Our Four Churches

and an introduction to the Parish of Dunstable

 

The Dunstable Team Ministry was established in 1978, and consists of

St Augustine’s (1959)

St Fremund’s (1968)

St Katherine’s (URC/Anglican LEP, established 1998) and

The Priory Church of St Peter (1131).

 

St Augustine

St Fremund

St Katherine

St Peter

 

Each of the Anglican Churches has its own Team Vicar, and the Team Rector is also Team Vicar at St Peter’s.  There is an Assistant Curate (with the Team Rector as the training incumbent) and a Parish Reader. There is also a part-time Parish Administrator, and a Parish Office close to the town centre.  The churches of the Team worship together for certain festivals, and a major joint service is held at Pentecost each year.

 

The Team structure provides for central organisation led by the Team Rector working with the Parochial Church Council.  Each church has a designated area of the town with responsibility for pastoral oversight.  A Team Vicar working with a District Church Council (DCC) serves each of these Districts.  The Team Rector has certain legal responsibilities to discharge, but, in reality, with his colleagues he is the first among equals.  The PCC is the legally responsible body but delegates many of its duties and responsibilities to the DCCs. 

 

 

St Augustine’s District is the southernmost with the A5 running through the middle. St Fremund’s District is the North West quarter of the Town.  It has very mixed housing, a certain amount of small unit industry as well as the offices of the District Council. St Katherine’s District is rather cut off from the rest of the Town by the disused railway line and large areas of industrial/commercial premises.  Its housing straddles the main Luton/Dunstable road, and it has a major geriatric and psycho-geriatric unit.  St Peter’s District is focused on the town centre, but also includes residential areas.  The Priory Church exercises a civic function for the town.

A broad mix of people live in Dunstable, some in very expensive housing, some in victorian terraced roads where the housing used to be occupied by the elderly but is now increasingly bought by younger families, there are estates that were once all local authority owned and new estates of modern commercial housing.  In addition there are several units of sheltered flats for the elderly, as well as residential and nursing homes.

 

Over the years, industry has diminished to near extinction in the town.   Most people work away from Dunstable, commuting to nearby towns, working in white-collar professions.   Those who work in the town are principally in the service or commerce industries.  

 

The Town has three upper schools, four middle schools, and ten lower schools.  Included in these is a C of E V.A. school at each level.  There are also three special schools, a private school and an F.E. college. 

 

The main shopping area for the town is located in the town centre, together with most of the civic buildings, the Town and District Council Offices, the Police Station, the Library and the Leisure Centre.  However the Town was built with shopping units in each of the principal estates and all our churches are situated near to one of these.

 

There is a healthy spread of voluntary community organisations, including the Citizens' Advice Bureau, Beacon House (community mental health), and Cordova House (Dunstable Old Peoples' Welfare Association).