Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership breaks new ground from Monday July 1 when a centralised administration system begins for all six churches.

This volunteer admin support is to be based at Christ Church, Stantonbury, but volunteers to cover the hours from 10am to 12 noon do not need to use this office. Any calls to the centralised number, 01908 382458, for any of the six churches can be redirected to volunteers’ mobile or home numbers so they can remain at home.

The move has been spearheaded by chair of the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership Council Sharron Marland who said the idea is relieve the pressure on the reduced number of full time ministers.

Sharron said: “I went to see Mason’s Funeral Directors and they removed about 12 numbers that they had for us. The manager said she was relieved to have just one number, as she does for all the other Local Ecumenical Partnerships.”

Volunteers are still needed to cover all the hours (10am-12noon Monday to Saturday). Contact Sharron at secchair22@gmail.com if you can help. Outside the designated hours it will be possible to leave a voicemail.

It’s been a long road but at last Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership has been able to appoint not one but TWO full time ministers to work across the six churches.

The Rev Phil Dunning is taking up the Baptist post which has been vacant since the Rev David Lewis left in 2022 while the Rev Chi Okpala, pictured left, will be the new Anglican Team Rector, replacing the Rev Dr Paul Smith, who has agreed to relinquish the role ahead of his anticipated retirement in September this year.

While this still leaves the Partnership with one less full time Anglican minister than when the Rev Neil Popham left in 2021 it reflects the financial capabilities.

The SEP Council will also be discussing the next moves following the departure of house for duty minister, the Rev Chuks Iwuagwu, at St Andrew’s Church, Great Linford.

In a ground-breaking move, the Rev Dunning, will be living in an Anglican property, Bradwell Church House at Bradwell Village. It is believed that this is the first time that a minister in the Partnership has taken residence in a home belonging to another denomination.

The Rev Dunning will be starting his duties in September while the details of the starting date for Rev Chi Okpala who joins us from St George’s Church, Wolverton, have yet to be announced. He has been and Associate Priest at Wolverton, for the past couple of years and already lives in the Partnership area, combining his London based housing association work with duties at St George’s. He will tender his resignation for his day job.

News about the appointments and much more appear in the June edition of the SEP newsletter available to download here.