Our Community

Our three parishes of Kensworth, Studham and Whipsnade benefit from close mutual links. We are part of the wider North Chilterns Group of Parishes within the Diocese of St Albans in the Church of England.

We are a thriving community of Christians living out the gospel of our lives and in our villages, and we are the living link between our churches and our local community. A very high proportion of our local population worships with us at some point in the year - most towns and cities would have to completely rebuild their churches and cathedrals if they had the same degree of connectedness with their communities! This reflects the straightforward sincerity and faithful commitment of our worshippers, but it also reflects the way many people who choose to live in villages do so because they know how to tune into the natural rhythm of the seasons - including the human seasons of our lives as individuals and communities. Ours is a faith that knows about birth and death, love and life, and speaks volumes to those who are on the same wavelength. Our church marks the turning points of our lives, and every year its own seasons closely parallel the turning of the natural world.

Our rhythm of regular Sunday worship is designed to include people of all ages and caters for people at all stages of faith development. We gather as church at other times and in other ways, too; we have busy 'Messy Churches' for children which builds on the strong links we've nurtured with the village schools. Then there are services which mark our deep rural roots: from May Day to Rogation (held at a local farm) to Harvest Festivals. Our churches are also used frequently for baptisms, weddings and funerals. We fundraise for a number of charities, raising thousands of pounds across all three churches, and maintain three beautiful and valued buildings. We also developed a form of liturgy called 'Music & Word', which uses contemporary poetry, organ music across several centuries and readings from the bible, all chosen to resonate with each other. See www.adrianlenthall.co.uk/music-and-word.

The Rector, the Reverend Canon Nicola Lenthall, has ministered full time in these parishes for over 20 years, and is married with two children. She can be contacted at revnicolalenthall@btinternet.com or on 01582 872223; her address is The Vicarage, Clayhall Road, Kensworth, LU6 3RF. She works with two Lay Ministers: Dorothy Blackburn, who can be contacted on 01582 872670 and Penny Fray who can be contacted on 07917 788536. The churches produce a weekly information and prayer leaflet which is distributed at the services, and via email - do contact Nicola if you would like to join the distribution list.

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