Church Villager News

St Mary's Mapledurwell

  About our Parish

The Parish of Newnham with Nately Scures with Mapledurwell with Up Nately with Greywell was founded in 1984 by the amalgamation of the three parishes of Newnham and Nately Scures, plus Mapledurwell with Up Nately, plus Greywell. There was then one Parochial Church Council (PCC) replacing the three former ones, but each village had its own Village CHurch Council (VCC) to deal with local church matters.
 
The PCC is amde up of the 10 church Wardens, the PCC secretary and treasurer, each VCC treasurer and three other representatives of each VCC. The PCC is chaired by the Priest in Charge.
 
Over recent years however our parish has forged increasingly close links with other local parishes and in 2008 was legally joined with the Herriard Benefice (Herriard, Weston patrick, Tunworth, Upton Grey, Long Sutton and South Warnborough) and the parish of Odiham, to form the North Hampshire Downs Benefice. The Rector of this new benefice is Rev. Peter Dyson, who lives in Upton Grey, but we are still served primarily by our priest-in-charge, Revd. Jane Leese. This new arrangement gives our small church communities the benefit of being able to share  resources with others and to offer a richer tapestry of worship, teaching and pastoral care to those who would like it. The clergy and lay leaders of the benefice are able to support one another and the provision of local cover for sickness and holidays means that there is almost always a familiar face leading worship on a Sunday.
 
But we do all love our village churches and they are a visible sign of God's presence in our villages over many centuries. They will always be the main focus of of local Church activity and their very presence is a reminder of our past and a symbol of hope for the future.

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