© Long Buckby URC 2019
News 1
Long Buckby United Reformed Church
Email the Webmaster
A Message & News from the Minister
A travelling, wandering race, we’re the people of God Summer holidays give way to Autumn
term and the start of a new school year. As a child, I always seemed to begin this term
with a uniform “to-grow-into”, and new shoes also with growing room.
On the church horizon there are also changes afoot and whilst they may seem challenging,
there will be new opportunities to celebrate. Across the URC E, Midlands Synod we have
been meeting in response to changed circumstances. At the moment, across the county we
have 29 churches being covered by 6.7 ministers. (That is a slightly higher ratio of
ministers to churches,than the national allowance for us).
By 2025 we will be reduced to having 4 ministers across the county. Instead of suggesting
that more and more churches are offered an ever smaller portion of a minster’s time,
there is a new pattern being rolled out, where the churches will be clustered and within
the group of churches resources will work across the congregations and the minister will be
more of a theological resource, empowering networks across the area. This pattern is
something ordinands are being trained towards currently. Vacancies in the North West of
the county have meant this plan is being set up for some congregations already.
Suggestions coming out of the meetings the minister and secretaries (and some other
Elders) have been involved with, concern the division of the county into workable units. We
particularly favoured the plan which kept the “town” churches of Northampton with their
specific areas of mission and concern, in one group, and scooped us into a more rural
cluster, resourced from Daventry, and including: Crick, Kilsby, Badby, Weedon & Flore,
Paulespury, Long Buckby and Creaton. This would have the benefit of allowing us to relate
with other similar churches and focus on the issues which encompass our churches.
.
© Long Buckby URC 2019
News 1
Long Buckby United Reformed Church
Email the Webmaster
A Message & News from the Minister
A travelling, wandering race, we’re the people of God Summer holidays give
way to Autumn term and the start of a new school year. As a child, I
always seemed to begin this term with a uniform “to-grow-into”, and new
shoes also with growing room.
On the church horizon there are also changes afoot and whilst they may
seem challenging, there will be new opportunities to celebrate. Across the
URC E, Midlands Synod we have been meeting in response to changed
circumstances. At the moment, across the county we have 29 churches
being covered by 6.7 ministers. (That is a slightly higher ratio of ministers
to churches,than the national allowance for us).
By 2025 we will be reduced to having 4 ministers across the county.
Instead of suggesting that more and more churches are offered an ever
smaller portion of a minster’s time, there is a new pattern being rolled out,
where the churches will be clustered and within the group of churches
resources will work across the congregations and the minister will be more
of a theological resource, empowering networks across the area. This
pattern is something ordinands are being trained towards currently.
Vacancies in the North West of the county have meant this plan is being
set up for some congregations already.
Suggestions coming out of the meetings the minister and secretaries (and
some other Elders) have been involved with, concern the division of the
county into workable units. We particularly favoured the plan which kept the
“town” churches of Northampton with their specific areas of mission and
concern, in one group, and scooped us into a more rural cluster, resourced
from Daventry, and including: Crick, Kilsby, Badby, Weedon & Flore,
Paulespury, Long Buckby and Creaton. This would have the benefit of
allowing us to relate with other similar churches and focus on the issues
which encompass our churches.
.
