The Chet Valley Benefice is made up of seven village communities and has been in existence since 1997.
There are four main worship centres: Loddon, Chedgrave, Hardley & Sisland, with services also held in Langley for Langley School.
The Chet valley Benefice is situated in South Norfolk on either side of the A147 between Norwich and Beccles. The river Chet, a tributary of the Yare, is navigable up to Loddon staithe. The total population is approximately 4,500 based largely around Loddon and Chedgrave; there are also planned new housing developments in Loddon and Chedgrave.
Worship is diverse, from traditional Anglican (BCP) through to All Age Worship and a Fresh Expressions initiative embracing all ages, including young families.
There is an established ministry leadership team committed to working collaboratively, a lay worship team providing sessions in our Xpressions Café at Chedgrave, a Benefice Office open Monday to Friday and a Benefice Council which meets every other month and has powers delegated to it by all the PCCs.
All parishes in the Diocese of Norwich are strongly encouraged to have a growth plan as part of the diocesan Committed to Growth mission strategy. We have a benefice growth plan. Our individual parishes also have their own growth plans which flow from the benefice plan.
The Church in Loddon is part of the South Norfolk Local Ecumenical Partnership (LEP) with the Methodist Church. Methodists and Anglicans have shared buildings, finance, pastoral care etc. since 1976.
We are currently in a vacancy, the Revd Nigel Evans having left at the end of July 2010. Normally there is a full-time Anglican Vicar and a part-time Methodist Minister who takes part in the leading of worship in Loddon and elsewhere on the Methodist Circuit. The Catholic church also celebrate Mass on a Saturday evening.
We have a reader, Ros Hoffman, who is due to be ordained an OLM deacon in October 2010; a reader in training due to be licensed in 2011; a stipendiary ordinand due to be ordained in 2012 and an OLM ordinand due to be ordained in 2013. We also have a retired OLM priest who has permission to officiate and another retired priest who is active in pastoral care.
Vicar: We are currently in vacancy
Associate Vicar: Richard Seel, 31 Hillside, Chedgrave NR14 6HZ. Phone: 01508 521 938. Mobile 07711 069 680. E-mail: richard@emerging-church.org
Methodist Minister (Church in Loddon): Revd Robert Soanes, 7 Dene Road, Lowestoft NR32 4QE. Phone: 01502 584 809. Mobile: 07932 161 643.
For information on other ministers and office-holders, please see Who's Who.
For all general inquiries, please contact the Benefice Office: 01508 521 179. E-mail: office@chetvalleychurches.org
We keep an archive of the past few Weekly News Sheets.
 | Benefice Services take place on each 5th Sunday, rotating around the five churches. In addition, there are Benefice services for the first Sunday after Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Ascension Day, Rogation Sunday and the Annual Holiday Club Service. This year we are again having a Benefice Crib Service on Christmas Eve at Holy Trinity, Loddon to accommodate the large interest – last year 450 came. (See Chet Valley Churches Calendar for up-to-date information.) |
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Schools Work takes place in the first and junior schools in the form of assemblies, school visits and occasional RE teaching. We also offer curriculum sessions at Holy Trinity and St John's, mainly for the infant school (so far we've done shapes, numbers, the senses, drawing, weddings and baptism; as well as sessions on the major Christian festivals). Members of the churches are on the governing bodies. |
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Holiday Club We use facilities at the Junior School for our annual summer holiday club (in 2010 we based it on Scripture Union's Rocky's Plaice, though we wrote a lot of it ourselves. We plan to write our own from scratch for 2011, probably basing it on the journeys of St Paul.). |
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Noah's Ark After the Loddon Parent & Toddler Group folded we started Noah's Ark at St John's, Loddon. It meets every Wednesday morning except in August from 09:00 to 12:00 and is led by Alison Ball, our children and families worker. |
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Alpha: We have run three Alpha courses since September 2005. The first two were attended by church members; the third led to about six people becoming regular members of one of our congregations. |
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Cell Groups run in the Benefice, formed as a result of a need expressed by those who have completed the Alpha Course. Currently there are three groups (all lay led). There is also a Bible Study group for the church in Loddon which which meets fortnightly and is run by a retired Methodist local preacher. |
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Xpressions Cafe runs on the first Sunday of the month from 09:30 to 12:00 at Chedgrave Church Centre. |
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Friends and Neighbours is a Bereavement Group that meets for lunch once a month in St John's followed by an afternoon activity. |
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Lunch Club runs every Tuesday during term time at Loddon Junior School. Older people from the congregation have lunch with the children and share memories and experiences. |
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A Benefice Office operates from St. John’s Chapel. It is staffed by a paid secretary and volunteers and opens 9am – 12pm and 1pm – 4pm Monday to Friday. It is fully equipped with computer, telephone and copier. Phone: 01508 521 179. E-mail: enquiries@chetvalleychurches.org |