damp, improve the heating, and provide the church with a cloakroom and servery so it can remain a beautiful, viable community building for the next century.


The PCC are active in the village and promote the church in the community. We work together to fundraise and lead some village events. All PCC members and our wider group of Friends of St Peter’s contribute wonderfully to the care of the church and churchyard, and are involved in services through readings, music etc. We have a regular group of service attendees which increases at festivals and school linked services, sometimes to make a full church! We have a pattern of Holy Communion at 10.30am. Evensong is held on the fifth Sunday. We also enjoy monthly Family Services linked to celebrations, baptisms and school occasions, plus some services which we arrange ourselves.



Black Bourton

SSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY t. Mary’s Church is nearly a thousand years old, set in a village of 102 houses. There are 70 children in the village and we see them at our informal Carol singing the Sunday night before Christmas. We have two services each month, either Holy Communion at 9am or Evensong at 6pm, with average congregations between 6 and 10. As there is no village hall, the church is the main meeting place in the village, and in recent years successful Flower Festivals and Music Festivals have drawn good support from the village and beyond.

Broadwell

BSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY roadwell village has one of the smaller populations of any in the benefice. There are 37 houses only in the village with about 90 population. It is an attractive place in which to live. Like neighbouring Langford village we have a large and attractive church which is now in sound structural repair.The organ is a good size for the church and we are lucky enough to have a very good organist and some excellent singers.

The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Originally the parish stretched form Kelmscott to Holwell and included Filkins until 1857 when they built a new church and separated from Broadwell parish. We used to have our own pub and hope that it might be revived in the not too distant future with its original name of the Five Bells, named after the five bells in the church spire.

There is a thriving pre-school which is run in the Old School. There is also a bowling green which is much used in the summer months. Many at the pre-school, the Bowling Club and the Tennis Club come from neighbouring villages.



Broughton Poggs cum Filkins

FSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY ilkins and Broughton Poggs are a pair of thriving villages which share a single parish and a strong community spirit. There is a range of people living in the village from young to old, including young families and retired people. The village is full of many active societies and clubs: gardening, theatre, WI and books to name a few. It is unique in the benefice in having a communal outdoor swimming pool, community run shop and post office. Other facilities include a bowls pitch, playground, nursery and pub. On the tourist front we have the Swinford museum and the Cotswold Woollen Weavers with its coffee shop.

TSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY his small village supports two churches; quite a responsibility in terms of care and maintenance but treasured by significant numbers of the population, whether or not they are regular churchgoers.

There is a variety of services, held in either church. There is a beneficial interaction with irregular and non-churchgoers, many of whom signify their support in practical ways.

Throughout the year there are church led activities outside the regular services and these are well supported. In a lively small village, with many different groups, organisations and activities, the churches are an integral part of community life.





Holwell

HSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY olwell Church is the newest church in the Benefice, consecrated in 1895, and is in excellent order. It is the centre of the village, which is one of the smallest in the Benefice, numbering some 19 dwellings.


Notwithstanding its small size, the Church is well supported by villagers, and by others who live nearby, and it has healthy finances. There are normally two services a month, one Holy Communion at 9am or 10.30am, and one Evensong, with congregations of between 6 and 16.


The Cotswold Wildlife Park lies in the parish, and the Benefice Council holds regular meetings there.

KSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY elmscott



‘The existence of Kelmscott has never been convincingly accounted for – it appears at some unknown time, simply to have occurred.’

St. George’s, Kelmscott, tucked away in the far west corner of the county of Oxfordshire, is a simple rustic building, the nave and chancel being built in the late 12th century and the transepts being added in the mid-13th century. One service a month, Family Communion, is held at 10.30am on the third Sunday of each month.


The population of Kelmscott is just over 100. It is a small, friendly and very caring community. About a third of the properties are rented from the Church Commissioners, the National Trust and the Society of Antiquaries – the latter owning Kelmscott Manor, one-time home of William Morris, ‘father’ of the Arts and Crafts movement. He is buried in the churchyard. St. George’s relies heavily on donations received from visitors to the Manor which is open during the summer months.

SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY

Kencot


Kencot has a population of about 100, made up of retired people, some young families, weekenders and people who commute to work in the area. Two working farms are in the village. Kencot has a friendly atmosphere.


There is a well-equipped village hall which is used regularly by the local bowls club for refreshments, an art club and a stitchers club. It is also used for church and village meetings and is available for hire for functions.

St. George’s is a small medieval church of Norman origins. Two services are usually held a month with an average attendance of 11. The main festivals are well attended. The church is kept open during the day for visitors.

Langford


The Church is an amazing example of the Saxon traditions with the oldest part being the bell tower and the nave, with later additions in the 12th, 13th and 15th centuries. Taken as a whole the architecture and historic interest of St Matthew’s Church make it one of the most fascinating pre-Norman churches in the entire country, and an exceptional Grade 1 listed building. Services are held regularly on two Sundays a month, and there are strong links with the school.




SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY



Langford was listed as a royal estate in the Domesday survey of 1086 and at that time was centred around the Saxon church of St. Matthew’s.

During the 17th century, the centre of building and population shifted slightly to the North West, around the site of the current War Memorial.


Langford however has not stood still and new housing has continued to be built, including a recently completed development for the local community, and the village remains a vibrant place with St. Christopher’s Church of England School, an active Village Hall, allotments, and Cricket Club.





Little Faringdon



Little Faringdon is the most westerly village in West Oxfordshire and with about 50 inhabitants is one of the smallest in the benefice.

Our church is now the only community building in the village. It was built by the Cistercians some 800 years ago when they farmed the land to provide tithes for the monastery in Beaulieu. They left the village during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. As the original dedication was uSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY nknown, it was decided to adopt St Margaret of England (a Cistercian nun) as the patron in 2000. A major repair and refurbishment programme was carried out in 2007/8.

There are two services each month, normally either BCP Matins or Holy Communion. It has recently been decided to hold a ‘special’ service each quarter, in an attempt to make services more inclusive. These include participation by the few children in the village. On average 12 to 15 people attend services, with perhaps 35+ at special services. Occasional concerts or talks are also held in the church. We try hard to be a welcoming church, striving to reach out to our small community. We continue to look for ways to achieve this.



SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY

Shilton



The parish of Shilton which includes Stonelands and was originally 89 dwellings has been enlarged in recent years to include the new community of Bradwell Village which brings its population up to approximately 530. It attracts many artists to paint its picturesque bridge, ford and pond and there is a much published picture of Shilton by S. R. Badmin looking down at the cottages, Rose and Crown pub and farms when all the old elm trees were still standing.


The Church of the Holy Rood nestles up on the hill above Holloway and parts date back to Norman times. There are normally two services a month a Holy Communion service held at 9am and a Parish Communion at 10.30am. The Church is flanked by the Rectory, partly hidden by a majestic old copper beech tree. Opposite is the old School Room, now used as the Village Hall and centre for many community activities.



Bradwell Village

Bradwell Village is a new village of 149 houses within the parish of Shilton. The village boasts a village hall which hosts a wide range of events, and also the Cotswold Home nursing home where we hold a monthly communion service for residents.



Westwell



TSHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY he most westerly well in Oxfordshire, Westwell boasts a beautiful church standing in a lush green churchyard. In the Springtime the snowdrops all but cover the graves. At present we have two services per month; 9am Holy Communion and 6pm Evensong, with approximately 6-8 for the morning service and 10-20 in the evening. We do not have a village hall so our homes or the church are the only places to meet up.



In the centre of the village there is a pond providing a natural habitat for frogs, toads, minnows, dragonflies and visiting ducks. Many years ago, this pond was a watering hole for farm animals.


Westwell’s population is around 58, including weekenders. Almost all of the old farm buildings have now been converted into homes and the old workers’ cottages sold off and extended, making them far larger with fewer residents; the space and comfort the larger families of years ago would have been delighted with.

Our Strengths



Our Needs











We are looking for someone who



Practical Information


Services

On Sundays there are normally between six and eight services. Midweek Communion services are held fortnightly in the Cotswold Home (a nursing and care home for older residents).


Meetings and Groups


There are staff meetings once a month, regular PCC meetings and a Benefice Council, made up of churchwardens and clergy, which meets three times a year.

We have regular Bible study groups within the Benefice run by both lay-people and clergy some of which have grown out of the Alpha groups which have taken place in the Benefice.


Communication


‘The Parish Pump’, our benefice magazine, is produced monthly and delivered to every home in the benefice. The benefice website is www.12churches.org.uk.


Housing


The Old School House for the “House for Duty” priest is an attractive three bedroomed Cotswold stone property in Filkins. It has spacious, sunny rooms. The house is set in a peaceful garden adjacent to the busy nursery school next door..


SHILL VALLEY AND BROADSHIRE BENEFICE BENEFICE PROFILE OUR DEANERY



The Old School House in Filkins


SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL TRIPHOSGENE MEDIATED CHLORINATION OF BAYLISHILLMAN ADDUCTS THATIKONDA
TANDEMKËSHILLAT ©JÜRGEN WOLFF (TANDEMFUNDAZIOA) + ALPHA&BETA AUTORËT JOHN CONYERS


Tags: benefice benefice, the benefice, benefice, profile, broadshire, valley, shill, deanery