Geography of the Deanery
The Benefice of the Brickhills and Stoke Hammond lies on the north east corner of the Mursley Deanery, which covers a large geographical area, from Ivinghoe in the south, to Newton Longville in the north, Bow Brickhill in the east and Swanbourne in the west. It borders the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, and has 20 churches within its care. It is also on the edge of the Oxford Diocese, sharing the diocesan boarder with St Albans to the south and east.
In 2002 there were 9 Benefices in the Deanery but this has been reduced to 5. Linslade, the largest Parish, has now joined Leighton Buzzard and hence is part of the St. Albans Diocese. There are current discussions looking at further changes within the Deanery but these are unlikely to affect our Benefice. The total electoral roll for the Deanery stands at about 850.
Although the Deanery has in the past paid its full Parish Share and sometimes obtained the rebate for prompt payment, this has not been possible in recent years as some parishes have found themselves in difficulty.
The communities served by the Deanery are mainly very rural. There are no extremes of churchmanship, but as is typical of many small parishes, churches strive for a balance of worship to keep as many people as possible within their local worshipping communities. Many parishes have good ecumenical links and one of the Methodist Ministers joins chapter meetings from time to time. All parishes accept the ministry of women and none has passed any resolutions.
Deanery Representatives
The Deanery Synod Meets four times a year around the Deanery and attendance varies. The Deanery Representatives for the Benefice, who serve for three years, are:-
Bow Brickhill:
Trish Wilby Contact:- bowbrickhillchurch@gmail.com
Great Brickhill:
Jeremy Hopkinson (Acting Deanery Treasurer) 01525 261722 jeremysfh@gmail.com
Little Brickhill:
No current Representative
Stoke Hammond:
Diane Webber 01525 270409 dianejwebber@gmail.com
Deanery Synod Meetings
The Deanery Synod meets on three or four occasions throughout the year.
N.B. The meetings are open to all who wish to attend.