A Profile of the
Hambleden Valley Group of Churches
Fawley • Fingest • Frieth • Hambleden • Medmenham • Turville
With a description of the House for Duty post based in Turville Vicarage
Fingest
Turville
Frieth
Hambleden
Fawley
Medmenham
Hambleden Valley House for Duty Profile
Turville Vicarage
Turville Vicarage is a modern, purpose-built, substantial four bedroom detached house
standing in a large garden in a beautiful location on the edge of a small picturesque village,
with views across open countryside in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village
centre and church are known to many as the location for the Vicar of Dibley series, however
the vicarage is not as featured in the series!
The house is well laid out and
comprises two large living
rooms, a study and downstairs
toilet, a large kitchen with
utility room and store rooms, a
garage, four substantial
bedrooms and two upstairs
bathrooms.
The pictures below show views of and from the garden.
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Hambleden Valley House for Duty Profile
The Hambleden Valley Group of Churches
The Hambleden Valley is situated
in the Chiltern Hills in
Buckinghamshire and lies between
Marlow and Henley to the South
and High Wycombe and
Stokenchurch to the North. It is an
Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty and a popular destination
for walkers and sightseers, while
maintaining active farming and
countryside traditions. Although
distinctly rural, this area has easy
access to nearby towns and good
road links to London and Oxford
and the motorway network.
The Hambleden Valley Group of
Churches comprises five parishes
with six churches, and spans over
a dozen villages and hamlets. The
group has been in existence since
the 1960s and in its present form
for over 30 years.
Villages in the Hambleden Valley and nearby roads and towns
The parishes in the group are Fawley, Fingest, Hambleden with Frieth and Skirmett,
Medmenham and Turville and each has its own PCC meeting four or five times a year. A
Joint PCC, known locally as the Group Executive and comprised of the clergy and officers
from each parish, meets three times a year to deal with joint matters of policy or finance.
Nearing Fingest on the Maundy Thursday walk
The churches in the group are St Mary the Virgin in
Fawley, St Bartholomew in Fingest, St John the
Evangelist in Frieth, St Mary the Virgin in Hambleden, St
Peter and St Paul in Medmenham and St Mary the Virgin
in Turville. In the 1970s chapels of ease in Turville
Heath (St Saviours) and Skirmett (All Saints) were
closed, but halls in or near these villages still retain links
to the churches and offer opportunities for church
activities in the community. There are strong links with
the local United Reformed Church.
The parishes and churches are all different in character and have their own feel and traditions
whilst benefitting from each other’s strengths and diversity, and working well together as a
group. Congregations enjoy opportunities to meet, worship and work together. The group
has monthly joint services which move from church to church throughout the year, and also
holds joint services at various festivals. Training opportunities, study groups and fundraising projects are also held jointly, and where individual churches have events of their own
they are regularly attended by people from other parishes. The group has become more
cohesive in the last decade, with people expressing more of a sense of being part of a joint
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Hambleden Valley House for Duty Profile
church in the Valley, rather than working as separate churches with an administrative link.
However each church remains central to its local communities and retains its individuality.
In the past the benefice has been served by a clergy team comprising the rector, a training
curate and a non-stipendiary priest. However, due to changes in personnel at present the
rector is the only ordained minister in the staff team. Other staff team members are a Reader
(Licensed Lay Minister) based in Fingest, a part-time Group Secretary and a Parish Visitor.
There is also someone coming to the end of their Reader training and others exploring their
calling to ministry in the group. The House for Duty priest will take their place within this
growing team as we explore our vision to increased local leadership and ministry. Within the
parishes there is significant involvement by many lay people in the ministry of the church,
including taking services, working with children, youth and the elderly, and maintaining
strong links with the rest of the local community.
Hambleden Valley Locality and Amenities
The area covered by the Hambleden Valley Group is rural with nine settlements having
populations over 80 and many smaller hamlets. Total population is about 3500 with very
little ethnic diversity. Roughly a fifth of the population is retired and roughly a third of the
households include children. Much of the housing consists of large and expensive detached
properties; in the settlements there are smaller traditional cottages and terraces which are
mostly owner-occupied, but include some tied cottages occupied by current or previous estate
workers at low rents, or let commercially. Due to the expense of housing many people born
in the villages have had to seek housing elsewhere, whilst those with higher incomes,
including some young professionals, have been able to move into the area.
There is some local employment in small businesses
and on farms and estates, although the majority of the
working population travels to neighbouring towns such
as Henley, Marlow, Reading or High Wycombe, or
commutes up to London. A fair number of
professional people work from home, however in parts
of the benefice there is no access to terrestrial
broadband which hampers homes and businesses alike
(there is broadband access in Turville). There was an
RAF station in Medmenham until 1977 which is now
Evening view from Parmoor
a large estate of married quarters used by personnel
based at High Wycombe, increasingly away on duty. A computer software company has
redeveloped the rest of the RAF base as its headquarters, whilst the old Officer’s Mess is
now Danesfield House, a luxury hotel.
There are two primary schools in the area, both of which are popular. Frieth Church of
England Combined School has 125 pupils and strong links with the church. It is the local
primary school for a large proportion of the benefice and school buses pick children up from
the main population centres each day. The rector is an ex-officio governor and there are also
a number of PCC-appointed governors. In Danesfield the old RAF camp school has become
a primary school of 400 pupils taking children from Medmenham parish and from the
neighbouring Marlow area. The previous NSM was a governor at Danesfield and the school
would very much like such a link to continue. Clergy visit each school weekly for
assemblies, and school groups are occasionally involved in church activities. The old village
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school in Turville now operates as a nursery, and there is a
regular Montessori nursery in Fawley village hall.
Buckinghamshire operates a selective system at 11+; there
are good Grammar and Comprehensive schools in nearby
towns and school transport is available throughout the
Valley.
Fawley, Frieth, Hambleden, Medmenham, North End and
Skirmett have village halls; Hambleden has a village shop
including a Post Office. There are pubs in Fingest, Frieth,
Hambleden, Medmenham, Skirmett and Turville which
enjoy local trade and in some cases large numbers of
visitors to the area. The area is criss-crossed with footpaths
and bridleways and many publications feature walks in the
area as examples of quintessential Chilterns scenery.
Hambleden Festival of Marmalade in the
Village Hall
The Worshipping Communities
Congregations and Services
The six churches in the group have distinct congregations for their Sunday main services,
with congregations ranging from 10 to 60. In addition there are services on Sundays and
during the week that draw their congregations from across the parishes; the 8am said BCP
services in Hambleden, Fawley or Frieth; the
twice-monthly Sunday Informal Service in
Hambleden; the weekly Wednesday Eucharist in
Turville; the weekly Friday Matins in Hambleden;
the monthly ecumenical ‘Prayers for Peace’
service; and the monthly Healing service in
Fingest (which draws many of its congregation
from beyond the benefice). At Christmas, Easter
and Harvest festivals most churches are very full.
Most Eucharistic services are about an hour long.
Visit of members of St James Lower Clapton to Fingest
For over two years there have been two regular group services on the first Sunday of each
month, hosted by each church in turn. The morning service includes a combined choir who
lead the congregation in singing some parts of the liturgy, and the sermon is sometimes given
by a visiting speaker. Members of the United Reformed Church in Pheasant’s Hill join in
this service along with the parish churches in the group. The
evening service is known as Valley Praise, and is an informal
service with music led by the Valley Praise band. It consists of
half an hour of All Age worship intended to be accessible even to
small children, a ‘half time’ with food and drink and
opportunities to socialise, after which young families may take
their children home and the final half hour presents an
opportunity to think more deeply about the topic of the week.
The pattern of services on other Sundays in the month involves at
least one service in each church each week, generally at the same
time each week and to a regular pattern. These are mostly
Common Worship Eucharistic and mostly in the morning, but
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Local farmers at the Hambleden
Harvest Festival
Hambleden Valley House for Duty Profile
Fingest and Turville sometimes have their main service in the evening, and generally each
church has one ‘home team’ service a month when members of the congregation lead
Common Worship Morning Prayer, Matins or Evensong, with a talk or discussion. A number
of people across the group have received training in preaching. In Hambleden, Fawley and
Frieth there are additional 8am BCP services once a month, and in Hambleden there is a
monthly lay-led evensong service.
Based in Hambleden there is also a morning Informal Service twice a month with its own layled team and a format that includes time for group discussion as part of the service. About
once a term this service includes prayer ministry,
and at a similar frequency it includes a clergy-led
less formal time of communion.
RBL Remembrance Sunday Service in Medmenham
Clergy generally lead between two and
occasionally four services each Sunday, with
timings of 8am, 9/9.30/9.40am, 11am and 6pm.
Only one evening service a month is regularly
clergy-led.
During the year there are various group services to mark festivals. The Ascension Day
service and the main Royal British Legion Remembrance Sunday service move from church
to church each year. An All Souls Day service is held in Turville and a meditation on Good
Friday and vigil on Easter Saturday are held in Hambleden.
Children and Youth
There are many young families in the Valley,
particularly in Frieth and Danesfield, and most churches
include an All Age service or a service with a Sunday
School once a month. A Good Friday Club including
craft, songs and Easter teaching has been run in Frieth
School for a few years which has proved popular,
drawing children from both schools. Work with
children needs development, with plenty of scope for
group-wide initiatives such as after-school activities for
school-aged children or an informal toddler-friendly
mid-week service in one of the village halls.
Animal Blessing Service in Turville
There are youth groups run on Sunday evenings by members of the church. The older youth
group (15s to 18+) is largely peer led, meets most weeks and works on Christian discipleship
material together; the younger youth group (10s to 14s) runs twice a month as more of a
‘club’, but includes a 15 minute ‘God slot’ giving a Christian perspective on a relevant topic.
Members of the older youth have been going to a summer ‘Soul Survivor’ week for the past
few years.
Occasional Offices
The Hambleden Valley churches are very popular places to get married and there are 20-30
weddings a year. This may increase slightly as a result of the 2008 Marriage Measure.
Marriage preparation consists of a Saturday with a group of couples, led by clergy and lay
people, and including couples from any of the churches, followed by individual follow-up
with clergy nearer the wedding time. A regular monthly invitation is sent out to all couples
being married that year or married in the recent past to meet in the third Sunday service in
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Hambleden and afterwards at the pub, where stories, advice and photos can be exchanged –
this is a great arrangement for couples and a good opportunity for clergy to get to know
couples better.
Many families in the Valley contact the church when they have a new
baby and the clergy have recently begun offering a Thanksgiving
service (‘Naming and Blessing’) as well as Baptisms. Up to 40
children a year have been baptised in the past. Administration for
baptisms and thanksgivings is done centrally by a lay-person and each
parish has a baptism rep. Families are followed up after one year, but
this is an area that could be developed.
There may be about 20 funerals in a year. Some of these are taken at
the crematoria in Amersham or Reading, but all churches have open
graveyards (at Pheasants Hill for Hambleden) and most funerals are
burials or include a church service as well as a cremation.
The Stationmaster at the
Railway Nativity
Group Study and Training
There are a number of Bible study and prayer groups that meet around the group throughout
the year. Each Lent and Advent there are centrally run study groups and each January there
is a group retreat to Holland House in Worcestershire. In Lent there are special Evensongs
with invited speakers covering topics of interest beyond the church. From time to time there
are ‘Together in Ministry’ meetings when those involved in ministry across the group join for
sharing, discussion and training, sometimes with an outside speaker.
Outreach
In traditional village communities there are many people who feel that the church is ‘their
church’ even though they do not attend regularly. Opportunities to encourage more lively
faith on the fringes of the church need to be sought out. The group has run Alpha courses and
confirmation courses in recent years during which people have come to faith or been
strengthened in their faith. The youth groups draw in young people from families across the
valley, most of whom have little link with church.
Bishop John visits the Tea Club
More practical outreach is evident in the work of the
very popular ‘Tea Club’ run by church members, a
weekly meeting that provides a unique opportunity for
the over 60s throughout the Hambleden Valley to
keep in touch socially. The Tea Club and youth
groups both meet in St Katherine’s Parmoor, a former
Convent near Frieth now run as a conference and
retreat centre, giving us access to a great venue for all
sorts of events.
The Valley churches have a long record of giving
generously to charities through collections in services and
specific fund-raising activities. Lent lunches of soup and
fruit have raised substantial sums for Christian Aid for
many years. The group have recently completed a
commitment to raise £30,000 each year for five years for
St Matthew’s Children’s Fund, to assist in the upbringing
and education of orphan and vulnerable children in some
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Bishop Alan launches Christian Aid Week
using the Turville bells
Hambleden Valley House for Duty Profile
of the poorest parts of Ethiopia. Group support for the charity continues, with a new
initiative in 2009 to provide water and other services to a marginalised Ethiopian tribe.
Music
The parish of Hambleden with Frieth and Skirmett has a resident Director of Music who
plays the organ at Sunday morning services in Frieth and Hambleden and is responsible for
the robed choirs in the two churches. In Hambleden there is also a small junior choir with
children of primary school age. The director of music also arranges other events, particularly
in Hambleden, where from time to time there are performances of choral works with soloists
from the Royal College of Music, a large choir made up of members of the church choirs of
the valley supplemented by others, and an orchestra. There is also a regular programme of
‘Hambleden Concerts’ on some summer Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons in the
church with visiting artists. These are well attended and highly regarded.
Other churches have regular visiting organists for their services, although the Hambleden
director of music generally plays at any evening and joint services across the group, and at
most weddings.
The informal worship band that plays at the Hambleden Informal Services and the Valley
Praise services is made up of local musicians and generally includes a keyboard, a guitar and
bass, drums and clarinet. The band plays in most of the churches across the group, including
in Pheasants Hill URC, which hosts Valley Praise twice a year. The congregation use song
books or a data projector and screen driven from a laptop.
The Churches
The following section gives a brief introduction to each church in the group. All churches are
listed buildings and kept open to visitors during the day, with Bibles and prayer resources
available for use. Some have books in which prayer requests may be written by visitors, with
requests included in prayers at a subsequent service. Congregations are friendly and
welcoming, and very supportive of their clergy.
St Mary the Virgin, Fawley
Overview: Fawley as a village is
geographically spread out; the church and
the hall are the only remaining community
buildings. Population is about 250.
Church electoral roll is 60, average
attendance is about 14. A small Sunday
school meets during the service monthly.
The church is old and has been much
altered over the years.
Highlights: A monthly community prayer group. A Christmas Carol service / concert
involving performances from members of the community. A Railway Nativity on the station
platform of the McAlpine’s estate involving the wise men arriving on a real diesel engine!
Very popular fetes, jumble sales and fairs.
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St Bartholomew, Fingest
Overview: Fingest is a small village (population 100)
with a Grade 1 listed church at its centre that goes
back to the Thirteenth Century; it is the smallest
church in the group, seating just about 100. Church
electoral roll is 44, average attendance is about 16.
Highlights: Lots of links with the pub! A monthly
healing service. The community behind the Tea Club.
Base for the Maundy Thursday walk. Church teas on
two Sundays in the summer. Occasional alternative worship services in collaboration with
the ‘Contemplative Fire’ network make full use of the flexibility and atmosphere of the
building. Linked with an inner city church in Lower Clapton in London. Recent carol
service for passing ramblers.
St John the Evangelist, Frieth
Overview: Frieth has varied housing
including some council houses. It has a
population of 400 and a village school and
hall. The church was built in Victorian times
as a chapel of ease linked with Hambleden,
and seats about 120 using additional folding
chairs. The electoral roll is about 120 across
both churches; average Frieth attendance is 20
in the main Sunday services, 8 at 8am BCP.
Highlights: Constructive links with school, including school services in the church and
occasional special services to which school children are invited. Frieth has a strong ‘home
team’ with many people involved in taking services. Good community links with events such
as quizzes and Lent lunches.
St Mary the Virgin, Hambleden
Overview: The population of
Hambleden is about 200, although the
parish of Hambleden with Frieth and
Skirmett includes a number of other
hamlets and farms and has a total
population of 2000. The church is the
largest in the group, seating up to 250,
and parts date from Saxon times.
Average attendance at 11am is about 40,
at the Informal Service it is about 20, and
at the 8am about 12.
Highlights: Weekly church teas on summer Sundays bring a great sense of community and
links with visitors. Hugely popular Christingle, carol and midnight services. Wacky fundraising events have included a Festival of Marmalade and parachuting teddy bears off the
church tower. Most popular church for weddings. A keen bell-ringing group ring the 8 bell
peel. Well attended Lent lunches raise hundreds of pounds for charity. Linked with a church
in Tottenham.
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St Peter and St Paul, Medmenham
Overview: Medmenham has a population of
260, and with the addition of the RAF quarters
in nearby Danesfield this is an area of more
concentrated housing. The first church here
was founded by St. Birinus, the missionary
priest, over 800 years ago. The electoral role
is just over 30, and average attendance is about
12. Five listed church cottages are rented to
local people who need accommodation.
Highlights: Packed church for the carol
service with the visiting ‘Tamesis’ choir and for the Christingle service. Monthly community
prayer group. Hub for lots of fund-raising for Ethiopia. Wedding preparation days for
couples being married in any of the group churches are hosted in the parish. Visits from
Danesfield school for lessons and occasional involvement in church worship.
St Mary the Virgin, Turville
Overview: Turville village has a population
of 100, with other population centres in
Turville Heath, Northend and Southend.
The church has Saxon foundations and is
Grade II* listed. The electoral roll is 50, and
average attendance is about 25 for morning
services and 15 for evening services. The
‘Church Mice’ (Sunday school of mostly
young children) meet during the monthly
morning service, sometimes with up to 10 children. The weekly Wednesday communion
service draws a regular congregation of 10+.
Highlights: Animal blessing service each year, also Plough Sunday service which includes
the local farming community and the group All Souls service. Lots of visitors on the ‘Vicar
of Dibley’ tourist trail. Prayer candles and a book for prayer requests reflect visitors’
appreciation of a spiritual and peaceful place to face difficulties. Harvest ‘breakfast’ after the
Harvest service, coffees after most morning services. Full church around Christmas,
especially for Carols, Christingle and Midnight services. Popular for weddings. A peel of
five bells.
Vision and Opportunities
There are a number of directions in which the ministry in and of the churches could benefit
from development in the next months and years, and these will be explored with the growing
lay ministry team and the new House for Duty associate priest. Gifts and experience in a
number of the following areas would be an advantage for someone applying for this post.
Encouraging and nurturing congregations

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Continue to value and celebrate tradition while also seeking to increase the opportunities
for using modern liturgies and new forms of worship.
Put more energy and resources into the Informal Service and Valley Praise and look for
ways to encourage more people who have no experience of church or who feel they do
not fit in traditional services to become part of those communities.
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Hambleden Valley House for Duty Profile

Look at what discovery or discipleship courses could be run in the group, and develop lay
leadership for these.
Breaking new ground

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Explore more ways that the church can use its gifts and resources to bless the community
rather than focusing on the desire that the community comes to its events.
Take ‘church’ to people rather than expecting people to come into church, e.g. by running
services or discussion groups in neutral venues.
Increase use of the Group magazine, published for over 100 years with many subscribers.
Stages of life


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Work with families with toddlers - e.g. a mid-week Pram Service with CD-based songs
and Bible stories.
Work with children not on a Sunday or not in main services - an after school club or an
occasional afternoon service.
Seek ways for those in the younger youth group to making the transition from ‘club’ to
Christian engagement, and eventually to discipleship.
All involved in ministry

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Continue to encourage an approach to Christian life that sees it as one of God's calling
and our following, and each of us having ministries that flow out of that.
Continue to develop lay ministry – looking to have more people confident to lead
intercessions in services, to lead services, and to preach.
Increase the number of Bible study and prayer groups.
Creative development around Occasional Offices


Build up stronger links with families who bring children for baptism or thanksgiving
services.
Reduce the amount of clergy admin and correspondence around weddings while retaining
good contact with couples seeking to be married in the Valley.
Job Description and Person Specification
The House for Duty priest will be involved in ministry across all the parishes, working the
equivalent of three days a week in collaboration with the rector and other staff members as
well as local ministry teams. Working hours will include Sunday duties (normally two or
three services, occasionally four) and will need to have sufficient flexibility to include some
involvement in occasional offices, particularly weddings which are normally on Saturdays.
There will be opportunities to develop an area of ministry in one of the areas described in the
previous section, depending on the gifts and experience of the successful applicant. Expenses
will be paid in full.
We are looking for someone who:
 Is a positive team player who values the contributions and perspectives of others.
 Is an encourager and an enabler who gets on well with people from very varied
backgrounds.
 Has energy and enthusiasm for what can be a very busy and diverse setting.
 Has pastoral gifts, enjoys visiting homes, and is able to relate well to all age groups.
 Is expectant that the power of God can bring transformation, healing and new life.
 Has a sense of fun and is willing to enjoy life in the Hambleden Valley!
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We would like them to:
 Understand the needs and demands of a multi-parish benefice in a rural area.
 Be comfortable leading worship across a range of styles from BCP through CW to nonliturgical services with contemporary music.
 Be able to preach from the Bible simply and relevantly, whilst also travelling with those
whose faith journey engages with more complex questions.
 Be able to explain faith to those with no link with church.
 Be good at administration and time management, and diligent in choosing and keeping to
personal work/life boundaries, especially since clergy working in the parishes have
previously been full-time.
 Be prepared to travel extensively around the parishes, and is not nervous of narrow roads!
We can offer them opportunities to:
 Invest in links with schools, take assemblies enthusiastically and hopefully become a
school governor for Danesfield.
 Encourage small groups in prayer, Bible study and exploration of faith.
 Work creatively with and develop the opportunities presented by baptisms, thanksgivings
and weddings.
Wycombe Deanery
Wycombe Deanery comprises 29 parishes (41 churches and worship centres) centred on High
Wycombe and Marlow, with Team Ministries, Group Ministries, an LEP and individual
parishes. There are 21 Stipendiary Clergy, 4 Curates in Training, 10 Non Stipendiary
Ministers, 4 Ordained Local Ministers, and a small number of retired clergy. Some of the
larger churches employ additional staff such as Administrators, Youth Workers, and Pastoral
Assistants.
Within the Deanery there are:
 High Church and Low Church – catholic to evangelical/charismatic, with most ‘flavours’
in between. Two Churches within the Deanery have adopted a ‘Cell Church’ approach to
church life and mission.
 Town Centre, suburban, and rural
 Wealthy and UPA
 Ancient and modern church buildings
 Large and small congregations (Electoral Rolls of parishes vary from less than 40 to more
than 400)
A large, two-centre Deanery with such enormous variation and diversity does have its
challenges, but recent work on a Deanery Plan for ministry and mission has done a lot to
bring us together around a common vision. The implementation of this plan will depend on
the willingness of clergy and laity throughout the Deanery to share skills and experience
across parish boundaries.
There is a Hospital Chaplain, based at Wycombe Hospital, part of a chaplaincy team covering
Wycombe, Amersham, and Stoke Mandeville Hospitals. There is an RAF chaplaincy serving
Strike Command, representing a significant Air Force presence in the area. There is a
Chaplain at Wycombe Abbey School. The Deanery is involved in an ecumenical chaplaincy
at the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. There is a Youth for Christ Centre,
serving many of the Deanery’s middle and senior schools. There is a churches youth network
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in Wycombe, called WYDE, putting on regular youth worship events and supporting the
youth workers and their groups in the individual churches.
In the Deanery, we encourage all clergy to offer their particular gifts beyond their own
parishes where this will help deliver the Deanery plan. We hope to see clergy take on specific
areas of responsibility within the Deanery as a whole. For example, two of our number have
recently undertaken to look at the Healing Ministry as practised here, with a view to pooling
resources, training and ideas.
The Deanery Chapter meets 6 times a year and Deanery Synod meets 4 times a year.
Confirmations are shared across the Deanery – there are normally three or four a year. It is
essential that those who apply for posts within the Wycombe Deanery are committed to a
collaborative working style, and that they will be willing to play a full and active part in the
life of the Deanery.
Revd David Picken (Area Dean)
Revd Robert Jennings (Associate Area Dean)
Dr Wendy Goodier (Lay Chair)
The Oxford Diocese
The Diocese of Oxford serves the mission of the Church in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and
Oxfordshire. The Diocese comprises more than 600 parishes, with over 800 churches,
serving a diverse population of more than 2 million people located in all types of settings.
In June 2007 we welcomed Rt Revd John Pritchard as our new Diocesan Bishop, who was
previously the Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow in the Diocese of Durham. The Diocese, because
of its size and complexity, has three Area Bishops who exercise considerable strategic
oversight for their Episcopal areas. The Bishop of Buckingham is the Rt Revd Alan Wilson
who has been the Area Bishop since 2004.
Growing from our existing Diocesan “Sharing Life” vision and values, during 2009 Bishop
John is launching and leading a major Diocesan vision entitled “Living Faith for the Future”,
aimed at putting holistic mission and spirituality at the heart of daily life. It contains five key
values:

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sustaining the sacred centre
creating vibrant Christian communities
making disciples
making a difference in society
shaping confident collaborative leaders.
These values are built on the principles of not neglecting the past but building on it; not so
much about strategy but culture; not top down but liberating the local; not targets but
directions; not about structures but about relationships; not one size fits all but flexibility and
not about complexity but elegance. Full information on Living Faith for the future can be
found at www.oxford.anglican.org/living-faith-for-the-future/
It is expected that all clergy appointed into the Archdeaconry of Buckingham will want to
commit themselves to this Diocesan vision and its strategic directions.
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