This course will  run throughout Lent within the Benefice . Each of the sessions takes a look at our world in a multi faith society focusing on Judaism, Islam and Christianity. We will look at their foundations faith, history; major events, key players and the basic ethos of Judaism, Islam and our Christian faith.  This will also include a

This event is being held on 7, 8 & 9th June 2019 in St James Church Silsoe. As a celebration of flowers and marriage it will feature a range of items associated with weddings including wedding dresses and other memorabilia from people who were married in the Church as well as a range of services

The weeks building up to Christmas are one of the most difficult times for us to focus on God. We can feel the weight of buying gifts, preparing for guests, putting up the Christmas tree and fitting in parties alongside our regular lives. Sometimes it feels more like work than celebration. It takes great intentionality

The Diocese hope that the video will be seen by those  that are already regular worshipers to both enjoy and share it. However the Diocese is mainly  aiming it at those who currently have little or no contact with the church. It is hoped that as many people as possible will view this film online and be

In recognition of the centenary of the end of the First World War two special Remembrance Services were held in the Church; which was tastefully decorated with over 400 knitted poppies. The first service was held on Saturday evening 10 November which was a quiet reflective service with periods of silence interspersed with readings and

This year marks the centenary of the end of the First World War. To commemorate this there will be 2 services at St James this year. Full details are on the poster attached.

On Wednesday 10 October Rev Dave Bell and Paul Biscoe attended a one day workshop on  “A Conversation with Rev. Bob Jackson on Church Growth”. Bob is a very well-known and charismatic presented and writer whose book “What makes churches grow” is an inspirational read for anyone seriously interested in a Church’s spiritual and numerical

As many of you may know, Balliol College Oxford are the Patrons of both Flitton and Pulloxhill churches and have therefore been involved in the history and decision making of our Benefice. We have been invited to Balliol by the College Chaplain, the Revd. Canon Bruce Kinsey on Sunday 21 October. This is open to anyone across the

A Vigil Service to mark the Centenary of the end of the Great War Saturday Evening 1oth November 2018 6pm at St James the Great, Silsoe  On the eve of the centenary of the end of the First World War this is a quiet reflective service of Bible readings and silences amongst the candle lit

A full report of this year’s excellent vicarage tea party can be found at here 

As a thank you to everyone in the Benefice for  their continued support for Kath and Dave they invite you to join them for Tea at the Vicarage on Saturday 11th August 2018 from 2 to 4pm. Would you please let Kath know  (01525 861163) if you are intending to come as this will help greatly with the

On a warm and sunny Saturday in July members of the St James Guild of Bell Ringers held their annual outing in Berkshire. Chris Catlin had arranged for members to ring at 6 Churches in rural Berkshire around the villages of Arborfield and Finchamstead. Only one of the Churches had ground floor ringing, very cooling

Perhaps you have thought, this is something I should get round to at some stage in life? Now is your chance! We are running a course for adults interested in being baptised. Three sessions: (max one hour each) Saturday 14th July 10.30am    Saturday 28th July 10.30am Tuesday 31st July 8pm If you are interested contact

A new home study group will be starting up at the home of Dave and Liz Coulson in Pulloxhill. The first 6 weeks will be a chance to see if a small home study group is for you and the study will focus on the “Moving On” Course.  The study is about being disciples of

On 16 May the Bishop of Bedford the Right Reverend Richard Atkinson conducted a confirmation service at St James for  8 candidates from the Deanery, who were supported by a congregation of over 90 people.  There were 4 candidates from our Benefice; Stewart, Caroline and Max Ashton from Silsoe and Alice Toone from Flitton. Other

On Saturday 5 May a full Church of over 120 people were present for the concert “As long as I have music” performed by the Higham Choral Group. This was a return visit by this Group who had kindly given a concert for us in May 2015 to support the bid to raise funds for

Members of St James’ congregation decided to embark on the Deanery walk to Clifton on Sunday the 29th of April, however due to the poor weather they decided to drive! They were met with a  warm welcome at the church hall, received hot jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings and hot beverages. Then with

Ian will be priested at St Albans Abbey on Saturday 30th June at 4pm. The Abbey has asked that they are given as much information as possible about the numbers attending so that there will be adequate seating and service sheets. If you are thinking of attending would you please contact  Mike Olney ( mikeolney5@gmail.com)

The next Deanery Walk and Talk  is on Sunday 29th April 2018 starting from any parish in the area full details phone 01462 615499. Information about the timing and talk are shown below.

The opportunity of a nice gentle walk from Redbourn in Hertfordshire, through the picturesque water meadows and woods into St Albans on an April Easter Monday was offered to members of the congregations. The fearless five (and Lottie the dog) set off from St Mary’s Redbourn at 11:00 am, walking with a group of pilgrims

Easter Sunday this year was attended by over 90 people who were able to enjoy the beautifully decorated Church during and after the service. Assisted by many volunteers Ann Swain coordinated the decoration of the Church with a range of flowers, including some wonderful white lilies and different styles of arrangement. A selection of the

On Good Friday a group of over 50 adults and children assembled on the Millennium Green in Silsoe at 11am to begin a Walk of Witness. After a prayer from Rev Dave Bell children carried a roughly hewn cross from the Green through the village to the Church. Rev Dave Bell leading the Walk with

Please see below an estimated timetable for the walk as I see it. Please feel free to join us at any point on this schedule, walking in from a distance is not compulsory. Monday 2nd April 10:30   Meet at St Mary’s Church, Redbourn, Herts AL3 7DU Pack picnic bags into car for transport to St

On Sunday 18th March the first Messy Church of 2018 was held, postponed from 4th March due to snow.  The Church were delighted to welcome more than 40 attendees who braved the wintry weather to attend the session focused on mothers. Reader Gillian Kern welcomed the children and explained the activities on offer.  The children

A congregation of mothers, grandmothers and children attended the Mother’s Day service. This year the service was led by Gillian Kern with full involvement of youngsters, including a reading from Max Ashton.  Musical accompaniment for the for the hymns was provided by Carrie and Jackie.  As usual during the singing of the last hymn posies

Assessing the task caused by vigorous growth of ivy Volunteers getting to grips with the task in hand Due to the heavy snowfall on 3 March the church yard clean-up was postponed until 10 March. The weather was ideal for the activity, which was concentrated on the south east corner of the church-yard. The ivy

How will you spend this Easter Monday 2 April? Why not join Ian and Christine Smith with other pilgrims from across St Albans Diocese to celebrate the risen Christ at St Albans Cathedral. Now in its eighth decade, the annual Pilgrimage and service have become a family event which now includes grandparents, parents, young children

Back by Popular Demand: Higham Choral Group This concert is being held at   7.00pm on Saturday 5 May in Silsoe Church The programme is shown in full below and the finale will be a traditional “Last Night of the Proms” complete with flags and bunting. Tickets are £15 including wine and canapes and are available from Mike Olney

Throughout Lent a Lent Course will be  run within the Benefice. Each of the first four sessions takes one of the qualities mentioned in the Diocese Living God’s Love prayer: generosity, joy, imagination and courage. The final session looks at the context in which these qualities are set: “to live your love … for the sake

On Sunday 28 January a congregation of over 60 supported the baptism of 3 of the 4 members of the Ashton family.  As part of the morning communion service Rev Dave Bell baptised Stewart, Max and Charlie with Caroline, serving as godparent to all three. It was clear that Charlie did not realise so much

On 20 January nearly 130 people enjoyed an entertaining programme provided by the Element String Quartet and their guest flautist. The programme, based on the Vienna New Year Concert was greatly enjoyed and appreciated by the very full Church. Guests were served canapes and drinks during the interval and had the opportunity to wander around

The clean up scheduled for Saturday 3 March 10am to 12 noon. has been cancelled due to expected poor weather conditions on that day. It has now been scheduled for Saturday 10 March 10am to 12noon. Note this period has been chosen because as we move into Spring and plants begin growing after the winter dormancy it is

This year 2 Crib Services were held to accommodate the interest shown in this enlightening and instructive service. Both services were very well attended with a total congregation of just fewer than 500 for both services. Rev Dave Bell ably assisted by Kath Bell and Elaine Couzens recreated the story of Jesus’s birth, from the

            Vienna comes to Silsoe To be given by the Element String Quartet and guest flautist at St James Church  Silsoe on 20 January 2018 When they will perform  a programme of musical pieces from the famous Vienna New Year Concert featuring Viennese waltzes like Strauss’ “Blue Danube” Mozart’s popular “Eine

A congregation of 150 assembled for this year’s carol service in St James Church. The Church looked magnificent for the occasion having been simply, but very effectively, decorated for the Christmas services thanks to Ann Swain and her team and a fine array of candles, positioned by Jan Jarrard, added to the atmosphere for the

Braving the snow and difficult travelling conditions  over 130 people, children, parents and grandparents joined together to celebrate Christingle. Rev Dave Bell led the service  and he explained that the Christingle service celebrations are named after the Christingles that are lit during the service. Christingles are made from an orange decorated with red tape, sweets and

Once again this year the Church hosted the annual  carol service for the Badger Hill scouts on Tuesday 5 December at 6pm. Rev Ian Smith led the service of carols and readings before a packed Church of over 150 children and adults. Many parents and grandparents attended  the service to join in the carols and

Sunday 28th January 2018 4pm-6pm To be held at  St Peter and St Paul with St Andrew in Flitwick Fun, food and a chance to get to know others in local churches All welcome from 11 years upwards.  

Rev Ian Smith and Paul Biscoe attended this one-day course led by Michael Harvey. Michael is best known as the originator and promoter of “Back to Church Sunday” and has addressed Church communities across the world on getting people to return to Church. Michael explained that when he was working on the Back to Church

On Sunday 12 November about 100 people gathered at the war memorial to hear the names of those being remembered read out and at 11am to observe a 2minutes silence. Wreathes were laid including one by Alison Austin from Wrest Park to commemorate those men from the Estate and when it was a hospital during

The annual Church service to remember loved ones who have died was held on Sunday 29 October. A congregation of over 80 were welcomed by Simon Stranks who explained the pattern of the service. People would be invited to place a white carnation into a cross and then as each name is read out a

At the United Benefice Service held at Pulloxhill  on Sunday 22 October Maggie Jeeves, together with Margaret Butt from Flitton,  were commissioned as  Lay Leaders of Worship. They had successfully completed a six-month training, which included tutorials and workshops at St Albans as well as leading  services  at St James in Maggie’s case. They had

Ringers outside St Christopher at Willingate The annual outing for the Silsoe bell ringers took place on Saturday 30th September. This year the Churches were villages in Essex centred around High Ongar. Once again Christopher Catlin had organised an outing that offered a range of ringing opportunities from ground floor in the Church porch to