Parish Profile 2019 for the Benefice of

Burton Joyce with and with Caythorpe and Gunthorpe

Contents Welcome ...... 1 Gedling Deanery ...... 3 Worship ...... 4 Who are we? ...... 5 Our Next Vicar ...... 5 Ministry Team ...... 6 Our Location ...... 6 Vision: Wider, Younger, Deeper ...... 7 Schools and Junior Church ...... 7 Our Churches ...... 11 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats ...... 15 Our Communities ...... 19 Current Service Patterns ...... 20 Parish Attendance Statistics 2018 ...... 20 Policies ...... 21 Clubs and Societies in the Benefice ...... 21 Financial Information ...... 23 Parish Age Profiles (from 2011 Census) ...... 24

Welcome Forging a new Benefice out of six different churches can present a challenge, but over the past year or so there has been a real coming together of the congregations of with Bulcote and Stoke Bardolph, and Lowdham with Caythorpe and Gunthorpe. Therefore, a new incumbent will be heartened to find that there is already a strong desire among people to grow and develop the congregations into a cohesive and forward-looking Benefice, reaching out into the various communities and reflecting Bishop Paul’s vision of “Wider, Younger, Deeper”. What will a new incumbent bring to the table? Energy and enthusiasm coupled with a deep faith in our loving Heavenly Father, and the desire to develop the faith not just of the existing congregations but also to engage with the wider village communities to show that the Church is not an anachronism in the 21st century. Someone coming to the Benefice will need to have a sense of humour (essential!) be kind and empathetic, but be able to deal sympathetically but firmly with those who have strong minds of their own. It would be helpful to have had experience of the world outside the Church, to be able to take a measured view, and to be able to manage different personalities with patience and maturity. We would love our new incumbent to focus some of their attention on bringing back families and young people to worship, particularly developing strong links with the Primary Schools across the Benefice. Of course, one essential skill will be the ability to build teams, to harness the gifts and knowledge of congregations and PCC members, and to be an excellent communicator and organiser. It would be helpful for a new incumbent to have a flexible attitude to worship patterns and matters of evangelism, to take a wide view of people management, and to listen to people’s hopes and fears. Whilst it is realistically impossible to please all of the people all of the time, someone coming to the Benefice must be able to adapt, to listen, and above all to show the love of Christ through all that they undertake. It’s a great place to live and work, and there is an enormous opportunity for the right person to develop their ministry among people who are longing for leadership and growth. Recent new benefice-wide events have included a ‘Happiness Lab’ course, (which is intended to be run again as outreach), a Passover Supper, Good Friday meditation, Easter dawn service and mini-series on giving. Jo Foster, Warden (BJBSB). May 2019

stmaryschurchlowdham churchburtonjoyce

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THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWELL & GROWING DISCIPLES WIDER, YOUNGER AND DEEPER A statement from the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham, the Rt Revd Paul Williams and the Archdeacon of Nottingham-designate Revd Canon Phil Williams

The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham incorporates the City of Nottingham, the whole County of and five parishes in South Yorkshire. The population is 1.15 million – 51% live in the greater Nottingham conurbation, 31% in ex-mining areas and 18% in rural. There are 305 churches (252 parishes), served by 142 stipendiary clergy and licensed lay workers. In 2016 a refreshed diocesan vision was embraced across the diocese, recognising the imperative for ‘Growing Disciples: wider, younger, deeper’.

• ‘Wider’ in that we will seek to grow disciples in every part of the diocese, with no retreat from any community: urban centre; outer estates; rural villages; or market towns. • ‘Younger’ in that we will seek fresh ways to harness the boldness and creativity of children, students and young people across the diocese, not least in Nottingham which is the 4th youngest city outside London. • ‘Deeper’ as we grow in knowing Christ, so that as his disciples we can be an increasing blessing to the people among whom we live and serve in the workplace, family and community.

The Bishops Senior Staff, Bishop’s Council and Diocesan Synod have demonstrated their clear commitment to sharing in all aspects of this vision and strategy. In autumn 2016 more than 1 000 PCC members attended 5 vision evenings around the diocese. We have discerned a series of emerging priorities that will facilitate growing new disciples in every parish across the diocese. Compelled by the love of Christ by 2023 we will seek to:

• Welcome 7000 new disciples into the fellowship of Christ and his church • Commission 1000 younger leaders (especially 15-30 year olds) equipped and inspired to serve the purposes of God in the Church and society. • Plant or graft 75 New Worshipping Communities (NWCs) across the diocese to increase our reach in telling the story of Jesus to all. • Grow 25 larger Resource Churches with clear commitment to develop leaders, plant New Worshipping Communities, and disciple the young. • Serve and pray together as 1 Church contending for the gospel in every community and sphere of public life in our city, county and region.

In this new chapter every parish has an opportunity to review its role within the diocesan mission, so that it can play a significant part in the strategic commitment to ‘Growing Disciples wider, younger and deeper.’ The Archdeacon-designate writes ‘It has been my privilege to work closely with the churchwardens, readers and the curate, Revd Simon Jones, over the last year. I have seen a significant increase in the level of confidence that has been created in each parish and in working together across the benefice. There are already proven examples of trying new things, which have been very well-received. There are many mission opportunities which, I believe, a period of committed and sustained leadership will unlock.’

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Bishop Paul has said: “It is my hope that each worshipping community will develop a compelling picture of its own future in God’s purposes with an expectation of growing numerically and in the scope of its mission. It is my prayer that the new vicar will have the creative leadership and imagination to develop discipleship, plan for growth and reach out to the unchurched of all ages in its locality.” June 2019 Gedling Deanery The Area Dean writes: I am delighted to introduce the Benefice of Lowdham, Caythorpe, and Gunthorpe, with Burton Joyce, Stoke Bardolph and Bulcote. As Area Dean I have been impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm from the Benefice; it’s Office Holders, and the PCC and the staff team.

There is much to commend to you and a great deal of potential going forwards. Building upon the hard work undertaken through the Vacancy a new incumbent would find a church eager to grow wider, younger and deeper and to witness God at work in both the hoped for, and in the surprises unimagined.

The Benefice comprises of two equal parishes: Lowdham with Caythorpe and Gunthorpe (LCG), and Burton Joyce with Stoke Bardolph and Bulcote (BJBSB) and sits within the Gedling Deanery.

The new Incumbent will join other clergy in the ‘villages partnership’ within the deanery (see blue boundary of map).

There is a genuine desire to act collegially and think collaboratively on issues that are common across the group.

As a deanery we look forward to a new colleague joining us in a very varied deanery covering 104,000 people and 22 churches, 14 full time clergy including curates, 11 active retired clergy and over 30 active readers.

The deanery has four partnerships that are a priority in both mission and shared vision. There is a villages partnership (blue), two urban partnerships (yellow and green) and the former Mapperley Top partnership.

The deanery also has working groups exploring initiatives on prayer, ministry to older people and ministry amongst children and young people.

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We offer a ‘Costa coffee Group’ for our 16 – 18 year olds that is flourishing. It has a strong global Anglican link with the diocese of Matana in Burundi and all PCCs in the deanery contribute to a Gedling deanery scholarship student at the Bujumbura Christian University. We are also seeking to deepen our connection to the civic .

Throughout the year there are two types of deanery chapter meetings:

a) Morning chapter meetings, spent first sharing in Holy Communion and then an informal couple of hours over breakfast to catch up and look to Deanery mission and partnership strategy (six a year), b) Wider ministry chapter with retired clergy, readers and recognised lay ministers (one a year).

We would expect the next incumbent to make these a priority and look forward to them joining with us on the next phase of our deanery journey.

I am available for an informal conversation should that be a help to you.

Rev’d Anthony Giles, Area Dean June 2019 Worship The Benefice has a mixture of All-Age, Morning Praise, Book of Common Prayer, Holy Communion and healing services. We are defined by our Anglican heritage and place a strong emphasis on the traditional Christian Festivals. There is a meditative / devotional thread, most prominent around Good Friday. There is an open evangelical thread with strong care for the Community, Environment and Justice themes, with an emphasis on welcoming and forgiving.

The quotes in speech bubbles come from responses to three questions that were asked in all the churches and the communities.

1. What do you think the main priorities should be for the next vicar over the next 5 to 7 years?

2. What are the main issues in the civic parish communities that the new vicar needs to engage with?

3. What qualities, strengths and character do you think the next vicar needs to possess?

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Who are we? We are two parishes each with a larger village and two smaller villages. We are six churches with different services and therefore different congregations, but we are looking forward to realise one combined Christian future. This Parish Profile is the first physical statement of our working together. We hope it shows the potential we have, the potential you can help us to realise. We are now working together as we have never worked before. We have been younger, vibrant, larger churches with exciting youth and children’s ministry and we are looking to re-kindle these, giving our communities the churches and spiritual life they are looking for. We think our future path is best achieved by working together collaboratively. We are looking for someone to join us in our journey; someone to help us find ways of working collaboratively together; someone to help us develop patterns of worship; someone to help us develop groups across the benefice to shape our spiritual future. Our Next Vicar is someone who: • is confident in their faith in Christ and has a desire to share that love and hope with others through new expressions of worship, while respecting and valuing more traditional forms, • has excellent leadership skills, strong networking ability, who will work with all ages to attract and involve the whole community in the life of the church, • has the capacity to form, nurture and train teams of leaders to release new potential, • can form and deliver vision and strategy for a newly-established benefice, • is an inspirational teacher and preacher enabling members to live out their Christian faith in their everyday lives wider, younger and deeper, • has the ability to engage with, understand and disciple more affluent residents often working in significant roles within the City and County as well as networking with local leaders in the area, • will focus on younger families and links with the local schools for strategic growth • may review and develop liturgy, as innovation is welcomed. … and we can offer • congregations who are really committed to seeing God’s Kingdom grow in our benefice, and want to go deeper in discipleship, • a variety of worship ranging from All-Age services to Book of Common Prayer, • church groups and initiatives such as house groups, environmental projects, and Churches Together events, • experienced PCCs already working together with a real desire to develop, including joint services, a Benefice choir and joint social activities, • a benefice close to Nottingham with its cultural and recreational facilities, while still set in beautiful countryside.

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Ministry Team The ministry team consists of a Curate Simon Jones, and two resident Readers David Moore and Rachel Bowser. We are also supported by a number of local clergy, (some of whom are retired). All have indicated their willingness to continue supporting us after the appointment of a new vicar. We have two Parish Administrators, Ruth Strong, for BJBSB, and Tracey Akehurst from Oxton who helps with LCG. At LCG, the Parish Wardens are Julian Banks and Jan Hewitt, with Chris Simson as Assistant Warden whilst at BJBSB, the Parish Wardens are Paul Smith and Jo Foster, assisted by Sue Rennie, Mary Crosby and Pat Hewitt. During the vacancy, our Area Dean, Revd Anthony Giles, has helped with a number of services and has been supervising Simon Jones (jointly with Revd Phil Williams) in his curacy until an incumbent is in place. Our Location There is a significant new development in the area South West of Stoke Bardolph which is under construction. It will consist of several hundred new houses, a school, Community Centre, eco park and industrial area. This may fall within the parish.

Map used by permission of the Ordnance Survey – © Crown Copyright 2017, OS licence 100058646.

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Vision: Wider, Younger, Deeper Since the challenge in 2016 by Bishop Paul to grow disciples "Wider, Younger, Deeper" in the Diocese. LCG’s response to the challenge of the diocesan vision is:

• Family To seek to grow our small but enthusiastic home-based bible study group orientated – and incorporate the use of some of the Christian nurture material outlined aim to bring at the recent meetings. in the • To investigate the development of a weekday early evening gathering for families that social and structured discussion linked to a short act of worship, but based are drifting within the village at a social centre or even a public house function room. away. This is to encourage those who are possibly intimidated by a church environment such as men and young families. This follows from ideas discussed at Bishop Tony’s recent Men’s Breakfast event. BJBSB identified our three priorities for 2017 as: Work with other • Undertaking a nurture group for Church and Village Members at local churches Stoke Bardolph towards a • Joint Lent Groups with BJBSB and LGC and Burton Joyce Churches common goal. Together, and others using "Whole of Life for Christ" books - Enriching Everyday Discipleship. • Reviving the Summer Holiday Club for 7-12 year olds.

A strong sense of community, and an ability to ‘get Schools and Junior Church the message There are primary schools at Burton Joyce, Gunthorpe and Lowdham. across’. Gunthorpe and Lowdham are both C of E voluntary aided schools. Burton Joyce School is an academic academy. It has been common practice for the incumbent to make a weekly visit to lead assemblies at all three schools. Foundation Governors elected by the PCC serve on the governing body of Lowdham Primary and in addition the school visits St Mary's for two services Church is for per year (July and December). For Lowdham and Burton Joyce there are all people, occasional class practical history visits. including the mentally and Both Burton Joyce and Lowdham School run after-school and breakfast club physically facilities. broken. Most of the students leaving Burton Joyce primary school attend Carlton Le

Willows Academy (www.clwacademy.co.uk). Some students with a church connection attend The Minster School (www.minster.notts.sch.uk). There are also a few students who attend private education. There is an opportunity to develop contact with Burton Joyce primary school.

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The Headteacher described Lowdham Church of Primary School as ‘A Traditional school with years of experience in village life, which gives it a unique atmosphere and place in the community. Our Connect with children find themselves in a families, busy and enthusiastic young learning environment where children and there is always so much to teens. do, learn and see’. She added, ‘We do visit the church at least twice a year for the RE curriculum with Years 1, 3 and 4. Also we send information about our Christian activities on the green board’ In the most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) in October 2016, the school was described as ‘outstanding’. The report says, ‘Lowdham is a primary school that lives and breathes its Christian ethos. The application of Christian values, modelled by all staff working in a cooperative and committed professional team, impact powerfully on the children’s lives.’ (www.lowdhamprimaryschool.co.uk) Gunthorpe Church of England Primary School’s previous Headteacher describes his school as ‘We strive to give our children an understanding of the world that God created; their place in it, their

value to it and their responsibility for it. Our core values are based in Christianity. They are: Friendship, Teamwork, Endurance, Wisdom, Trust, Service and Forgiveness. We are a busy but friendly school, with lots going on.’ He also added, ‘We also visit our local church for history and RE, in fact we were there only this week. We also like to hold services there; we are planning to hold our Easter service there in a few weeks’ time. In addition, as with the other schools we also have a before and after school club.’ The new headteacher, Claire Bills, is enthusiastic to continue working with the church. The last SIAMS report was in March 2014, and said, ‘the distinctiveness of the school as a church school was good, as demonstrated by:

• The positive impact of Christian values on all aspects of school life. • The dedicated, caring and committed leadership of staff, governors and clergy in an atmosphere of mutual support and trust. • Children who are confident, enthusiastic and eager to learn. • Excellent, pro-active, relationships with parents, families and the wider community.’

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(www.gunthorpeschool.co.uk)

The Headteacher writes about Burton Joyce Primary School, ‘The ethos of the school is one of high standards and achievement, of co-operation and support for everyone in our school community, respect and an awareness of others and their needs. There are many opportunities for children to develop their skills whatever their level of ability in an equal opportunities environment. We aim to provide a wide range of learning experiences where children will gain a positive self-image to help them on their path as happy and successful lifelong learners’. In June 2014, the Ofsted report described the school as good. (www.burtonjoyce.notts.sch.uk) Children For Burton Joyce, Bulcote and Stoke Bardolph, Junior Church activities still occur through a Recorder Group which meets every Friday in the Church Centre and provides performances at the All Age Worship Services and special services such as the Crib Service at St Helen’s and Christingle at St Luke’s.

Engage with St Helen’s in the recent past (2012) had a thriving Sunday School attracting up to the Primary 35 youngsters. These consequently attracted younger families to worship and Schools. participate in services. Each summer there was a Summer Holiday Club for a week but as the Sunday School’s popularity dropped so did the support for the Holiday Club. In addition, St Helen’s hosted a Pathfinder Group (11-15) on a Sunday Evening. Both St Helen’s and St Mary’s have a Crib service, and in both churches it is the most popular service of the year, each attracting a congregation of over 200 – around half of whom are young children. Until April 2016 a monthly Junior Church met at St Mary's on Sunday afternoons (16.00-17.30) attended by up to 30 children; unfortunately this stopped due to a lack of available leadership but it is hoped this may be resumed in due course. This provided a good contact point with young families in the LCG parish who often also attended the first Sunday All Age worship. On Good Friday morning, a popular craft and Easter egg hunt has been led by Junior Church every year. Meanwhile, LCG have started a monthly Messy Church with a growing regular attendance of over two dozen, more than half being children.

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Burton Joyce Old We want someone Church Hall hosts a who is kind, helpful, Parent and Toddler and fun, who will group twice a week. help us to know God. This is nominally connected to the church. Within the main villages there are three nurseries, there is a Pre-School Group in Lowdham Village Hall, and a Baby and Toddler group in the Methodist Chapel.

The Rainbow Group in St Helen’s Photos are from the children's crafts sessions that were held at Christmas and at Easter, where 28 children and 18 parents attended to make crafts, with children receiving a small bible storybook and a chocolate in a goody bag to take home with them. The Toddler group have also participated in some of St Helen's events by making a harvest banner for harvest service and also coming to the crafts sessions. This is part of an initiative to encourage children back to church.

St Helen's held a Christmas tree festival last year.

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Our Churches St Helen’s, Burton Joyce This is the Parish church of the BJBSB parish. St Helen’s exercises an open ministry with an emphasis on shared responsibility. The patterns of worship is flexible and for most services based on Common Worship. The congregation has a wide age range, but the upper age group is increasing. St Helen’s has a purpose-built pipe organ, which provides a good support for sung services. At present, there are average Sunday attendances of about 40 but in the recent past this was over 60. There are no young children or teenage groups although again in the recent past there was a thriving and vibrant Sunday School (which catered for the up to 10 year olds) and a Pathfinder group which catered for those over 10. There are some serious problems with the structure of the steeple, and quotes for over £45,000 have been received to rectify this. This work will need to be done within the next year or so. There is a restricted fund for the maintenance of the fabric of St Helen’s which should cover this. southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/burton- joyce/hintro.php

Church Centre The Church Centre was built in 1993 and is linked to the church from the South porch. It can be divided into three sections, has a recently upgraded kitchen, toilets, disabled toilet, a sound system and storage area. It can accommodate 70 seated and is in regular use for Church activities and is a popular venue for Diocesan events.

The Old Church Hall This was built in the 1960s and until the new Church Centre was built was used for all church social events. It is now used by a variety of church and non-church affiliated groups including Baby & Toddlers, flower arranging classes, and coffee mornings. There has been an ongoing programme of refurbishment and the hall is self-financing and managed by a small committee who report to the PCC.

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Carnarvon Rooms This was built in 1863 as a school. The building has been refurbished and is jointly used by the Church and Burton Joyce History Society. It provides accommodation for the Parish office and also houses an exhibition featuring village history and life. The venue is used for church run Coffee Chit Chat every Monday morning. The parish obtains extra income by renting this space out on an occasional basis.

Parish Office The Parish office is located within the Carnarvon Rooms, which is close to both the Church and Vicarage. The office is staffed on Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings and is equipped with a BT land line, computer and photocopier.

Vicarage This is a spacious family house, situated centrally in the village within easy walking distance of all the village amenities and St Helen’s Church. It was built in the 1960s and purchased by the diocese in 1974. The ground floor comprises a fitted kitchen, dining room with a wood block floor, carpeted lounge with fire place, large study with laminate floor, toilet facilities and a lobby. There is access from the back door to a covered walkway leading to a side door of the garage and a utility room which is plumbed for washing facilities and a small store. The first floor has 4 carpeted bedrooms, a bathroom with overhead shower and separate toilet. The property is centrally heated by gas and is double glazed throughout with an insulated loft. Externally there is a large driveway with parking for three/four cars, a garage, front garden with lawn and fruit trees and shrubbery. A secured garden to the side and rear with lawns and shrubbery offers privacy. Holy Trinity, Bulcote Worship is traditional and conducted mainly in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer. The congregation is mainly elderly and retired, but faithful with an average Sunday attendance is 20. The churchyard has been sympathetically tended over many years by the now retired church warden and lay reader. His expertise and interest has led to a wonderful winter snowdrop display displaced by the daffodils and primroses in Spring before a Summer wild flower meadow becomes established. The church building has recently undergone a £50,000 major refurbishment including removal of asbestos, rewiring, repainting and renovation. southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/bulcote/hintro.php

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St Luke’s, Stoke Bardolph The congregation is predominantly retired with an average attendance of 12 for the regular Sunday services. An important part of St Luke’s ministry is through specials - occasions such as Christingle, Mothering Sunday, Rogation, Harvest and St Luke’s day. For these services we often have a congregation of about 60 people. Recently we have started a “Tea at 3” event where walkers and local people can enjoy a cup of tea on Sunday afternoon. southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/stoke-bardolph/hintro.php St Mary the Virgin, Lowdham St Mary's is the Parish Church, and has a regular congregation of about 35 at its Sunday services which increased to nearer 60 when the Junior Church was active at the first Sunday All Age service (Junior Church was suspended in April 2016 due to a lack of leadership). There is a fair spread of age groups and a desire to maintain our historic building and its extensive environs in good order and as a centre of activity for the community. The building dates back to 1170 and is located a little distance outside the main village in a quiet rural setting but is seen as a welcoming place and is well supported by the village in many ways. southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/lowdham/hhistory.php We do not have any church hall of our own, although the village hall at Caythorpe is on the same site as the church, and we routinely use the hall for refreshments after the services.

Vicarage The vicarage at 12 Old Tannery Drive is a substantial 4-bedroom house with study occupied by our curate, Simon and his wife Helen.

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St Aidan's, Caythorpe St Aidan's This is a rare building as it is one of the last "tin tabernacles" still in regular use for worship in the country. With a capacity for sixty we have a monthly united All Age service at which the joint congregation numbers about 40 of which 15 are local residents. The building which dates from 1900 is adjacent to the similar designed Village Hall and is the location of an annual Art Show during the annual Village Show. The Church was threatened with closure in the 1980's but a campaign to maintain its use has led to something of a revival in recent years. southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/caythorpe/hintro.php St John the Baptist, Gunthorpe St John's has a supportive and welcoming regular congregation of about 17 who worship at the church which is located on the village's Main Street. The church is fairly modern in appearance due to an extension providing a reception/refreshment area at the front and side of the older 19th century original building. It has a well-tended garden to the front and side areas but has no graveyard. We now hold a monthly united service of Holy Communion. A tea shop is held every Tuesday morning which is supported by the church community and local residents. The church is also well supported in many other tasks, including the gardening, by people who do not attend for Sunday worship. southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/gunthorpe/hintro.php

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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats OUR STRENGTHS Our congregations are committed to our churches and to offering a wide range of services to our local communities. This includes a joint church and community environmental project based at St Mary’s developing the churchyard with alternative uses such as a WW1 memorial hedge and establishing a community orchard. These events have been supported by staff from Serco, who run Lowdham Grange Prison. There are good community links with schools, local businesses and charities such as the Emmanuel House Day Centre in Nottingham. We also support worldwide mission and relief charities. BJBSB giving is being looked at by the MADE group (Make A Difference Everybody) which has a monthly fellowship lunch. Christmas is a major celebration in all our communities, with well- attended Christingle Service, Carol and Crib Services, a huge turnout for switching on the Christmas lights in Burton Joyce and Lowdham, Christmas Tree Festivals in both parishes, carol singing round the village and a big Christmas Fair in the Lowdham village hall. These events show the community support for the church and a real wish for the church to succeed. For BJBSB the churches complement and enhance the spiritual life of the area. Each church offers different experiences. For LGC the churches have used the opportunity of the interregnum to unite as a single congregation moving around the different churches to pray and worship together. During the vacancy the Benefice has used its own readers but also established significant links with other readers and clergy who are wanting to contribute on a regular basis including leading services once the new incumbent has been appointed. St Helen’s has a singing group that leads the congregation at All Age services, and a robed choir for all other services. The Recorder Group includes children and adults. We have good links to other local churches, having joint services with neighbouring parishes during the vacancy, and a joint Women’s World Day of Prayer event in the

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Benefice, and with Burton Joyce Community Church and the Lowdham Independent Primitive Methodists. Each parish has a vibrant main community centred around Burton Joyce and Lowdham with regular events including monthly folk concerts, a nationally renowned Book Festival and Film Festival, spring and autumn shows and many smaller events. The Mother's Union is a thriving church group open to men and women and has been meeting since 1931. The MU projects are supported not only by the village but the wider community and further afield. The Benefice is predominantly affluent, set in beautiful countryside with regular local transport links to Nottingham and beyond.

OUR WEAKNESSES Loss of Junior Church and New people related congregation due to means all lack of leaders. The only ages. children’s ministry is through the recorder group. Because of the lack of younger families, we are an ageing congregation. We have enjoyed many fruitful years where we have had larger congregations (St Helen’s regularly had 60+ for a Sunday morning worship). As a result of the larger congregations, and the ability to attract wealthier generous donors we had larger collections and donations and hence a secure financial position. We need to develop spiritual understanding through both traditional and more modern forms of worship, and greater participation at Bible Study / Prayer groups. St Mary’s is geographically quite separate from the rest of Lowdham village, which can be an issue for new worshippers and for the less mobile. We would like a youth worker or other paid assistance for various projects but rely on volunteers and many of those work full time so have limited resources.

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OPPORTUNITIES We are enjoying working together as two parishes. We experience similar problems Teach the and successes which we have been sharing and working on together. There is the Gospel opportunity for with fun. further working together and with the right leadership the establishment of a coherent development of lay involvement with several members willing to undergo training for leading services. At some services – our Remembrance Day Services, our crib services and a recent “Big Hymn Sing” service our church has been full with over 200 people. This shows us that the local community has not forgotten us and are willing to participate in events we put on. This leads to the opportunity developing new disciples. Be a good listener, and One of our under-represented groups in the congregations are the wealthy families an effective living in our community. There are also outreach opportunities to children, ethnic team leader. minorities, and the disadvantaged. The benefice is committed to the Bishop’s Mission of attracting disciples Wider, Younger and Deeper. ‘Wider’ is being addressed through a welcoming course, ‘Deeper’ through a Study Group and we had hoped ‘Younger’ through a Summer Holiday Club. Increasing community partnerships and links through the annual Christmas Tree festival and other opportunities. We have started a practice that we hope will continue past the vacancy, that of having a joint area service in the rural area of the deanery on the four 5th Sundays of the month. This year, the services are at Woodborough. Four parishes take part, each leading one service a year. The parishes cancel the services in their own parish and encourage everyone to attend the

BJBSB and LCG Parish Profile 2019 16/06/2019 17 | P a g e joint service. The parishes are BJBSB, LCG, Epperstone, Gonalston, Oxton and Woodborough (lead by Revd Anthony Giles), and Calverton (lead by Revd Sam Hustwayte). The Benefice has already started to enjoy social events and meetings. There are considerable resources and buildings within the Parish. The sharing of these facilities is an opportunity to enhance the spiritual and the social cohesion of the benefice. Since the interregnum we have looked at new types of worship, such as the Big Hymn Sing and Teddy Bear’s Picnic Service. LCG now has an established monthly Messy Church, and usually attracts a couple of dozen people, around half being children. Also there is a fortnightly Bible Study in Lowdham, and it is hoped to encourage more to attend, and start more groups. The Benefice is committed to the One Life event in September 2019, with a program of outreach events over the weekend. St Luke’s church hosts ‘Tea at Three’ events for walkers along the river. St John’s and St Aidan’s have recently hosted art exhibitions. These types of services and events offer opportunities for training leaders. Jan Hewitt (one of the LCG Wardens) and Nicola Grange (an LCG PCC member) are Foundation Governors of Lowdham Primary School, and are keen to foster links between school and church. LCG has a fundraising committee, and hope for opportunities to significantly increase income. THREATS At present, there are a small number of people doing many jobs. These people have other time pressures due to family, work and caring responsibilities. This presents a challenge for those planning and organising events. Both Parishes face financial pressures. For BJBSB, a falling congregation and significant rises in our parish share has led to an inability to pay in full. Gunthorpe as a separate parish have recently had a high Parish Share to pay, for a congregation of 17, and have paid on average around half of it. This will have an impact on the merged parish of LCG. (Lowdham and Caythorpe has always paid share in full). At present the Deanery Finance Group are looking at the way the Parish share is allocated and we are hopeful that a more manageable parish share request will be accepted.

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Our Communities Both parishes comprise of a larger village with two smaller villages close by. The parishes are well served by the usual range of village Engage with village groups shops and businesses – Co-op, Bakery, Post Office, Library and a Take church into the village number of pubs serving food and takeaway food. There are also specialist businesses such as Computer Repair, Estate Agents, a ‘There’s a lot of goodwill in bookshop, soft furnishings, three garages and car, van and caravan the parish’ and motor home dealerships. There are two Doctor’s practices sharing a building in Lowdham (www.thejubileepractice.co.uk and ivymedicalgroup.com, which also operates in Burton Joyce). Burton Joyce has another practice, www.appletreemedicalpractice.co.uk, and a dentist. Overall the villages are predominantly commuter villages for Nottingham and further afield or retirement. Those over 65 comprise over 25% of the population. The housing reflects this with homes for the retired as well as specialised supported housing for those over 55. The average house price across the benefice is £373,000 against a national average of £220,000 (December 2016). In the remaining population, there are a large number of high paid jobs such as company directors, administrators and other professional jobs. Although not formally assessed there seems to be a degree of loneliness among a proportion of the community. This is evidenced by a large uptake of people attending events such as Coffee Chit Chat, Poetry Teas and attending the Community Market (all have cheap coffee available). The main village in each parish is served by a good rail service (Links to Nottingham, Newark, Lincoln) and a good bus service (Southwell – Nottingham).

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Current Service Patterns LCG have been working for some time under the previous vicar to simplify the pattern of services, so that there is essentially one service in the parish on each Sunday, with the congregations encouraged to go to ‘the service’, rather than ‘their service’, which has been successful. For the most part, this has led to fuller and more encouraging services but there are always a few who only go to their local service.

Date St Mary’s St John’s St Aidan’s St Helen’s Holy St Luke’s Lowdham Gunthorpe Caythorpe Burton Trinity Stoke Joyce Bulcote Bardolph

1st Sunday 10.30 HC 10:30 9:00 HC AAW (BCP) 2nd Sunday 10:30 MW 10.30 HC 9:00 MW

(BCP) 3rd Sunday 10.30 HC 10:30 MW 9:00 HC (BCP)

4th Sunday 10:30 10.30 HC 9:00 HC AAW th 5 Sunday 10:30 Rural Churches Together service (currently at Woodborough) MW: Morning Worship, HC: Holy Communion, AAW: All Age Worship Parish Attendance Statistics 2018 BJBSB Average attendance at St Helen’s 39 adults and 2 children Average attendance at Holy Trinity 17 adults Average attendance at St Luke’s 9 adults LCG Average attendance at the service in LCG parish 35 adults & 2 children

Note that the figures in parishreturns.churchofengland.org are wrong for the last two years, as the figures combine the attendance at Gunthorpe with those of Lowdham and Caythorpe, effectively counting each person twice as there was only ever a single service in the two parishes (as they were at the time)

Population and Occasional Offices 2018 BJBSB LCG TOTAL Parish Population 3900 4400 8300 Electoral roll 84 67 141 Baptisms 6 4 10 Weddings 5 2 7 Funerals 23 9 32

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Policies Safeguarding The benefice is proactive in ensuring DBS checks, and ensures child and vulnerable adult protection and safeguarding training is undertaken by all involved in care. There is a Safeguarding Officer in each Parish.

Health & Safety The benefice has Health and Safety policies and procedures in place and the lead officer is one of the Church Wardens in each Parish.

Baptism We welcome requests from all parents for infant baptism and older children and people. Because the individual being baptised is being welcomed into the church family we usually conduct Baptisms during the 10.30 a.m. Sunday service.

Holy Communion The church invites all visitors who take communion in their own churches to participate in Holy Communion. It has also been policy to allow children to receive communion before confirmation in line with Diocesan guidelines. There is provision to take communion to the house-bound.

Remarriage of divorced people There are no fixed policies on this matter. It is left to the discretion of the incumbent so that all couples can be considered on an individual basis.

Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure The benefice has been served by ministry from both men and women. We fully support the ordination of women and their equality with men within the church. The PCCs would wish to see appointed to the position of Vicar the best person irrespective of gender.

Burton Joyce Old School Trust The incumbent is de facto a member of the Burton Joyce Old School Trust which makes funds available for the education of the poor and needy of the parish of BJBSB Clubs and Societies in the Benefice Church Organisations Junior Recorder Group Mother’s Union MADE Group – Make A Difference Everybody Burton Joyce Outing Group Churches Together Sport Burton Joyce Archery Club. www.burtonjoycearchers.org.uk

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Burton Joyce Bowling Club. burtonjoycebowlsclub.co.uk Burton Joyce Cricket Club. burtonjoycecc.play-cricket.com Caythorpe Cricket Club. www.caythorpecc-notts.org.uk Lowdham Cricket Club. lowdham.info Burton Joyce Tennis Club. bjtennisclub.wixsite.com/bjtc Burton Joyce Football Team. www.burtonjoycejfc.co.uk Lowdham Colts Football Club. lowdhamcolts.info Lowdham Bowling Club. Culture Burton Joyce Amateur Dramatic Society. www.burtonjoyceplayers.co.uk Burton Joyce Choral Society. www.bjchoralsociety.org.uk Trent Valley Singers Phoenix Art Society Painting for Pleasure Gunthorpe Art Stoke Bardolph Art Group Yoga U3A. www.bju3a.co.uk Burton Joyce Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs, Rainbows and Beavers Trentside Beavers, Cubs and Scouts Lowdham Pantomime Group. www.lowdhampanto.co.uk Lowdham Film Festival. www.lowdham.net/lowdham-film-festival-2016 Lowdham Book Festival. www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk Warthogs Promotions: live music in Lowdham. www.warthogpromotions.com Special Interest Burton Joyce Women’s Institute Lowdham Women’s Institute Gunthorpe Women’s Institute Dover Beck Club Flower Arrangement Burton Joyce Local History Society Stoke Bardolph Local History Society Lowdham Local History Society Lowdham Horticultural Society. www.lowdhamhortsoc.org.uk Lowdham Flower Club Trent Valley Dog Club Burton Joyce Community Market Bulcote Social Committee Lowdham Writers Group Lowdham Young Farmers Gunthorpe Yoga and Exercise Club Gunthorpe Friday Community Club Lowdham Railway Heritage. facebook.com/lowdhamsignalbox Village Websites www.burtonjoyceparishcouncil.org.uk www.lowdham.net www.gunthorpe.org.uk

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Financial Information 2018 2017 BJBSB LCG BJBSB LCG Parish Share allotted 67,620 62,136 68,424 63,337 Parish Share percent paid 2% 72% 86% 70%

Notes Although Gunthorpe paid half or less share in 2016 and 2015, it had previously paid share in full. (Around 2013-2014, Gunthorpe lost a large number of members of the congregation, and consequent income.) When Gunthorpe merged with Lowdham and Caythorpe, this share deficit was absorbed into the new LCG parish. Both parishes operate on a Receipts and Payments basis. BJBSB The financial situation at BJBSB has been very complicated for the last 9 years. Balancing the receipts and payments has been a challenge due to the fallen numbers and the ageing membership (the Electoral Roll fell from 133 in 2016 to only 84 in 2019). As a result, income was declining whilst other costs including parish share were increasing. The finance committee are working hard on behalf of the PCC in an attempt to rectify this situation. However, we are fortunate to have substantial trust funds: for fabric, the Driver Trusts which have and are being used for an extensive refurbishment at Holy Trinity (~£50,000) and the similar amount soon to repair the steeple at St Helens. There are also two incumbents and churchwardens trusts available:

• “for spreading the gospel amongst young people”, which fits nicely with the bishops’ target of growing disciples wider, younger and deeper • “for any ecclesiastical or charitable purposes connected with Holy Trinity” including maintenance of the fabric, windows and furnishings. For further information please see the trustees annual report 2018 and or consult the parish wardens and parish treasurer. Although Parish Share of £34,418 was paid in 2018, £30,000 was attributed to 2017 parish share figure by the diocese. It would be more representative to say that 42% share was paid in 2017 and 51% in 2018, rather than 86% in 2017 and 2% in 2018. The present members of the PCC have recently discovered that in the last three years, restricted funds have been used to pay Parish Share, and are drawing up plans to repay these funds as soon as possible, as required by the Charity Commission. The post of Treasurer was vacant in 2017 and there have been significant difficulties in confirming the accuracy of 2017's figures. It should be noted that both parishes have had a joint meeting with the Deanery Finance team, with the Chief Executive Nigel Spraggins present, at which it was explained that there was a strong

BJBSB and LCG Parish Profile 2019 16/06/2019 23 | P a g e desire on all parts to pay the share as and when money was available, and both parishes were working jointly to increase income by mission (to increase the number of givers) and by teaching and discipleship (to increase the giving per head) with the aim of achieving full share payment over a three-year period. Parish Age Profiles (from 2011 Census) BJBSB LCG 0-4 195 5% of parish 0-4 168 4% of parish 5-15 468 12% of parish 5-15 456 10% of parish 16-64 2,262 58% of parish 16-64 2,972 67% of parish 65+ 975 25% of parish 65+ 840 19% of parish Total 3,900 100% of parish Total 4,436 100% of parish

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