DSA3

Papers relating to the reorganisation of the Bedford parishes and the North Brickhill-Putnoe Heights Area of Ecumenical Experiment

1969 - 1990

From: 1969 To: 1990

The reorganisation of the Bedford parishes began with a recommendation by the St. Albans Pastoral Committee in April 1970 to the Bishop of St. Albans to set up a Commission on Bedford to undertake an independent survey of the Church in the town and make proposals for the future. The Commission’s first meeting was held in November 1970, and its final report published and presented to the Deanery Synod on 15 February 1972. Its recommendations included the creation of an autonomous Deanery from the parishes surrounding Bedford; four churches to be made redundant; central facilities to be provided for training, study and administration, and that an area of North Bedford to be designated as an area of ecumenical experiment. In response to the report the Deanery Synod requested that each P.C.C. (Parochial Church Council) in Bedford comment on the report. The P.C.C. reports (see DSA3/19) presented divergent comments, which prompted the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee to examine the possibility of a first stage reorganisation, and its final report was published in April 1973 (see DSA3/21). Included in the recommendations was the proposed creation of an area of ecumenical experiment in North Bedford, and in 1971 a working party began to research the proposal (see DSA3/20). The experiment formally began with the Declaration of Intent in November 1972 (see DSA3/22/2), which involved co-operation between the parish of St. Andrew’s, Bedford, and the North Bedford Methodist Circuit, based at the Methodist building at Putnoe Heights and various schools in North Brickhill. The new parish at North Brickhill and Putnoe was created in December 1982 (see DSA3/22/7), and a new church hall for St. Mark’s was built in Calder Rise, Brickhill, in 1984. For the parish records of St. Mark, North Brickhill and Putnoe Heights, see P146

Deposited by the Diocese of St. Albans, 5 September 1997

sub-fonds

BEDFORD, parish, North Brickhill and Putnoe, Putnoe Heights, Bishop of St Albans, CHURCH, Deanery, Synod, Parochial Church Council, Methodist buildings, schools, Brickhill Calder Rise