Rector’s Annual Report 2012-2013
Another year has flown by. It has been largely a time of consolidation and growth in initiatives already begun but 2013 and beyond promises further new mission initiatives when we welcome our new young curate, Dr Berkeley Zych to the Benefice in July. Bishop Stephen has chosen to base Berkeley in Feltwell to facilitate his diaconal and priestly formation however he will be fully engaged in parish life across the Benefice. His academic background and doctorate is in astrophysics and he is keen to facilitate conversation within the Benefice and the wider community about Faith and Science. He is also technology savvy and is very keen to help build and expand our outreach to children, youth and families.
Diocese:
Fee Structure from 2013
The new regulations for handling and payment of fees for weddings, funerals, headstones etc are now in force. Ken and I are maintaining a data base for each parish which we’ll pass on to parish treasurers each quarter so that they can complete the form and pay the correct fees to the EDBF and retain the PCCs proportions. Ken is now able to claim 80% of the EDBF contribution as a fee for weddings and funerals which is very good news for him.
Whilst the validity of ‘extra’ charges was unclear last year, the Rural Dean has now clarified that the PCC may legitimately levy an extra charge – up to £50 for heating/lighting per funeral and wedding and I think it is also legitimate for us to consider a H/L charge for stand alone Baptisms. Additional charging is a matter for each PCC to debate and resolve.
Deanery:
In the Deanery, the Rev’d Barbara Burton has replaced Father David Evans as Rural Dean. In the autumn of 2012 she engaged in a series of visitations to parishes along with the Deanery Lay Chair Leonard Allen. Many parishes had not been inspected for many years and this provided an opportunity for Barbara to meet with churchwardens and to offer some advice as to good practice with register keeping and other matters. She is especially keen that all registers – nit just marriage registers – be completed in registrars’ ink. Leonard and I will schedule a series of inspections of Barbara’s parishes after Easter.
The question of Deanery finance and Deanery planning [yes again!!!] is very much on the board. The last Deanery Synod was addressed by the Diocesan Secretary Graham Shorter who demonstrated that this deanery is subsidized by the Diocese to the tune of around £150,000. The continued shortfall in ministry share across the deanery is a huge cause for concern for all parishes as all are struggling to maintain payments with fewer and fewer resources. One positive mentioned by Mr Shorter was the possibility that the fees currently paid to the Ely Diocesan Board of Finance purportedly towards the incumbent’s stipend be offset against parishes’ ministry share. Given the large number of funerals [around 70] and a healthy number of weddings in this Benefice in the last year, this could be a real boon for us in lightening the financial burden on current parishioners which currently feels so oppressive.
At our next Deanery Chapter, incumbents will remain behind after the full meeting to begin thinking seriously about a revised Deanery Plan that will be sustainable and that will [hopefully] be endorsed by the ‘powers that be’. This will be a difficult process and we will need your prayers in establishing a sustainable way forward especially with some creative thinking about ways in which we may be able to tap into the Diocese’s new ‘mission pot’ in keeping clergy ‘on the ground’.
Benefice
Sadly we said farewell to the Ven Samuel and Mary Marsden from our Benefice Community in November. They were keen to move closer to family in Cornwall but the move was much quicker than we all expected due to the speedy sale of their Feltwell property. Samuel was a real asset to this Benefice during the two years he was with us – generous with his time in helping on the Sunday rota and with occasional services as well as adding a superb voice to the male section of the Benefice Choir. We are now ‘down’ to 2 priests as the other retired clergy who most generously helped us in the past, especially John Terry are now unable to do so. Christmas was a ‘reality check’ – the first time we were unable to find priests to cover all parishes for Christmas Eve Eucharist/Midnight Mass.
This has been a year of consolidation as well as growth especially in the area of children’s ministry. Messy Church is now very well established at Weeting Villlage Hall with a regular ‘congregation’ and more focused Christian teaching. Andy Hull’s ‘story hat’ continues to be a great success and the Christmas Party was a fantastic way to end 2012.
The ‘Aisle Project’ at Feltwell is moving ahead with the major submission placed before the DAC last Tuesday. It is incredibly exciting as well as daunting but the Aisle Team has worked very hard in garnering letter of support and potential use for this facility from village groups and from the wider community. Branding Feltwell as being ‘in the centre’ equidistant between Norwich, Kings Lynn, Bury and Cambridge has been helpful in reaching out to community groups wishing to have a base in this part of Norfolk. The Aisle committee and Feltwell PCC are hopeful that DAC approval will be finalised by mid year so that grant applications can be submitted and work can begin. My enormous thanks go to the Aisle Team – chair Sue Garland, Chris Parker, Terry Shapland and Jackie Reeve and to our long suffering architect Mark Cleveland.
The Aisle space is already in use. Terry Shapland organised a successful concert in…2012 and it has been used by Sue Garland’s daughter Lucy and her actor colleagues as a rehearsal space. It has also been used by the Friends and the PCC for several fundraisers. I am hoping to establish a second ‘Messy Church’ venue in the ‘Aisle’ come Autumn.
St Andrew’s Northwold’s English Heritage grant has been successful and my heartfelt thanks go to Northwold’s treasurer Tim Elliott for all his hard work in preparing such a detailed and professional submission and also to SARA – St Andrew’s Restoration Appeal – whose efforts at fundraising to support this project continue to be creative and frequent and most importantly involve the village community.
St James Hockwold have managed to get permission from the DAC to amend the original faculty to install a second much needed handrail on the steps leading up to the altar rails which will be of great assistance to elderly, less mobile parishioners. The coffee mornings at St James are proving to be a popular outreach into the village.
The new loo and kitchenette facilities at St George Methwold have greatly enhanced the level of hospitality we can offer in that parish especially for fundraisers and occasional services. Thanks to the Hood family, St Georges now have a lovely new rich red and gold carpet and thanks to Yvonne Brown of Feltwell a lovely new green altar frontal.
St Mary’s Weeting have done a fantastic job of fundraising in 2012 and the best part of that has been the positive outreach into the village with Quiz nights, open gardens, coffee mornings etc. Fourth Sunday family services continue to reach out to families and we have two Confirmation candidates from Weeting this year.
Highlights of 2012-13.
Pentecost Eucharist at the Norman School: The wonderful cooperation between St Andrew’s Northwold and the Norman School has really flourished this year with a number of fundraising events such as Beetle Drives been held in the school hall and well supported by the school community. We decided that it might be a good thing to try to bring the parish into the school for the Pentecost Family Eucharist. This proved to be a wonderful, joyful and definitely Spirit-filled celebration. The first part of the Eucharist – notably the penitential rite and the dramatic ‘sermon’ was ably put together and led by the students. Music was up beat with even the St Andrew’s congregation – along with the Rector- swaying and clapping like Pentecostalists! Carole Reich’s husband Fraser played the guitar and Harry Cator – year 6 - was on keyboard. After the upbeat feel of the liturgy of the Word, there was a reverent ‘hush’ among all the congregation at the Eucharistic prayer – you could almost ‘touch’ the feeling of holiness and Presence. Everybody either received communion or a blessing and there was a real sense of ‘communion’ and a ‘binding together’ of that congregation. Afterwards we all enjoyed a slice of ‘birthday cake’ for the Church made by one of the parents. We are planning to do this again for the Benefice though this year we may have to transfer to St Andrew’s for space – but we’ll see.
Diamond Jubilee Songs of Praise: We enjoyed an excellent Jubilee Songs of Praise led by Ken on 3rd June at St George’s Methwold in which we were taken back to the hymns and readings from the Coronation.
Cally Hammond’s visit: On July 29th we enjoyed a wonderful Benefice Eucharist at Northwold at which the Rev’d Dr Cally Hammond preached an excellent sermon on prayer featuring the Restoration Anglican Divine Jeremy Taylor.
Deanery Confirmation: On Pentecost Sunday eveningwe were blessed with glorious weather for the outdoor Deanery confirmation at Stow Hall. There were 18 candidates from across the deanery and 5 from this Benefice – Georgina Parker, Nelson Wilson and Danny Wilson from Northwold and Ben Rayner and Adam Moore from Feltwell. Bishop Lindsay from Walsingham brought his usual self deprecating humour to a very thoughtful sermon telling candidates ‘you are on the edge of glory’. The Deanery Choir made a cracking debut.
Children’s Pilgrimage to Walsingham: We took 9 children to Walsigham in March for the annual children’s pilgrimage. Three were there for day 1 only due to other commitments but 6 remained for the entire pilgrimage. The theme this year was ‘Joy’ – Jesus, Others, You. Apart from Fr Stephen sounding like a character from ‘Fr Ted’ every time he shouted ‘Jesus’ at the children – their enthusiastic response was ‘First’ it was an interesting theme which gave the children space to reflect on their relationship with Jesus and how this affects the way they live their lives for others. Unfortunately Andy Hull and I were really ill with ‘flu and our legs wouldn’t carry us on the Holy Mile on the Saturday morning but Trish and Weeting parent Alison Wilson did a superb job in holding the fort – and the huge Benefice banner – as the young pilgrims made their way from the Slipper Chapel to the Anglican Shrine, the older ones carrying the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. As usual there was a good mix of worship and fun, with the ‘inflatables’ proving popular again on the Saturday afternoon and the disco being also greatly enjoyed by old and young. Leon proved to be talented at karaoke. Bishop Lindsay gave the children sound teaching on the importance of the Eucharist and receiving Holy Communion which was especially valuable.
Altar servers: It is wonderful to see Nelson and Danny Wilson and Adam and Hannah Moore as regular altar servers at St Andrew’s and St Mary’s. After the children’s pilgrimage I have a couple more children in my ‘sights’ to train for this ministry.
Mirfield Pilgrims: On Saturday 16th-Sunday 17th March I hosted two young ordinands from the College of the Resurrection at Mirfield in Yorkshire who were on pilgrimage to Walsingham. It was very interesting to hear what is happening at this Anglo-Catholic college up north. One young man is especially keen to do a rural placement as part of his training and so I have invited him to consider this Benefice!! They in turn invited me to the College and I shall keep in touch with them and take up this invitation in the autumn when I hope to meet the college principal and have a ‘little chat’ about training ordinands for rural ministry and placing them in rural curacies. Never waste and opportunity to promote rural ministry training!!!!
Spirituality and Worship
Advent and Christmas services: Samuel’s departure in November left us a priest short coming into Advent so Advent and Christmas services had to be reshuffled. Despite not having a pool of retired clergy to draw on for additional midnight Masses, Christmas services went quite well across the Benefice. Despite anxieties and predictable reluctance to change amongst an minority of parishioners, the changes we made were well received and well patronised. The new Hockwold Christingle on December 23rd was especially successful as was the combined Posada/Christingle serice at Northwold on Christmas Eve. The Feltwell Christingle was less successful as it was combined with the Advent Carol service after the Festival of Light and the time – Sunday at 7.00pm was too late for many families preparing children for school. We’ll review that for 2013 and we will have our new curate on board by then who will be able to take non-Eucharistic services such as Christingle and crib services.
There were only two midnight Masses in the Benefice – Feltwell and Weeting and these were well attended with some parishioners from other benefice churches attending. Unfortunately, unless I can inveigle any retired clergy to venture out of Cambridge or Ely for Midnight Mass – probably unlikely as they will accept ‘altars’ closer to home, this year we will again have only 2 ‘midnight Masses’ in the Benefice. Those churches which did not have a Midnight Mass this year will be given priority.
Candles and health and safety at Christmas services: There was an unforeseen and unfortunate accident at the Christmas Eve crib service at Weeting where a child’s hair accidently caught alight from a small candle on a back table. Thankfully, due to the swift action of the child’s grandmother, the damage was minimised, however it had potential to have been very nasty indeed. The child’s family asked for a review of our risk assessment and health and safety policies to ensure that this does not happen again and this issue has been addressed at all PCCs and appropriate decisions have been taken and recorded with all but one PCC deciding to run with battery operated candles or glow sticks. Candles out of reach of children – ie on ledges etc are absolutely fine.
Holy Week and Easter 2012: By and large these went very well. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday could be better attended all round. The Easter Vigil was a joyful occasion with 5 members of the Parker-Wilson family being Baptised. Easter Day saw a baptism at Methwold and renewal of Baptismal vows and the blessing of the font and water as standard Anglican liturgical practice for Easter – I’m absolutely amazed that this still appears to surprise some people who persist in covering the font with flowers and are upset when the priest wants to bless the font and water!
Lent Groups 2013: This year our Benefice Ecumenical Lent group comprising Anglicans, Methodists and Roman Catholics looked at the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the perspective of Henri Nouwen’s Return of the Prodigal Son which is a series of reflections on Rembrandt’s painting of that name and Nouwen’s thoughts about how the parable and painting intersect from the points of view of both the sons and the father. It felt a bit like wading through treacle at times and we all found ourselves frustrated with Nouwen’s introspection which was a good thing really. There was lively discussion, sympathy for the older brother and it offered an opportunity for some sustained discussion of and reflection on a piece of Scripture. The sessions closed with Eucharist. Projecting ahead, it is envisaged that Berkeley will facilitate an Ecumenical Benefice group on Science and Faith sometime in the next year which I suspect will generate much interest.
Seasonal services: Harvest continues to draw large congregations who also enjoy supper and/or Harvest auction afterwards across all five parishes. Plough Monday at Northwold continues to be a delight with the Morris and Molly dancers and poetry readings bringing a light touch to the evening. I would love to raise the profile of the liturgical marking of the agricultural year with a blessing of crops/livestock/animals around Rogationtide – it was planned at Northwold a while back but a mad bull in the designated field made it a risky business. I would like to encourage PCCs to discuss this as I think it would be another way in which we could connect with the farming community – especially if we could organise refreshments.
Benefice services: After the decision was made at the end of 2011 from some PCC’s to scrap the monthly ‘Together at 10’ Eucharists and return to 5th Sundays only together there was a surprise revisiting of this decision from a PCC. This has resulted in a further round of discussions in all our PCCs and it has been agreed that in 2013 we will have an increased number of Together at 10 Eucharists, not only on 5th Sundays but on major feasts such as Pentecost and All Saints. This is coming from a realisation that some kind of Deanery restructure resulting in less clergy is more or less inevitable and that we need to find ways of worshipping together more frequently. At present we’re maintaining Sunday services in churches with DIY services of the word and of course in 18 months when Berkeley is ordained priest there will be provision for Eucharist in every parish every Sunday at least for the duration of his curacy – unless of course more parishes get tacked on to Grimshoe – a move I’m currently resisting. However Ken and my recent overlapping illnesses and Ken’s continued illness is showing up just how fragile we are in terms of maintaining a Sunday service and Eucharist in particular - in every church.