The Benefice
“Benefice” is a rather old-fashioned word, and refers to the area to which a priest is appointed. Our benefice covers four villages—Cocking, West Lavington, Bepton, and Heyshott—divided into three parishes, each of which has one church.
The parish of Cocking with West Lavington is served by the church of St Catherine of Siena in Cocking. West Lavington had its own parish church—St Mary Magdalene’s—until its closure in 2008.
The parish of Bepton is served by the church of St Mary the Virgin. Bepton and Cocking parishes have been joined since 1931.
The parish of Heyshott is served by the church of St James the Great, which was for many decades an off-shoot of the church of St James in Stedham. Heyshott joined the Benefice on the 23rd of June 2015.
Please click the images below for more information about the history and architecture of each church.
Cocking with West Lavington
Bepton
Heyshott
Who’s Who
Rector
Our Rector is the Reverend Dr Jonathan Jong. (Like “benefice”, “rector” is also a rather old-fashioned word. There are historical differences between Rectors and Vicars, which had to do with how the priest was paid, but these differences no longer exist.) Jonathan (or “Father”, if you like; he disprefers “Rev”) arrived in our Benefice in 2021, prior to which he was a full-time academic, doing teaching and doing research in experimental psychology at Coventry and Oxford universities. He is still involved in academic research, mainly about theories of religion (i.e., why people are religious). You can see some of his work here.
Regardless of what you believe or how infrequently you come to church, if you live in these villages, then Jonathan in your priest. He is always happy to talk to you, to pray for you, and to visit you, whether at home or in hospital. You may contact him at 07799 271913 or frjonathan@underthedowns.co.uk. His regular day off is Thursday.
Safeguarding Officer
The Safeguarding Officer for the Benefice is Hilary Baldwin. If you have any safeguarding concerns, please contact her at 07919 883617.
Churchwardens
The Churchwarden for the parish of Cocking with West Lavington is David Imlach.
The Churchwarden for the parish of Bepton is Sheila Ryan.
The Churchwardens for the parish of Heyshott are John Murray and Nick Sherwin.
Lists of PCC members may be found in our Annual Reports.