Benefice Profile For Glinton, Etton, Maxey, Northborough and Peakirk ( Nine Bridges )

Transcription

1 Benefice Profile For Glinton, Etton, Maxey, Northborough and Peakirk ( Nine Bridges ) Page 1

2 VISION STATEMENT To be a Christ-centred benefice of family-friendly churches at the heart of village life Glinton, Etton, Maxey, Northborough and Peakirk ( Nine Bridges ) Benefice Profile Contents Subject Welcome from the Rural Dean Benefice profile The Parish of St Benedict, Glinton The Rectory in Glinton The Parish of St Stephen, Etton The Parish of St Peter, Maxey The Parish of St Andrew, Northborough The Parish of St Pega, Peakirk Current Monthly Sunday Service Schedule Vision, Mission and Future Direction Support Available Finance Qualities and attributes of a new priest Applications Page Page 2

3 Welcome The churchwardens of Nine Bridges (the parishes of Glinton, Etton, Maxey, Northborough and Peakirk) are delighted that you are reading this profile about our benefice. We hope the following information is useful and that you will want to apply. Page 3

4 Welcome from the Rural Dean The Benefice of five parishes is part of the Deanery of Peterborough. This covers the ancient Soke of Peterborough - north of the River Nene and surrounding countryside. The city south of the river falls in the Diocese of Ely, but there are good relationships with the clergy there and it is mainly under the same unitary authority. Peterborough is a largely urban/suburban deanery but with significant rural benefices. The Nine Bridges Benefice is one of these rural benefices covering much of the rural hinterland to the north of the city, bordering Lincolnshire. A pastoral reorganisation has recently been carried out to transfer one parish to the neighbouring benefice across the East Coast Mainline to ease travel, avoiding level crossings. Peterborough has excellent transport links by road and rail. It is a growing city. The deanery includes the Cathedral and there are good links between the churches. The King s School is the Cathedral School, founded when the monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII. It is oversubscribed and has a strong academic reputation together with outstanding music, drama and arts provision. Most clergy in the surrounding area, and from further afield, send their children there so the school community is used to clergy families and their needs. The clergy chapter meets on the second Thursday each month (including lunch) and the Synod three times a year. There is an annual meeting with the clergy of Yaxley Deanery (south of the river in Ely Diocese), and a quiet day. Each deanery in the diocese has a mission and growth plan and looks to be supportive, sharing good practice. We are in the process of reformulating our plan. The church traditions represented range from charismatic evangelical to traditional catholic. The Nine Bridges Benefice occupies a mid point, catering for the breadth of the community as is usual for rural parishes. Clergy feel able to express their differences of opinion with colleagues. It is a supportive deanery. Over the last three years there have been a number of new incumbents coming into Peterborough and this is one of three further vacancies in the process of being filled. Due to retirements and movements to other posts, the Deanery is under represented with women clergy at the moment. The hospital, prison and King s School Chaplains join the chapter as their other commitments allow. This comes with my best wishes as you discern whether God is calling you to this ministry. The Peterborough diocese is a good diocese in which to work and minister. Rev Canon Ian Black Vicar of St John the Baptist, Peterborough Canon Residentiary Peterborough Cathedral Rural Dean of Peterborough Page 4

5 Benefice profile Five lovely rural villages make up our benefice ( Nine Bridges ). It includes the parishes of Glinton, Etton, Maxey, Northborough and Peakirk and forms part of the Rural Deanery of Peterborough. It is about six miles north of Peterborough and has a total population of approximately 4,750. The current incumbent, who retires in November, has worked hard to create a cohesive group whilst maintaining the individual nature of the parishes. Further details of each parish follow: The Parish of St Benedict, Glinton Carols & Lighting the Christmas tree Children s workshop Church Glinton is a medium size dormitory village with a population of approximately 1,700. It has primarily owner-occupier housing with a very small percentage of social housing. There is an even spread of age groups, but overall a generally ageing population. The church dedicated to St Benedict is a Grade 1 listed building in the centre of the village. It was originally built in the 12 th century with major reconstruction in the 15 th century. The tall slender spire can be seen from miles around and is considered to be one of the finest needle spires in the country. The church is open every day during daylight hours and has a significant number of visitors throughout the year. Facing the church is the Peakirk cum Glinton voluntary aided church primary school with 220 pupils and incorporating a pre school and out of school club. Also here there is a pharmacy and the popular Blue Bell village pub. Behind the church is the excellent doctor s surgery, which serves all the villages in the benefice and is part of the large Market Deeping Practice. Just along the high street is a modern village mini supermarket incorporating a Post Office. Also close to the church is a well cared for popular small community centre, which holds many varied village activities. Within the village is the Arthur Mellows Village College, a large secondary Academy with 1,900 pupils from a wide catchment area covering the villages to the north of Peterborough. The Academy is very popular and Ofsted rated outstanding. There is little local employment, but Peterborough industry is within 5-10 miles. There is an excellent bus service into the centre of Peterborough, where there are good transport connections to Cambridge and London. The village is part of the Peterborough Green Wheel and has strong associations with the poet John Clare. The most significant buildings are the Manor House and the church itself. There are no major developments planned for the foreseeable future, just some infill housing. The style of worship represents a broadly central churchmanship and generally services follow Common Worship. During term time the church aided primary school has weekly priest led assemblies alternating between the church and the school and additional specific school services are held in the church. There is also a good working relationship with Glinton Pre School. In addition to the services outlined in the monthly rota (later in this profile), services are held for Lent, Ascension Day, Midsummer, Remembrance Day and the Christmas season when numbers attending are greater than 100 for most services. Children s workshops are held in the church 3 or 4 times a year. The benefice choir meets regularly in the church to practise and there is a weekly bell ringing session. The church is generally in a good state of repair and an accessible toilet and a servery are currently being added inside the church. This work is approved, fully funded and the initial stage is completed. These facilities should enable the use of the church to be expanded and make the building more attractive to Page 5

6 families and visitors. The churchyard is closed to burials, but ashes are allowed to be interred. Maintenance is the responsibility of the PCC and is carried out under the Community Payback scheme. Significant repairs have been carried out in the last year to make safe some tombs and monuments and further work is required on the gates and surrounding wall. The Rectory in Glinton The rectory is situated 200 metres from the church on the main road through the village with no more than a 10 minute drive to the other parishes. Built in the 1990 s it offers excellent versatile accommodation for either a single person or a family. The front door leads into a hall/vestibule with immediate access to a cloakroom and office/meeting room. Leading from the hall are 3 reception rooms, including a good-sized kitchen plus utility room. Upstairs there are 4 good-sized bedrooms, one with ensuite and a family bathroom. The property stands in a pleasant wellmaintained garden with a double garage and good parking. The Parish of St Stephen, Etton Etton is a small rural village with a population of 130; with retired, working and young families, we have residents of all ages. Most of the 45 houses are owneroccupied, but Milton Estates, a major local landowner, owns Church Farm, Rectory Farm and the Golden Pheasant pub. Fields surround the village, with a number of horses stabled there. You will see donkeys, goats, sheep, hens, dogs, cats and even reindeer! There is a grain store and some working farm buildings but local farming is now managed from Glinton. Tarmac own mineral rights surrounding the village and are currently extracting gravel. However, their operations have been unintrusive and their restored quarries are providing a wealth of wildlife habitats, now managed by the Langdyke Trust. The church is Grade I listed and at the heart of the village. The last quinquennial inspection was in 2014 and all outstanding works are in hand with the building in good condition. The churchyard is still open and has plenty of space. Volunteers maintain its paths and graves and people on Community Service cut the grass. An annual clean up and lunch has taken place for the last 10 years when about 25 villagers, who are keen to keep the church open, help do yearly maintenance and other odd-jobs. They are not all regular churchgoers but all believe it is an important part of village life and are keen to keep the church open. There are two Sunday services a month. On the first Sunday we have a Family Service led by Mark Hotchkin, our Reader, and on the third Sunday there is a 9.00 am Communion. Numbers average about 8 but vary when someone wants a wedding/baptism and needs to attend services to qualify. Our Christmas Eve service (complete with puppet nativity) attracts over 70 people every year. The Church/Parish Council organises the switching on of the Christmas tree lights with carol singing and refreshments afterwards at the pub usually attended by about 40 people. In addition we have occasional village fetes and organise community events, for example a summer party for the Queen s 90th birthday in June. In 2015 we had one funeral, three baptisms and no weddings. Our church finances are stable and we pay our portion of parish share in full along with the clergy expenses. Page 6

7 The Parish of St Peter, Maxey Maxey has a population of 1,155, though this includes an area known as Deeping Gate, which lies some distance from the village and, while technically in the parish, is very much closer to the town of Market Deeping, just across the River Welland in Lincolnshire. The population of the actual village is more like 650, and there is an even spread of age groups. There are no shops and one very good pub in the village. The pub is the focal point of the village and would be an ideal place for our new incumbent to be seen to introduce his or her self and win support. There are only a small number of commercial organisations. In consequence there is hardly any local employment, and some of the residents commute large distances to work, with the result that Maxey is virtually a dormitory village. There are presently no services in the church building that would encourage a family to attend and this policy needs to change. The wardens and PCC are well aware of the ageing population of the church. Average attendance figures have fallen by 3 over the last 5 years and some of our regular visitors who make up these numbers are from other parishes. We hope that increasing family attendance from within Maxey will secure a worshipping future for St Peter s. The parish church, dedicated to St Peter, dates from the twelfth century. It is an imposing building which, suffers from the fact that it lies some distance from the centre of the village. Heating costs are particularly prohibitive in the church building with the result that very little takes place in it other than scheduled services. The village hall, situated centrally in Maxey, will always be the most popular meeting place for other activities. We have been fastidious in our approach to maintaining the church fabric. Our recent quinquennial report has replacement of all the roof lead as the most urgent work and we are looking to raise the funds, 60,000 required, via a professional fundraiser. The church has a good set of six bells but no regular band. Mrs Mandy Loveder, our Tower Captain, is looking to restart a once a month practice on Friday evenings. There are 3 weddings planned this year, two of which require the bells to be rung. The churchyard has space for at least another 300 burials. That works out at over 100 years of burials at our present rate. The church has its own website with maps of the churchyard, photographs, registers, censuses, historical information and a benefice wide calendar of services. There is a Eucharist on the 1 st and 2 nd Sundays of the month using Common Worship and a Eucharist on the 4 th Sunday using the Book of Common Prayer, and the Family Service on the 3rd Sunday is held in the village hall taken by one of our three Readers. The village hall service attracts a congregation of about 14, while the communicant numbers in the church vary between 10 and 20. A home communion is held on the 1 st Monday of the month at 3pm at 16 High Street taken by the Rector. Normal attendance for this averages 12. Christmas services are usually popular whether held in the village hall or the church and we normally achieve attendances of over 50 people at the crib service. Page 7

8 The Parish of St Andrew, Northborough Northborough has a population of 1,318. The south of the village is bounded by the conservation area, while to the north by the village hall and playing field. The majority of the housing is situated between the Conservation area and the Village Hall. The housing in Northborough is mainly owner-occupied with a small proportion of social housing and homes for the elderly. Although the main industry is farming, there are many small businesses in Northborough. Residents also work in a variety of services and businesses in the local area as well as in Peterborough itself. Northborough has a shop, Post Office, garage, dental surgery and pub/restaurant. Many activities take place in the village, mostly in the village hall, including: Mother and Toddler group, Guides, Keep Fit, Bowls Club and several art and craft groups, while the pub hosts Knit and Natter, and the modern offshoot of the WI. The church has good links with the community, and particularly with Northborough Primary School, where our priest takes a monthly assembly. There is a nursery school with pre-school and after-school clubs in the school grounds. The church also welcomes the school into church for special services and RE curriculum visits. St Andrew s Church aims to be a friendly, welcoming church. The preferred style of worship is relaxed Anglican, with a broad range of services from Evensong and Eucharist to informal All Age Services of the Word. We use a wide variety of traditional hymns and more modern songs. The All Age services have attracted several new families to St Andrew s recently and we are excited to see our congregation increasing at these child-friendly services. Accessible language and relevant preaching are important to us at St Andrew s. The church of St Andrew is a Grade 1 listed building situated in a conservation area in the village of Northborough. It is an impressive and interesting building dating from the 12 th Century, but much altered and extended in subsequent eras. Elizabeth, wife of Oliver Cromwell is buried at the church, as is the widow of John Clare, the peasant poet. The churchyard is now closed and is maintained by the Parish Council, which also has a cemetery next to the church. A building project is planned to provide the church with a new vestry, WC, servery and improved heating and lighting. At present, our fund-raiser is applying for grants for the project. There is a regular pattern of outreach services and events; these include the important seasonal festivals together with Mothering Sunday (2016 picture opposite), Harvest Praise (with Teddy Bear parachute jump) Remembrance Day and Good Friday Workshop. This year s Summer Special service is a celebration for the Queen s 90 th birthday. A home group meets every two weeks for bible study and fellowship. The Friends of St Andrew s together with the Ladies Page 8

9 Group organise many social and fund-raising events. These include concerts, quiz nights, open gardens, and Christmas Fayre and provide much needed funds. St Andrew s services and events are promoted through the bi-monthly Tribune magazine delivered to all homes in the benefice, by poster and flyer and via St Andrew s Facebook page and A Church Near You website. The parish has paid its parish share in full for the past three years along with our share of clergy expenses. Our quinquennial survey is due later this year and we hope to include any necessary works in our building project. The Parish of St Pega, Peakirk Peakirk is a small village on the fen edge, named after the patron saint of our church, St Pega, who is said to have established a hermitage here in the late 7 th or early 8 th century. The parish has a population of about 450, and is entirely rural. Housing is mainly owner-occupied, with some rented accommodation. There are a number of well-established growing families in the village, as well as those that are newer and younger, and also long established residents who have brought up their children here, or have lived here all their lives. Regular community activities include a Mums and Tots group held in the thriving village hall, which is in demand for local groups, village events and private parties: these include fundraising events run by the church. The other location for village events is the village green, in front of the church, which is also the children s playground and where we hold our May fete in conjunction with the village hall. There are no other community facilities in the village and no school. Both church and village are recorded in a charter of 1016, so this year we are celebrating 1,000 years of our history. A small section of Anglo-Saxon fabric survives at one end of the nave; otherwise the building dates mainly to the 11 th, 12 th and 13 th centuries, with a chancel remodelled in the later 15 th century. The church is generally in a good state of repair. Our latest quinquennial inspection in 2015 acknowledges that the building is well cared for, but identifies a number of relatively minor but necessary repairs. The church can accommodate 140 people. Our regular congregation is small and generally conservative but is rooted in and valued by the community. Page 9

10 The church is listed as Grade I, and is popular with church visiting groups, particularly for its striking 14 th century wallpaintings, including a Passion sequence, a St Christopher and two with moral themes. The paintings were uncovered in the early 1950s, and require further conservation. This forms part of a project that includes enhancing their presentation with better lighting, providing more open space in the nave, and constructing a small servery. Our plans also involve the conversion of a former outhouse in the churchyard into an accessible toilet with storage space. This project is at the stage of gathering estimates, researching grants and applying for faculties. A local contractor, who also looks after village open spaces, manages our churchyard. We generally have no more than 1 or 2 burials a year. In addition to our regular weekly services we hold the following services and events: Mothering Sunday lay led, focussed on children fun and worship. Good Friday service of reflection Traditional harvest festival, with decorated church Carol service with benefice choir Children s nativity lay led, written and performed by parents and children Lighting of churchyard Christmas tree lights with carols and prayer Christmas day Eucharist for Peakirk, Glinton and Northborough All Souls shared in rotation with Glinton and Northborough Brunch held twice a year Biennial village fete (with the village hall) Annual church and churchyard clean up (well supported) Churchyard stalls with local produce for harvest. We welcome and support families at times of celebration and grieving. We will decorate the church if asked, and someone will be there on the day. We have a good relationship with the Mums and Tots group in the village, and their work is displayed in the church and changed regularly. We involve children in our community activities, where they are encouraged to, and do, take part. At our children s services we have craft activities and display children s work. Page 10

11 Current Monthly Sunday Service Schedule DATE ETTON MAXEY GLINTON NORTHBOROUGH PEAKIRK 1st Sunday am 9.00 am am 9.00 am 6.30pm BCP Family Service Eucharist Eucharist Eucharist Evensong Mark Hotchkin Alan Fiddyment Rev Hilary Rev Hilary Rev Hilary 2nd Sunday No Service 9.00 am am am am Eucharist Morning Praise All Age Praise Eucharist Rev Hilary Mark Hotchkin Freda Skillman Rev Hilary 3rd Sunday 9.00 am am am 9.00 am No service BCP Communion Family Service Eucharist Eucharist Rev Hilary Village Hall Rev Hilary Alan Fiddyment Mark H & Freda S 6.00pm Evensong Derek Harris 4th Sunday No service 9.00 am 9.15 am am am Morning BCP Communion Morning Prayer All Age Praise Prayer Rev Hilary Derek Harris Freda Skillman Derek Harris 5 th Sunday: 10:30 am - Group Service held in each Church in turn Current Weekday Services DATE ETTON MAXEY GLINTON NORTHBOROUGH PEAKIRK Monthly Monday 3.00 pm Communion Rev Hilary 8:15 am (Tuesday) Said morning prayer Rev Hilary Followed by; 9:00 am School Assembly Rev Hilary Midweek prayer Lay Led Monthly Communion Rev Hilary Weddings Funerals Baptisms Priest in Charge: Licensed Readers: Retired Priest with permission to officiate Rev Hilary Mark Hotchkin, Derek Harris, Freda Skillman the Reverend Alan Fiddyment Page 11

12 Vision, Mission and Future Direction Vision: To be a Christ-centred benefice of family friendly churches at the heart of village life. Mission: To be community village churches that encourage worship among families, new residents, regular worshippers and the elderly. To be beacons of God s love in our communities. Our churches to be community hubs within our villages that hold services and events, and also offer friendship and support to all. Future Direction: To see growth in our congregations and to develop the life of our churches. To continue to develop family friendly services where children are actively included. To review the timing and format of our Sunday services. To actively build on our community links. To ensure we are using our resources to greatest effect e.g. future opportunities presented by our building projects. Use of new technology. Encouraging people to give of their talents. To be engaged with our local schools seeking opportunities for active involvement. Support Available Our benefice will be run by the new Rector, supported by three Licensed Readers: Mark Hotchkin, Derek Harris and Freda Skillman. In addition, we regularly employ a retired priest, the Reverend Alan Fiddyment, to take Sunday Services. Our Priest has four hours a month of administrative support paid for by the parishes. There are 5 organists who support our parishes. Each parish has its own PCC with churchwardens and treasurers. The benefice churchwardens typically meet about five times a year. The new Rector will be encouraged and supported by the parishes to continue personal development and spiritual refreshment. Finance All the PCCs have treasurers who manage the finances of the individual parishes. All our parishes have paid their parish share in full. The benefice parish share is split on an historic and agreed basis with annual increases being allocated to each parish proportionately. Similarly, all clergy expenses have been paid in full and are split by an agreed allocation. Each parish organises its own planned giving and makes donations to charity. Annual Reports and Accounts for each parish are available for inspection. Page 12

13 Qualities and attributes of a new priest The benefice would like the new Rector to be: Vibrant with a good sense of humour, able to work well with the individual parishes and yet have a benefice overview. Able to enthusiastically support and encourage ministry to children and young families as well as maintain the patterns of worship important to others. Someone who can help us discern God's continuing vision for our parishes. An inspiring preacher who is a skilled communicator. A committed, sensitive and prayerful priest who is able to relate well with the people in our village communities, and willing to be involved in village activities. Someone rooted in the Word and the Spirit. A good listener who is able to support parishioners in time of need. Applications If you believe God is calling you to our benefice, please apply to: The Archdeacon of Oakham, The Venerable Gordon Steele, The Diocesan Office, The Palace, Peterborough PE1 1YB archdeacon.oakham@peterborough-diocese.org.uk Tel: To further discuss the role please contact our Rural Dean, The Reverend Canon Ian Black canonianblack@btinternet.com Tel: Page 13