Parish Statement 2019
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Parish Statement 2019 St. Mary’s of the Purification Church St. Andrew’s Mission Hall St. Simon and St. Jude’s Church 1 OUR NEW INCUMBENT The United Benefice of Blidworth and Rainworth are looking for a new Incumbent. Could it be you? The types of qualities we are looking for in our new priest include the following: Qualities Required • A person of prayer and deep faith who will put God at the front as we are led into the future. • Someone who is committed to being a leader in our church and the community, building on our work with Partnership for Missional Church in a way which encourages, supports and motivates. • A priest whose experience has shown them that good pastoral care is a vital basis for wider engagement and evangelism within a parish. • A person who is supportive of our style of worship, whilst seeking to bring fresh insight. • A good communicator who sees the strengths of social media in sharing the Christian faith. • Someone who values good management of time and resources and is confident in speaking about Christian giving. In return you will find that we are friendly, welcoming people, who are eager to move forward in faith and meet the challenges of the future. If you have these qualities and are interested in our Benefice please read on and see what we are about. 2 WHERE ARE WE? You can find us towards the north of Nottinghamshire in a less well-known area of the county. We are two adjoining villages north of Nottingham, sandwiched between the A614, A60 and A617, with easy access to the M1. Mansfield is the nearest town at 5 miles away and the City of Nottingham is about 12 miles south of us. Sutton in Ashfield, Chesterfield, Newark and Southwell are other towns close by. Sheffield’s Meadow Hall (large shopping centre) can be reached within 50 minutes and the train service from Newark to London now only takes an hour and a half. The surrounding countryside of Blidworth and Rainworth is very attractive with a mixture of farmland, heathland and forest. There are some fabulous views from high points in the villages. Clumber Park, Rufford Abbey, Sherwood Forest and Newstead Abbey are all within easy driving distance and there are numerous footpaths and cycle tracks around. Center Parcs is only 8 miles up the road and we have local amenities for children such as Wheelgate Park and White Post Farm. Major Oak at Sherwood Forest The economy of the area has changed dramatically since the decline of the coal mining industry. There has been a lot of housing development in the last 20 years and many of the new inhabitants commute to Nottingham and further afield. Light industry has also been developed locally. Autumn at Rufford Park 3 WHERE YOU WOULD LIVE The Vicarage, at 27 St Peter’s Drive, Rainworth, was built c.1977. It is a detached, 4 bedroomed dwelling. It has a lounge, dining room, large study and a separate garage, as well as ample extra parking. Front view of the house. The house has lawned gardens with planted borders at the back. Also at the back of the garden is land belonging to the church and Diocese but it is overgrown at the moment. When cleared there would be a path directly to the church. The back view of the house. Side view of the house showing study window. Parking for several cars. Garage on right. 4 WHO’S WHO In the United Benefice of Blidworth and Rainworth Licenced Lay Minister Marilyn Brown (Readers) Stephanie Smart Sharon Winders Reader Emeritus Leila Southcott Stephen Fox Recognised Lay Minister Maureen Garner Church Warden Blidworth Kathleen McCready Church Wardens Rainworth Susan Daunt Marie Wealleans Our Licenced Lay Ministers are very conscientious and work hard throughout the Benefice. They lead worship, preach, conduct funerals and take ‘Home’ Communion. They are a good team and work well together. Our readers below from left to right are Marilyn, Sharon and Steph Our Licenced Lay Ministers deliver courses that we run in our churches, including the Space to Pray sessions, as well as the Lent and Advent courses with support from our Recognised Lay Minister. 5 We are also very fortunate to have living in the United Benefice three retired Priests: • Reverend Geoff Maltby Canon Emeritus • Reverend Janet Heath • Reverend Canon Tony Evans. They help by taking occasional services and Reverend Tony Evans is currently Chaplain of the local British Legion. We really appreciate their support. There are several members of the congregation who have the Bishop’s permission to assist with the distribution of Communion. Each church has its own Churchwardens and PCC. The churchwardens and readers meet on a monthly basis with the incumbent to discuss what is happening in the benefice. Here are Marie Wealleans, Sue Daunt and Kath McCready our Churchwardens. Our Mission Statement As a church we try to: • Participate in events and projects in the community and seek to meet and work with others who are not involved with the church. • Celebrate the joy of laughter and friendship through joint social events within the church and community. • Grow links with the community. • Share the message and insights of scripture by ‘Dwelling in the Word’ and ‘Dwelling in the world. • Ensure that at all times, in all places and in all dealings with other people Christian attitudes and values are promoted and upheld. 6 OUR PARISHES Blidworth Parish showing St Mary’s Church and St Andrew’s Mission Hall Rainworth Parish showing St Simon and St Jude’s Church 7 BLIDWORTH ORIGINS AND HISTORY Although the village is much older, the first mention of Blidworth is in the Domesday Book, where it states that, before the Conquest the Archbishop of York had a manor at Blidworth. The village was originally surrounded by Sherwood Forest and is frequently referred to in connection with the Robin Hood legend. It is said that Maid Marian lived in the parish prior to her marriage and Will Scarlett is reputedly buried in Blidworth churchyard. The construction of Blidworth colliery, which opened in 1924, greatly increased the size of the village and the number of people living in it, transforming it from a small farming community. CHURCH HISTORY The church at Blidworth would originally have been a wooden structure replaced by one of stone during the Saxon period. It was known as the Chapel of St Lawrence until c.1485 when a tower was built onto “The Church of St Mary”. The tower is the only remaining part of this old church as the rest of it fell down in 1736. The repaired church was reopened in 1740 and further enlarged in 1839. BLIDWORTH TODAY The population of Blidworth is approximately 5000, made up of a few “old Blidworth” families, retired miners from the closed colliery and newcomers inhabiting the recent housing developments and vacated council and “pit” houses. There is a GP Surgery and pharmacy in the village, as well as various shops which include a small Tesco’s, McColl’s, a Post Office and several food outlets. Blidworth also has an Industrial Estate and a Fire Station which is staffed by on-call fire fighters, who respond from home or a place of work when required. The neighbourhood also has a Miners’ Welfare, a Leisure Centre, a Library and three public houses including the establishment at the nearby hamlet of Blidworth Bottoms. There is a range of activities on offer in the community, for example Brownies, Army Cadets, quiz nights, a football club and riding stables at Blidworth Bottoms. The local primary school Blidworth Oaks, is on Haywood Avenue and invites us to take assemblies each half term. 8 There are three care homes in the village where we try to visit on a monthly basis. In November 2007 a war memorial honouring local soldiers was unveiled by the Blidworth family of a young soldier killed in Afghanistan. The area around it on Main Street has been landscaped and planted with flowers and shrubs to create a truly stunning feature and a magnificent monument. We lead the Annual Remembrance Service alongside the British Legion and Parish Council. This is well supported by the villages and the road is often closed. ST MARY’S CHURCH St Mary of the Purification was initially the mother church of the area, with both Ravenshead and Rainworth churches growing from it. The church building stands on a hill on Main Street and is now situated at the edge of the village as a consequence of the construction of the colliery and its associated housing built some distance away on farmland between Blidworth and Rainworth. St Andrew’s Mission Hall is centred in this area. The church itself is grade II listed, in a good state of preservation, with seating for about 120 people. The latest quinquennial inspection was in 2017. There is a very passionate group of bell ringers who practise weekly on Thursdays. The peal of six bells is rung on a monthly basis and for special occasions. The Tower Captain worships at Rainworth Unfortunately, there is no car park at the church but there is an arrangement with the local pub for parking in their car park. The churchyard, which is maintained by the District Council, has now been closed to new burials (exceptions are for families with a plot and approved faculty). Ashes can be interred in the Rose Garden adjacent to the church building or in a family plot in the graveyard. There are some war graves in the graveyard. 9 ST ANDREW’S MISSION HALL The hall is situated in the area of the village which was built to house colliery workers.