Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria

Transcription

1 Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria

2 Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria Introduction: Bishop James I hope you ll enjoy reading this Rural Manifesto. It seeks to make clear that resourcing and growing our rural churches is one of our key priorities for the years ahead. Those churches lie at the heart of our many and diverse rural communities. There are wonderful stories to be told of the part we already play in being Christ s ambassadors, agents of his reconciling love, in the villages and market towns of Cumbria. You can read some of them here; but we hope that will encourage you to add your stories, and be willing to share them with others. We recognise that some of the themes of From Survival to Revival need to be applied in a distinctive way if they are to make a positive difference to the rural Church. We d like to move that forward by offering resources which will strengthen those churches in their worship, mission and ministry. That must include the growing of joyful disciples, young and old; and the generous use and adaptation of our buildings to serve the whole community, and offer welcome to our many visitors. The opportunities are many. There is much goodwill still for the Church in the countryside. We need to harness that and recognise that we can achieve so much more together than we can on our own. So let s sow seeds of hope, and tend and water the plants which grow to the glory of God throughout rural Cumbria. Our vision for our rural churches Our vision for our rural churches is that they will be: at the heart of their local communities lively, growing and distinctive engaged with local issues, acting and advocating for their communities

3 History and Context The parish church is a familiar sight in villages across Cumbria. It asserts quietly, yet powerfully, the place of Christianity in the life of our county. The communities served by the local church have always changed over time, as patterns of work and social trends change. The church has also changed over time, whilst also providing stability and reassurance through its timeless proclamation of the Good News. In recent decades the pace of change in rural life has increased dramatically. Migration, the decline of agriculture, shifts in travel to work patterns, the loss of local services and changes in the affordability of housing have had a great impact. Although some areas remain dependent on agriculture or feel agricultural, the number of people directly employed on the land has gradually declined. In this context, many rural parishes have begun to work through what the Diocesan Plan, From Survival to Revival, means for them. This work has thrown up some significant questions and issues which a rural diocese like Carlisle needs to address. What is our rural churches role? How can we meet the needs of our local community? What can we do with our church buildings both to maintain them for future generations and to see them as real working assets? As clergy and lay people, what are our respective roles and how can we be deployed in those roles? And how can we share the many and varied ideas and good news stories we have? This manifesto does not attempt to answer all these questions they need to be researched and debated in the coming months. It does however outline a vision for our rural churches. It describes how some of them are already responding to the challenges and it points to other ideas and examples. Finally, and most importantly, it challenges the reader to contribute to a debate that will shape the strategy for our rural churches for the next decade. In the 12 years to 2003 the number of full time stipendiary clergy in the Diocese fell by one sixth. Much of this reduction came in rural areas where parishes were grouped into ever-larger benefices, with as many as eight parishes now served by a single stipendiary minister. In the same period church attendance fell in the Diocese by 20 per cent. The financial burden on the remaining members increased as responsibility for funding the ministry shifted from the Church Commissioners to Dioceses and parishes. Meanwhile, the number of rural parish churches open for worship remained almost constant.

4 Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria Churches that are at the heart of their local communities Our vision is for members of the local church individually and corporately to be active in their communities, building positive personal relationships and helping people in need. As salt and light they will be the glue that binds a community together and the inspiration for the events and activities that make for a healthy community and create a sense of place. Church buildings will contribute to this. Where the buildings allow, they will be developed sensitively to be the ideal venues for music and drama, host pensioners lunch clubs and kids clubs and provide meeting space, whether for specific groups or for wider events that bring the local people together. Orton Farmers Market Orton Farmers Market is one of the good things to rise from the ashes of the terrible foot and mouth epidemic. People from across the north of England come to Orton on the second Saturday of each month. On market day four years ago All Saints Church held a fund-raising coffee morning. It was such a resounding success both in outreach and fundraising that the parish made it a regular monthly event. The pews were removed from the south aisle many years ago and it is here that coffee tables and chairs are set out. Parishioners from all denominations work together serving coffee, tea, biscuits and the now-legendary home made scones, and selling bric-a-brac and books. The helpers and the vicar find time to talk to the many visitors and make them welcome. There is a quiet corner where people can light candles for loved ones and a prayer cross where prayers are left for inclusion in Sunday services. Some visitors to the area join our church service on the following day. Last July a choir of local people sang folk songs in church to add to the atmosphere and at the December market they sing carols. Regular visitors to the market are now regular visitors to the church and parishioners are now often heard to say, I can t go away on that Saturday, it s the Farmers Market!

5 Our vision is that churches will be very closely involved with their local schools, whether church or county schools. School pupils will see being in church as a natural part of their education and church members will be equally at home going into school to support teachers and pupils both in worship and in the wider life of the school. Our vision is that church-goers and others will want to give generously to their church in response to the church s generosity and relevance to them and their neighbours, friends and families. Where fund-raising events take place non-church goers will enjoy them as part of community events pudding days; the village gala or sports day. These events will bring people together and be seen as a time of fun, not simply another way of raising money for a church that is always taking rather than giving. In many of our rural communities there continues to be more than one church building. Our vision is for buildings to be shared ecumenically and for Christians to worship and work together for their communities, presenting a united Christian presence. Burneside Church The Burneside church congregation have always seen themselves as expressing a ministry to the local community. Many of the congregation are the same people whose membership of local groups and associations keeps them vibrant and relevant to the village. Their faith is expressed through their commitment to their community and their weekly attendance at church is the means of revitalising and encouraging their commitment. The church has been delighted to provide a welcoming home for many local groups, including the local brass band, a day centre, the Parish Council, the local heritage group, the Residents Association, the over 60s group, the British Legion women s section, the local bowling club, and now an outreach Post Office service. As members, supporters and hosts of these groups, the church as a building and a body of Christian people - is a busy focal point for village life. Ennerdale and Kinniside Community Centre For over 90 years the communities of Ennerdale and Kinniside discussed plans to build a village hall and raised substantial funds but were frustrated by two world wars and ever-increasing costs of building work. In 2000 the church and the local parish council joined forces to raise the funds to build a community meeting room within the church building. Churchgoers are at the heart of many of the wide variety of groups who use the Centre. It would often be difficult for a visitor to know whether an event was being held under a church, school or community banner. In rural areas, weddings, baptisms and funerals remain very significant times in the life of the local community, bringing together people at times of joy and sorrow. Our vision is that as the host for these events, the rural church will provide not only the venue but also affirm people s place as part of God s loving family and help in the search for meaning in events.

6 Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria Churches that are lively, growing and distinctive We want to see each rural church holding a clear and distinctive vision that reflects what it can do, rather than worrying about what it can t. Creating a vision for a rural church is often difficult. Clergy time is spread thinly between several parishes. It is difficult to bring people together often enough to develop a shared vision. And there may be pressure from within, simply to carry on as before without thought to the possibilities. Yet vision is crucially important. Rural churches even more than others need to do a few things and do them well. They will often have strengths around which a compelling vision can be built. So they can build on their buildings beautiful locations to welcome visitors or to provide a place of prayerful contemplation. They can focus on serving their local community by providing support and friendship for people who are isolated. They can choose to be the activists in a location, organising the events that provide a sense of community. We want to see more rural churches asking what God is calling them to be and do and how they need to change in response. Our vision is for every member of our rural churches to be growing spiritually. Where people s time is taken up with the jobs that need doing just to keep the church building open, this spiritual growth can be suffocated. We need to find ways in which people can be helped in this, perhaps through nurturing and supporting each other. We want to see joyful and relevant worship in rural churches. The atmosphere in a small church can be particularly intimate, especially if the congregation is not tied to pews and sits in a circle. In the winter, if the church is cold, small congregations can meet in people s homes or the local pub or village hall. In a rural community, the congregation will know a greater proportion of the local population and can pray for and bless these people by name. A small group can sing unaccompanied from a repertoire of familiar songs and hymns. Calthwaite Evening Service Having previously been a small daughter church, All Saints Calthwaite had never enjoyed church services each week. In 2006, with the encouragement of the rector, a small house group began to plan and lead a service once a month. The service is based around 4Ws. After a Welcome, we sit together in a circle of comfortable chairs at the front of the church. We are led in songs Worshipping God by one of the group who plays the guitar. We listen to God s Word and reflect upon it. Another member of the group leads a time of prayer and intercession, perhaps using the church s prayer tree or a bowl of floating candles to help focus our thoughts. We ask God to bless our local community, bringing people and situations before him silently or by name. After the service we share cakes and drinks. The service finds an expression in Witness through the house group s involvement in our village organising the village sports day, helping in the village school and nursery, running a community arts project, or providing practical pastoral care for the community. Over the last 3 years the service has now become a regular part of parish life, with between 5 and 35 people present in any given month.

7 The rhythm of people s lives, particularly the rhythm of agriculture can be reflected in worship. Festivals Rogation, Plough Sunday, Harvest - give an opportunity to draw in the wider community, whether natives or incomers, and to build connections. We want to see more lay people leading worship so that more rural churches can have a regular service at the same time every week. Greater use of communion by extension can enable more people to share bread and wine together without requiring the clergy to rush from one Sunday service to another. We want to see children and young people in our congregations with a lively faith and growing as followers of Jesus Christ, and to see our churches change to make this possible. Many rural churches continue to have lively children s work and this could be revitalised in others if clergy and congregations were to make it a priority. Services will need to be planned around young people s needs and wishes. They can be designed at times and in ways to suit local primary school children and their parents. We want to see Youth Congregations established in our market towns, accessible to every young person in our rural churches. Located typically where children go to senior school, these congregations can give young people the chance to worship and be discipled together. Upper Eden Youth Project The Upper Eden valley in Appleby Deanery is a deeply rural area with relatively little tourism and few local facilities. Parishes are scattered and typically have small, elderly small congregations. Many of these congregations realise that there is an urgent need to reach out to young people. However a generation has been skipped and there is a lack of individuals who can work in youthclubs, Sunday Schools etc. An ecumenical youthwork project has been developed by a partnership of the local Anglican and Methodist churches and NISCU. Over a third of a million pounds of funding for the first 6 years of the project, have already been pledged from local churches and trusts including the Joseph Rank Trust. Two workers have been employed since September 2007 working in the churches and two secondary schools in the area. The workers have delivered or supported lunch clubs & assemblies at local secondary schools; youth events and activities including Slum Survivor, Biblebasix, residentials, Detox - an after-school bible study, Youth Alpha, the Pizza Praise youth worship band and a girls discussion group. They have also been involved in detached youth work in the local area. As part of the project, degree-level formal training is provided for the youth workers.

8 Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria Churches that are engaged with local issues, acting and advocating for their communities Our vision is for churches to be actively engaged with the issues that matter to their communities, challenging injustice and reflecting God s love into the world around them. Our vision is for churches to use the resources God has given them to serve the people they live amongst, meeting the needs of local people. Poverty, loneliness and depression are part of rural life for many people. Our vision is that churches and church members will be at the forefront of work to tackle these problems. Farm Crisis Network- Practical Faith in the Rural Community Farm Crisis Network is an example of the practical outworking of the Christian faith in life. FCN is a network of volunteers drawn from the farming community and rural churches, providing a national helpline and visiting service to farming people and their families who are facing difficulties. Volunteers provide pastoral and practical support for as long as it is needed, helping people to find a positive way through their problems. A FCN volunteer can help to fill in the forms requesting help from farming charities; be alongside a farmer while a member of a statutory body visits a farm, listen to the concerns of a farmer who is not sure of future plans. Volunteers can help to put people in touch with the assistance that they need. This is at times a tough task, yet highly rewarding, being Christ to others and reflecting God s love and care for all of creation.

9 In our vision we see rural church buildings as one of our greatest potential resources rather than a burden. Where there is no other community facility they can serve as the village hall or the venue for a café. Where services are being withdrawn church buildings can host a mobile Post Office, benefit advice surgeries and rural counselling. Many rural churches attract visitors and tourists and this can provide an opportunity to tell the Christian story and connect visitors with the local community. Redundant church land and buildings can be offered for affordable housing, meeting a social need that is most acute in rural areas. Our vision is for church members to act as bridgebuilders and reconcilers and to help tackle enmity and unforgiveness in their communities. Our vision is for church members to be advocates and prophets, campaigning locally, regionally and nationally about issues such as affordable housing, transport, fairtrade in farming and the loss of local services that affect rural society. As part of one diocese, rural churches should encourage their urban counterparts to understand and engage with these issues, just as they, themselves, engage with the issues facing urban churches. In communities where statutory services and business are often distant our vision is for churches members to give their own time to fill the gaps by driving for community transport schemes; delivering meals on wheels; or helping out at the local toddler group or with scouts, guides or young farmers. St Bega s Church Post Office: Eskdale Green St Bega s Church is in the centre of Eskdale Green village in the Western Lake District. Given the low population density and scattered settlements, there are few local services in the village or its surrounding area the only public transport is the Ravenglass and Eskale steam railway! Following 2001 s foot and mouth epidemic the interior of the building was reordered to create a more flexible space and it now hosts Discover Eskdale, an exhibition to inform tourists about the social and economic history of the valley. Since October 2007, one of the ways in which the Church has sought to serve the local community is by hosting an Outreach Post Office Service. Without the service offered by the church there would be no post office within several miles. The Post Office is open on Monday and Thursday mornings between and On Thursdays coffee, cake and biscuits may be served alongside a second-hand bookstall. As well as providing a meeting place for local people, other services have also been offered during Post Office opening hours, including benefits advice.

10 Rural Manifesto: A vision for rural churches in Cumbria We already offer some specific support to rural churches Developing vision for local churches: providing consultancy support and ideas Sharing resources and ideas between churches: creating a network of rural clergy and developing a web-based way of sharing resources (see the Diocesan website Networking and supporting rural clergy through a Diocesan Rural Officer, the Revd Sarah Lunn, who combines this work with parish ministry in Appleby Deanery Using church buildings: implementing the recommendations of our audit of church buildings; supporting the work of the Churches Trust for Cumbria; working with English Heritage and the Trust to support a church buildings officer to work with parishes Resourcing worship: training cantors to encourage unaccompanied singing; encouraging and enabling communion by extension Supporting work with young people: providing 3 years funding for youth congregations in market towns Training: lay ministry development through Reader Training, Called to Serve and Commissioned Lay Ministry; mediation training Encouraging giving: providing advice and practical help in developing stewardship through a rural stewardship toolkit and the Giving in Grace programme Other support: encouraging bids to the Diocesan Growth Fund

11 Be a part of it To be a part of this debate send your details to: Sarah Lunn - sarahlunn@care4free.net or George Howe - archdeacon.south@carlislediocese.org.uk

12 Starting a Debate We want to start a debate about these ideas and we want you to be involved. We will be running further rural church seminars in 2010 and 2011, debating some big themes including: What s the point of the rural church? How can rural church buildings be used sustainably to serve God? What s the role of clergy in rural areas? How can we deploy clergy and lay ministry most effectively in rural areas? Worship in a rural church what works? A vision for rural churches in Cumbria Rural Manifesto: What resources and support would make a difference and what can the Diocese do to help? The Diocese of Carlisle is the Church of England in Cumbria Carlisle Diocese, Church House, West Walls, Carlisle, CA3 8UE Telephone: Fax: To be a part of this debate send your details to Sarah Lunn (sarahlunn@care4free.net) or George Howe (archdeacon.south@carlislediocese.org.uk). Images by Mike Angelo Photography in association with Churches Trust for Cumbria and Hannah Horton Copyright Carlisle Diocese 2009 designed by Andy Curry Studio