The Benefice of with

1. INTRODUCTION

Both PCCs in the Benefice have produced their own “profiles” (Statements under Section 11 of the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 setting out the conditions, needs and traditions of the respective parishes).

These Statements have been shared between the PCCs.

This overview introduces the deanery and describes the villages of Wickham Market and Pettistree, together with detail on location, surroundings and transport links. There is also information about the benefice and how the churches in the benefice relate to each other. It is hoped that this will assist in understanding the dynamic fellowship and relationship between the two churches.

A key part of the role of the next incumbent of Wickham Market and Pettistree will be that of Loes Deanery Youth Facilitator. It is envisaged that this part of the role will take an average of 8 to 10 hours a week counted over 46 weeks per year. Further details of the vison and ambition for this part of the role is detailed in section 3 of this overview.

2. DEANERY OF LOES

Loes is a rural deanery situated in a lovely part of Suffolk, here small rivers start and head towards the nearby sea with lovely villages and gently rolling countryside. There are good schools, teashops and pubs! What’s not to like?

There are three larger population centres, Debenham, and Wickham Market, with the rest being small villages. There is a total population of about 15,000 people across the deanery. Rural communities are varied and socially diverse and good to minister in.

Deanery Plan

As a deanery we are working together to help us Grow in God in ministry and mission.

The Deanery Plan has identified a number of ways we can develop:

 We are hoping to release some resources for working with young people. The appointment at Wickham Market and Pettistree will be key for this.  Supporting lay ministers, especially those taking services. Wickham Market Church with its reordering and excellent facilities is hosting the diocesan course on ‘Enhancing Worship’ at present  Knowledge on raising money for projects or for church buildings. Help benefices find stewardship information and support  Encouraging co-operation across benefice boundaries and encouraging ways of being ‘Companion Parishes’ together so we can share ministry resources to further our mission.  Clergy encouraging and supporting another and using their area of expertise and interest to build up our shared life. For the Wickham Market and Pettistree post this has been identified as being working with young people. Full copies of the deanery plan are available from the Rural Dean.

3. LOES DEANERY YOUTH FACILITATOR

Purpose and hope of this Role

The role is to encourage young people to engage with faith questions, develop their faith in God and we hope explore discipleship. The hope is that this might create group[s] possibly linked with Thomas Mills High School and / or Wickham Market Church and maybe with other centres where young people can develop and enjoy worship, prayer and explore what discipleship means. This ties in with the Diocesan strategy of Growing in God by helping young people grow deeper, in number and - within this deanery helping us to grow younger.

Size of the Role

The role is to take an average of 8 to 10 hours a week counted over 46 weeks per year and is envisaged to be part of the responsibilities of the next incumbent of Wickham Market and Pettistree.

Resources for the role

The two PCCs have agreed to this and have agreed to continue to pay a full parish share and the firm expectation is that they will not become a larger benefice while this task is included as part of the incumbency.

The Deanery Plan highlights working with youth as an important priority and this role has been agreed to and supported despite other neighbouring benefices now being in vacancy. The Deanery Chapter is fully aware of this development and are fully supportive of the role.

Expenses – including travel and any printing will be met by a combination of the two PCCs, and Deanery. This has been mentioned at Deanery Synod but would need to be worked into a small budget in the form of a grant to the two PCCs. It would not be expected to exceed £500/annum.

One natural resource for beginning this work is with Thomas Mills High School (the school is Ofsted Outstanding, specialising in technology, arts and languages and the catchment school for Wickham Market and Pettistree). The school has some links with St Michael’s in Framlingham (year 7 and other visits and infrequent assemblies) and some with the youth worker in Wickham Market. Such work is already developing in (Church of and also Ofsted Outstanding) which means there are other Christian colleagues to work with

The Rural Dean and Wardens recognise that the time, gifts and vision of the new incumbent is the most valuable resource. They are, however, keen to protect the time parameters of this post but also recognise there will be mutually beneficial creative overlaps with work done in Wickham Market and with the activities of the youth worker employed there, for example developing a Christian Union at Thomas Mills School for the benefit of the parishes in the catchment area and hosting deanery youth services where All Saints could provide a springboard for the wider deanery engagement in establishing youth deanery events.

Scope of Role

To work with school, deanery clergy and youth worker to develop further links with Thomas Mills High School to achieve the aim of encouraging young people to engage with faith questions, and appropriately encourage their growth of faith in God and their exploration of discipleship

Encourage the youth sense of worth and capability to impact Christ’s church through facilitating deanery-wide youth spiritual events and attendance at Christian events in diocese or beyond.

To help Loes Deanery clergy and synod to engage with the developing Diocesan Youth strategy and the Diocesan Youth Officer (Phil Bailie). This description has been seen and agreed by Deanery Clergy.

To assist other benefices, consider and find resources for youth work but given time constraints there is no expectation of face to face youth work in other churches. 4. THE VILLAGES

Wickham Market is a large village (or a small town) situated in the valley of the of Suffolk within the heritage area. It is located some 15 miles north of the County Town of and 5 miles north-east of Woodbridge. It sits astride the original route from Ipswich to (having been by-passed in 1976). The railway station is located approximately two miles east at . From there hourly services run south to Ipswich (30 minutes) and north to Lowestoft (1 hour). From Ipswich there is a speedy and frequent train service to London Liverpool Street (fastest trains 1 hour 5 minutes) and Norwich.

A mile by road from Wickham Market is Pettistree, a small friendly village of 82 dwellings and 185 parishioners, separated physically from Wickham Market by farmland, and from the village of Ufford and the hamlet of Loudham by the A12 dual carriageway.

Easy access to the A12 means that it is practical to commute to London by train from Ipswich or Manningtree, to Cambridge (1hr 30 mins by car), Norwich (1hr 20 mins by car) or Colchester (45 mins by car).

Wickham Market is the larger village in the benefice with a population of 2,106 (2011 Census). The census showed that 27.59% of the population are aged between 40 and 59. The Neighbourhood Plan for Wickham Market, Pettistree and adjacent Ufford has identified land for new housing that might allow a further 868 homes to be built in the two parishes.

Both villages have an historic core, but Wickham Market also has a large 1970s built estate of Housing Association Social Housing. The majority of these dwellings were originally Council Houses although many have now been sold to former tenants. There are new housing developments in Wickham Market built in the last few years which have brought new residents and church members. There are a few holiday lets, a popular riverside caravan site and some second-homes in the village.

In Pettistree there is a mixed population of all ages and occupations, with 25 children and young adults (18 or younger) as of 2016. Some families are involved in local farms and associated businesses. Most of those in employment work away from the village, mainly within the county, but with several of the larger houses having one or more occupants commuting to London for their work. There are a few villagers who are self- employed and work from home. Others are retired, some living independently and some with family support. There is a mixture of owner-occupied and rented property, with two properties currently holiday lets, but there is no longer any council housing in the parish.

The benefice has a wide variety of shops and businesses, most of the shops being situated around the attractive Wickham village square known as “Market Hill” or simply "the Hill”. There is an excellent health centre near to the church, a library and a new retirement/nursing home complex.

Wickham Market has a good, although dated, village hall which includes an archive room close to the village centre. The Village Hall Management Committee are in the early stages of fund-raising for a new modern hall. Adjacent to the village hall there is a playing field with football pitch, bowls green, skate Park, basketball court and children's play area. On the eastern edge of the village there are further football pitches and tennis courts.

At school age the majority of Wickham Market and Pettistree children attend primary school in Wickham Market (an Academy recently rated Good Ofsted) and the local catchment secondary school, Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham (Ofsted rated outstanding). Some of secondary school age go to in Woodbridge (Ofsted outstanding) and at present both these schools are supported by the school bus service. Some children are educated privately in Ipswich, Woodbridge and Framlingham and a very small number go to boarding school.

The benefice sits within the Suffolk Coastal District - an area marked by agriculture and tourism with market towns and a beautiful countryside.

Heritage sites such as Framlingham and Orford Castles, RSPB , and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are close at hand. The town of Woodbridge, on the picturesque River Deben, is five miles distant.

The coast is within easy reach with and being popular recreation sites, and the attractions of and Snape Maltings (home of the Aldeburgh Festival) are also within 30 mins drive. For golfers there are several local courses, and walking and cycling are also popular perhaps due to the lack of steep hills!

Wickham Market has had the benefit of its own Parish Council for over 100 years with which the church has an excellent relationship.

In Pettistree there is a long history of cooperation between the church and the civil parish as until 1970 there was no Parish Council, so all administration was through the PCC. This cooperation has been maintained at village events in aid of the church.

Now there is only one public house (The Greyhound Inn, Pettistree) in both villages. It serves excellent food and plays an important social role as part of village life. In Wickham Market the social centres at present are the Royal British Legion and the Football Club. There is an active Pettistree Village Association which continues to fund and maintain the Pettistree Village Hall. Several regular events both social and for fund-raising are organised by the Village Association committee and are always well attended by villagers.

For pre-school age there is a small private children’s nursery (0-5 years) in Pettistree village which is run by a family from Wickham Market and a nursery class attached to the primary school. Various child minders operate in Wickham Market.

Communication includes the monthly parish magazine produced from All Saints, Wickham Market with two pages prepared by St Peter & St Paul, Pettistree. This magazine is distributed where requested. There is also a Pettistree village newsletter (Pettistree People) produced quarterly by the Pettistree Parish Council to which all church contributions are welcome. This is delivered free to all Pettistree homes.

5. THE BENEFICE

The Benefice sits within the county of Suffolk towards the south east corner of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

As will be seen from the Deanery Map, the benefice of Wickham Market with Pettistree sits on the south-eastern boundary of the Loes Deanery. The Deanery itself comprises 33 parishes grouped into six benefices.

Historically, the parish of Pettistree with Loudham has been administered by a vicar on a non-resident basis for a very long time. The present benefice dates from 1986, before this Pettistree was part of the benefice of , , and , all similar sized villages with a similar churchmanship but no civil connections apart from a joint boundary. Until 1986 Wickham Market was not combined with any other parishes, although in the 1940’s it was combined with Pettistree.

The vicarage is a modern 4 bedroomed house for the use of the vicar and his/ her family. This is adjacent to the church and has a reasonably sized garden with an easily accessible study, but no separate meeting sized room. It is next door to ‘The Beehive’/ church hall complex a couple of minutes’ walk to the church and close to the Market Hi

6. CHURCH TRADITIONS

The Statements produced by the parishes show that the church traditions of the two churches is different. Pettistree favours a service pattern following a more formal traditionally based liturgy, including psalms and canticles. Wickham Market, on the other hand, follows a more “free” service format – including the fresh expressions of Messy church and Café church within its monthly programme. This is reflected in the fact that a number of its members attend inter-denominational conferences/ festivals such as Spring Harvest, New Wine and Soul Survivor. All Saints’ Wickham Market does, however, follow a written liturgy for its main communion services (Common Worship 2000).

Pettistree prefers its ministers to be robed whereas Wickham Market generally prefers its ministers not to be robed.

7. IN-BENEFICE RELATIONSHIPS

Both churches view these differences in worship style as ensuring that, within the benefice, the community is offered a choice of worship styles and traditions (Wickham Market’s service format is, in its way, as much a tradition as is Pettistree’s format).

Both churches are community focussed, active and their services are openly evangelistic

The churches continue to enjoy an established constructive and mutually beneficial relationship – with good liaison and working co-ordination between the Churchwardens and congregations. Indeed, the current initiative to minimise any interregnum following the retirement of the current incumbent was begun via a joint letter to the Archdeacon from all four church wardens.

Joint meetings of the two PCCs on the matter of “succession planning” have been marked by a harmonious unity of purpose.

8. FINANCE

Since the two parishes were combined in one benefice there has been an amicable agreement masterminded by the PCC Treasures to agree the split of the diocesan share and vicar’s expenses on the basis of average unrestricted income. In 2017 the Benefice Share was £62,123 and expenses are expected to total approximately £1,900. These have been divided Wickham Market 77.36%, Pettistree 22.64%

For 2018 the benefice has been invited to pay £64,677 Share. The PCCs approach to the Benefice Share is to as a first priority meet this requirement (after attending to those running expenses that fall to the PCCs).

9. STATISTICAL INFORMATION

All Saints St Peter & St Paul Wickham Market Pettistree Service Pattern (with typical attendance) 1st Sunday 11.00am: Holy Communion (three formats 6.30pm: Evening Prayer (22) in rotation: communion rail, pass round and stations) 7.00pm: Youth church (open to all) 2nd Sunday 11.00am: Morning Service with a member 9.30am: Holy Communion (34) interview slot 3pm: Oasis (service for senior citizens) 3rd Sunday 9.30am: Holy Communion and devotional 9.30am: Morning Prayer (30) time in the Chancel 10.45am: Family/ Café church service (aimed at young families) 4th Sunday 11.00am: Morning Service with Testimonies 9.30am: Holy Communion (34) 5th Sunday 11.00am: Morning Service 9.30am: Holy Communion (34) Other 2nd Wednesday of each month 3rd Friday of each month 3.00pm: Wednesday Fellowship (held in 10.30am: Holy Communion (34) assisted living complex) Festival Typical attendance of 80 Services Average 83 including the Messy Church and Oasis 30 Weekly fresh expressions services. This number Attendance increased at festivals. Electoral Roll 108 52

Occasional Offices (over last 12 months) Weddings 1 1 Baptisms 2 infants None 5 youth/ adults (full immersion) Confirmations None Funerals in 12 2 church Cremation Approximately 10 have taken by the vicar or retired clergy in the Benefice services