Churches Together in Milton Keynes is holding its annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, starting with an event at Christ Church, Stantonbury, on Thursday January 18.

The church will be the venue for the annual gathering of CTMK with the meeting beginning at 7.30pm.

The following evening attention switches to the Oak Tree Centre – home of Shenley Christian Fellowship, at Shenley Brook End when the Bishop of Buckingham will be talking about Working Together.

Full details of the week’s events which finish on Wednesday January 24 at Whaddon Way Church are available on the poster that can be downloaded here.

Celebrate Burns Night at the Pavilion, Willen on Saturday January 27 in true style.

There will be a three course meal with home made soup with Camphill speciality breads as well as haggis, neeps and tatties. A lovely dessert will follow.

The event starts at 6pm with a 9pm finish. Tickets costs £15, children free of charge. You are advised to book early. Contact David Preston on 07538 498061 or email davidgwpreston@gmail.com

The poster is available to download here.

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.