St Mary's Church, Dymock
925th anniversary Year
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| Benefice Profile |
| The Locality | ||
 Gloucestershire is a rural county including parts of the Cotswolds, the Royal Forest of Dean and the Severn Vale. Motorway access is excellent, with an exit to the benefice from junction 2 of the M50, which itself joins the M5 at junction 8. (Return to top)
The united benefice was created in December 2000, by merging the adjacent teams of Redmarley and Dymock, and is in the extreme northwest of the diocese. It is in the deanery of Severn Vale which was created in 2009 by merging the old deaneries of Forest North and Gloucester North. The benefice is completely rural, in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and borders the dioceses of Worcester and Hereford. (Return to top)
The cathedral city of Gloucester offers excellent shopping facilities, with a massive regeneration programme well underway including particular emphasis on the famous docks and the largest new housing estate in Europe. There is a number of well-known out-of-town retail stores on the periphery of the city. |
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| The Benefice | ||
There are 9 parishes & churches, all generally well cared for, although two are currently undergoing major maintenance (funded). On 3 out of 4 Sundays in the month there is a service in all of them and on the 5th Sunday in any month there is a united service in only one in turn. (Return to top)
There are 4 church schools, each with a good relationship. As well as after-school clubs our ‘Ministry Team’ leads regular assemblies and other in-school activities including, in Dymock, ‘Open the Book’. Various groups are active in the villages. From the churches, this includes Mothers Union in Redmarley, ‘Pilgrims’ in Dymock and ‘Meeting Point’ in Redmarley (both 8-12 year olds), plus many non-church groups in the village halls, attended by church members. (Return to top) Dymock has a good relationship with the independent chapel in the village, sharing occasional worship and some outreach. For instance, we are currently running a joint Alpha course and we hold a fortnightly Bible study and shared lunch with them. (Return to top) The approximate population of the benefice is 2,600 and the church electoral rolls total 317. (Return to top) |
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| Collaborative Ministry | ||
| The benefice operates under a collaborative ministry ethos, with two ‘Ministry Focus Groups’ comprised of ordained and lay members, all working under the oversight of the Incumbent. The Dymock and Redmarley Local Ministry Teams, which were at the forefront of the LMT movement, were merged when the United Benefice was created and are working to develop a new model suitable for a ‘Team Benefice’. (Return to top)
All worship and pastoral care is planned, managed and executed by the Teams, which comprise the Incumbent, 1 Non-Stipendiary Minister, 1 Ordained Local Minister, 2 House for Duty posts, 2 Readers, 5 ‘Lay Pastors’ and other lay members of the congregations. (Return to top) |
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| Looking ahead | ||
Patterns of Worship vary around the benefice, using both Common Worship and the Book of Common Prayer. On Monday mornings a prayer group meets at Redmarley and on Tuesday evenings a prayer group meets at Dymock, often followed by a second Bible Study. For the current Services schedule in Dymock, Click here. (Return to top) Dymock has recently experimented with a Fresh Expression - ‘Messy Church’ - but dropped it after 2 years (as the attendance had halved) in favour of a revitalised monthly Family Service, often led by members of the congregation and involving our junior choir. We are working to develop outreach opportunities around the benefice. (Return to top) |
