Parish Profile St. Mary the Virgin Marston Moreteyne

Parish Profile St. Mary the Virgin Marston Moreteyne www.stmarysmarston.co.uk Church Walk, Marston Moreteyne, Bedford, MK43 0NE Bedford Deanery

Contents Page Introduction 1 Who are we? 1 Can you help us? 2 The Benefice Location 2 Community 2 Leisure Activities 3 Education 3 Church Life Church Activities 4 Worship 5 Pastoral and Ecumenical 6 Leadership 7 Buildings 7 Finance 7 Communication 9 Accommodation 9 Strengths and Challenges 9

St. Mary s Parish Profile We are St Mary s Church, Marston Moreteyne and we have a vision. Our vision is... To be a living church, growing in faith and commitment Sharing the good news of God s love with all residents and visitors to our expanding parish We seek to do this by: 1. Developing our response to God s love in worship and prayer 2. Encouraging children and young people to grow in faith 3. Expanding the use of the church as a focus of mission and service to the community Our goals 1. To raise the profile of the church in the village, not only as an historic building and centre of worship but as a place where its extended use encourages members of the community to feel part of the church family 2. To improve the facilities for our growing Sunday School 3. To improve outreach within the village, especially to young people, families and newcomers to the area. 4. To encourage the church family and enable them to deepen their faith and develop their talents and abilities 5. To develop and move forward with our Mission Action Plan Who we are Here at St Mary s we are bucking the trend! Our congregation has grown and is still growing. Why? Because : We are recognised as a big hearted, friendly and welcoming church We cater for the whole community, young and old and everything in between We have a loyal, committed congregation that rises to challenges We offer you: Friendship, fellowship, love and care and a lot of laughter A growing church not only in numbers but also income Our support and commitment to work with you to take our church forward in the love of God A desire to reach out to our growing community and bring more people into the church family A dedicated PCC with successful teams working well together who are ready to face the future and whatever that brings 1

Can you help us? In light of this we are looking for someone who:- Can lead us into further mission and outreach to the extensive new housing in the village and has experience in doing this elsewhere Can build on the foundations we have and continue to expand the work we do to encourage and welcome people into our church Lead us into the future by being proactive in reaching out to the community and raising the church s profile Can become very much a part of village life and be a visible and approachable presence in the parish Can nurture us in our faith, growth and development through strong spiritual leadership and teaching Can maintain our good relationship with local schools by doing assemblies, school visits and services for the children in church Is well organised with good communication skills, energy, drive and vision Can care about the preservation of our Grade 1 listed church and tower Is a good listener and teacher Has a good sense of humour and can laugh at themselves The Benefice Location The benefice itself comprises Marston Moreteyne with pastoral oversight of neighbouring Lidlington. It is situated 4 miles from Junction 13 of the M1 on the A421. There are good transport links with St Albans, Bedford, Milton Keynes, London and Cambridge. Community The village dates back to about the year 969 when it was called Mercstun and inhabited by Saxons. It is mentioned both in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles and the Domesday book. In the late 13th century the Moreteyne family held the Manor. The village developed from agriculture expanding through the local brick works and is now mainly a commuter village with some small industry and retail. With the current high building programme of about 1,150 new houses it is a rapidly expanding community with lots of new young families moving into the village. The current population is about 5,000. There is a mix of housing predominately privately owned with some social, sheltered and privately rented housing. The population covers the full range of ages. 2

We have a Parish Council and we come under the jurisdiction of Central Bedfordshire Council. The village has a village hall plus a sports pavilion and scout hall where the Beavers, Cubs, Explorer Scouts and Brownies meet. Marston is a thriving community which boasts a doctor s surgery, a pharmacy, two hairdressing salons, one supermarket with another planned, a fish and chip shop, a take away, 2 pubs, an Indian restaurant, the Moreteyne Manor restaurant, a Travel Lodge with a Little Chef and petrol station. Leisure Activities Marston Moreteyne is situated in the Forest of Marston Vale a forest created to address the effects of the brick making industry on the countryside. The Forest Centre itself consists of wetlands, cycle ways, bridleways, footpaths, a conference centre and restaurant, and an adventure playground with activities for the whole community taking place throughout the year. We have a sports field with both football and cricket teams and the village hall hosts activities such as carpet bowls, pilates, martial arts, flower arranging and many more. The local WI is also thriving and growing. We are very close to Milton Keynes with its theatre, galleries, shopping, restaurants and sport amenities and to Bedford on the River Great Ouse with its embankment, one of its museums being the John Bunyan Museum. Water sports are enjoyed at the nearby Stewartby and Brogborough lakes which used to be clay pits during the time of brick making. We are also within easy reach of the Woburn Estate and Safari Park and the newly opened Center Parcs. Education There are two Lower schools in Marston Moreteyne, and one in Marston Shelton The local middle school is Marston Vale Middle school in Stewartby, and the upper is Wootton Upper School. There are several private schools in Bedford along with the University of Bedfordshire. We have very strong links with the two schools in Marston Moreteyne, of which the vicar is a governor, the school in Shelton having contact with a Methodist minister. The vicar does regular assemblies at these schools and the children come to church for services: Harvest, Christingle and carol services and they have educational tours around church. Students from the nearby Cranfield University also visit us for tours and a trip up the church tower. 3

Church Life Church activities Activities abound during the church year. Our church building is very adaptable allowing us to host a wide range of events; an annual Harvest supper, the occasional Murder Mystery evening, Quiz nights, Craft fairs and regular speakers. Harvest Supper We perform carol singing at the Forest Centre, have themed summer fetes as well as Quiet Days and visits to our patrons St John s College Cambridge. Summer Fete Every week we have Wednesday Tea with the Vicar, lunches once a month and Art Classes, all held in church and attended by church goers and other members of the community and seen very much as a form of outreach and friendship. Art Group Other pastoral activities, held in people s homes, include Knit and Natter, the Bookmarkers book group and also Advent and Lent Groups which are growing in attendance. Lent Group 4

Worship We hold a 10.00am weekly Holy Communion every Sunday using Common Worship apart from the first Sunday of the month when we have a Family Service at 10.00am followed by said communion at 11.15am. We also hold mid week festival services. The average number attending worship on a Sunday is 45 with all ages up to 90. Lay people take an active role in the worship. We have two Lay Readers who officiate regularly, servers, intercessors, readers and lay assistants for the distribution of the elements. During 2015 we held 17 baptisms, 7 weddings and 12 funerals in church with another 7 being performed at the crematorium. We also hold Special Services during the year: Christingle service, Carol service, Crib service, Pet service, Harvest Festival, and Mothering Sunday. Harvest Festival Pet Service Remembrance Sunday, All Souls, memorial services and Holy Week services are also observed. Remembrance Service 5

All services are led by a robed choir of thirteen members with both traditional and modern music. Some of our choir Our liturgical tradition is vestments, alb and stole, surplice and stole etc. St Mary s has a growing Sunday School with children ranging from toddlers to 16 year olds led by a dedicated team. They receive scripture based teaching as well as partaking in social activities and lead the worship at Family services. Pastoral and Ecumenical There are many opportunities for pastoral care in the community. We have lay support with baptismal visits and a group who visit the sick or lonely. Pastoral work also includes giving home communion, visiting the residents of the Village Care Home and being a regular presence in the schools taking assemblies and talking to the children during educational visits to the church. Wednesday Teas is also a great opportunity for people, not only to visit the church, but also to talk and make contact with other people. We have a good relationship with the local cluster churches and we have had a successful LEP. We do have people from other denominations worshipping with us including Roman Catholics and Orthodox and since the closure of the two Methodist chapels in the village one of which has come to joined us at St Mary s. Leadership St Mary s has two Lay Readers with PTO and our two Church Wardens are supported by a PCC making a total of fifteen members. A social Committee and Fabric Committee are offshoots of the PCC which meets every six weeks. At present there are 81 people on our Electoral roll which has increased year on year over the last eight years 6

Buildings St Mary s is a 14th to 15th century Grade 1 listed building with a separate Grade 1 listed late Medieval tower. The main church contains several historical treasures eg. a Doom painting, the Snagge tomb, Goldyngton Brass, rood screen, helmets etc. The north aisle window boasts the last of the original stained glass from the Middle Ages. We have frequent visitors to see the distinctive architectural and historical features of our church. The last Quinquennial report was June 2013 and indicated that the Tower needs repairing and restoring, stone work inside and outside of the church needs some attention. We have already had the outside of the tower defrassed. Laity play an active role with maintaining the inside and outside of the buildings, refurbishing and preserving where permissible. We have regular working parties on the grounds but we do have contractors to cut the grass in the churchyard and the hedges. Finance Money is collected by plate but regular givers use weekly envelopes and standing orders. Other money generated is by fund raising and social events. Our charitable giving includes the Bishop s Harvest appeal, supporting a mother and child in Uganda, an annual donation to the local homeless centre in Bedford, St Barnabas home for retired clergy and other charities where appropriate. We support the local NEED project distributing food to families in need. Our parish share is 10,206, which, for the last 8 years has been paid in full. All expenses are paid in full and we have no secretary or office provision, just willing volunteers. 7

Weekly Promised Giving Envelopes 11,999 Funerals 6,660 St Mary the Virgin Marston Morteyne Income 2015 200 188 108 40 2 (26) (99) Transferred Covenant Value 6,289 Plate 6,288 Weddings 3,709 3,465 3,113 11,999 Donations 3,465 Covenants Current Year 3,113 Need Project Donation 200 Bell Fund 188 3,709 6,288 Baptisms 108 6,660 Other Income 40 Bank Interest 2 6,289 St Mary the Virgin Marston Morteyne Expenditure 2015 322 224 213 213 213 166 47 11 0 St Albans Parish Share 10,206 Repairs & Maintenance 5,189 Insurance 3,070 Gas 2,514 1,096 915 647 550 Cleaning 1,398 Electricity 1,096 Donations 915 Church Expenses 647 Organist 550 Stationery 322 1,398 2,514 10,206 Water 224 Licences 213 3,070 Officers Expenses 213 Flower Arrangement 213 Church Books 166 5,189 To date our PCC account stands at 28,205 and our Fabric Fund at 15,989. 8

Communications We produce a weekly pew sheet giving details of services, church activities, clubs, meetings, diary dates etc and contribute to the monthly Village Diary with articles from the vicar, times of services, and special events within the church. We have leafleted the village for fund raising and to make newcomers aware of our presence. St Mary s has a website (www.stmarysmarston.co.uk) and a Facebook page. Accommodation Suitable accommodation in the village is actively being sought by the diocese. Our Strengths 1. We have paid our parish share in full for the last eight years 2. Our electoral roll has increased year on year and now stands at 81 3. Our occasional services have increased, especially baptisms 4. There is strong pastoral support 5. We have good links with the schools 6. We have a strong and lively Sunday School with committed leadership Our Challenges 1. We have no church hall and therefore limited space for the Sunday School 2. We have a missing age group between children and older people 3. We recognise the need for raising our profile, especially among the new people moving into the village And finally...this is us! 9