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Welcome to the website of the Church of England Deanery of Colchester. The Deanery comprises 24 Parishes in and around the City of Colchester, Essex. Read our news items below, and click the menu to view our other pages.. |
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Latest News
Essex Churches ride again
The annual Ride & Stride event for Friends of Essex Churches Trust takes place on Saturday 12th September this year. If your Church takes part - with members riding or striding, or by opening the Church - you'll know all about it. If not, you'll see all the information on this web page, but in brief it's sponsored walking or cycling between Churches where the money is split 50/50 between your Church and the Friends of Essex Churches Trust, who are a major source of grants to maintain and develop our buildings.
Rural Ministry Conference
'Good Soil' is the title of the Diocesan Rural Ministry Conference, which is being held at the Chapel Barn, Dunmow Crematorium, Blatches Farm, Great Dunmow, CM6 3AL on Tuesday 5th May from 9:30am to 3pm. Primarily intended for rural Clergy and LLMs, the day is funded by the National Church and is therefore free of charge. But places are limited, so sign up soon - this flyer tells us how to book..
Welcome, Revd James Grenfell
The new Head of Chaplaincy at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust is Revd James Grenfell, who comes to us from the Barts Hospital Group. As well as his dedicated Chaplaincy work, James has served as Parish Priest in Liverpool, Sheffield and Portsmouth, worked for a charity involved in health and community projects worldwide, and also been involved in the training of Clergy and Lay ministers. Married with three children and having diverse leisure interests, Revd James is sure to be a good friend and colleague to many in our Deanery.
New Priest-in-Charge for Myland
It is wonderful to announce that Revd Janine Wilde, currently Curate in the Benefice of West Mersea with East Mersea, Peldon, Great & Little Wigborough, has been appointed Priest-in-Charge of Myland St. Michael. Janine, who has lived and worked in Myland, says that 'it will feel very much like coming home'. Please pray for her and her family, the Parishes she will be leaving and for the people of Myland, as they prepare for the move and the changes. The full announcement can be read here.
Vocations Day 2026
The Colchester Area Vocations Day this year will be on Saturday 7th November, and it will be at Great Notley Church, CM77 7GN. Yes, we know it's many months away - but if you or someone in your Church are currently thinking and praying about how you can develop your faith and service, it will be good to put the date into the diary so that prayer is even more focused. There'll be more details published in due course - but perhaps now's the time to speak to someone and move things forward!
Leading Your Church into Growth: 2026 Conference
This year's LYCiG Conference for the Colchester Area is to be held on Saturday 17th October. LYCiG is a good way for Churches to develop a vision for mission, and get practical ideas too. The venue is the Salvation Army Chelmsford Citadel, 70 Baddow Road, Chelmsford CM2 0DD. Click here to see more information on the Diocese's web page, where it's already possible to book.
Colchester Churches Charitable Trust - grants for Church building work
Deanery Day - 10th October is a month closer!
Planning for our Deanery Day on Saturday 10th October is well under way. A number of speakers have already agreed to be with us, and we look forward to announcing a full line-up in the coming months. We know it's still some time away, but please do put the Day in your diary - and, importantly, in the Church's diary so that nothing gets in the way of making this an important day for us all!
SMMIB Presentation at Synod
Wendy Lidgate, Programme Manager in the Diocese of Chelmsford, presented the progress being made on the Colchester Area's grant bid to the Strategic Mission & Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB) at the March meeting of Deanery Synod. Wendy has kindly provided her PowerPoint presentation which can be downloaded from here. We are invited to address any questions to Emma Sivyer our Colchester Area Mission Officer, or to Wendy.
Korban's presentation at Synod
New Priest-in-Charge for Shrub End and Stanway
We are delighted to announce the good news that The Revd Nikki Horsley has been appointed Priest-in-Charge of the Parishes of Stanway St. Albright and Shrub End All Saints with St. Cedd. Nikki has been Curate in Black Notley, Great Notley and Rayne since 2023. Our Parishes are looking forward to welcoming her; please pray for her, husband Clive and their two children as they prepare to make the move. Archdeacon Ruth's formal announcement can be read here.
100 Days Of Prayer
Is your Church - are you personally - taking part in the 100 Days Of Prayer? Prayer works. Prayer nurtures our faith. Prayer changes lives. Prayer can change the world. 100 Days Of Prayer is a resource from the Diocese of Chelmsford which can be used together as a worshipping community or privately at home; during Passiontide and through Easter. The 100 days are already running and are due to complete on 29th May, so we can all add to the power of prayer by joining in this big conversation with the Lord and listening to His word. Read more and see the resources on the Diocesan website here.
Spring concerts at St. Botolph's
The Spring series of concerts at St. Botolph's Church, Colchester concludes in April with a concert of Handel on Saturday 25th April from Lexden Choral Society. Click on the name for a link to book tickets.
Deanery Synod elections at the APCM
Friends of Essex Churches Study Day is on our patch
Parishes in our Deanery feature strongly in FOECT's Annual Study Day. It is on Wednesday 6th May, starting at 10am at St. Mary the Virgin Ardleigh CO7 7LD, and continues at St. Peter's, Boxted CO4 5TG (11:30-am); St Peter & St. Paul Little Horkesley CO6 4DB (2pm) and St. Andrew Wormingford CO6 3AZ (3:30pm). Lectures are by John Vigar, and Martin Stuchfield will be speaking about the brasses in Wormingford and Little Horkesley Churches. Here's a poster with all the booking details.
The latest Newsletter from the Mustard Seed Team
Bible Course at St. Mary's, Wivenhoe
St. Mary's Church, Wivenhoe are running the Bible Course - the four sessions on the Old Testament took place during Lent, and the New Testament features on Tuesdays 5th, 12th & 19th May. It is being led by the Acting Head of RE at St. Benedict's Catholic College, Colchester, Jonas Lammens (and yes, if you're wondering, he is the son of our Area Dean!). Just turn up; you'll be welcomed. Arrive at 7pm for refreshments, for the sessions to start at 7:30pm.
This year's Visitation Service
The annual Visitation Service, led by our Archdeacon which includes the swearing-in of Churchwardens, is to take place in the evening of Thursday 11th June at St. Stephen's Church, Canterbury Road Colchester CO2 7RY. The invitation will be out fairly soon, but we thought we'd tell you now that it's likely to be rather different this year, with more people invited. So keep looking out for the news!
Patrick Regan's new book
SHAPE - an excellent nurture course
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The Church of England Deanery of Colchester is part of the Colchester Episcopal Area of the Diocese of Chelmsford. The Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance is a registered Charity, no. 249505 We are committed to Safeguarding children and young people and vulnerable adults. As a Diocese, we have adopted the Church of England’s policies and best practice on safeguarding which may be found on the Church of England’s website: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/safeguarding. Diocesan guidance is available at https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/safeguarding
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At
March's Deanery Synod meeting Mark Wood, CEO of Colchester's Korban project,
gave a powerful presentation of their work to break the cycle of
homelessness in & around Colchester. Here's a copy of his
Don't
forget (we know you're hardly likely to!) that at our Annual Parochial
Church Meetings we're electing a new Deanery Synod. Parish Secretaries
know how many Representatives we should elect. In April we'll be sending
out a form to each Parish to let us know who your Parish Officers are,
so that we can ensure our database is kept up to date. Our Secretary Martin Roscoe has written a
report on our meetings in 2025 which Parishes can use as the Deanery
Synod Report in their APCM packs, to save you doing your own!
Patrick
Regan, who was such a hit at our Deanery Day, has written a new book:
'Small Steps for Big Change - a guide to overwhelm', and it launches in
Mental Health Awareness Week, 11th - 17th May.
Publishers Ebury Vine (part of Penguin) expect it to be a best-seller,
and Patrick is doing a promotional tour before then. He invites Churches
to book him to speak at a service or event in April or May, or host a
book launch in (say) a coffee shop. If you'd like to explore this,
contact him through 
