Archdeaconry of Hertford Buntingford Deanery

Profile of

The United Benefice of Ardeley, Benington, Cottered with Throcking, and Walkern

“So, when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.” Ephesians 4 v.16

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Welcome Do we have the opportunities you are looking for? Do you have the vision to enable us to grow together? The United Benefice of Ardeley, Benington, Cottered, Throcking and Walkern is nestled in rural East Hertfordshire. We are five small village parishes set in idyllic countryside but with excellent links to London and Cambridge. We are a young Benefice, having been created in 2012, and are looking for leadership to develop and grow our passion and commitment together. We are very proud of our beautiful churches and our welcoming congregations, and in the following pages we hope you will find much to interest you in the possibility of becoming our new Priest-In-Charge.

Contents Page Our Vision 1 Our Priorities 2 Challenges 2 What We Offer You 3 Our New Priest-in-Charge 3 The Benefice 4 The Rectory 4 Area Map 5 Service Patterns 6 2019 Financial Summary 6 2019 Attendance Statistics 7 Our Parishes St Lawrence Church, Ardeley St Peter’s Church, Benington St John The Baptist Church, Cottered Holy Trinity Church, Throcking The Church of St Mary, Walkern

8 10 12

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Our Vision Our mission is to share God’s love as we actively reach out to support each of the five village communities that we serve. Our vision is to continue to be a welcoming and diverse group of rural parishes serving local needs, demonstrating both individually and collectively a Christian witness that is relevant for the 21st century. Our aim is for each of our five parishes to maintain their different traditions of worship, while working more closely together. As a Benefice, we have identified the key areas which we wish to maintain, improve or develop and the challenges we face, which together are likely to shape our immediate future.

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Our Priorities Strategy

• To formulate a strategy for all five of our parishes to work together, by developing a Benefice-wide presence on social media, and through sharing newsletters, events and administrative burdens

• To grow numerically and financially, and to be encouraged by the stimulation of younger people to ensure our survival

• To further strengthen our ecumenical links

Worship • To develop our worship to ensure it appeals to the community, whilst maintaining

our regular worshipping communities

Children • To welcome and encourage the children of our parishes into our churches • To build on the opportunities we have already established for ministry to schools,

children and young families • To encourage teenagers in our Benefice to meet together in a Christian context

Connectivity • To develop outreach to, and pastoral support for, the lonely and isolated within

our community

Challenges Relevance

• To maintain a visible presence in our communities and for the knowledge and love of God to be seen to be relevant to people today

Sustainability • To maintain a continuity, variety and accessibility of worship that will fit into today’s

busy lives • To attract worshippers and enquirers of all ages, especially secondary and college

age, and to encourage parents to continue to worship with us after children have moved on

Succession • Developing current and new ministry teams • Bringing forward new people to be trained

Buildings • To ensure our churches are kept in good repair and continue to be fit for purpose

Money • To ensure an adequate finance stream to meet all our needs for the future

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What We Offer You • A very warm welcome from us, as we look forward to helping our next priest to

settle happily into their new home and Benefice • A comfortable 4 bedroomed home in a friendly village location • A strong foundation of caring, faithful and dedicated congregations • Enthusiastic and committed Churchwardens, supported by hardworking PCCs • An established lay ministry team and thriving Local Ecumenical partnership • An administrator whose role is being developed to support the priest further • A Benefice which celebrates its differences in worship styles • Vision and hope for the future as we enter a new chapter and grow together • Three primary schools, two of which are church schools • Five well-maintained historic church buildings set in the heart of each village • Financially well managed churches, even if a little short of money • Established local fund-raising organisations • A strong community spirit within each parish • An amazingly beautiful part of rural England to work in and call home

Our New Priest-In-Charge We are looking for someone who shares our vision for the future: someone who will join with us in God’s ministry to lead, facilitate and coordinate a living church and can also help us evolve to meet the needs of today’s world. You will be willing to learn about the challenges and joys of rural ministry, and leading a group of parishes, and can creatively encourage and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds with the love of God in Jesus Christ. You will be:

• a skilled and sensitive communicator: a good mixer, enabler and listener • an approachable team player: able to lead, delegate, motivate and inspire • able to foster good working relationships with a strong sense of humour • a strategic thinker willing to seek and identify new ideas for development • a leader of collaborative ministry involving Readers and Lay Leaders of Worship,

including a Local Ecumenical Partnership • comfortable with upholding several different worship traditions • able to demonstrate strong organisational skills • able to encourage and develop mission within our villages • open and inclusive in your approach • committed to an active role in our church schools and encouraging young people • able to facilitate pastoral care for the elderly, sick and bereaved • actively involved in the wider community as the visible face of the Church • able to embrace technology and social media for its potential to outreach

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The Benefice Each of our five village parishes has its own sense of community and identity, and its own PCC. However, we all share the aim of making the Gospel of Jesus Christ relevant and accessible to all who live in, work in and visit our villages. Benington and Walkern parishes between them benefit from three Readers, a retired member of the clergy, an active ministry team, membership of a Local Ecumenical Partnership, and a part time administrator. Cottered and Throcking parishes share the services of a Reader, while Ardeley parish is supported by a Reader and a non-resident retired clergyman. There are no retired clergy living in Ardeley, Cottered or Throcking, and all administrative and pastoral support in these parishes is undertaken by volunteers. For specific details about each of our villages and their local amenities, please see Our Parishes section.

The Rectory

The rectory at 1 Warren Lane, Cottered, SG9 9QA is a well-maintained detached home situated opposite the church, close to the centre of the village. Downstairs, the accommodation comprises an entrance lobby, cloakroom with toilet, hall, study, sitting room, kitchen/dining room and utility room. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, a bathroom with shower, and a separate toilet. The house benefits from oil-fired central heating, a detached single garage, a car port, and further off-street parking for 3 to 4 cars. A pleasant garden faces the church to one side, and overlooks farmland to the rear.

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Area Map

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Service Patterns We recognise the importance of work-life balance and have designed a service rota that will enable our new incumbent to conduct just two services each Sunday. The rota enables a Communion Service to take place in at least one church in the Benefice each week. Our Readers and Lay Leaders of Worship will continue to conduct and assist with services. The benefice has been accustomed to using Communion by Extension (also referred to as “Shared Communion”) and our Readers have received training in this ministry. As our patterns of worship develop on the arrival of a new priest, we would expect our practice in this area to be reviewed and developed as necessary. During the pandemic we have embraced regular services by Zoom and, looking ahead, would like to continue this outreach. Our 5th Sunday service is an area for development and opportunity. We would also like to see Baptism services reintegrated into our regular Church worship, to encourage growth and development. The suggested future monthly service pattern is as follows: Wk Walkern Benington Ardeley Cottered Throcking 1 11.00 All Age 11.00 09.30 11.00 - 2 09.30 08.00 BCP, 11.00 Family 09.30 - 11:00 TBA/TBA 3 9.30/09.30 08.00 BCP 09.30 11.00 - 4 09.30 11.00 09.30 Family 11:00 Family - Benefice Service inc. LEP at the time of churches regular service

Black Communion or other service, taken by our Incumbent Red Non-communion Service, taken by a Reader/Lay Minister Green Communion by Extension taken by a Reader, or other service taken by another Priest

2019 Financial Summary

Income Expenditure Reserves Parish Share

St Lawrence, Ardeley £44,498 £28,975 £52,242 £14,426

(paid in full)

St Peter’s, Benington £56,997 £55,137 £320,495 £17,184

(paid in full)

St John the Baptist, Cottered £21,994 £18,105 £4,190 £11,502

(paid £7,000)

Holy Trinity, Throcking £1,944 £1,138 £806 £3,376

(paid £0)

Church of St Mary, Walkern £37,657.36 £37,657.36 £35,301.55 £23,295.00

(paid £19,038.58)

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2019 Attendance Statistics

St Lawrence,

Ardeley St Peter’s, Benington

St John the Baptist, Cottered

Holy Trinity, Throcking

Church of St Mary, Walkern

Average Sunday attendance (16+)

26 21 20 13 28

Electoral Roll 39 45 19 5 57

Baptisms 5 8 4 - 2

Weddings 1 7 3 - 1

Funerals - 4 2 - 5

Crematorium Services - 1 1 - 3

Interment of Ashes 2 1 - - 6

Easter 56 61 18 18 69

Christmas Day 13 45 35 44 -

Christmas Eve Midnight Communion

57 - - - 49

Carol Service 94 160 70 - 161

School Christmas Service - 140 - - 221

Crib Service 85 109 68 - 81

Christingle 53 - 41 - 47

Thank you for reading our Benefice Profile, we hope you feel inspired

If you would like to have an informal conversation about this position, please contact The Venerable Janet Mackenzie, Archdeacon of Hertford at:

archdhert@stalbans.anglican.org or 01727 818159

This post is open to ordained clergy within the Church of England Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure

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St. Lawrence Church, Ardeley Our Mission: To create a church which is the support and focus for a caring community, growing spiritually in Christ’s way and welcoming to all. We regularly reflect on our activities and have a willingness to respond to change and fresh needs. We want to be a church that all can feel welcomed to, and fully part of, which continues to serve the whole parish pastorally - a church that is looking for opportunities to allow others to experience the possibilities opened up by faith and belief in God, and which is showing them how this can be made real in everyday life through the Gospel of Christ. Our Worship: St Lawrence has a Central Catholic tradition, with the use of vestments and incense. We celebrate Common Worship Eucharist regularly and are developing a less formal Eucharist, with children taking part in the Liturgy. Little Fishes (Junior Church) is

held in the Village Hall with the children joining the main service after the Peace and demonstrating their work before the Blessing. We have a well-established informal non-Eucharistic service of Family Worship, led by our Reader, in which our Church Music group participates. We also have a non-resident retired clergyman on our electoral roll, who conducts Eucharistic services. St Lawrence has an informal Family Outreach Group who explore new ways to attract families into the church services. They have

held open craft days and bring a friend to church week. Before major services they help contact all families in the parish, encouraging them to join us at services. The bells are rung regularly. Special services are held for various festivals and occasions, including Mothering Sunday, Good Friday, Remembrance Sunday and the Patronal Festival. Members of other Christian denominations are welcomed and worship regularly in our churches. We have a very generous congregation who work tirelessly to upkeep the church and undertake administrative tasks. We have a dedicated Safeguarding Officer.

Our Building: Ardeley undertook major repairs to the roof and south aisle in 2007, and further repairs to the Tower in 2018. The last quinquennial inspection was carried out in 2020 and directs our priorities.

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Our Community: The parish of Ardeley has a very strong community feel, as witnessed by the volunteer support group set up in the first COVID-19 lockdown. Historically we are an agricultural community and this is visible with a community interest farm, Church Farm, being a central part of Ardeley today. The farm offers a café, box scheme and camping in the summer. It is also home to Rural Care who provide work for adults with learning difficulties. The Jolly Waggoner pub serves local farm produce and locally brewed beers.

The population of approximately 425 comprises a mixture of young families, working families and the elderly. A monthly parish magazine is delivered to every house in the Parish and acts as a link, alongside the new “Everything Ardeley” & “Totally Cromer” face book pages. We have an active running group, WI, leisure group, Pilates and several book clubs. The village hall is situated in the centre of Ardeley.

We have an abundance of volunteers who give of their time and talents, and the involvement of the Church with the local community plays a vital role in maintaining its identity, providing a focal point for social and support activities. Our Cream Teas and Village Fete are enjoyed by visitors from far and wide. Our School: Ardeley has a Church of England, Voluntary Aided, Primary school & Nursery with approximately 80 pupils. The last SIAMS report was ‘Outstanding’ and the OFSTED

report was ‘Good’. We have a very strong relationship with the school. Foundation governor posts are always filled with well skilled people. All school leavers are given a bible to encourage their faith. A termly Eucharist is held at the church and the priest leads a highly valued weekly Collective Worship service at the school. School life is enriched with regular visits to the church and invitations to all church services and events.

Our Priorities: • To continue in collaborative ministry with our Reader, whilst growing new leaders of

worship and developing pastoral care leaders • To appoint someone open to bring new ideas, with a passion for rural ministry and

rural communities • To support the development of ministry to children and young people with a

willingness to take an active role in our church school

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St. Peter’s Church, Benington Our Mission: St Peter’s is focussed on serving our community. Energised and inspired by our Sunday worship, our Church is active in organising events and activities that bring the community together. In normal times these include a weekly coffee morning, a monthly lunch club and an annual Flower Festival with Open Gardens. The spin-off from these events is the formation of many groups who meet weekly. The Village Hall is the social hub of the village and is normally in constant use.An active and compassionate Pastoral Care team ensure that, for instance, new arrivals in the village are welcomed with flowers, and they provide a listening ear to all who need it. We have a long-standing Local Ecumenical Partnership, comprising St. Peter’s, St. Mary’s Walkern, the Methodist Church in Benington and the United Reformed Church in Walkern. There is an annual programme of events where the churches work together to provide joint services, Big Breakfasts for the week of prayer for Christian Unity and for Christian Aid week, and an annual pilgrimage between all churches in the benefice. We have a Facebook page and a joint website with St. Mary’s, Walkern. Our Worship: The churchmanship at Benington is in the liberal tradition. We share the service through use of intercessors, chalice bearers, servers and lesson readers. During the pandemic we have held the majority of our services by Zoom. Our monthly Saturday Club, for children from 4-11-year olds, is run by an enthusiastic team and attended by around 22 even more enthusiastic children! We have a Bible story, games, crafts, singing and always enjoy eating tea together. Children participate in the Family Service the following day.

Our People: Our PCC comprises 6 lay and 6 ex-officio members. We are lucky enough to have 1 retired but very active Baptist Minister, 1 Reader, 3 Lay Leaders of Worship, and 2 churchwardens alongside the Treasurer, Secretary, and a designated Safeguarding Officer. St Peter’s has an established pastoral care team. We also share a part-time parish administrator with St. Mary’s Walkern.

Our Church Building: There has been a place of worship on the site of the present church since the time of Beortwulf (d. 852). The present church building dates from the early 14th century and is mostly in a good state of repair, except for the side chapel. The tombs of Sir John de Benestede (d.1359) and Sir Edward de Benestede (d.1432) are partly responsible for the church’s Grade 1 listing. The ring of 8 bells is considered the finest of their weight in the county. The Quinquennial Inspection was due in 2020. All urgent issues raised in the 2015 report have been addressed except for the chapel repairs which will be part of an exciting vestry/parish office development hoping to start in 2021.

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Our Community: Benington Parish is the second largest parish in the Benefice with approximately 1,000 residents. A core of villagers has deep roots resulting in a supportive network of family and friends and a strong sense of community. It has very mixed housing stock, mainly centred around the village Green, St. Peter’s church, The Bell public house, the Village Hall and extending about one mile towards Hertford to include the Methodist Chapel, the Lordship Arms public house and the homes in Burns Green and Hebing End. Newcomers are warmly welcomed into the life of the village and the Church by members of the Pastoral Care Team.

There is a very lively community centred around the Village Hall. Many groups meet there ranging from the Art Club to the Whist Club with very many in between! The most popular is the weekly Thursday Coffee Morning which opens at 9am with school mums and pre-schoolers meeting for coffee and cakes who are then joined by all ages until 11.30. Once a month a Lunch Club follows the coffee morning where 60-70 lunches are cooked on site by a dedicated mixed team of volunteers; meals are also delivered to

anyone unable to attend. The meal is always preceded by a prayer of thanks and provides an invaluable link between regular church goers, the once-a-month churchgoers and the once in a blue moon churchgoers of any denomination! We have a popular monthly Parish magazine, which is delivered or posted to subscribers providing service information, news of clubs and events in the village and provides an annual income of approx. £1,000 for the Church.

Our School: We have close links with Benington Church of England Primary School. There are currently 104 pupils, the latest SIAMS report gave an ‘Outstanding’ grade and the OFSTED report was ‘Good’. The school mission statement is ‘Inspiring pupils to reach their full potential in our Christian family, through trust, equality, respect and care for all’. We have 1 Foundation Governor from our worshipping community on the Governing Body. Pre-pandemic there were annual festival and termly services in St Peter’s and the school choir singing at the Carol Service.

Our Finances: (see p6). We have a long tradition of regular giving and an envelope scheme and recently have been left a legacy which will be used to fund outstanding repairs to the church and the building of a small extension to the church to create a Vestry/Parish Office. St Peter’s PCC pays 25% of the incumbent's expenses of office.

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St John the Baptist Church, Cottered Our Mission: We aim to be a church that actively engages with the community, responding positively to the needs and best aspirations of the parish, and shares the Gospel by word and example. Our Worship: The style of worship at St John the Baptist is easy-going and based on Common Worship. Members of other Christian denominations are welcomed and children are encouraged. Our friendly and approachable congregation participates in writing intercessions, reading lessons and offering the chalice during services, and organises refreshments in church after services. "Shared Communion" (our term for

Communion by Extension) and relaxed non-communion Village Worship services are taken by our Reader. Services are held for festivals including Mothering Sunday and Harvest Festival, while special services include a Patronal Festival, All Souls and Remembrance Sunday. Christingles, Carol Services and the Christmas Eve Crib Service taken by our Reader, are among our most popular services. The bells are rung for special services.

Our People: The average age of our loyal, supportive congregation is over 75. In 2019, we had 19 members on our electoral roll and average service attendance was 20. The PCC meets 4 or 5 times a year, and comprises six members plus the incumbent and our hard-working, enthusiastic Reader. We have a designated Safeguarding Officer. The Friends of Cottered Church organises several social occasions each year, raising much-needed funds to maintain the church building, while Cottered Village Appreciation Society helps with mowing and maintaining the churchyard. The recently created Church Co-ordination Committee acts as a bridge between these two organisations and the PCC, providing a valuable link to non-churchgoing parishioners. In 2019 the Bell Ringers successfully raised funds to install a sixth bell in the church tower to complete the peal. Our Church Building: During normal times, our ancient church is open and unlocked every day and receives many visitors. The church is in reasonable repair, although the last (2018) quinquennial report suggests that a major programme of renovation work is required within the next five years. Lead was stolen from the roof for the 4th time in 2018 (and for the 2nd time within 18 months), and the PCC are still in discussions with the DAC about replacing the lead with a non-metal material. There is an effective sound system with hearing loop facility, and an efficient central heating system. A project is currently

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progressing to install a disabled access toilet and new kitchen facilities, to be funded by recent legacies and with assistance from the Friends of Cottered Church. Our Community: Cottered is a small but very warm and welcoming rural parish of around 450 souls. We are the only village on the A507 between Buntingford and Baldock, and are approximately 25 minutes drive from the parish of Benington at the other end of the Benefice. The Rectory (see p4) is situated opposite the church.

Our friendly village is famous for its privately owned Japanese Gardens, our annual Village Festival, and our award-winning pub serving great food. The modern, well equipped Village Hall offers a variety of activities including carpet bowls and a lunch club. A book club, writing group, a horticultural society and a community choir are just some of the many thriving groups that meet

regularly and organise social events. We also have a bi-monthly parish magazine. Our Finances: (see p6). Stewardship is practised through standing orders, an envelope scheme and the collection plate. Recent small legacies have enabled us to progress the toilet project. St John the Baptist PCC pays 22.5% of the incumbent's expenses of office. What Makes Us Special? Among our many strengths are the genuine warmth and hospitality you will receive from our welcoming parish, and the strong sense of community with our church at the very heart. Our challenges include a diminishing and ageing congregation, with the resulting decline in income, combined with an increasingly high parish share burden and difficulty in attracting newcomers, younger people and children to church. How Have We Coped With COVID-19? The pandemic meant that our last service in church, before the first lockdown, took place on 8th March 2020. Since then our Reader, despite shielding, has continued to provide ministerial, pastoral and spiritual support to Cottered and Throcking, as well as to the wider Benefice. He also writes a weekly “In Fellowship” newsletter, with a homily on the relevant Bible passage for that Sunday and prayers for the week, which is distributed throughout the parish and beyond. We organise monthly Zoom services for the Benefice, and held very well-attended Zoom services on Remembrance Sunday, for Harvest festival, and also our Christmas Crib service. Once restrictions were lifted in June 2020, we opened the church for 2 hours on Sundays for private prayer, and last autumn we held a handful of services before restrictions once again forced us to close the church.

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Holy Trinity Church, Throcking

Our Mission: Our mission is to keep our tiny rural church open and to maintain meaningful worship that draws our ageing and declining population closer to God. There is a very strong commitment within the Throcking congregation, and within the parish as a whole, to continue holding regular services at our beautiful, historic church. Our Worship: Our simple tradition is based on Common Worship. Members of other faiths and other Christian denominations are frequent attendees and welcomed. For logistical reasons, services were reduced to one a month in 2018. "Shared Communion" (Communion by Extension) services are conducted by our Reader, who also takes our most popular and well-attended special services on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.

Our People: We have been closely linked with Cottered since the 1930s, and are lucky enough to share the services of Cottered's Reader. The average age of the congregation is over 75. The PCC meets informally after church services, and comprises 3 members plus the incumbent. We have a designated Safeguarding Officer, who is also the Churchwarden, Treasurer, Secretary and Organist. Our Building: Holy Trinity Church is in reasonable repair, although the organ requires an overhaul and the heating system badly needs upgrading. The next quinquennial report is due in late 2021.

Our Finances: (see p6) Stewardship is practised through standing orders, envelopes, and the collection plate. Throcking PCC pays 2.5% of the incumbent's expenses of office. Despite annual running costs being pared to the bone, the PCC has been unable to pay Parish Share (which is over four times our residual annual income) for some years now. The parish has no assets or reserves. Our Community: Throcking is a scattered and remote farming community, about a mile from Cottered and around 30 minutes drive from Benington. The population of around 45 includes very few families, and several of the handful of properties in the parish are second homes. Throcking has no public amenities and is not served by public transport. How Have We Coped With COVID-19? Sadly our little church has been closed since the pandemic first began in March 2020, almost a year ago. The difficulties of maintaining 2m social distancing in such a tiny building mean we cannot responsibly reopen the church before Easter 2021. In the meantime our worshippers participate in the monthly Zoom services organised by Cottered, and also receive Cottered’s “In Fellowship” newsletter.

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The Church of St Mary, Walkern On our electoral roll we have 57 members, with an average attendance of 28 at our main services. Most of us who attend are involved in reading, serving, welcoming or assisting worship in some way. Our choir (10+ at most services) is ably led by our organist, who is also developing a youth orchestra who play at our monthly all-age worship. Other special services include Evensong, Taize worship and celebrations of the Christian year, particularly Christmas, Remembrance Sunday, etc. which attract a large congregation from the village. We are very proud of our beautiful, historic church building which has housed worship since Saxon times. In particular, we have historical connections with the Magna Carta, a fact which was the centre of great celebration in 2015 and sparked the creation of several village groups – Walkern History Society, Twinning with Lanvallay (France) and Walkern Players – all of which have close links to St Mary’s.

As well as the historic aspect of our church, we were delighted in 2016 when we were able to have kitchen and toilet facilities built into the north-west corner. This has enabled us to use the building for a much wider variety of purposes, including fund-raising concerts and Christmas Tree Festivals, Open Sundays, rehearsals and performances by Walkern Players and many others.

The Village of Walkern: With a population of 1600, Walkern is about 4 miles from the town of Stevenage, where approximately 25% of our Electoral Roll is resident. There is a variety of housing, including affordable housing and some 85 new homes currently under construction, as well as a very busy shop, several small businesses and award-winning Tea Rooms! There is a thriving primary school, a playgroup, toddler groups and a Sports and Community Centre. There is a wide range of groups for different interests, a regular village journal and a strong sense of community spirit. How Have We Coped With COVID-19? When lockdown started, we established a ‘telephone tree’ and extended our notice sheet into a newsletter, delivered by email or by hand, to ensure we kept good communication with all our members and, through them, the people of Walkern. In July, when communal worship was permitted, we cleaned and laid out the church to be safe, in order to begin services of readings and prayer, with hymn music played. These services are well attended by all who are not shielding. With care and attention to the guidelines, we have held communion services led by a retired priest.

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We have a successful Facebook page which has links into the community, enabling outreach and publicity of events at St Mary's. Each Sunday a short meditation of reading and prayer has been led on the page by a Reader. More recently we have been moved to open a Food Bank in the church, which has been enthusiastically supported by the village and has provided help for up to 10 households a week.

How Can An Incumbent Help Us? With vision: we need to be reminded of the priorities when the day-to-day problems of maintenance, organisation and disappointment distract us. With encouragement: a priest can be a regular and involved presence in our parish who knows and welcomes all, with a concern and involvement in our activities and a willingness to direct positive change. With empowering: in a 5-church benefice, we are learning to take on responsibilities which used to be the work of the priest, but direction and clear delegation would enable us to support this work with greater confidence and efficiency. How Can We Help An Incumbent? Within our congregation we have a hardworking leadership group, made up of 2 readers and a Lay Leader of Worship, and an enthusiastic choir led by a skilled organist. Other lay members regularly take leading roles in our all-age worship. Our PCC is supportive and imaginative in encouraging our members and reaching out to all in the village, including a Life Stories project focussing on long-time residents. What Are We Hoping For? • By maintaining regular, meaningful worship which

draws people closer to God, we hope to be a place where people can learn more about spiritual things in a welcoming and encouraging way

• By involvement with our community, we hope to establish friendships and ways of showing care and concern which will encourage people to turn to God in times of celebration and joy, and also in times of sadness and need

• We hope to grow in number, especially welcoming incomers to the village, so that the work of the church can be at the heart of the community of Walkern