 We are delighted to announce that Barry Jackson has been chosen to be the new Priest in Charge of the Edgehill Benefice.
Barry’s background is in engineering and management, he trained for ministry at St John’s College Nottingham and served his curacy at St Mary’s Church Leamington Spa.
 Barry and his wife Sarah with their young family of Alex (14), Laura (12) and William (9) will be moving to Kineton in April and will be licensed as Priest-in-Charge on the 25th April at St Peter’s Church.
“Sarah and I both feel that the Edgehill benefice is where God is calling us to come and serve next. It was a pleasure to meet a number of you through the interview process and I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the people from the churches and sharing community life with you over the coming years. My passions are for building people and building community and my prayer is that as we work together, with Jesus at the centre, we will see God’s Kingdom grow in our hearts and in our communities.”
Parish Profile - Executive Summary
The six parishes of Combroke, Kineton, Radway, Ratley, Warmington and Shotteswell are in the south-eastern corner of Warwickshire. Edgehill is the furthest extreme of the Cotswolds and the villages are built of local honey-coloured Hornton ironstone. The parishes are the site of the first battle of the English Civil War in 1642. Farming is still the major local industry, but many residents work in Leamington Spa, Banbury, Coventry, or London. Kineton Ordnance Base covers a substantial proportion of the local land (the Vicar of Gaydon is the base chaplain).
The six villages which make up the benefice each have their own distinctive community life. The benefice is centred on Kineton, where the new incumbent will live (the suitability of the present vicarage is currently under consideration by the Diocesan Parsonages Committee). Kineton is the largest of the villages (approx. 3000 population), with a range of local amenities including Primary and Secondary schools, a bank, a library and various shops. The other villages vary in size (all have populations of around 300) and are vibrant local communities. Cultural activities in the villages are often linked with the church buildings: for example, concerts at Ratley and Kineton, and an annual art exhibition at Warmington. Church life and community life overlap considerably in the villages.
A decision was made before Christopher Lamb retired as Rector of the Edgehill Churches in 2006 to unite the parishes under the vicar of Kineton, supported by a house-for-duty priest living at Warmington Rectory. The benefice came into being in February 2007 when Charmaine Host was licensed as priest-in-charge of the four Edgehill parishes. Richard Cooke, then Diocesan Adviser for CME, was licensed as Associate Minister at the same time.
It was recognised that it would take time for the parishes to evolve into a group. Considerable progress has been made in this direction in the last two years, as the following actions demonstrate:
- Churchwardens, clergy and Readers meet four or five times a year for support and information-sharing as well as to consider wider strategy.
- A part-time, paid, administrator for the six parishes was appointed in the summer of 2008 and she carries out all the basic administration for the parishes, such as organising clergy cover, booking weddings and banns, liaising with funeral directors and supervising fees.
- Service patterns were reviewed in early 2008, approved by all the APCMs, and a new pattern instituted in September 2008. The aim was to focus as far as possible on a regular, sustainable pattern of worship which would grow the more viable congregations within the group and build on those lay-led services which had flourished. The new pattern has been well-received and is designed to be staffed by one full-time priest, a part-time Associate Minister, and four Readers, with lay-led village services taking place once a month in Combroke, Shotteswell, Radway and Ratley.
- It is obvious that there is an increased willingness to travel to worship in other churches within the group, making the service schedule more flexible. United services take place several times a year and are well-supported, such as an evening Advent Carol service at Radway in November 2008, a benefice eucharist at Radway with Bishop Christopher in March 2009, and a ‘Mission Focus’ service at Shotteswell in May 2009.
- A new website has been created in the spring of 2009 to provide a stronger sense of identity for the group.
- Outlook (Kineton and Combroke) and the Parish Link share material and are delivered to every home in the parishes each month.
- A ‘Six Church Walk’ Sunday has been held in September 2007 and October 2008, walking to all six churches and taking in services on the way.
Across the benefice as a whole, taking each parish’s views into account, the following would seem to be the most important considerations for a new minister.
- Encourage and develop the already considerable ministry of lay people at Kineton, especially in partnership with the Ministry Leadership Team;
- Work to encourage lay people in the other five parishes to take more formal ministry roles, such as leading worship, alongside the considerable administrative work already carried by them;
- Recognise and value the opportunities offered by rural community life and develop strong relationships with key people in each village;
- Be committed to the continuing life of the church in each village, encouraging and inspiring wardens and PCCs to take responsibility for the future of ministry in their own parishes;
- Take a strategic role in seeking to find and share a vision for ministry and mission across the whole benefice, together with the wardens and Readers.
The parishes recognise that we are in a time of change and development across the Church of England as a whole and that this calls for new patterns of ministry locally. Helping the parishes to face the challenges which this situation brings is an exciting and worthwhile opportunity. We are looking for someone who has a strategic grasp; is warm-hearted and willing to work with a variety of people; who believes deeply that God loves rural communities; and who is willing to work with us to set the worship of Jesus Christ at the heart of our villages.
3 April 2009
Below is a map of our benfice showing the six parishes, clicking on the church image will link you to that part of our website:
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