2013 – 2014

APCM Reports

Brighstone, Brook with , and

Reverend Helen O’Sullivan

What a year! Together, across our benefice, we have celebrated/conducted: • 300 Sunday services (with significant support from Pete Johnson, Steve Sutcliffe, Ben Crouch, Beth Peckham, Sarah Bromley & Paul Davis) • 78 mid-week Eucharists (at , Shorwell, Brighstone Primary & Brighstone Grange) • 30+ Home Communions (with the help of our Home Communion team including Madeline Goodman and Mike Hackleton) • 300+ services of morning and evening prayer in the parish churches • 19 Baptisms • 21 Confirmations • 18 Weddings • 30 Funerals • 100+ youth groups (and two camps) • 25+ Collective Worships at primary school and at Christ the King (well done Ben) • 24+ choir rehearsals (thanks to Ivor, Chris, Mary and Dave) • 100+ bell/handbell ringing practices (thanks to Becky and Steve, Cal and Mary, Edwin and Lyn and Mike) • 300+ bible study/prayer groups (well done Paul, Gill, Judi and Anne)

Our team of 10 organists (the odd archdeacon and the occasional flautist) have also served us magnificently. Add into that, let’s remember, (in no particular order) Lent Lunches, Lent groups, community carol singing (Chale, Brook and Brighstone), Harvest Celebrations (especially the supper and dance in St Marys Brighstone), Remembrance Services, the Lifeboat service, Songs of Praise, Chale Show, Brighstone Grange, fundraising concerts, Christmas Tree Festival, the Pageant! The number of people involved in all of this is staggering. A great debt of thanks is also owed to the teams that open and shut, clean and polish our churches, we have provided 365 days (and at Brook 24/7) open churches for prayer and reflection. There are too many places where this simply doesn’t happen. We have an administrator (without whom we’d be sunk), and an award winning website that is a resource for all church members and the wider community. We have had the benefit of a year’s fulltime of Ben, we have a new Outreach Worker, but we are still waiting for the keys to the Old Library! We have a place on the leadership of 7 community organisations and good relationships with those who represent the community.

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We have enjoyed theatre performances at Chale, visiting choirs at Chale, Brighstone and Brook and there are bound to be things I have forgotten, but boy, what a lot to say thank you for! The biggest relief for me is having Karen on the team. She has done far more than she should, and thanks to her efforts, we now have a plan in place for developing the church site at Chale and are well into our 900th anniversary celebrations with lots more to look forward to. 2014 will bring new challenges; implementing the plan at Chale, developing a plan at Shorwell for starters, but most importantly, continuing to work towards being a fully integrated team – one Church with five (six if you count Kingston) buildings. We need a number of key positions filled in each of the churches, to free up our churchwardens to engage with the vision for mission and ministry across the five churches. This is a call to arms I guess, we have a good number of people contributing to the work of the church but we need more. What are you able and willing to offer in terms of time and commitment to enable the local church leadership team to grow and our ministry to flourish? We have many opportunities for a bigger number of people to share their gifts and time to the benefit of all, e.g. we need: • a team across the benefice to act as welcomers for events in our churches. • a team of people willing to make or serve food and drinks at events across the benefice. • a team of chair movers at Brighstone. • Treasurers and Deanery Synod reps. • Youth leaders (especially female). • a pastoral care co-ordinator for each parish. • people willing to count collections and do the weekly banking. • more people to assist with setting up for services and clearing away. • people to contribute to the oversight of fabric and churchyards. • people to lead these teams, liaising with churchwardens and deploying resources where they are needed.

These are all important and discreet tasks that are currently over burdening our church wardens and members of our PCCs who need to be able to step back so that they can see the wood for the trees. In what way can you commit yourself to helping us this coming year? We have a number of people doing too much (thank you for all you do); we need far more people to do a little each. With love Helen

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Churchwardens’ Reports

St Peter’s Shorwell Yvonne Willoughby Charlie Warne

Rev’d Canon Karen Schmidt has been with us a year now. Apart from her great help to Rev’d Helen and all she has achieved at Chale, we have very much enjoyed her ‘services’ with us here: last year’s evening Lent services with Rev’d Canon Karen and Archdeacon Peter were so moving and much appreciated by us. We also thank Rev’d Helen for all she does and much enjoy Steve Sutcliffe’s (Reader in Training) input. The heating system is still in hand and we, the congregation, have been warmer, although we need to add additional moveable heaters on occasions. The new notice board has been made and installed on the South side of the church; it’s a great improvement but will need to be fixed more firmly into the ground to withstand inclement weather. The St Christopher sign has been moved to the North side; we think it now helps to better advertise the church. The tower and spire has been fixed as a stop-gap to prevent water coming in. In the long term they will both have to be fully repaired. We are awaiting a visit from the architect to look at the vestry and pews and give us his opinion on our ideas and plans. There is an ongoing discussion whether to have Holy Communion on occasions such a Harvest Festival, Christmas morning and Mothering Sunday etc., as congregations like a joyous ‘sing-a-long’. Wheels have been fixed to the Harmonium for easier movement. A big thank you to Ann Jones (PCC), Bunty Hide (PCC secretary and Deanery Synod), Mary Tester (Music), PCC members, flower arrangers and ‘others’ who put so much work into helping make our church the lovely place it is for all to come and worship. We also enjoy Jonathan’s (Rev’d Herapath) visits on the occasions he takes a service for us.

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St Mary the Virgin Brook Libby Farquhar

A quiet, steady year at Brook, with fewer major events. The established pattern of services is working well, and we have maintained a loyal and regular congregation at both Morning Eucharist and at Evensong (despite some very wild winter weather!). During the year there were two baptisms, one wedding and four funerals. We again celebrated Harvest Thanksgiving with a service that followed on from the community lunch at the Seely Hall. Christmas was celebrated at St Mary's with an Epiphany Carol Service and seasonal refreshments. After many years as church organist, Erica Browitt has now retired. We are very conscious of her huge contribution to music and worship at Brook and Mottistone, both as organist and with the choir, when we had one. We would all like to express our thanks and best wishes; and we also hope that we shall continue to see her amongst the congregation whenever she feels able. The Rector has managed to recruit two replacement organists for our services at Brook. Mr Neil Courtney is playing for us at Holy Communion (9.15am) and Mr Howard Wilkie at Evensong (6pm). This arrangement is working well and we are grateful to them for agreeing to step in. I am acutely aware that the congregation must be wondering when the updating of the Church Memorial Book will be completed. Unfortunately the person who originally agreed to do the calligraphy has been unable to do the work and has withdrawn. It is now in the hands of a local person and the work is progressing. There have been no major maintenance issues around the church. We felt much blessed that St Mary's Brook avoided serious damage during the winter gales. Some minor repairs were necessary to the roof and bell tower; this work has been done. Given the ferocity of wind and rain, it was not surprising to find rain water inside the church. Penetration was in two places; in the porch and outside the vestry. As there was no evident damage, the situation has been monitored and, with better weather, there has been no recurrence. Mr Max Berriman has continued his work on trees and boundaries. We are planning to plant wild daffodils under the trees above the car park. This will be done during the summer, when we hope to organise a 'planting picnic'. The Brook & Mottistone Newsletter has become a regular feature, with issues in Spring and Autumn. We hope that it is helping the villages and the wider church community to know what is going on in their churches; and to become more involved. In my report for 2012/2013 I indicated that I would be standing down as Churchwarden this year. As part of the search for a workable reorganisation of church responsibilities and duties, there is the potential for an exciting new scheme for using more volunteer help. This will be outlined and discussed at the Annual Meeting.

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Meantime I am hugely grateful for all the support you have given me over the years, and more particularly during the last difficult twelve months.

Ss Peter and Paul, Mottistone Mrs Felicity Adams-Young

Once again the year has passed quickly and a reflection on 2013 is due. Our small but steady congregation at Ss Peter and Paul continues to appreciate morning Eucharist on the second Sunday of the month and Evensong on the third Sunday of the month. On average 20 worshipers attend each Sunday service. Mrs Libby Farquhar, Churchwarden at St Mary, Brook has continued to organise the lesson reader rota for Brook and Mottistone. This remains very successful giving many people the opportunity and encouragement to read. Mrs Farquhar has been a huge support at Mottistone and we shall miss her terribly now she is stepping down. Mrs Sarah Lang continues to work very hard for the church, not only as Verger but also cleaning and ensuring the church is locked and unlocked each day. Her commitment means the church is cared for to a high standard and is always open for visitors. Sarah is a regular reader, a member of the Buildings Committee and Chalice Assistant and we are all very grateful to her for everything she does. This year we again say a big “thank-you” to the team who continue to provide such beautiful flower arrangements all year round. They include: Barbara Bryant (co-ordinator), Betty Tricket, Sheila Swan, Sheila Mathews, Yvonne Bolt and Libby Farquhar and Myrtle Lewis along with volunteers from Mottistone Manor and The Old Rectory, Mottistone who often provide the flowers. The grounds and churchyard have been ably attended to by Mr and Mrs Kane and Frances Hearndon, who last year took over responsibility for this area. They have shown great sensitivity and understand of the special nature of the care required and we appreciate their skills. Sadly the health concerns of our organist, Mrs Erica Browitt, have prevented her from playing as regularly as she would have liked. We again thank Mr Neil Courtney for his regular organ playing during Erica’s absence. Happily Erica was able to play for the wedding of Kathy Yeates and Jacob Friend, and 105 of their guests, on 10 th August. Reverend Canon Karen Schmidt conducted the funeral of Mr Donald William Hulse, known locally as Joe Hulse, on 27 th November, with 60 mourners in attendance. There were no baptisms at Ss Peter and Paul in 2013. Other services of note during the year include, on 26 th May, the dedication of the headstones to Lord and Lady Mottistone during Evening Prayer service. On Sunday 30 th June an evening Songs of Praise was held in the gardens of Mottistone Manor, by kind permission of Sir Charles and Lady Nicholson. It was a beautiful, warm early evening and very well-attended by around 60 people.

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The Christmas Tree Festival goes from strength to strength. This year Mottistone received £519.95 in donations from the 1079 visitors through the door, during the festival which ran from 4 th to 8 th December. On 7 th December a Carols and Crib Blessing was held at 4.30pm attracting a congregation of 91. Midnight Mass was not held at Mottistone this year but perhaps somewhat fortuitously, as on the evening of 23 rd December, a storm damaged the steeple, destroying the shingles which allowed water into the tower causing a power outage. Repair works to the steeple and other maintenance matters have been co- ordinated by the excellent Buildings Committee. A Faculty has been applied for to allow works to proceed on improving access to the church for wheelchair users and others with mobility needs. Approval for this has been received from the local Parish council. Other works include relocating pews at the back of the church to provide more space, renovating the Vestry and a new church gate. The gate was very generously provided by Sir Charles and Lady Nicholson. New altar linen and communion glassware were purchased in 2013. In 2013 we published two newsletters for the local community, with news and information about the activities across both Brook and Mottistone churches. This was aimed at visitor and residents alike to inform, as well as to suggest opportunities for how people might become more involved in the two churches, even if they are not church-goers. Both newsletters were well-received and we plan to continue this year.

St Andrew’s Chale Sven Tester

Chale, St Andrew’s, though it remains a small and vulnerable parish, had an eventful and encouraging year in 2013. We recruited more regular supporters and had a number of well-attended special occasions which helped to raise the church’s profile in Chale. Building maintenance and improvement is a continuing preoccupation, and now we have to consider the possibility of parish reorganisation too. Rev’d Canon Karen Schmidt’s Licensing by the Bishop of Portsmouth as Assistant Priest on 3 rd February, was a memorable occasion with a full church and hearty music. Rev’d Canon Karen, among many other things, set about organising a programme to celebrate the church’s 900 th anniversary in 2013/14, including a superb opening service with fine singing on St Andrew’s Day. The rest of the events are rolling out now. Easter, Harvest, Remembrance Day, Carols on the Green and the other Christmas services were well-attended. Our regular services, led by Rev’d Helen and Rev’d Canon Karen, have a very faithful congregation of a dozen or so. We would welcome more! Norah Morey, long a Churchwarden and active in all parts of church life, has been forced by ill-health, to take a less active role. Alan Burgess, a former

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Churchwarden, Verger and choir leader, has moved away to Newport. We are grateful for all they have done over the years. Wendy Hardy and friends organised a magnificent fund-raising jumble sale for a new church notice board. (This has long been on order, but we are still waiting for it!) The church is helped enormously by other Chale organisations – the Chale Churchyard Committee led by Derek Sprake, the Chale bell ringers led by Edwin Cole, the Chale Show, the Women’s Institute, the Chale Village Partnership, the Parish Council, the Chale Bay Hotel, the Stores, Kevin Wilson’s Theatre Group, and many, many individuals. They help with church maintenance, cleaning, flowers, catering, publicity, events, music and many other things. We are grateful to all of them. As far as the church building was concerned, it was happily a quiet year until the winter gales, in which a lot of damage was done, culminating in the February 2014 gale, when we lost over 150 roof tiles. Fortunately this damage was quickly repaired and most of the cost could be reclaimed from our insurers, Ecclesiastical. Plans for the ‘WC & kitchen’ project are maturing. We received a generous grant from the Diocese for planning and consultation work. A broadly-agreed architect’s proposal is ready. Now we need to raise the money for it. Finally, we now have to consider a plan for our parish to join , Whitwell and St Lawrence, and to leave our present ‘Five Parishes’. Church life is full of excitements. I should like to thank Rev’d Helen and Rev’d Canon Karen and my fellow PCC members, who have given me an easy ride and lots of help in my first term as a Churchwarden.

St Mary’s Brighstone Gill Bradbury Roy Bromley

We are pleased to report some of the highlights in the year 2013 - 2014. We have been delighted to welcome new members to our fellowship and what is particularly pleasing is that we continue to attract new families to our services on Sunday and our activities throughout the week. BIG (Be Imitators of God) worship continues to play its part in offering a short gathering each Sunday Morning. Families and holiday makers enjoy the 30 minutes of child-friendly sharing. The principle services on Sunday and throughout the week continue to offer a steadily growing congregation, the opportunity of meeting with God in our beautiful church. We are also pleased to report that alternative services in the form of Logos and Solace continue to provide something different. We have consolidated the number of people attending our services, aiming to provide something for everyone e.g. on Sunday the 08.00 is a traditional, quiet

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communion service, whereas the 10.45 sensitively mixes modern and more traditional worship. We have an active fellowship with many people contributing to the smooth running of the church. We endeavour to offer a warm welcome to all who join us, be it for a single service, or those looking for a place to worship on a regular basis or just a place for quiet contemplation. In September we put on a community harvest supper for the village; this was an opportunity for the members of the church to reinforce their ties to the village and to say thank you to the local community for their support and co- operation. We have continued our endeavours to reach out to the community through our Youth Worker Project, and most recently our partnership with Age UK to address the needs of the more vulnerable older people living in the Benefice. The local primary school appointed a new head teacher during the year and we again, are delighted to report that there are strengthening links between the church and school. We hold a monthly communion for the entire school and it is a wonderful sight to see the church full of attentive children. Our Fabric Committee do an excellent job in keeping the church maintained and well-looked after. This year they have overseen repairs to several windows, the spire, the electrical system and many other minor repairs. With the increased usage of the church during the week, their work is invaluable in managing the church for all to use. As part of a united benefice we are all fully supportive of each other and endeavour to play a full part across the benefice.

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PCC Secretaries Reports

St Mary the Virgin Brook with Ss Peter and Paul Mottistone Rodney Hogg

Main highlights of the past year have been the number of successful village events: the Songs of Praise events at Mottistone Manor and on Brook village green, and the village cricket match, Lent and Harvest lunches and the standing-room-only lifeboat service at Brook. All these were featured the first two issues of our own Brook with Mottistone church newsletter - itself a massive achievement of the year. None of these could have happened without a lot of informally-given volunteer help from across the community. Both our newsletters have appealed for offers of time, skills to help us maintain our two church buildings and their vital role in our community. A number of offers have now been received - enough for us to try out a new Helper Rota, being coordinated by Susannah Seely starting next month. Action is also planned this summer, to enlist wider community help in correcting the PCC's significant income shortfall. Details will be featured in the coming Spring Newsletter and at a consultation meeting in June.

St Mary’s Brighstone June Horsfall

Lay Vice-Chairman: Mrs Jean Wavell Elected Until Churchwardens: Mr Roy Bromley 2012 2018 Ms Gill Bradbury 2013 2019 Elected members: Mrs Miriam Crewe 2011 2014 Mrs Judi Hackleton 2011 2014 Mrs Jean Wavell 2013 2016 Mrs Joan Brown 2012 2015 Mrs Janet Edwards 2012 2015 Mrs Angie Brown 2012 2015 Mrs Bev Fryer 2012 2015 Co-opted: Mrs Norma Bradley Mr Bob Russell Secretary: Mrs June Horsfall Treasurer: Vacancy

Under the 3 year ruling, members elected in 2011, would be required to stand down. We need to elect new members at the 2014 APCM. The PCC has held 5 meetings in the year, 2 of which were extraordinary meetings.

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Review of the minutes. June 20 th : Funding for the youth worker was discussed, the PCC to set aside funds from its trust accounts to underwrite the cost of a full-time youth worker for one year, up to a maximum of £16,000 on the undertaking that fund raising continues. This was proposed and accepted. After various small jobs resulting from the Quinquennial Report, it was suggested that the Fabric Committee are allocated £1,000 for minor repairs without the need for PCC approval. July 4 th : Whilst assets were healthy, it was voiced that our income was not meeting regular outgoings and that we urgently needed a Treasurer. Various items from the Fabric Report have been dealt with. The PCC requested quotes with reference to the roof. General maintenance by Steve Carson was agreed. After an excellent interview Ben was appointed Youth Worker. Anna Davidson was appointed Benefice Administrator and was welcomed by the PCC, also Alison Plimley was appointed book keeper for St Mary’s. September 1 st (Extraordinary meeting): The finalised accounts were presented to the PCC and accepted with grateful thanks to those involved in producing them. October 6 th (Extraordinary meeting): June Horsfall was co-opted as PCC Secretary, Bob Russell and Norma Bradley were co-opted as members of the PCC. Feedback from church meeting was a suggestion of a minibus for use by the church and community, possibly in partnership with the school and Parish Council, to be discussed at a later date. The Harvest Celebration was received with great enthusiasm and it was suggested that perhaps similar celebrations could take place throughout the year. February 13 th : The accounts were circulated to the PCC and accepted. The issue of Stirling Cottage was raised and it was agreed that a professional valuation should be undertaken along with a rent review. There were ongoing concerns regarding the church roof and quotes for extensive work were to be obtained after which a faculty could be applied for and grants looked into. The Age UK post has now been filled. The church is attracting more people to make use of its facilities; we have various bookings including the Red Cross, Scottish Fiddlers and Linda Edge who is making a charity single with local choirs and young people to raise money for local charities. An away day was suggested and has been booked for the 1 st May.

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St Peter’s Shorwell Yvonne Hide

Lay Vice Chairman Mr Charles Warne Churchwardens Mr Charles Warne Mrs Yvonne Willoughby Treasurer Mr Michael Blee Secretary Mrs Yvonne Hide Deanery Synod rep. Mrs Yvonne Hide Elected members Mrs Ann Jones elected 2003 Mrs Jill Downer “ 2012 Mr Richard Morrison “ 2012 (Mrs Jill Thomas “ 2006 temporarily resigned for personal reasons)

There have been 5 PCC meetings since the last APCM. Three of these were joint meetings with the other parishes in the benefice. There were also 2 informal after-church meetings. The PCC and parishioners have been discussing ways of improving our involvement with our community. Recently, a successful, informal, Sunday morning, “get together” in the parish hall drew in several non-churchgoers. We plan more such meetings at monthly intervals. There is also a new notice board, facing the mini roundabout, which advertises the church services to everyone who passes. At a meeting in July, the PCC voted to remove several pews from the west end of the church to make more space. Several members are against this and no action has been taken yet. A small sub-committee is considering plans to install a small kitchen area at the back of the church. Our annual Flower Festival and Praise Service during the August Bank Holiday weekend raised £447 for church funds. The half day JPCC meeting was held at Northcourt in September. Heath Monaghan spoke about “Fresh Expressions in the Church”. A few weeks later, PCC members joined others from across the Island for a leadership conference on the theme “Renewing our Vision for Mission”. Both meetings emphasized focusing our aims and energy outwards into our communities. Persistent rain and a storm two days before Christmas revealed the poor state of the lead around the church tower. Water ran down the bell ropes soaking the carpet below. Temporary repairs have been made but the recent Quinquennial Inspection confirmed that all the lead between the parapet and spire needs renewing. Peter Martindale, who did the conservation work on the St. Christopher wall painting, is coming in April to carry out the 2 year condition inspection of the painting, as required by the Church Buildings Council.

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St Andrew’s Chale Elaine Fisher

At the 2013 Annual Parochial meeting, Mr Alan Burgess and Mrs Norah Morey stated they did not wish to stand for a further term as Churchwardens. Mr Sven Tester was appointed as Churchwarden. A vacancy remains for a second Warden. In addition to his duties as Churchwarden and Treasurer, Mr Tester has also been appointed as Fabric Officer. An Honorary Fabric Officer, Mr T. Riddett has been appointed and will advise Mr Tester of any structural faults that require remediation. Mrs Isabel Thorp and Mr Sven Tester have been appointed as Eucharistic Assistants. Lynette Atkinson has resigned as safeguarding officer. Angela Russell, the DBS Officer for St Mary’s Brighstone, will deal with paperwork such as DBS checks. Rev’d Helen O’Sullivan and Rev’d Canon Karen Schmidt will deal with other concerns. New seating arrangements and service times have proved popular and successful. Although we have received some generous donations, more funds are required to ensure the fabric of the Church is kept in good order. November 2013 saw the commencement of our 900 th Anniversary Celebrations. We started on St Andrew’s day with a Festival Evensong. Singers from the Cantus Vesperi choir sang the canticles and responses. Archdeacon Peter preached the sermon. Members of the congregation were served refreshments after the service and were able to share their memories of the Church in the past. We are looking forward to many more planned events for this year and hope members of the other parishes will join us. As a facility for the community, St Andrew’s has been used for Chale Band rehearsal. We have had two successful productions by Original Theatre. A large audience, many of whom enjoyed a pre-theatre supper at Chale Bay Farm, enjoyed an excellently-performed version of Hamlet. Plans are in hand to incorporate a kitchen area and WC in the Church. The PCC have approved the architect’s plans. They will now go forward for approval from the Diocesan Advisory Committee. If they are approved the plans they will then go on public display. Members of the parish have raised the substantial sum of £1,000 to provide a new notice board, which should be installed in the near future. Further fund raising is in the hands of Mrs Wendy Hardy and will help to pay for the kitchen and WC. At a meeting with the Archdeacon, members of the PCC have been invited to consider a tentative suggestion that, on the retirement of the incumbents of Niton and St. Lawrence Churches, St. Andrew’s might be linked with the parishes of Niton, Whitwell and St. Lawrence, leaving Brighstone, Brook with Mottistone and Shorwell. Members of the PCC expressed their thanks for the leadership and support of Rev’d Helen and Rev’d Canon Karen. A joint meeting with Niton et al will be held in May. There will also be a public

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meeting. Whatever is decided, we look forward to an interesting and eventful year of joyful celebration in 2014.

Joint Parochial Church Council Anna Davidson

The JPCC met four times in 2013 and once, to date, in 2014. Overview of the minutes: 17 th January 2013: • Rev’d Canon Karen Schmidt was introduced; Notification was given of Laura Humphrey’s sabbatical. • The new church website was discussed. • The JPCC agreed to the appointment of a full-time youth worker to commence September 2013, for two years. Total cost of £25,000 per year; half to be raised as new money by the churches and half via grants. • Discussion of delegation of responsibility through church committees and roles carried out by individuals within the church. 20 th June 2013: • New website presentation given by Nigel Brown. • Brook and Mottistone newsletter was circulated. • Youth worker application for funding to Porticus was unsuccessful therefore other options for funding were discussed. 7th September 2013: • Away day at Northcourt Manor presented by Heath Monaghan, who spoke on ‘Fresh Expressions of the Church’. 21 st November 2013: • All churches fed back with news from their parishes. • Main discussion on Nurturing Faith: Is what we are currently offering enough? Lack of provision for young people cropped up from Shorwell and Chale, although youth provided for well in other areas within the benefice. Discussed possible co-ordination of study throughout various groups on offer. General feeling that there was a good selection of groups across the benefice and that the church is engaging with the wider community. 16 th January 2014: • Possible linking of Chale with Niton raised. • All churches fed back with news from their parishes. • PCC and JPCC Meetings plan discussed and 2014/15 dates agreed. There are now four JPCC and Four PCC (per PCC) meetings annually.

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• Main discussion on Pastoral Care and Safeguarding. Feedback was given on the issues of how we are reaching out to the wider community. The JPCC focus is on ‘Community Engagement’ for the next year.

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Treasurers’ Reports

St Mary the Virgin Brook and Ss Peter and Paul Mottistone Nick Dorley-Brown

Total receipts were up by £5.2K (+26%) mainly due to recovery of VAT on building work. Gift aid claims for 2011 and 2012 giving were re-imbursed in January 2014, so are excluded from 2013 receipts. Payments were up £29.6K (+132%). Building maintenance was £32K up (against £0) due to work carried out at Mottistone on windows and stonemasonry together with replacing gates on the north and south boundaries. Churchyard maintenance increased by £2K due to some essential tree work and an increased maintenance programme at Mottistone. The £6.5K unpaid balance of Diocesan Parish Share was paid in January 2014. Professional fees increased by £1.5K as a result of the building maintenance carried out at Mottistone and planned improvements to accessibility there too. A reserves policy amendment was agreed by the PCC in February 2014. The exercise to analyse building and maintenance costs for each church is in progress.

St Peter’s Shorwell Michael Blee

In 2013 Shorwell has managed a small surplus of £3308; this is partly due to the fact that the tax recovery for 2012 was not completed until 2013 and has been included in the income for 2013. Had this not happened the surplus would have been just £1580. The new GASDS system will enable tax recovery on more of the general collections at services, not covered by the existing gift aid. This should increase our income by approximately £600 in 2014. Major expenses this year have, as usual, been the upkeep of the Cemetery and Churchyard (£1790), the quota (£8577) and heating, lighting and insurance (£3867). There have also been some extra expenses for the repair of the heating system. The income for the year is sufficient to meet all the day-to-day running expenses, including the payments to the diocese and small maintenance work. Any large repair work required in the future, as is almost inevitable in an old building, will require significant extra fundraising.

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St Andrew’s Chale Sven Tester

Because of a number of favourable factors, 2013 was a good year for us financially. Fortuitously, we received two generous grants from the Chale Show (we had none in 2012). We also received a one-off donation from a generous individual supporter and some other one-off gifts to mark the start of the 900th anniversary. We increased the number of regular donors. We received a grant to help fund preliminary work on the ‘WC & kitchen’ project, and a music grant which helped us buy new hymn books. Fund raising was successful, including a jumble sale, raising over £1,000 earmarked for a new church outside notice board. We paid our parish share regularly and controlled expenditure tightly. We had to spend relatively little on fabric maintenance, but will need to spend more in 2014. The cost of heating oil was a burden, though special gifts help mitigate this. Overall we made a small surplus for the year. 2014 will be much more of a challenge with fewer favourable factors, and our major building project to fund. We need to seek more regular supporters to add to those recruited in 2013.

St Mary’s Brighstone

A full set of accounts is available at the back of St Mary’s Church.

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Brighstone CE Primary Kim Hall

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Church community for the warm welcome they have extended to me and the support they have offered. The aims of the School and the Church have continued to be inextricably linked. The ever-strengthening partnership which exists, ensures the children recognise our Christian values lie at the heart of who we are and what we do. The children, parents and staff have regularly attended Services or been involved in activities based within the Church. The Reception class children and staff have taken part in Godly Play sessions. These times have allowed the children to explore and engage with both faith and spirituality at an appropriate level. They have become familiar with the Church and have developed a warm relationship with Rev’d Helen O’Sullivan. Family Eucharist Worship has continued on the first Thursday of every month and is well-attended by both parents and the wider community. Our pupils are continually taking a more active role within the worship. Our choir, led by Mrs McQueen, lead us in singing, our pupils take part in the bell ringing before the Service and the children read regularly, encouraging them to recognise their role within the Church. The School has also taken part in a range of other Church events such as Remembrance Day and the Christmas Tree Festival. Our Christmas Production, Nativity and Carol Service were held in the Church, as was the recent Diamond class wedding celebration which allowed the children to gain an understanding of the significance of the ceremony. One of our pupils has designed the logo for St Andrew’s 900th Anniversary and families were encouraged to take an active part in the Remembrance Service. The School, with the help of Rev’d Helen, continues to strengthen the structure of its own Collective Worship, ensuring that it encourages reflection on the teachings of Jesus Christ and how these can shape our day to day life. The active role of children within this time is also being explored. We regularly welcome Rev’d Helen, Rev’d Canon Karen Schmidt and Ben Crouch (Youth Worker) into school. The weekly worship, led by them, is always engaging and the children respond well. The Rock Solid group offered by Ben, as part of our extended provision, offers a further opportunity for children to engage with their faith. As well as offering support with School development, Rev’d Helen O’Sullivan and members of the Church community offer support both in pastoral support and assistance within the school. This is an area that I am keen to develop allowing the School and Church to become even closer.

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Music for Worship St Mary’s Brighstone

Beth Peckham

St Mary’s has enjoyed another year of musical activity and diversity. We strive to offer a regular worship pattern and musical balance that seeks to cater for, involve and engage with our whole congregation and community. The Music Group play for Family Communion service on the first Sunday of the month, as well as other special services/occasions, comprising of piano, flutes, clarinet, cello, trumpet, bass guitar, acoustic guitar and occasional violins. The Music Group has also developed this past year, to incorporate singers from both the choir and congregation, in leading worship to support and enable the congregation with singing. St Mary’s Occasional Choir sings on the 3 rd Sunday of the month as well as other special services/occasions. Any new members are always welcome, especially male singers at the moment! Solace – Sarah Bromley continues to lead this monthly evening of intimate worship & meditation, with the occasional assistance of Peter Johnson. Resources – We continue to use both Mission Praise and Brighstone Praise, and are endeavouring to use the projector and screen more regularly in services for singing and liturgy etc., granting more versatility and a wider range of media in worship. The piano is also now on wheels!! A Summer Concert was held last July on Sea Sunday to raise money for the Mission to Seafarers charity featuring various musicians from in and around the community, including members of St. Mary’s, the Brighstone Barnacles and a number of young upcoming music students living in the benefice. The total raised was £359.85. Stars of Wonder – this popular Christmas concert once again closed the Christmas Tree Festival featuring a variety of local musicians and members of the church, to raise over £425 for Love Russia.

St Peter’s Shorwell Choir Mary Tester Shorwell choir has maintained its fortnightly practice schedule and our numbers remain the same, having sadly lost a bass (to ) but happily gained an alto. We all enjoy our singing, whether it is leading the congregation with hymns, learning new chants for psalms or practicing and finally performing anthems. We also sing Taize chants as a treat at the end of a practice. We usually manage to have some members of the choir singing at every service but other commitments, transport and weather sometimes present problems in attendance. With forward planning and consultation, and usually at an Evensong, the full choir will be there, robed, singing psalms, canticles, responses and an anthem. We have been joined on occasion by singers from Brighstone for which we are very grateful and enjoy their support.

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The choir is sometimes asked for at weddings and we are pleased to be able to help by leading hymn singing when congregations are less used to singing hymns. We had a social evening, with a little singing, last summer and hope to do so again this year, kindly hosted by the former choir member, Rev Dru Dennis. Our thanks go to our organist Douglas Potts who plays as often as he can, and to Brenda Rowe, Karen Sheath and Alan Fisher who help out so generously. We would be glad to have new members, no experience necessary – just a love of singing and pleasure in making music.

St Mary’s Brighstone Handbell Ringers Michael Camps Despite two members of the team being away when they underwent hand and shoulder surgery, the team managed to fulfil all the engagements booked for the year. In early March, we visited The Grange and entertained the residents with a selection of popular music and encouraging them to join in the songs too. At the beginning of October, we made another visit to Ryde Baptist 'Friend 2 Friend' meeting where we played a selection of musical pieces including songs and hymns which the audience enjoyed participating in too. The group is included on their website so we now have a strong connection with this very loving community. In December, the handbells performed seasonal carols at the Christmas Tree Festival as well as at The Grange, where we performed popular Christmas songs and carols as a prelude to their Christmas Party. We now hope to be able to share our music within church services in 2014. It is a pleasure to lead a team of dedicated and loyal ringers in this particular form of making music together.

St Mary’s Brighstone Bell Ringers Stephen Noyes Ringing for services has been maintained this year, ringing for Sundays and weddings despite the usual holidays, illness and work commitments. Early in 2013 we held a “taster session” during half-term for youngsters (and of course adults) to see what it was all about, and several have taken up ringing. The new recruits are making good progress and have also introduced a lot of their friends. The more experienced now ring for their own monthly Brighstone School church service, needing only a couple of adults to ring all six bells. They starred in an article in the local Ringer’s Guild newsletter. We were lucky with the weather for our summer barbeque this year, and for our outing to ring at towers around the New Forest; a first go on 8 bells, and the first time “in ” for some.

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The precision of our ringing was tested in the annual Island Ringing Competitions, where we came 2 nd in the 6 bell competition, and combined with Shorwell ringers to come 3 rd in the 8 bell competition. The last part of the year was busy. Island ringers held their quarter peal festival with Brighstone ringing two quarters. Ringing for the run up to Christmas included the Christmas Tree Festival, as well as for the usual services and at midnight to greet 2014. Have you ever wondered what ringing is all about? Why not come and see what we do, Tuesday evenings 7.30 – 9.00.

St Andrew’s Chale Bell Ringers Edwin Cole

2013 was another good year with plenty of ringers from the mainland touring the Island towers, including Chale. Ringing for Sunday services continues and we rang for two weddings. Our practices are still on Thursday afternoons. The church tower was opened as usual for the Round the Island Yacht Race and light refreshments were provided. In August we joined the Original Theatre Company for their 90 minute production of ‘Hamlet’. We were asked to ring ‘joyful’ bells decreasing to ‘mournful’ bells at the beginning of the play and ‘mournful’ bells increasing to ‘joyful’ bells at the end.

St Peter’s Belfry Band Cal Challoner

We meet as a group on most Saturday evenings to practise our ringing and also to help others who wish to learn the art of bell ringing We always try to ring for the evening services. It is not always possible to ring for morning services because of other commitments. Weddings are a highlight for the youngsters in the band as they get paid for ringing. In the district there is a group of young bell ringers who have entered competitions on the mainland. So far they haven’t won but they have gained a lot of experience .At the moment two of our ringers are in this group and in the autumn both rang a quarter peal at Shorwell. We congratulate Winifred and Anneka Morrison who received their certificates at Christmas. If you don’t know what a quarter peal is, why don’t you come along on a Saturday evening at 6pm and talk to the ringers? Who knows, you may be interested in learning.

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Electoral Roll

St Mary’s Brighstone Bev Fryer

There has been a slight increase in numbers on the roll in the past year. Removed from the roll (1 – deceased) Added to the roll (4 – new to area) Total members on the roll is 89. These represent 62 households: • 53 households within the parish (76 members) • 9 outside the parish (13 members)

St Andrew’s Chale Lynette Atkinson

A new Electoral Roll was created at the beginning of 2013 and no further names were added or deleted throughout the year. The number of households represented was seventeen of which seven were outside Chale Parish. The total number of names on the Roll as at 31 st December 2013 was twenty- two of which nine were non-residents.

St Peter’s Shorwell Yvonne Hide

There are 29 names on the Electoral Roll. Two names were added after the last APCM. No names have been removed. Twenty three households are represented on the Roll. Nineteen are in the parish. Six people, from 4 households, live outside the parish.

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Deanery Synod

Yvonne Hide

There have been 3 West Wight Deanery Synod meetings and one Joint East & West Wight DS meeting during the past year. In June, at All Saints’, Gurnard, the main presentation was by Heath Monaghan, a Volunteers and Charity Projects Manager, based in Ryde. He gave a lively and entertaining, illustrated talk on Mission: Social Actions and Fresh Expressions. He described how the Church is perceived by outsiders, what positive changes people in the Church can make and ways in which the community can become involved. Charlotte Page, of Christian Aid, gave the presentation at November’s meeting in Church Hall. She started with some sobering statistics on poverty, which can be found on www.christianaid.org.uk . Continuing with a description of how CA is employing lawyers to help the people living in the Brazilian rainforest who harvest the nuts, to register the title to their land and so protect it from illegal clearance and logging. The Joint E&W Deanery Synod meeting was at Newport Minster in January 2014. Archdeacon Peter Sutton spoke, outlining his plans for the future of the Deanery and Archdeaconry. He also presented statistics obtained from every parish on the Island and the general census which compared populations, social conditions, special services conducted etc.. It was obvious fewer people called themselves Christian in 2011, than did in 2001. Archdeacon Peter also spoke at the March WW Deanery Synod meeting in East , when he presented his idea and plans for “One Island Deanery”. The second part of the meeting reviewed the funding of the future Parish Share, followed by discussion. .

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Youth Groups Ben Crouch

We have regular groups throughout the week with varied levels of attendance. On a Tuesday we have Rock Solid in Brook, linked with the WWCT (West Wight Churches Together) organisation, and we have a regular attendance of 10. On a Wednesday evening there is an older Discipleship group, in which we are currently reading through Jesus Is by Judah Smith, and finding the challenging and life changing news of God’s grace and how that impacts our lives. On a Thursday we run CIA, which is split in two age groups, up to year 6, and year 7 and above. These are great and give chance for young people to explore different topics and see how we as Christians can respond to them. In these groups we also provide the chance for the young people to do community activities such as Lent Lunches and running BIG services. BIG Worship Weekend was held in March at the Medina Valley Centre on the island. It followed several previously very successful residential weekends away, which provide a time for families and individuals to have fun together in a relaxed environment with some teaching and fellowship. Sunday Club is also well-attended with a varied age range, but has been improved by using a particular lectionary-based material which allows us to explore the same things as in the main service. I am encouraged by all the groups and excited by the changes that they have caused for the groups themselves and for the individuals that compile them.

Fellowship Groups Anna Davidson

There are a number of groups meeting within the benefice on a regular basis. They are as follow: Shorwell Bible Study Group: each Friday 14:30; fellowship, study and prayer. Ladies Bible Study: alternate Fridays 10:45 Brighstone; coffee and cake, study and prayer. Bible Study: Tuesday 20:00 Brighstone; cake, study and prayer. Bible Study: Tuesday 10:00 Brook; fellowship, study and prayer. Rectory Breakfast: 08:30 Wednesday; a time of enquiry for parents of Brighstone Primary. Emmaus Confirmation Course: Feb/March 2014. C.I.A: 17:00-18:00, Years 5 and 6, 18:30-19:30, Year 7 upwards, Brighstone Methodist Chapel. Rock Solid: 18:30-20:00, Year 5 upwards, The Seely Hall Brook. App Group: 19:30-21:00 Wednesday, for Year 10 and above.

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Coffee and Chat: 10:00-12:00 monthly, a fellowship group operating generally within Brighstone and .

Chale Churchyard Committee Derek Sprake, Chairman

2013 proved successful for the Churchyard Committee, with reserve funds rising to just over £3,000, and the Churchyard maintained to a high standard with compliments coming from local people and visitors alike. The Church and Churchyard attracts people from all over the world as evidenced by comments in the visitor’s book. The cold and wet start to the year held back grass growth, but dryer and warmer periods throughout the summer saw rapid growth requiring regular mowing. Our groundsman Dave Holmes, maintains a high standard, and he also carries out all machinery maintenance. The former allotments area has been cut regularly and provides a useful car parking area for larger gatherings in the Church. The Committee met three times during the year and held two quizzes, raising £370, and a coffee morning in Niton raising £172 split with the Chale P.C.C. The Quiz, in particular, is now a hotly contested event enjoyed by some 40 quizzers each time, and includes refreshments by members and Chale W.I. We continue to receive invaluable support with an annual grant of £750 from Chale Parish Council, and £300 from Chale Show, in addition to £935 donated by parishioners and families of those buried in the Churchyard. We also receive £10 per annum from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. During the year we completed the cleaning and staining of gates, church doors, and bench seats.

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Christian Aid Miriam Crewe

The 5 Villages Christian Aid Group continues to organise fund raising within our parishes. In 2013 the total raised was £3430; £2246 of this was from the annual house to house collection in May. Adam Peckham’s challenging questions, made the autumn quiz an enjoyable evening. We decorated a tree for the Tree Festival, which reflected the devastating situation in The Philippines and Syria. There was a good response to The Philippines emergency appeal and we were able to send £450. The Lent lunches were popular as ever. To raise awareness of the work of Christian Aid and to say thank you to our collectors and donators, we organised a lunchtime event on the 21 st March 2014. This included a very informative talk by Charlotte Page (the southern region co-ordinator) and Sarjon Toma, from Kurdish Iraq; our group also provided a buffet lunch. Donations from this event raised £243. We very much appreciate the continued support from the church congregations and wider communities.

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