The Parish of St Michael with St Anne, Sutton Bonington COMBINED PARISH PROFILES St Michael with St Anne Sutton Bonington St. James Normanton on Soar 2014 1
The Archdeacon of Nottingham writes: Potential applicants for the post of Priest in Charge of Sutton Bonington and Normanton on Soar need to be aware of a number of key factors relating to the benefice as the future unfolds. Firstly, the current staffing plan for Sutton Bonington and Normanton-on-Soar is a designated House for Duty Priest offering Sunday duty plus up to two other days of flexible availability for occasional offices and pastoral care. The Bishop and I are committed to encouraging cross border mission and collaboration in terms of priestly leadership across all nine deaneries in the diocese. In the case of this benefice, there would be an expectation for the new Priest in Charge to work in partnership with the leadership of the neighbouring Benefice of East Leake, with its five villages. It is possible, though not yet decided, that in the long term under our Diocesan 2020 Mission strategy, the seven parishes will be subject to a Pastoral Scheme such that the Rector of East Leake becomes, in effect, the Team Rector of all seven parishes rather than the current five. The intention would not be to simply add on two parishes to the current configuration but to build a team of part-time Priests and Readers in mission leadership alongside and under the oversight of the Rector. Should this happen the post would move to an Associate Priest status in the long term. Therefore, as you prayerfully consider applying for this post you would need to be aware that a collaborative ministry leadership role in a bigger rural team may well lie ahead. Such a change would not require any difference of time commitment. Our prayers go with you as you consider your application. Peter Hill Archdeacon of Nottingham The Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham Vision Statement Joining together in the transforming mission of God living worship growing disciples seeking justice 2
Who is being called by God to minister to us? Our two attractive villages are great places in which to live and minister the Gospel. There are many and varied opportunities to engage with our active communities and our committed church members are excited about the future. Ministry has at times been transient and intermittent, but more recently we have been well served by an energetic retired priest who has exercised a considerable ministry, which has encouraged the congregations and connected with both parishes. We now need a priest who will continue to teach and energise us from the scriptures; can lead us in interpreting and fulfilling the diocesan vision for our two parishes: Joining together in the transforming mission of God; will enable us to make new patterns of ministry work; can provide continuity of pastoral care; and encourage others in commitment and leadership roles. This may well be you! Our two parishes: St Michael with St Anne, Sutton Bonington The parish & community Sutton Bonington is on the Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire border with a population of around 1,500. In medieval times it was two settlements, each with their own church. The settlements gradually grew together to make one long village with two churches, St Michael s and St Anne s. The hamlet of Zouch is part of the parish, being a small settlement which developed when the canal was cut in the 18 th century. Sutton Bonington contains 2 small industrial estates, 5 farms, 4 shops and 4 public houses. There is also a doctor s surgery and a 12 unit sheltered housing complex (Swan Court) for the elderly. St Michael s Sutton Bonington There is a Preschool Playgroup (40 pupils) which rents our Old Schoolrooms from the PCC and visits St Michael s church on several occasions each year. The state Primary School (200 pupils) welcomes local clergy to take assemblies and also uses the two churches from time to time. Both of these have a very good reputation locally and children attend from outside the catchment area. Inside St Michael s an Art Exhibition There is tremendous goodwill in the village towards the church, as shown in the last funding campaign, but the weekly congregation has been shrinking. 3
Our church buildings St Michael s Church (Grade II*) is a 13 th century church with a seating capacity of 250/300. The church has some fine stained glass windows (Kempe), a good piano, an excellent organ and a peal of 6 bells. The churchyard is closed, but there is an extension, which is still in use, on Marle Pit Hill. St Anne s Church (Grade II*) is a little older with a seating capacity of 120. The churchyard is open. The church is at the top of a steep slope, but recent development at the Old Rectory site has allowed for disabled access and also a small extension to the churchyard. St Anne s Sutton Bonington Both churches are in good condition, and repairs to St Michael s stonework are currently being undertaken. They are left unlocked during the day and receive many visitors. It has been the practice to hold Sunday morning services in St Michael s during the summer and in St Anne s during the Winter. Both churches are much loved by the local community. Our Church Services The worship is mainline Anglican. Services are held at 11.00am on Sunday mornings, the monthly pattern providing for three services of Holy Communion and one of Morning Prayer which alternates between Prayer Book and Common Worship. There are also occasional joint services with the local Methodist and Baptists congregations, sometimes with a Parade of the Uniformed Organisations. Attendance averages 30, with many more at major festivals. A Prayer Book service of Holy Communion is held every Wednesday at 9.30am in St Anne s with an average attendance of 9. Currently Sunday Evening Prayer is sung once a month for a very few, at 4.30pm in the winter and 6.30pm in the summer. The electoral roll stands at 55 and in 2012 there were 10 funerals, 4 weddings and 15 baptisms. Parishioners who are known to have suffered a bereavement during the year are invited to a Memorial Service at the beginning of November. Parish Community Life The church has a robed choir who sing on Sunday mornings and 5 trained servers. Acolytes are used on occasions. Study groups are run jointly with Normanton on Soar twice a year. The A453 Parishes Prayer and Share Group which meets once a month has a representative from Sutton Bonington. A band of bell ringers ring alternately at St Michael s and at Kingston on Soar. Also there is a branch of the Mothers Union, which is supportive but does not hold regular meetings. Although there is no longer a Sunday School, children s activities are held at Easter and Michaelmas with special services at Mothering Sunday and Christmas. Children are very welcome at all services and activity bags are always available for them. A Summer Fete is held and a Christmas Market which involves many who are not regular attenders at services. The church Inside St Anne s 4
produces a monthly magazine, Parish Lines, which is shared with Normanton on Soar and sells around 400 copies. The PCC contribute, along with 11 other villages, to the Youth for Christ workers who operate from the East Leake Academy. The Uniformed organisations are thriving with over 100 members in Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers. They have their own premises on the playing fields. These groups are no longer affiliated to the Anglican church but co-operation with them is good and the church is represented on the Scout Executive. Sutton Bonington has a strong community spirit and many of the congregation are heavily involved in community activities, for instance the Garden Walkabout, the Village Show, Coffee Mornings, Christian Aid Week and the Soar Valley Community Bus. Sport is also an important part of village life with many clubs. Ecumenical Links Besides the two Anglican churches, Sutton Bonington also has a Methodist and a Baptist Church. Both have active support and well maintained buildings which include meeting rooms, kitchens and toilets. The Anglican church has shared worship with the Methodist Church for over 50 years. The Baptist Church is an independent church and not a member of the Baptist Union. They have their own full time Pastor who lives in the village and a large congregation with extensive lay involvement. They run a weekly coffee break, regular study and prayer groups, youth groups, Sunday school and have a considerable ministry to the university students, especially the overseas students who have bible studies, social events and help with their accommodation. Last year all three churches shared Jubilee and Olympic celebrations and it is planned to carry on sharing The Big Lunch on the first Sunday in June as well as our joint services for Christian Aid, the Village Show and Palm Sunday. Nottingham University Campus The University of Nottingham draws students from around the world to its 100 acre campus on the edge of Sutton Bonington village. In recent years, a hugely popular School of Veterinary Science has been added to the existing School of Biosciences which includes Agricultural, Plant and Food Sciences. Over 700 students live on this campus, and probably double that number study there, with some living in Sutton Bonington and surrounding villages, and some travelling in daily from Nottingham. The University Chaplains are appointed ecumenically to be part of a team which operates from University Park in Nottingham. There are currently two local chaplains at the campus, but there could be future possibilities for term time sessional ministry for a candidate who has background in working with students, particularly somebody who could come alongside the undergraduate Christian Union. For more information, a conversation with the Area Dean, who also happens to be the Co-ordinating Chaplain at University Park in Nottingham, would be worthwhile. 5
St. James Normanton on Soar The parish and community Normanton on Soar is a small friendly village of around 430 people, just inside the Nottinghamshire border, 4 miles north of Loughborough with some outlying farms. It is a good place to live. We have some young families, who rarely worship with us, and an increasingly ageing profile. Many people are retired and most of those who work commute to local towns and cities. Some people work from home. Around 8% of the population attend our services. The Plough is the local pub and we have a new village hall, opposite the church, which is available for hire for wedding receptions etc. It is also the meeting place for village organisations like the W.I. and the Men s Association. The village hall adjoins a children s play area and playing field. The village has a Community Shop which is run and staffed by volunteers and offers basic groceries and produce, they also serve coffee and cake, sell tickets for village functions and act as an informal meeting place. St James Normanton on Soar There is a village primary school with which we have a constructive and friendly relationship. Older children go to East Leake Academy. We help to fund a Youth for Christ worker at this school. Transport links are limited and there is a local community bus. The Church St. James Church is a Grade 1 listed building dating from the end of the 12th century. It is in very good repair although we are aware of the need to do some work on the boundary wall and at some point we will need to raise funds to restore the organ. Inside St James The churchyard is still open for burials and has a public footpath running through it. We are able to pay our Parish Share in full and are well funded from both regular giving and specific fund raising events like the fete and Christmas Concert. We have an organist and can call on local bellringers when needed. We have two Churchwardens and a competent and active PCC. We aim to worship God and to serve our local, national and international communities. We have an average congregation of 26 which is supplemented by the Village Choir for some services. Very few young people or families worship with us. We have an outreach link with the village choir who practise in church and with the Soar Boating Club who celebrate with us in June (their anniversary ) and at Christmas. The enthusiastic choir sing at village, church and civic events. In addition we choose a Charity of the Year and raise funds for them. 6
The Parsonage In 1994 the Diocese bought 19A Park Lane, Sutton Bonington, a modern 4 bedroomed house, for the Priest in Charge. Benefice finances Expenses incurred for parish duties are reimbursed in full in accordance with the usual practice in Southwell and Nottingham Diocese. Financial statements for both parishes can be accessed on request. 7