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Welcome

Welcome to the United Benefice of Barkway, Barley, Reed and Buckland. Our service times can be seen by clicking the tab at the top of this page.

Our United Benefice has been in vacancy since July 2022 but we are pleased to announce that the Reverend Mark Bridgen, currently Team Rector of the benefice of the West Sevenoaks Team Ministry and Team Vicar of St Mary Kippington in Rochester Diocese, has been appointed as Rector of the benefice of Barkway, Barley, Reed and Buckland.

Mark’s Induction and Institution as Rector of Barkway, Barley, Reed and Buckland will be carried out by The Lord Bishop of St Albans, the Rev’d Dr Alan Smith, and will take place on Tuesday 21 May 2024 at 7.30pm in St Mary Magdalene Church, Barkway .  We hope that as many people as possible will attend this important and uplifting service and will also have the chance to come to the party to welcome Mark and his wife Karen in the Church afterwards.  In the meantime, please remember Mark, Karen, and their family in your prayers as he prepares to take up this new role.

All our churches are open for private prayer and for Sunday worship with details available by clicking the appropriate tab at the top of your screen.  We send out details every week of these services, so please contact Liz Kershaw at lizkershaw@hotmail.co.uk receive these details. We seek to worship God and discover ways to live out our faith in our communities and beyond, in word and action, through loving God and loving our neighbour.

We will offer you, your family and friends a warm welcome to worship with us or to attend any of our social events. Whether you live in these villages or further afield you are welcome. All of our villages are vibrant communities with many activities and groups and the churches are central to each.

Our small rural benefice in North East Hertfordshire, covers an area which includes Barkway, Barley, Reed, Buckland, Chipping, Nuthampstead and Newsells. Our nearest towns are Royston and Buntingford, but Cambridge is also within easy reach. Buckland Church, in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust,  is a beautiful church where we hold occasional services.

You can easily contact us or our individual churches on the details found here.

Our benefice is committed to safeguarding all our children and vulnerable adults providing consistent policies and practice. Please click  https://www.stalbans.anglican.org/diocese/safeguarding/ The PCCs of the churches in the United Benefice of Barkway, Barley, Reed and Buckland have also adopted  the House of Bishops “Promoting a Safer Church; safeguarding policy statement”. The Church of England’s Parish Safeguarding handbook is also available from the Church of England website so please click on   https://www.churchofengland.org/

For any further information please click on the Safeguarding details button under Categories to the right of this screen OR contact one of the Churchwardens.

Please contact nicholas@ntufton.co.uk if you would like anything added  to this web site.

And finally…….data protection is important to us so please click the relevant Category to the right of the screen for further details.