Early in 2007 we identified a set of values and a vision that is to shape our discipleship and guide our priorities for the future. It is good to keep this vision in our minds. One aspect of this is that:
We value Christian fellowship, companionship and hospitality. Each church intentionally seeks to nurture a sense of belonging by providing a welcoming environment for visitors, newcomers and regular worshippers.
This is living out the biblical principle of welcoming the stranger in our midst (Lev 19:33-34). The same principle was to mark the life of the early Christians (Romans 12:13). It should be truly felt in our churches as well.
a) A highlight of the year in the benefice was the confirmation of 11 candidates by the Bishop of Grantham in November 2007. Many of the newly confirmed have taken their place within the life of the parishes. This was a Deanery Confirmation and it was a pleasure to host the confirmation of, in all, twenty-one candidates from around the deanery of that occasion.
b) Another highlight was the ordination to the priesthood of The Rev’d Paul Hardingham at the Cathedral in July and his subsequent licensing to the benefice later in the year by the Archdeacon of Lincoln.
c) A number of benefice services were held during the year and these were well attended.
d) As the incumbent I value the advice and the forum of ideas that is offered by the Benefice Steering Group (all churchwardens and licensed ministers). This group continues to oversee the service schedule and deal with issues relating to the whole benefice.
e) A number of combined services have been held with the Baptist Church at Pinchbeck and once again I have appreciated the fellowship of The Rev’d David Hughes of the Pinchbeck Baptist Church.
f) Table 3 (last page) provides a summary of meetings in the benefice as adopted at annual meetings in 2005. In 2007 this schedule was once again followed.
The Glen Group is now six years old and it is significant that last year our Vision and Values statement acknowledged that the welcoming that is to be part of our Christian witness is also to be expressed in an openness to one another within the group:
We welcome and celebrate different expressions of worship and Christian witness both within the group and beyond. We respect the local traditions of each church but recognise that group worship can be inspiring and provides an opportunity to experience new expressions of worship.
This openness is a costly openness
because we learn not only about others but also something about ourselves that
might imply change and growth. This is what the first Christians found when
they shared the faith together (1 Thes 2:8).
a) There are quite a few highlights to mention for 2007 as it was a busy year with the reopening of the church and extra fundraising due to the Appeal. The fact that attendances have been healthy since reopening shows the value of having maintained an active ministry in the village despite the closure of the church for seven months. Another strength, appreciated by the deanery, is that despite the closure of the church for seven months the parish share was paid in full.
b) A capital Appeal was launched in April to raise funds for the reordering of the interior of the church, much of the funds that had been set aside for such a purpose having since been spent on restoration. Many of the Appeal events provided an excellent opportunity to establish relationships with people in the community. The Open Day in July was a creative way of welcoming people and of promoting the church as a centre of celebration in the village. Similarly the Church Hug, which involved all the children from school as well as staff and some parents and friends, reinforced the importance of St Mary’s to the younger people of the village. The Supermarket Bag Pack at Morrisons was a surprisingly refreshing opportunity to interact with a wide range of people and raise a substantial amount of money at the same time. Not all the events can be mentioned here, but I would like to thank all those involved in organising and supporting them.
c) We were pleased to welcome Bishop John Saxbee’s pilgrimage tour group in June on their way from Spalding to Sempringham. They seemed to enjoy their tour of the church.
d) Once again we hosted the annual Thanksgiving Service for the Spalding and Peterborough Lodge of the Oddfellows.
e) A memorial service for all those whose funerals were held through St Mary’s was held in November. This was a moving service and appreciated by many of the families involved.
f) Newsletters informing givers and supporters about finances and mission were produced and disseminated during the year.
g) An important aspect of ministry has been the English language lessons offered to the migrant community. Helen Banks, Aileen Workman, Victoria Workman and their team are to be thanked for this important outreach and social justice ministry.
h) Due to major building work at school we have hosted a number of school events in the church and church hall throughout the year. Earlier we had been welcomed on the school campus during the period of the church closure for which we were grateful.
i) The issue of car parking and of the much needed reordering continues to be a major stumbling block to ministry.
a) In December we gave thanks for the ministry of Fred Corfield. His retirement from authorised local ministry means that until the authorisation of new ministers in autumn 2008 there is no ministry team at West Pinchbeck. Also, one of our Readers, Barrie Chapman, is now worshipping at St Mary’s and not available for services at West Pinchbeck. Taken together, this has inevitably meant a scaling back of service provision due to a lack of available authorised and licensed ministers. I would like to thank Readers and LMT members from Surfleet and Pinchbeck who are helping to fill the gaps until a new team is in place.
b) Also during the year we gave thanks for the work of Miss Houston, head teacher at St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School, on her retirement. During her time in office she did some very important work in bringing the life of the school and the church together. The new head teacher, Mrs Birks, has continued to promote this relationship. The school can be proud of the excellent Ofsted Report received in the Autumn and similarly of the encouraging Section 48 (Church Schools) Inspection Report received just before Christmas. The inspector noted as an “established strength” the school’s “drive to strengthen how it lives out its Christian foundation” and that “The Head teacher, staff and governors have created a warm and welcoming ethos based on a secure Christian foundation”.
c) The Catch ministry continues to be a major focus of outreach and is well supported by the young people of the village. Ann Garth, Daphne Kemp and their team are to be thanked for their work during 2007.
a) Once again the service of the Blessing of the Boats was one of the highlights of the year. This time the weather was against us and so numbers were slightly down. However it is good to see an increasing number of people from other churches in attendance.
b) The Local Ministry Team continues to offer good leadership in a number of areas and their ministry is well received.
c) The Mini-Market is a unique and important outreach ministry to the village and is well supported by local people and people from surrounding villages. It remains a model of outreach ministry that other villages would do well to imitate.
d) The Surfleet housegroup is the only housegroup I lead on a regular basis and it is good to have a forum to discuss the Christian faith and share bible study.
e) The relationship with the school is good. In particular we have been able to work together to develop a shared Christingle service which is very well attended.
f) The parish fell short on its parish share payments for the year and the PCC is exploring ways of increasing regular giving.
In our Vision and Values Statement we affirm that
God gives us gifts and calls us to minister. Gifts in each individual and community are there to be expressed and shared. We value one another’s gifts.
a) As always I have valued our regular combined ministry team meetings and staff meetings, which have created a forum where issues of worship, the provision of ministry, professional development and pastoral care can be raised and discussed. Some of the LMT meetings have included the Gosberton Group which I think is a positive step.
b) During the year we welcomed Nicki Bland to our team of licensed ministers. Nicki is Chaplain at Kimbolton School but lives at Pinchbeck and is now on the rota to lead services of worship in the benefice. Her gifts and experience are a valuable addition to our team.
c) In the autumn we commenced the training of authorised local ministers through the Parish Foundation Course. It is expected that Stephanie Bratley, Aileen Workman, Pat Lake, Ann Garth, Daphne Kemp, Maureen Underwood and John Bland will be authorised in September 2008. They will be a welcome addition to our team.
d) Once those currently in training are authorised it will bring our total number of authorised ministers up to sixteen. There are also six licensed ministers including myself as the incumbent, four Readers and Rev’d Paul Hardingham, making a team of twenty-two in all.
e) The supervision of our Theological Student, Chris Harrington, and of Rev’d Paul Hardingham as Assistant Curate, as well as of the team of authorised and licensed ministers, is a considerable time commitment for me. There are also regular supervisor’s meetings in Cambridge that I need to attend.
f) Training in Child Protection and the Protection of Vulnerable Adult has been undertaken by those required to do so.
g) Table 1 provides a summary of ministers.
Table 1: Summary of Licensed and Authorised Ministry |
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Licensed Ministers |
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Rev’d Dr Murray Harvey (Incumbent) Rev’d Paul Hardingham (Hon Curate OLM) Michael Pemberton (Reader) Barrie Chapman (Reader) Lesley Pemberton (Reader) Nicki Bland (Reader) |
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Authorised Ministers
|
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Pinchbeck |
West Pinchbeck |
Surfleet |
|
Graham Brooks Pat Smith Colin Smith Jason Farmer |
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Ruth Scrivener Bev Mackey Audrey Bateman Frances Richardson Douglas Drakard |
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Training for Authorised Ministry |
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|
Stephanie Bratley Pat Lake Aileen Workman John Bland |
Daphne Kemp Ann Garth Maureen Underwood |
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Much of what we do is aimed at living out this vision:
God wants us to ‘give a reason for the
hope we have’. We want our lives to be shaped by relevant biblical teaching in
worship and small groups and we want to proclaim the Good News in deed and word
in the community.
a)
The licensed ministers and myself take seriously the
important place of preaching in this task of Christian education and regularly
participate in sermon appraisals.
b)
The Bishops Course was completed at West Pinchbeck.
Congratulation go to Sue Rossiter,
Wendy Houghton, Jim Peach, Alice Cook, Ann Garth and Colin Garth all from St
Bartholomew’s for completing this course and to Janet Danks for leading it.
c) As mentioned above, the Parish Foundation Course, now the main route to authorised ministry in the diocese, was commenced in the autumn.
d) The four housegroups met regularly throughout the year (some are every week, others monthly). The Lent Study 2007 was one of the York Courses, “Can We Build at Better World: Learning from William Wilberforce” and later the groups undertook a study of Galatians.
e) A number of people were prepared for confirmation during the year. I prepared the young people myself. In the preparation of the adults I would like to thank Lesley Pemberton for her assistance.
f) Young people from the three villages have once again supported the youth at the Vicarage ministry. We met monthly through the year. For the first time we also met for a whole day towards the end of the summer holidays. This was a day of activities, study, devotions and music in St Mary’s Church and churchyard. I hope that 2008 can see a review of this ministry that has now been in place for six years.
g) In November a weekend away at Letton Hall, Norfolk, was shared with members of the Baptist and Methodist Churches and was attended by about thirty people in all. Our speakers, Peter and Rosie Cunliffe of Hemingford Grey, challenged us to be confident in our Christian life and ministry. A follow-up meeting has been held and another weekend away is being planned for 2009.
a) As already mentioned, I attend termly supervisors’ meetings in Cambridge as well as meetings of training incumbents in Lincoln.
b) I have continued with the Lincoln Diocesan Leadership programme during 2007: Module Four: Working Together. Sept-Oct 2007; Module Three: Change for the Better. May 2007; Module Two: Purpose, health and vision. Jan-Feb 2007. The cost of this is covered by CME credits.
a) My work as the Bishop of Lincoln’s appointee as a Bishops’ Adviser for the Church of England has taken me to the dioceses of Coventry and Birmingham during the year to participate in selection interviews for those offering to train for the ordained ministry. (Cost of travel and other expenses are met by the Archbishops’ Council).
b) As a Vocations Adviser in Lincoln diocese I also see candidates from our own diocese who are considering a vocation to ordained or reader ministry. I also now serve on the selection panel for the Lincoln Diocese and attend meetings convened by the Bishop and by the Director of Ordinands to discuss/review vocations. (Cost of travel is met by the diocese).
c) Once again I had the privilege of conducting the ANZAC Day service for the City of Cambridge in April.
a) While the training of authorised ministry at the local level makes such training more accessible for participants, the burden of delivering the course now falls on local Clergy and Readers. I am grateful to those who have helped me deliver the current course but I am conscious that some other things have taken a back seat since the autumn, such as PCC meetings and governors meetings.
b) It would be helpful if people can be aware of the impact that a growing team of licensed and authorised ministers has on how I spend my time as the incumbent.
c) A review of the youth at the Vicarage ministry is needed to seek some new ideas, leaders and direction for the future.
a) Table two (below) provides statistics for 2007.
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Table 2: Statistics for 2007
(2006 in brackets) |
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|
Pinchbeck |
West Pinchbeck |
Surfleet |
Benefice Total |
|
Normal Sunday Attendance1 (over 16) |
68 (66) |
23 (23) |
30 (31) |
121 |
|
Attendance Easter2 |
131 (120) |
47 (42) |
65 (49) |
243 |
|
Attendance Christmas Eve & Day2 |
701 (closed) |
70 (131) |
110 (188) |
881 |
|
Baptisms |
19
(14) |
2 (10) |
3
(4) |
24 |
|
Weddings |
3 (12) |
3 (0) |
4
(4) |
10 |
|
Funerals |
35
(35) |
14
(14) |
10
(16) |
59 |
|
Parish Share |
£27,770 |
£9,463 |
£10,000 |
£47,233 |
|
Footnote 1. NSA includes all adults attending. It excludes those who have attended an earlier service in the same church on the same day. This is the figure sent to the Deanery treasurer each quarter for the calculation of the Parish Share. 2. This figure includes children. General Note Pinchbeck Church re-opened on 1 April. As far as possible, people from the Pinchbeck congregation were excluded from attendance figures in the other churches so as not to inflate the Parish Share for Surfleet & West Pinchbeck. |
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Table 3.
Meetings Timetable in the Glen Group
Since September 2006 there has also been a weekly staff meeting on Friday morning with M. Harvey & P. Hardingham
|
|
PARISH
ADMINISTRATION |
VISION & PLANNING
|
MINISTRY
& PASTORAL
CARE |
January |
PCCs for each
parish |
|
Staff meeting
(readers) LMT meetings
in each parish |
|
February |
|
Benefice Steering Group |
Joint LMT meeting |
|
March |
PCCs for
each parish PARISH AGMs
|
|
Staff meeting (readers) LMT meetings
in each parish. |
|
April |
|
Benefice Steering Group. |
Joint LMT Meeting |
|
May |
PCCs for
each parish |
|
Staff meeting (readers) LMT meetings
in each parish. |
June
|
|
Benefice Steering Group. |
Joint LMT meeting |
|
July |
PCCs for
each parish |
|
Staff meeting (readers) LMT meetings
in each parish. |
|
Aug |
|
Benefice Steering Group. |
Joint LMT Meeting |
|
Sept |
PCCs for
each parish |
|
Staff meeting (readers) LMT meetings
in each parish. |
|
Oct |
|
Benefice Steering Group. |
Joint LMT Meeting |
|
Nov |
PCCs for
each parish |
|
Staff meeting (readers) LMT meetings
in each parish. |
|
Dec |
|
Benefice Steering Group
|
Joint LMT Meeting |