SSttoouurr VVaallee BBeenneeffiiccee PPrrooffiillee 22001166

BBeenneeffiiccee PPrrooffiillee 22001166

Mission Statement

We see the purpose of the Church in our Benefice as to:

 Worship and serve God  Nurture and grow our faith in fellowship with each other  Make Christ known in our villages, wider community and world by what we do

Introduction by the Bishop of Sherborne 1

Who we are 2

Worship 3

Key People 5

Communication 6

Social Events 7

Outreach 8

The Way Forward 9

The New Incumbent 11

The Vicarage 12

The Parishes 13

Appendices 20

TThhee SSttoouurr VVaallee BBeenneeffiiccee Introduction to Vacancy by the Bishop of Sherborne

Rural ministry in is a joy and a delight. In recent years significant changes have been made in the way clergy are supported and encouraged, leading to a greater sense of collegiality in our rural areas.

The Deanery, in which the Stour Vale Benefice is situated, has been shaped to ensure there are clergy clusters, north and south for mutual support and fellowship. The north cluster, comprising of clergy from and Gillingham, includes training curates, pioneer ministers and experienced clergy committed to collaborative ministry. There will be a warm welcome amongst this clergy grouping for whoever comes to Stour Vale.

Stour Vale enjoys beautiful rural countryside yet is within easy reach of Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Sherborne and Yeovil. Gillingham and Sherborne stations offer rail connections to Salisbury, Exeter and London Waterloo.

Although there are few retired clergy in the benefice, the deanery and neighbouring deanery attracts a significant number of clergy who come to retire in a rural location. There would therefore be clergy to call upon for holiday cover when necessary and the possibility to utilise the gifts of retired clergy in the future.

Rural ministry is always challenging, however sharing good practice is encouraged within deaneries and across the diocese. The diocese itself is committed to its rural benefices and is actively looking at further ways this ministry can be supported and capacity increased. There are currently a number of training opportunities for rural clergy across the diocese, including a residential conference and we are looking to extend that in the future.

In the diocese there is also a commitment to encourage the development of Lay Ministry, and local programmes of training to develop Lay Pastoral Assistants and Lay Worship Leaders are proving to be successful particularly in our rural benefices. We also run a programme specifically designed to energise local lay ministry.

Should you wish to know more about ministering in Dorset please do not hesitate to contact me. We offer great opportunities, wonderful countryside, supportive colleagues and some deeply spiritual places of worship and retreat.

Bishop Karen (01747 811960)

1

TThhee BBeenneeffiiccee

7 Parish Churches, 8 Villages, 1 Priest

Who We Are

The Benefice of Stour Vale was formed 15 years ago and comprises eight charming villages forming seven parishes situated in the Blackmore Vale. This is bounded by the market towns of Shaftesbury, Gillingham and Wincanton. The total population is approximately 2,500; the largest parish has about 600 people and the smallest 80. It’s a cohesive cluster with six miles between the furthest villages. Although this is a rural area we have the advantage of a nearby mainline station at Gillingham (trains to London Waterloo in around 2 hours). Within the benefice there is an excellent county primary school.

Within the benefice we have:  a popular farm shop with café  four pubs  a garage with shop  small businesses  two fishing lakes  a soft play centre  three recreation fields  several working farms

The River Stour running between parishes in the Benefice of Stour Vale

2

Worship

3

Services

We have a United Benefice Eucharist once a month and also a Benefice Service on the fifth Sunday, which we are in the process of developing as an informal Praise Service. There are special services on Good Friday, Harvest Festival, Remembrance Sunday, Rogation Sunday and an occasional Pet Service. In recent years our Benefice services have gained in popularity.

Parish services: all of our churches have two or three of their own services a month, some of which are lay led by either a Licensed Lay Minister or a Lay Worship Leader. Our worship reflects our congregation from the conservative to the informal (BCP to Praise Services). We would describe ourselves as middle-of-the-road Anglican.

Music

We are very fortunate in having a strong team of organists; amongst these we have a composer, the area chairman of the Royal School of Church Music Wessex Area, a local leading choral conductor and one of the producers of Prom Praise Wessex.

We have a Benefice choir which supports benefice services and is drawn from all the villages: the choir also sings at weddings and funerals. Some of our Churches have singing groups for their own services and we have a small children’s choir. We are forming a group of musicians to support our Praise Service.

There is a peal of five bells at and an accomplished team of bell ringers. The contribution of musicians is a vital part of our services, and above all we encourage wholehearted congregational singing.

4

KKeeyy PPeeooppllee

We have three very active LLM’s who are committed to the Benefice and are supported by a number of Lay Worship Leaders: each parish has two churchwardens and a full complement of officers.

A Benefice Administrator has recently been appointed, who is also our Safeguarding Representative. In addition we have a Benefice Treasurer and an Editor of Octavo, the Benefice magazine.

Unfortunately we have no retired priests in the Benefice, but during the vacancy we have enjoyed the support of the clergy team in Gillingham and a retired priest who lives in nearby Shaftesbury.

5

CCoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn

There are regular Joint Parochial Church Council and individual parish Parochial Church Council meetings, with monthly churchwardens’ meetings having been reinstated during the Vacancy to discuss patterns of worship and future plans. The JPCC meetings bring the parishes together to discuss benefice and wider issues, whilst the individual PCCs discuss their own parish needs.

There is a Benefice magazine, Octavo, produced and distributed by church members to over 400 households in the villages, keeping them informed of church and village life.

On the Benefice website each village has a section as well as a calendar to post services and events taking place. For further information the address is: www.stourvalechurches.org.uk

Our Administrator collects and disseminates information round the parishes. She also makes arrangements for baptisms and weddings.

6

SSoocciiaall EEvveennttss

The Benefice is extremely sociable and throughout the year there are activities or fund raisers most weekends that include fetes, plant sales, street fairs, dog shows, quiz nights, jumble sales and lots more. In one village the Church is the meeting place as there is no village hall.

7

OOuuttrreeaacchh Our congregations are warm and welcoming to newcomers, and coffee after services has become increasingly important both pastorally and socially. Although we don’t have a pastoral committee, pastoral needs are met by members of the congregation because our villages are small enough for everyone to be known and noticed.

Through the Blackmore Vale Deanery we are linked to the Lui diocese in South Sudan and have funded two teachers through teacher training.

Lent Lunches are held in every village and support a variety of overseas charities.

Knit and Natter In the last year we have started a Knit and Natter group which has proved very popular and its support extends beyond church membership. We knit school jumpers for the Turi Project in Kenya which enables children to attend school, and funds are also raised for the project.

Children We have a well established Mother and Toddler group, “Munchkins”, based in which meets weekly during term time. Last year we started Messy Church which has attracted a strong team of helpers. Under dynamic leadership, Messy Church is growing and meets about six times a year. As already mentioned we have a small children’s choir and we intend to include our young musicians in the new music group for our Praise Service.

School We are fortunate in having an excellent Primary School in with most pupils moving on to Gillingham Comprehensive. Although not a Church School, the Ministry Team are invited to take a weekly Christian Assembly at Stower Provost School, where they use Open the Book. Some children actively participate in festivals at Stour Provost church, where the annual Carol Service is held. Active involvement in the school is seen as a very important part of our outreach to children and the community. The school is very friendly, has a wonderfully dedicated staff, and has about 80 children as well as a small pre-school unit. Some of the Governors are members of our Church communities.

8

TThhee WWaayy FFoorrwwaarrdd What we can offer

We are very mindful that every benefice and church community is about people. Our loyal and faithful congregations know how valuable it is to be welcoming, caring and sociable. We are blessed with a strong and committed team of lay ministers and worship leaders, who see the current vacancy as a time of opportunity and potential for growth: the new quarterly Praise Service mentioned above, which is followed by a bring-and-share lunch, is an example of their initiative.

We have a sound infrastructure with seven historic parish churches (in 2015 two churches joined together to make a more viable congregation). All our churches are looked after by their churchwardens, and their teams maintain church buildings and churchyards to a high standard. Share is paid in full and every parish has stable finances.

Festival services, such as the 2015 Christingle service at Buckhorn Weston on Christmas Eve which attracted 170 people, have increased in popularity and reach out to those who are not regular church members.

The Benefice is a group of active communities with many events in aid of the churches which involve the villages as a whole. Village identity is important, but there is a growing core of parishioners who will travel to other churches in the Benefice and attend other villages’ events.

We enjoy living in this lovely rural area of Dorset. Some people were born here, but many have moved to the Benefice, have been made welcome, and have themselves got involved with local activities.

9

The challenges

We face similar challenges to other rural communities. Our priority is to reverse the slow, steady decline in congregation numbers, while at the same time widening the age profile of our congregations and attracting newcomers into our church community.

To this end we are striving to promote lively, welcoming worship which embraces new ideas without losing the much-loved traditions of the Church of . Among the difficulties we face are:

 the large number of services on a Sunday within the benefice  only one church (East Stour) having kitchen and toilet facilities  the cost of maintaining seven churches and churchyards  the lack of any spare funding for new projects and major remedial work

Our wider challenges in spreading the Gospel and developing the love of Christ in the wider community are to promote a sustainable prayer group, to develop the prayer life of the Benefice, and in general terms to develop a long-term strategy for growth in the Benefice.

Renewing HHooppee Pray ~ Serve ~ Grow

10

TThhee NNeeww IInnccuummbbeenntt

We are looking for a priest who can develop a vision for our benefice and community, and bring people along with them to share that vision. We hope and pray to find someone who will work willingly with the established team in collaborative ministry, enabling people to make the best use of the many talents that they have.

We would like our incumbent to:

 be prayerful and spiritually confident and able to nurture the faith of others  have a heart for pastoral ministry  be appreciative and supportive of the role of music in worship and ministry  engage with the wider community and with the school  be a good organiser and team leader

11

TThhee VViiccaarraaggee aatt KKiinnggttoonn MMaaggnnaa

This is a large modern house built some 25 years ago. It is located in the centre of the village of Kington Magna, one of the seven benefice parishes. Close by are the village hall, club and play area.

The front door opens into a hall with cloaks cupboard, small cloakroom and door to the spacious office. Beyond the hall is a lockable door leading to the rest of the ground floor accommodation which comprises a large sitting room with adjoining dining area and serving hatch to the kitchen. There is a utility room off the kitchen.

The first floor comprises four bedrooms - one large with fitted wardrobes, one medium-sized with a wash hand basin and two small, one with wash hand basin and fitted wardrobe. There is a shower room with W.C. and washbasin and a bathroom with washbasin. There is plenty of cupboard space and a roomy airing cupboard.

Outside is a large garden, mainly laid to lawn with a few shrubs together with an area of orchard to the side of the property. A garage stands alongside the house, although not attached to it. Heating is by oil.

The property is fronted by a large parking area.

12

TThhee PPaarriisshheess

Buckhorn Weston

St. John the Baptist

Buckhorn Weston lies on the side of a slope overlooking the Blackmore Vale, and is a mile from the border with Somerset.

The church of St. John the Baptist dates back to the 13th century. It has a 15th century porch and it was heavily restored and enlarged in 1870. A major 10-year restoration programme is nearing completion. There is an interesting 19th century Hallett pipe organ, and a small adult choir sings at the monthly Eucharist and at festivals.

The village community is extremely active in raising funds for the church: annual events include a fete, a garden party and a jumble sale, and there is a monthly Coffee Club, a fortnightly church market and regular soup lunches. Munchkins, the Benefice’s weekly mother and toddler group, meets in the Buckhorn Weston village hall.

Buckhorn Weston also has:

 a village hall, rebuilt at the Millennium, with an adjoining village green  a flourishing cricket club  a popular pub, the Stapleton Arms, named after the former lords of the manor

13

East Stour

Christ Church

The Parish Church was rebuilt in the Neo-Norman style by George Alexander and was reconsecrated as Christ Church in 1841, due substantially to the efforts of The Rev’d Henry Deane, then Rector of Gillingham. The font and pelican lectern pre-date the present building.

The congregation, aided by some villagers, re-roofed the nave in 2004 and at the same time they laid the pipes and wooden floor for the subsequent addition of a kitchen, disabled accessible toilet and inner glass doors. The Church is frequently used for the monthly Benefice Service and the central area under the tower is used for events such as Harvest meals and soup lunches and fundraisers such as the recent summer concert.

East Stour also has:

 a village Hall  a recreation field with play equipment and space for football  a post office in the village hall every Wednesday morning  two pubs, one being primarily a restaurant  five working farms  a hair salon  a car repair garage

14

Fifehead Magdalen

St. Mary Magdalene

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene dates from the 14th century and was no doubt originally decorated with murals although extensive restoration in the early 20th century has all but eradicated any remaining traces. The belfry contains three bells dating from the 15th, 16th and 17th century, that from the 15th inscribed Ave Maria - Salisbury.

The Manor of Fifehead was recorded in the Domesday Book, and a hamlet and later the village has developed around one of the many estates belonging to the Abbey of St. Augustine in Bristol making the Abbot Lord of the Manor. This continued until December 1539 when the Abbey was finally dissolved and the Lordship of Fifehead passed from the Abbey’s protection. The village continued to grow and now has a number of 19th and 20th century houses joining the small and ancient cottages of original Fifehead.

Although Fifehead Magdalen is a very small village it still has an active social life centred around fundraising events for the church and village hall. Our main events of the year are the Garden Day and our Harvest Supper in October which are both well attended. Other events include:-

 Pimms lunch in July  quiz nights  jumble sales  soup lunches

15

Kington Magna with Nyland

All Saints

All Saints Church sits in a commanding position on the edge of the escarpment overlooking the village and farmland of the Blackmore Vale - Thomas Hardy’s ‘Vale of the Dairies’. It is a Grade 2* listed building in the village conservation area and is considered by many to have one of the finest ecclesiastical views in Dorset. Although Norman in origin, the late mediaeval tower is now the oldest part of the building, much of it having been remodelled by the Victorians in 1861. As the largest church within the Benefice, it is often used for special events such as a Pet Service and Commemorations.

The peal of five historic bells and their mediaeval bell-frame were renovated and rehung in 2010 after much local fund-raising and the walls of the tower and its roof are currently undergoing extensive repair and renovation thanks to generous grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other bodies.

Also in the village are:

 the Benefice Vicarage  a Social Club and village hall used for meetings and community events such as coffee mornings, Harvest Supper, Kington Singers’ rehearsals and Messy Church  a recently refurbished village green/play area  a small industrial estate with car repair facilities, garden maintenance contractor and metal design workshop  a Street Fayre which alternates annually with village Open Gardens  a village library/book exchange in the telephone box

16

Stour Provost with

St. Michael and All Angels

The church of St. Michael & All Angels was built in the early 14th century and added to in subsequent periods. It is an attractive church with traditional pews and an organ. Two services are held in the church each month along with services at key festival dates. Stour Provost church is one of the larger churches in the Benefice with a capacity well in excess of one hundred.

Stour Provost is a small picturesque village set in stunning countryside in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The village adjoins the River Stour and the parish stretches to Duncliffe Wood to the east. Most houses in the village were owned by King’s College Cambridge until the 1920s when it sold its interests.

Also in the Parish there are:

 Stower Provost primary school  a recreation ground with a pavilion which is used for football and cricket and a small playground with swings  a village hall which is well used for a variety of events

The church of All Saints, Stour Row, built in the 1860’s as a Chapel of Ease to Stour Provost was, sadly, closed at the end of 2015 and we have now gone back to the parish of St. Michael and All Angels at Stour Provost where the services are well attended. The burial ground round the church is still open although full for burials, but we have a new burial ground further down Green Lane which we are now using. There is a well used village hall where the village comes together for various events both national and local.

17

TTooddbbeerr

St Andrew

There has been evidence of church buildings on the site of St Andrew’s since late Saxon times and the present church was rebuilt in 1879, in a simple style, funded by the Marchioness of Westminster. Parts of the tower and the oak chancel screen are pre- Victorian but the exact age is not known. The piscine dates back to the 15th century and there are two bells dating back to the 1730s. The Church is well cared for, holds regular events supported by members of the congregation and the village, and places a great importance on music.

The parish has:

 a population of 140  a pleasant rural atmosphere  a quarry  holiday cottages  a campsite  fishing lake

18

WWeesstt SSttoouurr

St. Mary

The Church stands on a slight hill at the end of the village street. Parts of the Church date back to the 13th Century; these are mainly the windows in the chancel. The tower was added in the 15th century and houses a set of three bells.

The gallery in 1819 was used for the formation of an orchestra which played weekly for 40 years, until an organ was installed. The gallery is used to great effect at Easter and Christmas when a good view of the proceedings is seen.

The Church is small but is a welcoming place, lovingly cared for throughout the year, with 3-4 services a month. It has a central place in the spiritual and social life of the village.

At the other end of the village street is the Ship Inn, a favourite eating place for both locals and visitors.

 There is a village hall, which used to be the village school and is used for various functions  The garage and shop on the A30 is well used by everyone  There are also fishing lakes

19

APPENDIX 1 Location of the Benefice

20

APPENDIX 2 Parish Register Electoral Roll 2014 2015

Buckhorn Weston 35 33 East Stour 29 28 Fifehead Magdalen 27 27 Kington Magna 61 54 Stour Provost 31 31 20 20 West Stour 23 25

Occasional Offices 2015 Baptisms Weddings Funerals in Church Buckhorn Weston 4 2 4 East Stour 1 0 0 Fifehead Magdalen 1 0 1 Kington Magna 2 1 +1 Renewal of vows 1 Stour Provost 2 1 +1 Renewal of vows 1 Todber 0 0 0 West Stour 0 1 1

Weekly Attendance (average) 2015 BCP Communion Parish Communion Family Service Matins Evensong Buckhorn 21 19 10 Weston East Stour 15 15 Fifehead 14 10 Magdalen Kington Magna 21 21 8 Stour Provost 20 14 Todber 14 10 9 West Stour 10 15 15

Monthly Benefice Service 2015 Average Attendance 58

21

APPENDIX 3

Pattern of Services

Services for Stour Vale Benefice

Sunday 1st Sunday 2nd Sunday 3rd Sunday 4th Sunday

10:30am 10:30am 10:30am 10.30am Buckhorn Morning Prayer BCP All Age Worship Benefice Eucharist Parish Communion Weston at East Stour

10:30am 6:30pm 10:30am East Parish Eucharist Evening Prayer Benefice Eucharist Stour BCP at East Stour

6:30pm 10.30am 10:30am 6:30pm Fifehead Magdalen Evensong Parish Eucharist Benefice Eucharist Evensong at East Stour

10:30am 6.30pm 10:30am 10.30am Kington Family Worship Evening Prayer BCP Benefice Eucharist Parish Eucharist Magna at East Stour

10:30am 10.30am Stour 9.30am Benefice Eucharist Morning Prayer Provost Parish Eucharist at East Stour BCP

9:30am 10:30am 10:30am 6:30pm Todber Parish Communion Morning Prayer Benefice Eucharist Evening Prayer BCP at East Stour BCP

10:00am 10.00am 10.30am 9:00am West Morning Worship Morning Worship Benefice Eucharist Parish Eucharist Stour at East Stour

22

APPENDIX 4 Finance BENEFICE GROUP FINANCES - 2015 Buckhorn East Fifehead Kington Stour Todber West Weston Stour Magdalen Magna Provost Stour RECEIPTS Tax efficient planned giving 5502 7442 3709 7444 7140 2421 6188

Other Planned giving 0 372 0 0 0 0 0 Collections at services 741 1564 724 1792 786 453 2509 All other giving 0 330 1405 3476 271 400 50 Gift Aid recovered 1763 0 1960 3234 1780 642 1895 Legacies received (capital 7633 0 0 0 0 0 0 value) Grants, restricted donations 643 300 600 1600 0 150 1100 Gross income from 11388 2564 4325 11352 3163 2334 2752 fundraising Income from Investments 63 23 4 74 365 2518 2626 Parish fees retained by PCC 3396 679 413 2070 600 75 908 Gross income from trading 373 242 105 0 222 180 135 (magazine) Any other income/receipts 1000 2130 1000 0 1105 1244 34 not already listed TOTAL 32502 15646 14245 31042 15432 10417 18197

Buckhorn East Fifehead Kington Stour Todber West Weston Stour Magdalen Magna Provost Stour PAYEMENTS Fund-raising activities (costs & 125 20 134 0 875 97 19 payments) Mission giving and donations 1132 694 75 918 512 624 1120 Diocesan parish share 11136 6627 7140 12052 7707 4590 9053 contribution Salaries, wages and honoraria 0 0 756 15 370 0 273 Clergy and staff expenses 1020 1020 1020 0 0 67 1050 Church expenses: Mission 0 15 0 0 1035 0 0 costs Church running expenses 6142 1974 3225 7366 2125 2984 2873 Church utility bills (gas, 351 726 380 2084 88 291 500 electricity, water, oil) Cost of trading 2208 245 90 348 241 193 140 Major repairs to the church 12607 3434 0 456 1685 1371 1747 building Major repairs to other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 property owned by PCC Governance Costs (exam or 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 audit fee) Other outgoing resources 0 0 0 0 0 0 418 TOTAL 34721 14755 12832 23239 14638 10217 17193

23

SSttoouurr VVaallee BBeenneeffiiccee

24