Parish Profile
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THE RINGSTONE IN AVELAND GROUP OF PARISHES All Saints Dunsby, St Andrews Haconby St Mary & All Saints Kirkby Underwood, St John the Baptist Morton, and St Andrews Rippingale Parish Profile Our Group of churches is looking for a vicar who can offer empathetic and inspiring leadership for five rural parishes, with the ability to mix easily with everyone and provide clear Christian teaching. 1 Table of Contents Our vision .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 What do we do well? ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 What would we like to do better? .................................................................................................................................... 3 Where are we? .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 The Villages ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The Vicarage .................................................................................................................................................................. 7 What attributes would we like our new priest to have? .................................................................................................. 8 What support can we offer our new priest? ..................................................................................................................... 8 Role Description ................................................................................................................................................................ 9 The Person We Are Looking For ...................................................................................................................................... 10 The Beltisloe Deanery ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 About Our Churches ........................................................................................................................................................ 12 All Saints, Dunsby ........................................................................................................................................................ 12 St. Andrew, Haconby ................................................................................................................................................... 13 St. Mary and All Saints, Kirkby Underwood ................................................................................................................ 14 St. John the Baptist, Morton ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Morton C of E Primary School ..................................................................................................................................... 16 St. Andrew, Rippingale ................................................................................................................................................ 17 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Appendix One – Our People ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Appendix Two - Pattern of Services in the Group, and Average Attendance ............................................................. 19 Appendix Three – Parish Accounts ............................................................................................................................. 21 2 Our vision • To acknowledge and honour Jesus Christ in our life and worship. • To provide a broad church where everyone will find a warm welcome. • To continue to expand our engagement within the communities, from the youngest to the oldest. • To develop the Group identity while recognising and celebrating each parishes uniqueness. What do we do well? All parishes are warm and welcoming communities. The current services include Common Worship Eucharists Morning Prayer, BCP Evensong and informal family services. These services are cherished by our worshipping communities. There are dedicated Groups and individuals in each parish who provide expertise and assistance to support ministry in the Benefice. These include the help of retired vicars, lay ministers and administrative support. The churches offer a variety of events which reach out in to their communities. These include coffee mornings, celebratory meals, quiz nights, as well as key community services such as Remembrance and Harvest Services. There are a committed number of organists within the Group. ‘Village Life’ Magazine shares news about the churches as well as information about activities in the villages and is widely circulated in all villages. All five PCCs are members of the Church Repair Society of the Diocese of Lincoln, and this membership entitles them for a contribution to their Quinquennial Inspection cost. What would we like to do better? Continue to develop Group unity further while recognising each parish’s differences. Develop outreach into our communities to make our churches central to village life. Develop the style and range of services and worship which will attract new members, particularly families. Increase the financial stability of our parishes. Encourage new, younger members to a greater involvement in the running of our parish communities. 3 Where are we? One of the most striking features of the Ringstone in Aveland Group of Parishes is that, although it is situated on the edge of the Fens in rural Southern Lincolnshire, it is only 3 miles away from Bourne, a town with a population of 19,000 and rising, with easy access to road (A1), bus (Morton) and train (Peterborough) links to major cities across the Midlands. This means that you can enjoy a day out in London, Lincoln or Leeds and yet be in your countryside home in time for tea! Bourne is only 3 miles away from Morton. With a steadily increasing population, it has everything you would expect from a market town: excellent schools, good sports facilities, including a leisure centre, indoor and outdoor pools, a varied selection of shops and supermarkets, 2 dentists, one of which accepts NHS patients, 2 doctors’ surgeries and plenty of eateries. 4 The Villages Dunsby The conservation village of Dunsby is the smallest parish in the Group, having a population of around 130 in some 50 households. Dunsby’s economy is dominated by agriculture with 3 large farms and a tree nursery and includes areas of interest to birdwatchers and naturalists. The village was at one time owned by Charterhouse – with whom it still enjoys some connections, and maintains good contact with the patron who comes to the licensing of each new vicar Dunsby is a friendly community with a good mix of age groups. The church has use of the village hall, which has recently been refurbished through grants and fundraising, providing a focal point for the village. Haconby Haconby (sometimes spelled Hacconby) has doubled in size in the past twenty years and now has about a hundred and fifty households, with the hamlet of Stainfield to the west of about twenty-five households. There is a good mix of age groups, and the increase in size of the village means there is a combination of new residents along with a significant number of villagers who have lived in the area for many years. The village pub is a focal point for the village, and as well as serving good food has a function room which is used as a meeting place for the village as well as supporting charitable events throughout the year. Kirkby Underwood Kirkby Underwood is a small village of eighty-five homes nestling on rising ground overlooking the fenlands of Lincolnshire to the east. The church stands at the end of its own lane, as a result of the relocation of the village a quarter of a mile eastwards in the C19 by the landowner to improve the shooting on their estate. The Village Hall, which has benefited from recent upgrades, is used regularly several times a week including a Coffee Morning Pop-In on Mondays when everyone from the village is very welcome. There are three working farms in the Parish, as well as a large contractor’s plant and machinery dealer and various small businesses. Morton The Parish of Morton comprises two villages, Morton and Hanthorpe. It is the largest village in the Ringstone and Aveland Group with a population that has grown over recent years to approximately 2,500. The vicarage is situated in this village. Facilities in the village are good: there is both a village and church hall, each is well used by the community. There is also a post office/village store along with a convenience store and a recently opened Co-op, along with a pub and various other local businesses. The village is connected to Bourne by a frequent bus service. The village supports various organizations for all ages. There is an annual Street Fair in July which is well supported and provides fund raising