Fincham and Feltwell Deanery

Welcome

The Deanery of Fincham and Feltwell is in West Norfolk but forms part of the Diocese of Ely. Geographically it is mostly farmland; bounded in the West for the most part by the River Great Ouse, to the North by a tributary - the River Nar; to the East and South-East by the Breckland and Thetford Forest; to the South and South-West by the Great Fen stretching into Cambridgeshire.  

There are 31 villages and one town within the Deanery, each with its own church. The town is the ancient Market Town of Downham Market (pop c.10000). The largest villages are Watlington in the north of the deanery - pop 2500;  Marham (including the famous RAF Station) in the east - pop 3500; and Feltwell in the south - pop 3000. Stoke Ferry in the middle has a pop of 1000. The remaining villages all have much smaller populations of between  67 and 500 but all have their own often large churches. Some of the villages have more than one church. In most cases, the second church is closed for regular worship. For the purposes of local government, the Deanery falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. The two railway stations at Watlington and Downham Market are on the Kings Lynn to London mainline.

The combined Deanery of Fincham and Feltwell was originally two deaneries. It now consists of 32 parishes grouped into five benefices but we are going through a significant work of Deanery planning. To this end, a Deanery Strategy Group has completed the first part of the work to look at proposals to examine how the Mission and Ministry of the church in the deanery can not only survive in the rural areas but thrive. The results of the Strategy Group can be seen on our strategy page.

Its work is now continuing as a sub-group of the Deanery Synod working with the parishes as we grapple with the next stage. A major concern is the care and maintenance of our 32 ancient and historically important and lovely churches - including the modernisation of the churches to include toilets at internet connectivity. 

Our task as a Deanery is to seek God’s will and purpose, revealed through his Incarnation in the Person of Jesus Christ,  for his church and ourselves, through Word, Prayer and Sacrament. We are invited, through the Holy Spirit, to engage with the implications for the world and ourselves, and to work for the building of his Kingdom both in the church and the wider community.

Christ has no body, now on earth but yours;

No hands but yours;

No feet but yours;

Yours are the eyes, through which he is to look

with compassion on the world;

Yours are the feet, with which he is to go about doing good;

And yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now. Amen.  

(Prayer of St Theresa)