News

We said goodbye to our Vicar, Joy on on 26th April.  Here is Catherine Hayden's speech, after which Joy was presented with gifts and the congregation enjoyed a buffet lunch.

The time has come to say our formal farewell to Joy.

It’s amazing how quickly the time seems to have passed since Joy was licensed by Bishop Alan nine years ago – in fact, it was nine years ago today, and it was a double celebration as it was also Joy and Dave’s 20th wedding anniversary. So… that means today is … your 29th anniversary. Many congratulations to you both!

It’s helpful to think about what has happened in these nine years:

The most challenging event in that period was of course Covid. It was a very strange time for everyone, and especially so, I would imagine for vicars up and down the land who were banned from their own churches – that last happened in the time of Cromwell!

But we survived, and we didn’t just survive, we adapted to make worship possible and keep in contact with each other - had we even heard of Zoom before then? In fact, having to become more tech savvy especially with live-streaming, kicked us forward into the 21st century.

Joy is the first to admit that technology doesn’t come easy to her, but she recognised the challenge and went ahead with courage, if not huge enthusiasm! I hope there are a few tuning in on the live stream now – if so hello and we’re glad you can be with us on this special day.

Well, what else has happened?

Firstly and very importantly, we have made strong connections with our schools.

Teachers at Eaton Bray Academy bring each class to church, each term and we help teach topics from their RE curriculum. Thanks to our great Team, they enjoy being here and are comfortable coming into church.

Joy has also been a supportive governor at our church school in Dagnall, which has grown and thrives. In 2015 when Bishop Richard re-opened the school, there were only 21 pupils on roll, now there are over 60. It achieved a Good rating at Ofsted two years ago and an excellent report in this year’s SIAMS inspection.

And talking of young people, we have also enjoyed hosting the Beavers and I know Joy was very keen for us to welcome them here. It has increased our contact with young families and it was great to see some Beavers at Messy Church on Good Friday.

Café Church has been an innovation developed by Joy and the worship team. It is still growing and evolving, it’s a different form of worship with many possibilities for the future. And we like the croissants!

Another exciting event for us during these recent years, was having a curate. This hadn’t happened in our parish within living memory, but because of Joy’s long experience in parish ministry and in supporting vocations, she was able to be a training incumbent for Stephen, and we were very blessed by his ministry.

And another cause for celebration is that whereas many congregations in rural areas are declining, we have not only recovered from the covid dip, but significantly added to our numbers in the last few years.

A warm welcome from all have enabled new people to decide this is a church they can make their own and I hope Joy feels very gratified that she is leaving us with a growing congregation and an active, united church family.

And looking beyond our church, I know from conversations with many beyond the church, that our whole community has valued Joy’s ministry, in particular those she has supported and walked alongside in time of illness or bereavement.

So, Joy, on behalf of us all I would like to thank you for your ministry, your hard work and dedication and wish you and Dave a very happy retirement.

And you can read Joy's final "Vicar's Letter" here.

Gordon Gray was licensed as Lay Reader in the Diocese of St Albans in 1998. Now, nearly 30 years later and after a period of ill-health, he has decided it is time to hang up his Reader’s scarf. All who have known Gordon throughout these years, recognise him to be a remarkable man with adventurous ideas, enthusiasm and perseverance.

Since the late 1980s when he, Christine and Theo moved to Northall, Gordon has worked on many projects which have not only raised funds for local, regional and international charities but have also brought people together and created community enjoyment. And, in his role as Reader, the congregation of St Mary’s can confirm that he has shown the same enthusiasm delivering carefully prepared teaching and preaching and making the Bible more vivid with historical context and modern day parallels. We will miss his insight and his encouragement to learn more about our faith.

These are some other ways Gordon has enriched our community:

Christmas

Gordon began our Christmas Eve Candle Services at St Mary’s many years ago, and with clever thinking, he combined the joy of a traditional Carol service with fun for families. In fact, so many families started to attend, that the Candle Service had to be split into two services. Pleasingly, young adults who first attended as little children, return every Christmas Eve; it is clearly an important part of what Christmas means to them.

Carnival

St Mary’s Village Carnival, which has become such an important community occasion, grew out of St Mary’s Church Fair, a small, traditional fete. After Gordon took a leadership role in 1990, the ‘Fair’ became ‘Carnival’ and grew to be the extravaganza that we know today, when up to 10,000 people from far and wide, visit Edlesborough Green for a family day out.

Of the funds raised by Carnival, half goes to St Mary’s Church, specifically to keep in good repair the beautiful Grade 1 listed building that belongs to the whole community. The rest of the money is donated to local charities and community groups. In the past, Florence Nightingale, Rennie Grove & Keech hospices, Luton & Dunstable neo-natal Unit, Bedfordshire Farm Crisis Network, East Anglia Air Ambulance, Medical Detection Dogs, The Wildlife Trust and many others have benefited. Since 1995, over a quarter of a million pounds has been raised and distributed!

Without doubt, Carnival depends upon the efforts of dozens of people but it is clear that the imagination, drive, and determination that brought it all together originated with Gordon Gray.

Christmas Puzzle

In addition to his other fundraising, Gordon Gray has for 35 years complied an annual Christmas Puzzle. This is not a general knowledge quiz but the kind of puzzle that appeals to people who like solving difficult cryptic crosswords. Because of its complexity, it takes Gordon almost the whole year to devise the clues and as soon as one puzzle has been marked and prize winners notified, he starts work on the next year’s clues.

Participants are asked to make a donation in appreciation of the challenge it has given them; this is then passed on to a range of good causes chosen annually. In this way, over the 35 years, the Puzzle has raised circa £150,000.

Music@St Mary’s

Before Gordon took the lead on fundraising at St Mary’s Church, there were occasional concerts, but under his leadership these blossomed into an annual programme of musical events. The Poppy Prom deserves particular mention as this was entirely the brain-child of Gordon, combining elements of the Festival of Remembrance and The Last Night of the Proms, bringing commemoration of those lost in war, to the people of our local community, and supporting the work of The British Legion.

Open Gardens

Many communities have Open Gardens in the summer months but the idea of holding such an event here, originated with Gordon. It raises fund for St Mary’s but is also an enjoyable day, looked forward to by the whole community.

Gordon says that organising all these events has given him great pleasure, but we know they involve hours of effort in planning and also in building up the teams which join him in achieving what are in many cases highly adventurous objectives. And I think this is an important point – Gordon is not only a ‘doer’ but also an ‘enabler’; he gets the idea, but enables others to achieve the objectives with him.

At the start of our celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, we received the exciting news that Gordon Gray had been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Birthday Honours – such an honour and so deserved!

Thank you Gordon from us all!

The North Chilterns group presented ‘Talking Point’ on the subject of Artificial Intelligence on 22nd October at St Mary’s Eaton Bray.

We were expertly guided by our speaker, the Revd Canon Dr Tim Bull. Tim is currently an Anglican Priest serving at St Albans Cathedral and as the diocesan director of ordinands for the diocese of St Albans. He has previously been a member of the Lee Abbey Community in Devon, and a vicar for 10 years in the Chelmsford diocese.