Bromyard and Stoke Lacy are situated in the northeast corner of the very rural, beautiful county of Herefordshire. For 20 years, the parishes of St Peter’s in the market town of Bromyard and St Peter and St Paul in the small village of Stoke Lacy about 4 miles away have been gently growing together as a joint benefice. Whilst traditionally farming hops, our communities still embrace this history and now welcome tourists to visit, many of whom enjoy great festivals, sample local ales and ciders and experience our characterful shops.

Our ancient churches are central to those we serve. In both town and village, new housing developments have brought people to help our communities quietly flourish despite the threats of the pandemic, the current economic crisis, the worries of local industry in response to Brexit and a relatively aging population.

For an informal conversation contact the Archdeacon of Hereford, The Ven Derek Chedzey derek.chedzey@hereford.anglican.org

We look to appoint a Spirit-filled leader to help us to build up our commitment to our faith and our fellowship, to be a support to each other, to encourage the community and, through sharing the Gospel and our actions, to bring people to Christ.

We wish to build on the heritage of our churches, through both traditional and contemporary services, and to people of all ages.

We wish to be aspirational, but we realise we must prioritise and be realistic with our expectations.

You will help us shape our future mission in our parishes, to reach out to everyone, from those whose families through generations have celebrated milestones in our churches to those who are newer in faith and may have joined us in more recent times. You will not do this alone; there is a willingness from our congregations, all of whom have gifts to offer on this journey.

WHY THIS POST IS FOR YOU!

We will give you:

• Congregations who value prayer, fellowship and mission beyond the church walls
• Two church buildings which are well-maintained and are able to embrace wider community use and the benefits of tourism
• A part-time administrator to share in the organisation of the work in the benefice with the opportunity to further develop the role of modern communication methods
• Friendship, care and understanding from a supportive and encouraging team around you (churchwardens, PCC members as well as retired priests and lay people) giving you the flexibility to manage roles and responsibilities
• Organists and music group happy to accommodate a wide range of worship music
• Two unique communities who are bound by their faith and energised by the work of the Holy Spirit