Introduction Lincolnshire is the second largest county in England, stretching from the Humber in the North to the Wash in the South and from Nottinghamshire and Rutland in the West to the coast of the North Sea in the East. The county is coterminous with the Diocese of Lincoln. It has a huge variety of landscapes, from the industrial North with towns like Scunthorpe and Grimsby, to the rolling Wolds, and from the mother church of the diocese, the Cathedral, situated at the top of Steep Hill in Lincoln, to long flat coastlines and the fens to the east and south.
South Holland is in the south east corner of the county, and like its namesake across the North Sea is largely reclaimed from the sea, flat and criss-crossed with a network of drainage channels, dykes and roads. The wide horizons give both spectacular sunsets and sunrises. A great variety of cereals, vegetables, bulbs and flowers are grown in the fertile fields. Spalding is the principal town in the district with many Georgian houses, shops and a market. Tree-lined footpaths follow the River Welland and a water taxi runs from the town centre to Springfields Shopping Outlet on the edge of the town. The sea coast, including the lovely resorts of North Norfolk, is within easy reach, being 45 miles or so by car. The communities are largely rural and there is little unemployment, though much of the work is low paid. Some are employed in farming and the large number of food processing industries in the area, whilst other people commute to the surrounding larger towns, or even to London. Many of the newcomers, who are retired, come from the south chiefly because the housing is more affordable and they have found a warm welcome from the people of the Fens. As an area previously renowned for growing tulips there are a number of spectacular and very well-supported church flower festivals in South Holland. The area has also attracted a number of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Spain and Portugal, many of whom work in the farming, haulage and food processing industries but many of whom are now running successful local businesses or are utilising their professional skills. The assimilation of these incomers has posed some problems in the towns but not in these villages.
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Local Facilities Medical Care There are chemists and doctors’ surgeries in Holbeach, and a doctors’ surgery with a pharmacy in Moulton. NHS hospitals are the Johnson Community Hospital in Spalding, the Peterborough City Hospital in Peterborough, the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, and Queen Elizabeth in Kings Lynn (Norfolk) – all within easy reach and in Holbeach there is a Cottage Hospital.
Education The children within the parishes generally attend their local primary schools. There is a county Primary School in Moulton (240 on roll) and in Moulton Chapel (80 on roll) and a Church of England Primary School in Whaplode (200 on roll). The children from Holbeach St Johns attend the primary school in Sutton St James, 3 miles away, as the village school was closed in the 1980’s. Both Moulton and Whaplode School have independently run Pre-schools which operate from sites in the school playgrounds. The one in Moulton also offers wrap-around and holiday care. Lincolnshire still maintains a selective system at 11+ and pupils travel into Spalding Grammar School (for boys) and Spalding High School (for girls). Other local secondary schools are the University of Lincoln Academy in Holbeach, Sir John Gleed School in Spalding and the Peele Community College in Long Sutton. There is also an independent fee-paying Grammar School in Wisbech, catering for children up to age 18 with an infant section for age 4+. There is also a secondary school for children with moderate learning difficulties and a 4-18 school for those with severe learning difficulties in Spalding.
Communications Apart from the A17, which bisects the parishes of Moulton and Whaplode, the roads are largely rural and used by agricultural, domestic and an increasing amount of commercial traffic serving the local food producing industry. Rail connections to London and the Midlands are from Spalding and Peterborough. The journey to Kings Cross takes 50 minutes from Peterborough. There is a bus service which runs between Kings Lynn and Spalding which travels through Holbeach, Whaplode and Moulton with up to three buses an hour on weekdays and Saturdays, between 7am and 7pm, and at least one per hour on Sundays between 9am and 6pm. For the outlying villages Call-Connect is an ‘on demand’ bus service that operates in response to pre-booked requests. There is no fixed timetable as the route the bus takes is defined by passenger demand and can differ each day. The major city centres of Peterborough (20 miles), Lincoln (40 miles) and Cambridge (50 miles) are within reach by road. There are good shopping areas in Spalding and Holbeach and, slightly further afield, in Boston and Kings Lynn.
The New Benefice – The Elloe Stone Parishes. With the appointment of a new incumbent, a new benefice will be created – consisting of Moulton, Moulton Chapel, Whaplode and Holbeach St Johns. The 4 parishes have been consulted about a name for their new benefice: The Elloe Stone being a unique, and yet often overlooked, heritage monument that dates back to the first century. It is sited on Spalding Gate on the boundary between the two original deaneries which is also the boundary between the parishes of Whaplode and Moulton. It marked the meeting point for local elders; a place where counsel was taken, justice dispensed and information shared; hence an ancient and fitting title for the new benefice. 3
The two Moulton parishes are currently in the process of moving from the deanery of Elloe West into the deanery of Elloe East as the first stage of the formation of the new benefice. The formation of the benefice has been fully discussed by all the parishes and agreed by all the PCCs. Bringing the parishes together will be a challenge for both the new incumbent and the people, but there is a remarkable degree of consensus that this is the right way forward for the deanery. The parishes are all looking forward to having a new incumbent but are inevitably concerned about how it will all work out in practice. We do not expect it to be easy and there may be unforeseen hitches, but by the grace of God and the commitment and good will of the people, we very much want it to succeed. One of the key roles of the new incumbent will be to enable this to happen and to support and encourage the parishes as they come to terms with any changes. The villages of Moulton and Whaplode are only 2 miles apart and the journey by car from church porch to church gate takes only 4 minutes. Moulton Chapel is 4 miles to the south, and Holbeach St Johns 5 miles SE from Whaplode. The benefice will benefit from the additional ministry of an Ordained Local Minister, Reverend Barbara Hutchinson, who lives in Whaplode and has been linked with the parishes of Whaplode and Holbeach St John’s throughout her training, and also from a Non Stipendiary Minister, the Reverend Erica Crust, who has just completed her curacy in the Moulton benefice. Barbara currently works part-time as a hospital chaplain in Boston and so cannot contribute as much local ministry and Sunday duties as she has in the past, though she likes to be available one Sunday each month. Erica is the nurse manager of the children’s unit at Peterborough City Hospital and gives very generously of her time both on Sundays and weekday evenings.
2012 Parish statistics (2013 Electoral Roll figures) Population 2011 census
ER
ASA
Baptisms
Weddings
Funerals
Moulton
2,400
103
58
14
6
19 + 7 crem
Moulton Chapel
880
16
10
1
3
0 + 2 crem
Whaplode
2,400
77
32
13
3
13
Holbeach St Johns
480
27
14
1
1
2
Current Service Patterns The table below shows the current service pattern. One of the first tasks of the new incumbent in conjunction with the PCCs will be to devise a sustainable pattern of services across the benefice. 1st Sun
Moulton
M Chapel
Whaplode
H St Johns
8.15 BCP HC
6.30 HC
8.00 BCP HC
-
10.00 Family Service
10.30 Family Service
2nd Sun
10.00 HC
-
10.30 HC
9.15 HC
3rd Sun
10.00 HC
6.30 Evensong
10.30 HC
-
4th Sun
10.00 HC
-
10.30 HC
9.15 HC
6.30 Be Still 5th Sun
4
10.00 Benefice HC
10.30 Matins
Map of the parish boundaries
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The Parish of All Saints Moulton Moulton is a delightful village with a traditional village green situated on the south side of the A151, 3.5 miles East of Spalding (grid ref 305241). It is also home to many large farm businesses, including the biggest growers of celeriac in the country, an onion factory and Gardmans, who make various garden and wild bird feeding products. The village of Moulton Seas End is 2 miles north of Moulton and is part of the parish of All Saints. The villages have a good mix of young families with older and retired people. Moulton boasts the tallest windmill in England; it has been restored to working order through the efforts of local enthusiasts and is a popular tourist attraction. It also hosts patchwork classes as well as various social and fund-raising events. Moulton has a pub, hairdresser, butcher’s shop, fish and chip shop and a post office/mini market. There is a residential care home, Abbeygate, which caters for about 24 people. The Moulton Harrox Sports and Social Club own a large sports field and club house in the village and invite all villagers to become club members for a small annual fee which entitles them to use the facilities and join any of the many organised sporting activities and coaching on offer. There is a very active Community Centre and Village Hall in Moulton run by a Management Committee of Trustees. Amongst other events these host a twice weekly parent and toddler group, the full range of uniformed organisations and lots of fitness and other activities. The church is able to hire the hall for social and fund-raising events. There is a play area, a community run playing field and a pub in Moulton Seas End and also a Village Hall with a full programme of activities.
The Church Building All Saints Moulton, known as ‘The Queen of the Fens’ is in a conservation area at the heart of the village and dates back to the 12th century. It is long and lofty and can be difficult to heat, in spite of the new system installed in 2011. The building is very well maintained by an excellent fabric committee. Most of the roof was repaired and replaced after a tornado (Act of God?) in 2005. Most of the windows have been restored in recent years and there is an on-going battle against woodworm and rot in the pews and pew floors. We are currently working towards providing permanent disability access to the west door. Expensive 6
maintenance work needs to be done to the six bells in the tower, which are regularly rung for services. We expect to replace the organ with a new electronic organ in the near future, funded by a legacy. The closed churchyard is maintained by the Parish Council, as is the extensive cemetery (about 500m from the church). Although the inside of the church is very traditional, we removed the pews from the north aisle in order to give scope for a children’s area, an area for meals etc. The South aisle has a chapel set aside for prayer and, at the West end there is a choir vestry/meeting room, adjacent to the kitchen and toilet. We have four fonts! The church is open daily from 9 am until dusk. The Harrox Window
Moulton Seas End no longer has a church building, though part of the old school which is currently the Village Hall used to be consecrated for worship.
The Church Community All Saints has a committed congregation with an average weekly attendance of 50+ (including up to 10 children) with 103 names on the Electoral Roll. We enjoy familiar patterns of worship but are open to a variety of liturgy based on Common Worship. Our main Communion Service uses seasonal service sheets using Common Worship order 1 and material from Times and Seasons. The parish produces a weekly pew sheet containing the readings for the principle service plus details of all the services and events running in both the Moulton parishes. Our churchmanship is ‘central’ and we value Eucharistic worship and Bible-based teaching Our sung worship, including the Eucharist, is led by an organ and robed choir (20 members). Choir practice is on Fridays from 6.15 – 7.15pm. We use Hymns Old and New and sing a wide range of traditional and modern music. The PCC and the ministry team work actively with the incumbent in developing worship and exploring new initiatives. We are rich in human resources. Lay people are involved weekly in reading lessons, leading intercessions, assisting at the Eucharist as well as sideman’s duties, welcoming (all services including Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals) and hospitality etc.
We are committed to making children welcome in our church by; • Having a dedicated children’s corner in the north aisle where parents and young children can sit during services; 7
• Offering KidZone, which meets most Sundays in the choir vestry with teaching and activities based on material from ‘Roots’; • Inviting children (aged 7+) to sing in our choir; • Admitting into communion children (aged 8+) whose families worship with us on a regular basis; • Involving them in active participation in our monthly Church Family Worship service; • Inviting their families to a monthly Messy Church on a Saturday afternoon; • Inviting those with babies and pre-school children to TotZone, which is a weekly session that meets for toddler-friendly worship and play; • Encouraging the Primary school to use the church for special services and curriculum visits; We would love to develop our engagement with secondary school aged young people.
Here are some of the things people say about our church: “My husband and I worship at All Saints. It was the first church we went to when we moved and we have met many lovely people and would never change”. “Children are our church’s present and future and they should be encouraged and nourished. A new priest must embrace families. As a Children’s Leader at All Saints I am looking forward to working with the new priest to keep this work going strong in the future.” “We moved to Moulton in 1985, renting a house temporarily while our new house in Weston was completed. We started to attend Moulton All Saints and were made to feel so welcome that we have continued to worship there”. “We enjoy the Church community – the sermons, plus the beauty of the Church”. “I feel that God sent me to Moulton Church. I feel that God has given us a great blessing in Friendship and many Christian friends. Moulton is special - the Holy Spirit moves there”.
Current Worship Pattern 1st Sunday
8.15am
Holy Communion (BCP) (8–12 people)
10.00am
Church Family Worship (40-50 people)
2 Sunday
10.00am
Holy Communion (CW order 1) (50-60 people)
3rd Sunday
10.00am
Holy communion (CW order 1) (50-60 people)
4th Sunday
10.00am
Holy Communion (CW order 1) (50-60 people)
6.30pm
Be Still – a quiet, contemplative service ( 6-8 people)
10.00am
Benefice Communion alternating between All Saints and St. James
nd
5th Sunday 8
We also have an Informal Communion Service on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 10.00 which is followed by the ministry team taking communion out to the housebound. On the 4th Wednesday of the month we have a service at Abbeygate Care Home which alternates between Communion and a Service of the word led by members of the Ministry team and the Mother’s Union. We value having services every day during Holy Week, and our annual memorial service at All Souls tide and our Village Carol Service are very well attended. The Ministry team is comprised of Reverend Erica Crust (NSM) and 8 authorised lay ministers (ALMs) and meets bi-monthly (monthly during the vacancy) to pray, to plan and to reflect on their ministry. Most ALMs have completed the worship and pastoral visiting courses. The ministry team leads worship at Abbeygate, the monthly ‘Be Still’ service and many Church Family Worship services. They share in the taking of Home Communions, are responsible for our pastoral care network and share in bereavement and other visiting as requested by the incumbent and during the vacancy have maintained links with the school.
Discipleship, Nurture, Fellowship and Fundraising We hold regular Bible study or film groups as well as Lent groups. We have run an Emmaus confirmation group most years for the past 7 years and have recently begun to have an annual Awayday for reflection, planning, spiritual refreshment etc. The All Saints Guild ladies group, the Mother’s Union and the Men’s group meet monthly and Sew & Sews (a fundraising and fellowship craft group) meets weekly. We hold a coffee morning on the 1st Saturday of each month, a Come and Join us Lunch about four times a year on a Saturday and an Autumn Fair. We also hold Lent Lunches on Fridays during Lent and Harvest Thanksgiving lunches on Fridays during October both of which contribute to our Lent and Harvest charity appeals. Our major fund-raising event is our annual Flower Festival which runs for 10 days leading up to and including Spring Bank Holiday Monday. This is a wonderful event, very popular with local people and tourists, when the whole community comes together to decorate the church, staff the stalls and contribute to the catering, at which we manage to raise between £4,000 – £6,000 for church funds. We have a pro-active Fabric Committee plus rotas for welcoming, sidesmen, after service coffee, dusting, vacuuming, flowers, Spring cleaning, churchyard tidying and special occasion catering.
Community and Outreach ‘Village Voice’ is a free monthly community magazine which has developed in scope over the last 7 years and is now delivered to every house in Moulton, Moulton Chapel, Moulton Seas End, Weston, Weston Hills and Cowbit and is fully funded by local advertising and sponsorship.
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A group from the church run a monthly ‘Sing-song’ at Abbeygate as well as the monthly services and church members are involved in running the Community Centre, the Mill and the village Tots and Carers group. We support the Agapecare Foodbank in Spalding with regular donations and support many local, national and international charities with three major appeals each year. We have a cordial relationship with the small Methodist Church in Moulton and though the school is not a church school, the incumbent is invited to take occasional assemblies and in recent years has developed an on-going programme of curriculum based visits to the church. The school also uses the church for special services.
Church finances We want to be a generous church. We pay our Parish Share in full. Although our finances seem to be in a healthy condition, our outgoings are sometimes greater than our income. The last Stewardship campaign was disappointing but this was partly because people were already very generous. 68 households contribute to the Planned Giving scheme. Copies of the church accounts can be seen on request.
The Parish of St James Moulton Chapel The village of Moulton Chapel is about 4 miles south of Moulton and is a rural and very welcoming community. There are many who choose to retire to this area as good quality housing is available at a reasonable price. There is a shop/post office, a school, a playing field, two public houses and a Methodist Church. There is no church hall but the newly built Youth and Community Centre is available to use for all our church social events. Various classes, the youth club and senior citizens also use the centre.
The Church Building The church building is unique by virtue of its octagonal shape. Built in 1722 of red brick with a high pitched roof and open bell turret, the inside has a gallery which helps create a cosy characterful environment. The ground floor has pews and some beautiful stained glass windows. It sits in an oval shaped grass area surrounded by hedges both of which are maintained by local volunteers. There is a need for some extensive repair work to the roof and walls which will be known in detail upon completion of the recent Quinquennial report.
The Church Community The average number of worshippers is ten, and their ages range from 45 – 80 years. Special services such as Harvest, Easter and Christmas generate greater attendance and we are sometimes joined by Moulton for a United Benefice service. Our links with the nearby Methodist Church are excellent and we join them for Remembrance Sunday and they join us for Good Friday. 10
The Church wardens are diligent, conscientious and strongly supportive of the clergy. There is a hardworking PCC who are much appreciated for the social functions they put on for the wider community. Each year we hold a Spring Flower Festival, a Harvest Supper and Christmas bingo. A Jubilee dinner and disco were held in conjunction with the Methodist Church and this year we held a garden party. All these events are looked forward to and well supported. Visiting worshippers love the cosy feel of the small church and are always happy to return and it is much appreciated for intimate rural weddings. The church has good links with the school and the incumbent is invited to lead assemblies. The school hold their Harvest Festival in the church and the church joins in with their Summer fair. The overriding theme in feedback from the worshippers with regard to how they view our little church is one of welcome. Comments included: “I have come to St James since I was baptized over 70 years ago. It is such a lovely welcoming Church and very dear to my heart” “Moulton Chapel is a very friendly Church and all who come here are made very welcome.” “This church has given me a new lease of life and made me feel wanted.” “St James’s Church - lovely fond memories, feels like home”. “I live a short distance from St James Church, and whilst I usually worship at All Saints, the chance to worship at St. James (eg. For Benefice services) is very much enjoyed. St James is a beautiful yet interesting piece of architecture and for it to be filled with voices praising God, is a joy”.
Current Worship Pattern We currently have two services a month (Communion 1st Sunday and Evensong 3rd Sunday) both at 6.30pm and their traditional content is very important to us. We use the same seasonal orders of service for communion as are used in All Saints (CW order 1) and BCP Evensong, but always use the readings for the Principle service. We use the New English hymnal.
The Parish of St Mary’s Whaplode The parish of Whaplode consists of the village of Whaplode and the hamlets of Whaplode St Catherine to the South and Saracens Head to the North. Whaplode is a small, but growing village situated both sides of the A151, just off the A17. The village has a number of amenities which include two petrol stations with shops attached, one of which is the Co-op which houses the village post office, one pub, a Chinese take away and an Indian restaurant and take away. There are haulage companies, light engineering works, horticulture and agriculture and many other businesses also in the village. The village has a newly refurbished village hall, which is located next to 11
the church, with conference facilities, with a capacity of between 50-150 depending on the event, which can be hired and is used by regular groups. The groups include the Women's Institute, Coffee Pot Club, 55 Club, Bingo, New-age Kurling and a Film Club plus various dance/exercise classes and more recently a youth club for 6-16 year olds. The Heraldic Suite in the church also has groups using it including the St Mary's Guild, the Book Club and the Flower Club. There is a small playing field in the village with an area to play football and the usual basic play equipment which is run and maintained by its own committee. Whaplode Primary School is a Church of England school and has 196 children on roll. We have a very good relationship with the school and encourage as much use of the church as possible. The school uses the church for their special services including Christingle, harvest festival and also for their Christmas concert. They visit the church for educational purposes to look at architecture and history. The current priest and the ordained local minister go into the school on a regular basis. A new head began her appointment in September 2013 and she is very much looking forward to working with a new incumbent. The school site also houses the village's Pre-School. We encourage the Pre-School to use the church and they join the school for their special services and hold their end of term teddy bears picnic in the church grounds. Both Saracens Head and Whaplode St Catherine are hamlets but they have their own village halls/community centres with various activities and each has a well-supported public house.
The Church Building Even in an area nationally famous for its fine churches, St. Mary's at Whaplode is outstanding. First constructed around 1130, its’ impressive array of late Norman and Early English architecture is almost without rival in Lincolnshire. What makes St. Mary's especially fascinating, however, is the way it grew and changed in subsequent centuries: every stage in its nearly 900 years of complex and often turbulent development has left its mark on the fabric, making it a stone text-book of local history. There are many areas of interest inside the church most notably are the Irby Tomb and the consecrated altar stone (Mensa Tablet). The bell tower has a peal of 6 bells, which are rung regularly by local ringers. The clock is within this tower and the church has recently raised money to reinstate the hourly chimes (between 8am and 9pm), and to power the clock so that it no longer needs to be hand wound. An internal meeting room, the Heraldic Suite, was added in 2005 and has independent heating, a toilet and kitchen facilities. It is widely used for community events and church meetings. Over the last 25 years we have carried out the majority of the Quinquennial recommendations and the next is due in September 2013. We are expecting it to suggest external pointing, minor window repairs, odd roof leaks and death watch beetle monitoring to be the major items. Five years ago the majority of our lighting and power points were condemned and disconnected and a temporary system installed. Since then we have been both searching for an 12
acceptable design and raising funds. We have now raised 90% of the required £36-40,000 costs and expect to start work in September. We have an open church policy and are open from 9am daily and have extensive security systems in place. We have put a considerable amount of time and effort into maintaining our fabric over the years and also in developing our ministry to tourists. The churchyard was closed for burials at the end of the 1890's, at the time the public cemetery on the A151 was opened and the churchyard has been cleared of most of the gravestones. In 1980 an area was created for the burial of cremated remains. The parish council are responsible for the maintenance of the churchyard and currently pay the PCC an annual fee to manage it, though they will from time to time fund path, wall, gate repairs and tree works if asked.
The Church Community The church has a low to middle church tradition. We currently use Common Worship Holy Communion Order 2. There is a regular congregation of 32 adults and 4 children with 77 names on the electoral roll and 12 members of the PCC. Whaplode Sunday Group for children meets in church most Sundays either at the children’s table or in the Heraldic Suite if they need to do more noisy activities and uses material from “Searchlights”. The Reverend Barbara Hutchinson (OLM) lives in the village and works part time as a hospital chaplain at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston. We have three Authorised Lay Ministers, two Churchwardens and sides people who can also act as vergers, a small adult choir affiliated to the RSCM and two organists, plus others who can play for funerals and special occasions. The current hymn book used is Complete Anglican Hymns Old & New.
The congregation of St Mary's hold some successful social and fundraising activities which are well supported by the local community and bring in much needed funds. These include Snow Drop Walks in February, an August bank holiday Flower Festival with a hog roast to close and a race night in November and a couple of well supported concerts each year. We also produce a monthly magazine. St Mary's has always managed to pay its parish share, although occasionally we have had to dip into our reserves, particularly when we have had a high number of quinquennial recommended repairs to carry out. Further details of the individual church accounts can be made available if required. The church is supported by generous grants from The Mary Bass Trust, a local charity that helps with the annual insurance premium and contributes towards any agreed necessary repairs and major building work. 13
Here are some of the things people say about our church: “I grew up and lived in Essex for 71 years so when we moved to Whaplode 4 years ago I missed my friends and family. As soon as I started to go to St Mary’s the people welcomed me and I soon had many new friends. They invited me to join the Coffee Pot Club in the Village hall where I got to meet more people. Whaplode is a lovely place to live.” “We moved to the area and visited various churches before deciding that we decided to join the congregation of St Mary’s. We enjoy the services and the friendliness of everyone is tremendous – we feel part of the community.” “I have attended St Mary’s for 40 years, since moving here. There have always been any very helpful and friendly parishioners here.”
Current Worship Pattern 1st Sunday
8am Holy Communion 10.30am Family service (often taken by ALM's)
2nd Sunday
10.30am Holy Communion
3rd Sunday
10.30am Holy Communion
4th Sunday
10.30am Holy Communion
5th Sunday
10.30am Morning Prayer
The Parish of Holbeach St Johns Holbeach St Johns is a small village with the main road from Holbeach to Crowland running through it. The population is fairly static though there has been some building development in the past 20 years. The only local facilities are the Church, the Village Hall and The Plough public house which are situated close together in the centre of the village. The village is surrounded by farms and nurseries. The well maintained Village Hall is used by the local WI, the Rainbow Club, the Church and other groups such as fitness and dog training and provides a well-respected hub for the activities of the village.
The Church Building and Community St Johns was built in 1847 and we have recently completed a significant rafter repair and a new roof on the Vestry. The electoral roll currently stands at 27, and the usual Sunday attendance for 2012 was 14 having increased from 6 over the past few years. This is as a result of new people in the village and reducing the number of services to 2 per month. We regard ourselves as a friendly and welcoming church which tries to interact strongly with other village groups and the very popular Parish Lunches held through the winter months in the village hall are an excellent example of this.
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The parish has few pastoral offices due to its small size but is used by locals whenever the need arises. There are two Churchwardens, an excellent organist and a group of regular readers on a rota for the services. There is an active PCC with a very capable secretary and treasurer and very willing members. There is a rota for the weekly cleaning and monthly provision of flowers. The church also produces a quarterly magazine which contains details of all the village activities and is delivered by hand to every house in the parish. St Johns Church is very highly regarded by the local community, even though they may not attend Sunday worship. The excellent support they give to fund-raising events clearly indicates their willingness to keep the church going. This was very evident when the church was in serious disrepair in the early nineties and a village restoration committee was formed and raised close to £15,000 to enable a full restoration to be achieved. We pride ourselves on always having paid our Parish Share in full on a regular basis and are in a financially sound position. Further details of the individual church accounts can be made available if required and the church has recently been supported by generous grants from various charities towards the building works mentioned. The church community would like to see their church doing some real work with younger people and their families and develop links with Sutton St James school and look at the possibility of developing some more ‘family-friendly’ worship. We very much want to build on what is already good about the life of our church and keep it very much the focal point at the heart of village life. Some quotes from our church community include: “Fellowship, friendship and fun” “Our church is the focal point of life in our village and our need at all times” “Your parish lunches are fantastic and offer a great sense of community spirit” “The church helps to bind the community in its hour of need” “We need to involve families with young children, we're all getting very old!” Current Worship Pattern We have a service of Holy Communion which is held at 9.15 on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month though the congregation has expressed a preference for the service to be at 9.00 in the future. We are keen to retain the 2 communion services each month and would like the opportunity to develop a more family-friendly service. At Harvest we have a Parish Lunch followed by our Harvest Festival in the afternoon and at Christmas we have a well-attended Carol Service.
The Deanery of Elloe East The Deanery of Elloe East currently has 16 parishes which will rise to 18 when Moulton and Moulton Chapel come into the deanery. There is an NSM priest in full time secular employment and an (OLM) locally ordained priest, who works part time as a hospital chaplain, and a further one in training. There are three Readers and two currently in training in the deanery but sadly no active 15
retired clergy, though we often borrow some from Elloe West! The Rural Dean is the Vicar of Holbeach – Reverend Rosamund Seal. Since 2007 Elloe East Deanery has worked closely with the Deanery of Elloe West and chapter meetings are held jointly, as is training for Authorized Lay Ministers. During 2012 the deaneries worked together on a joint Mission Area Plan (MAP) which will continue to be discussed and implemented during 2013/14. This post forms part of the implementation of the new MAP. The creation of a mission-focused post in Sutton Bridge with the village of Tydd St Mary, filled by Rev David Oxtoby in September 2013, divided up a larger group of parishes. This, and the subsequent vacancy in the benefice of Moulton, gave us an opportunity to reorganize the deanery in order to create a much more balanced work load for the stipendiary clergy. An informal meeting of all the church wardens and clergy of the parishes in Elloe East held in December 2012 revealed a remarkable degree of consensus for the plans, which will bring the parishes of Moulton and Mouton Chapel from the deanery of Elloe West into the deanery of Elloe East and will create 6 benefices each with a stipendiary minister. We had hoped to have all 6 in post by the end of 2013 but unfortunately one member of the clergy has had to retire earlier than she anticipated. However there is a real will among the laity to make the new plan work and to bring about a stability and a vision for the future. The 2012 MAP also looked at the following • Encouraging individual clergy and gifted and trained lay people to work towards developing a shared Specialist Ministry in such areas as work with young people, the elderly, hospital chaplaincy and encouraging stewardship and giving. • Collaboration between neighbouring parishes and their clergy and congregations using their natural allegiances and common interests with the formation of clusters or groups of parishes • Encouraging clergy and suitably gifted and trained laity to take on a chaplaincy role in the many secondary schools in the two deaneries. The development of Authorised Lay Ministry Training across the two deaneries utilising a Diocesan wide Foundation Course and Core Modules delivered by local tutors has resulted in lay people working with those from other parishes and sharing experiences and in some cases continuing to work together after they have been authorised and has significantly contributed to the good working relationships that exist between parishes. In the last 5 years 115 lay people have been authorized as lay ministers across the two deaneries. The vicar of Long Sutton has initiated a project to develop social cohesion across South Lincolnshire, www.fensociety.org in partnership with other statutory and voluntary bodies. The deanery also runs a very successful deanery schools mission (now planning its 5th year) where clergy and laity from across the deanery work together on a 3 day event offering six interactive workshops based on a well-known Old Testament bible story to year 4 children who are bussed in from all the local primary schools. There is also a deanery wide youth drama group ‘Redeemed’ which has put on various productions since 2009 and this year is also working with local schools to involve them in the 3 productions taking place within the deanery this Autumn. There are some very good examples of mutual support and co-operation within the deanery with colleagues supporting each other in stressful situations or sharing the burden of pastoral offices as 16
the need arises. The Diocese of Lincoln as a whole is also undergoing significant changes. We have a new diocesan bishop – Bishop Christopher Lowson who began his ministry among us in Nov 2011 and who has initiated a much needed strategic review of the administration and operation of the diocese. This has already resulted in significant changes and the setting up of implementation panels for all the important areas of the life of the diocese which began their work in 2013 and which will begin to be implemented in 2014. Bishop Christopher has pledged himself to be committed to supporting and developing parish ministry and keeping priests at the ‘coal-face’ and to encouraging the discipleship of all the people of God and helping us be ‘more Christ-like Christians’ (to use a phrase from one of our much admired previous bishops, Bishop Edward King).
The Vicarage(s) The new incumbent of the benefice will be offered a choice of vicarages! Both are solid 4 bedroomed family homes with two reception rooms, a kitchen, utility room, a study and a toilet downstairs plus a separate bathroom and toilet upstairs. They both have a single garage and were designed by the same architect and built in the 1980s. Whaplode vicarage is currently let and was recently refurbished to include a new kitchen and most flooring and carpets. It has a medium sized, easy to maintain garden with a gated drive and a footpath that leads from the back of the vicarage through the churchyard to the church. Moulton vicarage was refurbished 8 years ago and would need some further refurbishment in readiness for a new incumbent but stands in a wonderful, half-acre garden surrounded by mature trees and hedges. It has well maintained flower beds and shrubs, a well-established vegetable patch, fruit trees and space for a game of football! It is about 400m from the church and can be reached by a short walk through the churchyard.
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Job/Person Profile We hope that the person appointed will have many of the following strengths, to complement the gifts and enthusiasm of the lay people. •
The dedication and leadership to motivate, nurture and use people’s gifts to be eager servants of God in our rural communities.
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The ‘Common Touch’ to enable them to communicate with people from all kinds of backgrounds and to understand human nature.
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The foresight to help us grow spiritually, building on what we have and developing a vision for our future.
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The ability to develop outreach to the local schools and communities.
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The ability to encourage us in our ministry to children and young people and their families.
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The ability to discern and develop the gifts of lay people for collaborative ministry.
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A willingness to target time and patience to the people most in need.
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The ability to create and bond the new benefice
We look for a person of prayer, who is willing to be involved in all aspects of parish life both social and ministerial, with the wish to be ‘one of us’ in all that we do in God’s name. A good sense of humour and ability to take on the new challenges presented by the formation of a new benefice are vital. In return we offer our full and unqualified support as we all work together in moving forwards.
What we offer •
Prayer
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Loyalty
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Support
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Love and friendship
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Action
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Perseverance
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Cake!!
An enhanced DBS check is required and will need to be in place prior to the appointment. All parishes have adopted the current Diocesan policies on child protection and vulnerable adults. Being a car driver is essential and some financial acumen and IT skills are expected. Full expenses of office will be reimbursed. It is expected that the priest will have a regular weekly day off as well as taking their annual holiday entitlement. The importance of study leave and an annual retreat is recognised. They will be encouraged to use this provision to enhance their ministry and our own.
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