The 8 Parishes In the Bosmere Deanery St Mary s Offton St Mary s Barking St Mary s Battisford St Mary s Somersham St Catherine s Ringshall St Mary s Willisham St Mary s Flowton St Mary and St Lawrence, Great Bricett 2
The Eight Parishes in the Bosmere Deanery Profile As a group of 8 rural Parishes set in the beautiful countryside of Suffolk we work well together supporting the needs of our churches and the communities in which they are based. We are looking for a Priest in Charge who will help us to continue God s work through faith and prayer, with an enthusiasm to get involved in the local communities and to build upon the foundations already in place. The 8 Parishes Commitment To The New Priest We will continue to work together as eight parishes including managing the worship schedules and all matters pertaining to the running of the parishes and in doing so support you in your active ministry with us. We will arrange administrative support in consultation with you. We will respect your work life balance by working effectively together so that your time with us will be enjoyable and fulfilling for us all. We will support you in your endeavours to develop the work, worship and witness of the churches within their communities. We will be realistic in our expectations of your involvement in our communities. We are a group of friendly and enthusiastic parishioners who, along with the others in our communities, welcome new people into our villages, churches and lives. What we would ask of You A warm approach and a willingness to be visible in our communities and engage with the people, from children through to the elderly, building links to the Church. A priest who can lead through preaching and teaching with an ability to communicate with all parishioners. A desire to nurture the congregations by encouraging more lay involvement and ministry. An open approach to services, balancing the traditional with more modern and innovative ways of worship encouraging the congregations to grow. 3
Location The 8 parishes are to be found just to the south of the A14 corridor between Stowmarket and Ipswich in the county of Suffolk. Although gently scattered in the rural countryside all 8 Parishes are easily accessible from the main trunk roads making travel to the South, Midlands and North straightforward. A peaceful and desirable place to live, you are about 10 miles from both the county town of Ipswich and the cathedral town of Bury St Edmunds. We are in easy reach of the East Anglian Coast, and Norwich, Cambridge and London are also all easily accessible. 4
The Priest Grouping The 8 parishes, brought together in 2003, consist of a population of about 2500 with the largest parish being Somersham (pop 750). The Rectory can be found in the village of Willisham and is a 1990s purpose built modern 4 bedroom home with study, dining room, sitting room and kitchen set in approximately ¾ acre of garden which would be perfect for children and pets. Located in the centre of the benefice the rectory is central to the ministry within this grouping. There are two primary schools to be found amongst the Parishes, one in Somersham and the other in Ringshall. As well as serving the local villages the Ringshall primary school attracts children from the adjacent Army Air Corps base of Wattisham. The secondary schools can be found at nearby Claydon and Stowmarket. The Parishes have been linked in several formats over recent years and continue to develop the links needed to engender a supportive working relationship. This allows them to share opportunities and experiences whilst still maintaining their own individual identity and that of the communities around them. The Church Wardens and lay Elders and Readers meet regularly and there are some joint services as well as a whole benefice service when there is a 5 th Sunday in the month. We recognise the role that the church has to play in the life of the community. Although there is always room for more members of the local communities to join in with the regular worship of the Churches we all benefit from local support especially for fund raising activities. Congregation numbers are small but their commitment is great and we all understand the need to attract younger people and those with children into the family of the Church. Worship across the Churches reflects the desire to maintain a level of traditional worship whilst balancing this against the requirement to make the services attractive to the younger generation and those with a taste for a more modern approach. Across the priest grouping volunteers produce and distribute 2 magazines including church and community news and information. We also have two choirs in the benefice. The Churches The eight churches are well maintained and cared for. There is also a Baptist Church in Somersham, a Free Church in Battisford and a Chapel in Barking. The incumbent priest is able to call upon the services of a licensed reader and a number of Lay Elders from within the parishes. There is established lay involvement across the churches for reading, intercessions, music and assistance with communion. In a normal month there are 22 Sunday services across the Parishes. Where there is a 5th Sunday in the month the Parishes all come together to worship on a rotational basis around the Churches. The list below is not meant to be daunting but rather to reflect the level of support and self-sufficiency that exists amongst the 5
Parishes. Current Pattern of Services This is the current pattern of services taken by the ministry team and does not reflect the services relevant to the Priest. Although this is the pattern that has been developed over the past few years all the Parishes are willing to work with the new Priest to agree a service pattern that is most effective going forward. The average attendance across the group is 85. PARISH 1st Sunday 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday 5th Sunday BARKING 3pm Evening Prayer # 11.15 Holy 9.30am Combined Family Service 10am Morning Service # Joint Service BATTISFORD 11.15 Morning Prayer # 11.15 Holy With Ringshall Joint Service FLOWTON 9am Holy by extension 8am Holy 6pm Evening Prayer # (summer only) 10am Family Service # Joint service GREAT BRICETT 09.30 Holy 9.30am Combined family service Joint Service OFFTON 6.30pm Evensong # 10am Family Service 11am Holy Joint Service RINGSHALL 9,30am Combined Family Service 9.30am Holy Joint Service SOMERSHAM 11.15 Holy 10am Family Service # 8am Holy Joint Service WILLISHAM 9.30am Holy 9.30am Combined Family Service Joint Service #: Service currently lay led The Services, in the main, are taken using Common Worship but a few use the Book of Common Prayer. Church Tradition Church tradition is fairly consistent across the Parishes and, whilst all congregations are welcoming, inclusive and open to change, is best described as central. Ministers 6
robe in cassock-alb, cassock, surplice and stole by personal choice. Ecumenical And Other Links Where opportunities exist there is active co-operation between the churches of different denominations in the local communities. In Somersham occasional joint services and events are undertaken with the Baptist Church. In Barking some members of the congregation attend the Ladies Fellowship meetings in the local Chapel. We would like to build on the existing good relationships with the local schools and in Somersham volunteers go in every week with the Open the Book approach which has proven to be well received. Parish Share And Expenses We, as a group, have come close to meeting our combined Parish Share following recent increases. The treasurers from the 8 parishes have an effective working group, sharing experiences and rising to this challenge including facilitating benefice fundraising functions. Priest expenses are always paid in full. Areas of Development We recognise the need to involve the church in the wider parish and community, helping people to engage with the church and the need to change the way we work and worship to make this more accessible to all. We recognise the need to further develop the strong links between the 8 Parishes to benefit the grouping and better support the work of our new priest. 7
St Mary s Church, Barking Church There has been a church on this site for over 1,000 years. The structure today replaced the Saxon Church probably commencing in the 13th Century. It has been enlarged over the 200 years since the 14th Century. Significant repairs arose when the tower blew down and reinforcement of structure was made in early part of the 20th Century. The Church served not only Barking but also Needham Market, a role it also undertook with St Andrew s Church in the hamlet of Darmsden, which was later closed and sold to the Free Church Trust. The Churchyard is still open under the Jurisdiction of the Barking Priest and Church Wardens. Parish There are just under 200 houses in the parish; 95% are privately owned. The population is about 400 adults and 30 children. Many Parishioners are retired with younger inhabitants commuting to work locally; some travelling to Cambridge, Norwich and London. The young children attend Ringshall School with the older attending the high school in Stowupland. There a small number of businesses offering employment in the village and many farms in the area remain family owned. The Barking Nursing Home is close to, and has links with, the church. There is a Chapel by the village Tye and together we Celebrate Christian Festivals, Remembrance Sunday Parades and attend each others events and those held with Darmsden Free Church. The Village Hall is the meeting place for a thriving Women s Institute and also hosts activities such as carpet bowls, film shows, Plays and community dinners. It facilitates fund raising events as well as monthly First Friday get together, a busy under 5 s preschool and acts as the local polling station during elections. Life of the Church Over the last three years changes have taken place as the baton of managing the church and its work is being passed down to younger members. The PCC has reviewed health and safety and the security of the facilities to ensure the Church maintains Services for members and parishioners attending the Seasonal Services and the life Sacramental events. We have one Elder who still assists at services. In the past 15 months, 9 Funerals, 2 Weddings and 2 Baptisms were held in the Church. The PCC is actively seeking new members and Church Fund raising complements the Service Fees and regular giving commitments.
St Mary s Church, Battisford Church The present St Mary s Church has stood on this site since Gothic times. The turret, which replaced a faulty tower, has one bell made by John Darbie (Ipswich) in 1666. The organ chamber, with it s Victorian organ, was once the site of the Knight Hospitallers Chapel, whose commandery for Suffolk was close by at the site now occupied by St John Manor. The Musicians Gallery was built in 1841 by William Reeve of Needham Market. Adjoining the churchyard is the former vicarage and a room, once the church school, which is used by the Church and includes kitchen and toilet facilities. Parish The village of Battisford itself is split into two halves by the Tye and is spread over a distance of 4 miles with the majority of the population living to the west of the Tye. The village has an approximate population of 485 people with 90% living in private homes. There is no major employer in the village with locals being employed in agriculture, business in Stowmarket or Ipswich or commuting to London. There is a local community pub at the west end of the village but no shops or amenities. The local village hall is well used by the Village Hall Management group, Parish Council, over 60 s club, carpet bowls club, snooker club, gardening club, historical club and an under 5 s pre-school. There is a walking club in the village as well as a cricket club, located in the nearby hamlet of Moats Tye. Life of the Church Morning Prayer or a family service is held on the 1st Sunday of the month with Holy celebrated on the 3rd Sunday every month. We are supported on the 1st Sunday of the month by visiting lay readers and there are two lay elders who support the vicar with. We have 17 people registered on the Electoral Roll and during 2015 we have had one wedding and one baptism. There is an active PCC and the Church s social and fundraising events are well supported, especially our annual Winter Feast where we cater for up to 50 people. Also well supported are the services held at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. We have a Friends of St Mary s group who help support the church through regular small donation.
St.Mary s Church, Flowton Church St. Mary s is approached through a narrow but peaceful graveyard with lych gate and clusters of cowslips and cyclamen around the tombstones. It is an unusually complete example of an early C13 medieval church, consisting of nave, chancel, south porch and west tower. It is constructed mainly of flint rubble walling with freestone dressings and massive buttressing. Both nave and chancel have good and complete early C13 roofs and the tower contains a quatrefoil ringing chamber with single bell and gallery. From the gallery there rises a rare C14/C15 timber stair with triangular block treads, now protected by a serviceable steel ladder. Parish The village has a population of 117, roughly 30 under 18, 50 18-65 and 37 over 65. Most people are employed outside the village apart from 2 in agriculture, one freelance gardener and a piano teacher. Many others are involved in the voluntary sector. Life of the Church St. Mary s provides the sole public building in the village; it is the vital heart of the community. As well as a vestry used for Parish meetings, a Polling Station for elections, and a monthly drop-in coffee morning, we have a useful space at the back of the church where some rotten pews were removed. This space is wonderful for after funeral buffets, Harvest suppers, quiz nights, children s workshops and much more. We hope in the future to have more activities using this valuable space. We have three services a month in the winter and four in Summer. Our average attendance is 9 with over 160 at our annual Candlelit Carol Service on Christmas Eve and 60 at our Harvest Festival (followed by our Harvest Tea Party). We run 3 workshops each year at Festival times, for children officially but enjoyed equally by parents! We are lucky enough to have one Lay Reader (who also officiates in Offton, Somersham and Willisham) and 2 Church Wardens. Occasional offices in the last year 1 Wedding and 1 Memorial Service. Priests expenses and Parish share have historically always been paid in full The PCC sees its strength as its work with children and young families and fostering social events for the wider community. We are hoping for a Priest who is accessible and visible with a genuine ability to relate to all members of the community on a personal level
St Mary and St Lawrence, Great Bricett The Church St Mary and St Lawrence is a grade l listed building located in the centre of the village. It originates from an Augustinian priory with the former monastery quadrangle on the north side, now part of a private garden to Great Bricett Hall, which is itself structurally joined to the modern church. From the outside the church is a large but modest flint building under a tiled roof. The interior is one full width combined nave and chancel creating a welcoming and versatile worship space with excellent acoustics. Modern facilities are all available at the Village Hall (owned by the Parish Council), which is directly beside the churchyard. The Parish Great Bricett is a small rural Suffolk village of about 100 houses. The Army Air Corps base at Wattisham Flying Station is nearby. The population of the village is approximately 240 with a mixture of accommodation including 65 park homes (predominately retired occupants), 20 affordable houses, one house still in Council ownership and the rest privately owned. The Parish Boundary includes large parts of the military residential accommodation for Wattisham Flying Station which raises the apparent parish population to around 1500. There are a handful of jobs linked to Wattisham Flying Station with residents otherwise travelling to Stowmarket, Ipswich or even London for employment. Our Red Lion pub is famous for its vegetarian food. The Village Hall plays host to the Village Hall Management Committee, Parish Council, Wixfield Park Residents Association and Neighbourhood watch including a weekly Art Class, monthly Coffee Mornings and 6 monthly Quiz Nights. Life of the Church A service of Holy is held in the Church every month and a fellowship service rotates round the local Benefice churches every four months. Our open nave space is also ideal for special event services either locally or for the Benefice. Our regular worshippers are keen to encourage others to join in as happens for special occasions such as Harvest Festival or Candlelit Carol Service. Carol singing round the village is also well supported. The hymn books normally used are the Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New. There is a PCC and a church Friends organisation which provides an informative guide for visitors drawn to our historic building. In the past year there has been one Wedding, one Baptism and one Funeral
St Mary s Church, Offton The Church Offton is a rural farming parish with woodland set in undulating countryside. The church is noted in the Little Doomsday Book and is Grade 1 listed. The evolution of the building shows distinguishing features from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, and considerable reordering in the 19th century. For our part, the church now has heating, comfortable cushions on the pews, a useful open space at the back, and an extension giving disabled access, a kitchen and lavatory. There are eight bells which are rung regularly. The church is in good repair and we can meet the current requirements of the Quinquennial work from our reserves. The Parish The parish covers an area of approximately three and a half miles by one mile, and it fits fairly centrally within the eight parishes of the benefice. The adult population is about 320 spread over a wide area. Many of those adults have children, but there are quite a lot of retired people in the community. There is no school or shop, and the local public house is on the Willisham border. We have an excellent new village hall, which we share with Willisham, and it contains a small room that would be very suitable for an aspect of church away from the formal building. This village hall has become the hub for social life in Offton and is widely used. Church Activity There are three regular services each month on consecutive Sundays. The congregation varies from ten to fifteen plus some children, except for Festival Services when we get 60 70 people. The church seats 90 without additional seats being put out. We are middle church but are always ready to try other ideas. There are no other places of worship in the parish. There is visiting and caring by church members in the community but not on an organized basis. There is no special group for young families although there is a need and a good village hall to facilitate it. The church fundraising events such as the annual Fete in the churchyard, and Quizzes in the village hall, are well supported. There are also some musical evenings in the church,which has good acoustics, and church members actively assist in the running of village events such as the Pensioner s Christmas Party and the Harvest Supper. The Church also runs an annual competition of fete games, which brings together the eight parishes and gives prize money towards fulfilling their quota. PCC benefits from the guidance of the priest at their meetings but is able to operate independently. There is an innate good feeling towards their church in the community, and though most parishioners are latent, skeptical, non-contributing Church of England, there are a significant number who come to Festival Services, to church events, and who serve in manyother ways. There are also supporters whose main interest is in the welfare of the building.
St Catherine s Church, Ringshall The Church The present church building has been standing in the centre of the village for more than 7 centuries and parts of it can be dated back to around 1175. It is geographically in the centre of this small and widespread community although the village housing is not centred round the church. The underlying fabric is Norman and the Church is Grade 1 listed. Over the centuries many repairs and restoration projects have taken place, including the total replacement of the nave, chancel and South porch roofs in 2005-6. Along with the installation of new rainwater goods and drainage a new heating system was installed in 2011. The Parish The village has an estimated population of 390 adults. There are 125 houses, almost all of which are privately owned and are mostly detached properties. There is no local employment with people travelling to local towns for work or commuting into London. The Ringshall primary school has approximately 109 pupils. The children are not only from Ringshall, but also from surrounding villages and the nearby Army base at Wattisham Flying Station. The children are aged from 5-9 years. The previous incumbent led assembly at the school twice a month. The local village hall, which is run by a management committee, is home to many activities, Parish Council and neighbourhood watch. It is used by the church for fund raising events. There is a thriving drama club and bowls club amongst many other groups and organisations. Life of the Church Holy at 9.30am, using the Book of Common Worship, is held on the 4th Sunday of every month. Family service is held on a rotational basis with three other parishes in the group. Fifth Sunday services are held in rotation with the seven other parishes in the group and take the form of Holy. Average attendance for the regular Holy Service is 13 but very much larger congregations attend festivals, rotational Family service and the services held on the 5th Sunday. The hymn booked used is the Complete Anglican- Hymns Old and New.. There is one lay Elder is the Parish. There are 23 people on the electoral role The Parish Magazine is shared with 3 other parishes in our group. The occasional services held in the last year include 1 Baptisms and 2 Funerals.
St Mary s Church, Somersham The Church St Mary s church stands on the eastern edge of Somersham village some hundred metres up Church Lane from the main road running through the village; placed on the gently sloping north facing hillside it is seen to perfection amongst ancient chestnut tree and conifers. A substantial part of the present building has served villagers since the thirteenth century, though a church here is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The church is a simple rustic building with flint rubble walls exposed on the tower but protected elsewhere with lime cement rendering. The PCC do their best to keep the church in good order and, since the addition of under pew heating and cushions, it is a comfortable church to worship in and, although only occasionally full, can seat up to about 100 people. Parish Somersham is the largest village in the parish grouping with a population of 700 people living in predominately (85%) private housing. There is a primary school in the village which feeds pupils up to Claydon High school. There is some employment available in a local garage, some other small private enterprises and the school. There is a village hall which is run by the village hall management committee and plays host to the Parish Council. Other organisations in the village include the Community Association, Neighbourhood Watch, Parent and Toddler Group, Over 60 s club, bowls, football, tennis, cycle speedway and gardening clubs. A French twinning group, started in 2000, sees around 40 local residents taking part in an annual exchange. There is a pavilion for the sports clubs, as well as football pitches and 2 tennis courts. There is a well-supported community shop, staffed by volunteers, with a paid manager. It sells locally sourced produce as well as everyday essentials, and has a café area where tea & chat afternoons are held monthly through the winter. Life of the Church Morning Prayer, Holy and Family services are held in the church every month. The hymn books normally used are Ancient and Modern New Standard and Junior Praise There is one Reader (see Flowton) who takes regular services along with the PCC, a fundraising committee and benefice choir. The occasional services held during the year included 4 Baptisms, 1 wedding and 5 funerals. A very successful Open the Book scheme run jointly by members of the Church and Baptist Church takes bible stories into the village school each week. The church is also used for school celebrations of Harvest, Christingle and end of school year. The church is well supported for fund raising events, and attracts larger congregations at Easter, Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas.
St Mary s Church Willisham Building The church is situated approximately a quarter of a mile from the main cluster of houses. There is a small car park available just outside the churchyard. The present church was built in 1878 (on the site of a much earlier building) and was designed by Herbert Green. However, the Doomsday Book records a church in Willlisham and it is possible, therefore, that Christian worship has taken place on the same site since 11th century. All that remains of the old church is the beautiful octagonal font. The church seats approximately 100. The Parish Willisham is a small rural community with about 104 homes and an approximate population of 365. A large percentage of the village population is retired. There is not much local employment so those who do work mostly commute to larger local towns or cities. Willisham residents share a new village hall which is situated in the neighbouring village of Offton. The Rectory is located in Willisham and for the past few years, the grounds have been used for Willisham Church Fund Raising events. The events have been very well attended by people from the village who appreciate the central venue. Life of the Church Willisham Church is supported by a small, loyal PCC who work hard to maintain the building and serve the community. A Holy service is held monthly in the Church along with the rotational family/fellowship service and 5th Sunday services. The hymn books used are Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard version and Junior Praise. The church is fully supported for fund raising events and attracts irregular worshipers at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. Aims The PCC at St. Mary s Willisham involve and encourage non-church going Willisham residents to become involved in church fund raising and community events. It is our hope that these people might then feel some connection with the church and then want to become part of the church.