Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership is currently exploring issues around being an Inclusive Church, in order to build towards a wider partnership meeting in May.

As part of this journey, St. James’ congregation will be hosting a whole-parish-invited sermon series and Lent group in the 6 weeks before Easter.  Using 6 booklets from www.inclusivechurch.org, our Sunday services, followed by a Monday evening home-group, will cover the following subjects:

18/19^th February – Including Ethnicity;

25/26^th February – Including Sexuality;

3/4^th March – Including Mental Health;

10/11^th March – Including Disability;

17/18^th March – Including Gender;

24/25^th March – Including Poverty.

You are warmly welcome to attend any or all of the services/home-groups. Being part of an Ecumenical Parish, there are a wide variety of outlooks, traditions and interpretations of these issues.  In running this Lent sermon and home-group series, we hope to deepen the discussions and face these important questions together.

The Inclusive Church Statement of Belief is:

‘We believe in Inclusive Church – church which does not discriminate, on any level, on grounds of economic power, gender, mental health, physical ability, race or sexuality.  We believe in church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.’

For more information, especially if you would like to be more involved, please contact:-

Jo, Gini, Helen, Gill or Duncan, (duncanbarnesmusic@gmail.com)

Willen St Mary Magdalene church was built in 1680 and is today recognised nationally as being of high significance for its evidential, historical and architectural value. It is the only known church entirely designed by Robert Hooke, one of Britain’s greatest scientists and polymaths, and is one of Milton Keynes’ most important buildings.

The church has no toilets, water or hospitality space. Until recently those needing these facilities were hosted by The Society of the Sacred Mission at their nearby Priory, but in 2019 the Priory closed and the facilities became unavailable.

As the result of a 2021 Quinquennial inspection of the heritage church it showed remedial work was needed. The church turned to fundraising for repairs but it found their efforts constrained by its lack of facilities.

With these two outcomes now impacting the future viability of the church a building project, The Willen Church Hooke Heritage Project was created. The attached document outlines the project’s purpose, outputs and delivery process.

Did you know that during one week last year, the UK threw away two billion pieces of plastic, only 12 per cent of which was recycled?

The Big Plastic Count is a nationwide initiative to reveal how much plastic the UK throws away. Churches throughout the UK – including those in the Stantonbury Ecumenical Partnership – are being asked to play their part in a new awareness campaign running for six days in March.

You can play your part by monitoring your rubbish and completing a chart. The results will be used to convince UK government ministers to lead the way at the Global Plastics Treaty talks in 2024, and push for a really strong treaty.

Taking part in The Big Plastic Count is really easy. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Register: Get your free counting pack (digital or via post) which includes everything you need to take part
2. Get Counting: Count all your plastic waste from 11-17 March
3. Submit Results: Submit your data via our website by 31 March
4. Get Your Footprint: Discover your plastic footprint and use the results to make a difference!

Sign up here: https://thebigplasticcount.com/sign-up/households