Plans to advertise for a new Priest in Charge for the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership have suffered yet another delay after a change in strategy by the Oxford Diocese.

David Preston, Chair of the SEP Trustees, and chair of the SEP Council, Sharron Marland have again spoken with Archdeacon Guy Venables and the newly appointed Pastoral Support Officer, Asa Humphries.

They have now developed a new strategy for encouraging someone to come forward to be our new Anglican Minister and therefore they needed to cancel the advertisement due on December 15.

Sharron said: “Asa has amended our Parish Profile to show this strategy, but they are not ready to go ahead with anything until the middle of January 2024. The lack of any sense of emergency is a continuing frustration for us all.”

Meanwhile Adrian Prisk is making arrangements for a group of Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership Council members to hold an informal Zoom chat with a possible applicant for the vacant Baptist post. This will probably take place between Christmas and the New Year or in early January.

Full details of other news from across the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership can be found in the latest newsletter available to download here.

Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership has a vacancy for an elected trustee to join our Trustee Group. Trustees need to be nominated by 2 members of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership. The vacancy is initially until the 2024 AGM when the Trustee can stand for re-election.

The Trustees are responsible for the governance, compliance and overseeing strategic direction towards meeting the vision of the SEP, specifically:

1. To oversee the governance and operation of the Partnership
2. To ensure compliance with legal and denominational requirements including safeguarding

• To ensure financial probity for the SEP.

It is expected the Trustees will have three or four meetings per year.

Trustees should not generally be holders of other offices in the Partnership or its Congregations. We are hoping that the new Trustee might also be able to be the Trustees’ representative on the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership Council.

The current Trustees are:

Elected: Mr David Preston (Chair), Dr Adrian Prisk (Treasurer), Mrs Anne Slee (Secretary), Ms Diana Stammers, Mr Stephen Fletcher.

Ex officio: Rev Dr Paul Smith Rev, Dr Sam Muthuveloe, Rev Canon Chukwuemeka Iwuagwu, Rev David Haseldine

PCC nominee: Mrs Penny Miller

Nominations should be sent to Anne Slee by 17 December 2023 anne.e.slee@gmail.com If more than one nomination is received, an election will take place at the next Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership all members Church Meeting.

Any questions about the post of Trustee should be directed to any of the elected Trustees (contact details available from Anne Slee). Diana Stammers can also provide copies of the Governing Document and Operating Procedures for the Partnership.