The Parish of The Upper Wreake Annual Report 2019 The Parish of The Upper Wreake Parish consists of the churches of All Saints Hoby, All Saints Ragdale, All Saints Rotherby, St. Michael & All Angels Brooksby, St. Peter Kirby Bellars and St. Thomas of Canterbury Frisby-on-the-Wreake Introduction: This annual report has been produced in order to comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 1993, and the Church Accounts Regulations 1997. The intention is to provide a fuller picture of the life of the Church during the year than could be obtained from the accounts alone. Objectives of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and District Church Councils (DCC): The PCC of the Parish meets at least four times a year to deal with any maters which concern the mission, development and administration of the Church, and is responsible for auditing decisions of the DCCs. The DCCs function with delegated authority from the PCC in the care of the church buildings (held jointly by the local Churchwardens and the Incumbent), finance and the local mission of the Church. Electoral Roll (as at Easter 2020) Brooksby Frisby Hoby Kirby Ragdale Rotherby Total 2020 8 19 35 16 12 13 103 2019 8 19 33 16 12 13 101 PCC Members: Chair: The Revd David Harknet Vice-Chair: Malcolm Briton, Reader (also Deanery Synod & Diocesan Synod) Secretary: Josie Brown (also Deanery Synod & Diocesan Synod) Ex-officio member Treasurer: Vic Allsop Elected Members: Frisby-on-the- Wreake: Pru Smith (CW), Simon Blake (CW) Hoby: Vic Allsop (CW), Maureen Coleman (CW), June Allsop Kirby Bellars: Sheila Taylor, Margaret Brewster Ragdale: Jane Burgess (CW), Liz Buxton Rotherby: Sue Smith (CW) (also Deanery Synod), Lesley Poter (CW), Ruth Robinson Brooksby: Malcolm Briton (CW), Jeanne Knowles (CW) Co-opted Members: Janet Norburn (Safeguarding Officer) CW = Churchwarden 1.0 Priest in Charge’s Report Early in 2020, four of our DCC Annual Meetings took place. Five months later, Brooksby & Hoby followed suit. The problem with the later two is that 2019 seems “so last year”. How much more can that be said of our Parish Annual Meeting, with 2020 entering its final third. I was glad to read Bishop Steven Croft's words; “The Church is not first and foremost a human organization, but a community called into being by Jesus and intended to reflect his character and nature. lf we can focus first and foremost on growing churches that reflect the character of Christ in the beatitudes then we will find, I believe, a pathway through the most difficult of changes that lie ahead. We will become more and more like Jesus' people”. Bishop Steven's words were writen ten years ago, reminding me that “difficult change” is always the 1 common currency of being human and of being church. Hence Jesus' good news message, calling people to “return & trust”; to find safety & refuge in an unchanging God – who is the same yesterday, today & forever. Looking back on our 2019 activity, we find that (seemingly) illogical blend of change and constancy. Growing in DEPTH of discipleship was built on the foundation of gathered worship – Sunday & midweek Communions alongside 'services of the Word'. Our Communions ranged from the quiet of the Prayer Book' to modern language with guest speakers on the theme of Inclusive Church. A 'Wholeness & Healing Eucharist' was introduced once/month midweek, which has provided moving experiences for regulars & visitors alike. Services of the Word were equally creative, mostly through the informality that Cafe Church offers, though the Lambing Service remained a highlight. Sue Smith continued to exercise her gift of drawing others into study & prayer; nurturing friendships; interceding for the parish; inviting God's Spirit to shape us. Crystal's arrival added greater depth again, as she explicitly and implicitly draws our atention to an eternally loving Creator & Redeemer. Growing in NUMBER of disciples always proves the most challenging of the Bishops' Key Questions. Fleeting opportunities occur at Festivals, mostly around Christmas – Easter & Harvest tend to atract regular worshippers only, while Carols & Christingle remain popular with the wider community. Partnership with Frisby Primary school allowed us to encourage them in their Christian foundation and to witness to the person of Jesus. The diet consisted of regular Assemblies in school & half-termly services in St.Thomas; fortnightly 'Everyday Faith Workshops' over lunch and interactive Christmas/Easter days in the Chapel. A well-received novelty was the Transition Walk for Year 6, taking pupils to Brooksby Church & back – we reflected on the move to Secondary School; learned about the history & faith of St.Michael & All Angel's; shared lunch & conversation in the comfort of Frisby Chapel. Messy Church ebbed & flowed, with a complete change of congregants in Autumn 2019. Janet continued to devote herself to this ministry, with Vicky, Sue, Lesley & Crystal acting as a core team. Crystal & I made contact with Steeple Chase through a door-knock & gift from the parish just before Christmas – this complemented a more general welcome by Simon & Frisby Church. Growing in LOVING SERVICE of our communities was ever present, and in many ways this is where 'Fabric & Finance' fits in. Hours of time & care are lovingly poured into our historic buildings, as we seek to serve our villages through our communal infrastructure. Though only one Toilet & Servery out of three planned was underway in 2019, such commitment shows our desire that these worshipful spaces are open to the public. The increasingly successful 'Frisby Creatives' exhibition in September was a perfect example of this spirit. The majority of our 'service' is, of course, hidden – individual congregants' prayers and quiet pastoral visits. I remain grateful to Vic for his administrative work which sustains so much of the traditional structures, allowing us to atend to people's needs & joys. I hope that our Inclusive Church focus will bear fruit in more compassionate witness & service. Woven through all the above was our ecumenical work & witness as Churches Together, and our continued fellowship as South West Framland. The later was sorely tested by financial woes, but our tireless prayer, conversation & decision-making served to strengthen our resolve. I'm grateful to all Churchwardens, Treasurers & Secretaries for their partnership in the Upper Wreake, with particular thanks to Malcolm Briton & Janet Norburn for their thoughtful collegiality. Any atempt to look at the year ahead falters if we think in calendar months, but under God, we are always asked to look up and to look ahead. Which is timely as Leicester Diocese initiates a process this September titled, “Shaped by God Together” - inviting us to share stories of what we have been learning about everyday Prayer (growing in DEPTH of discipleship); everyday Witness (growing in NUMBERS of disciples) and everyday Action (growing in LOVING SERVICE of our communities). The Diocese will collate these stories and use them to help generate insights about the future of the church. While our core remains the same, the way we express our church life may need to look quite different in the future, especially around finance, ministry & buildings. Telling Stories is something we do well in this parish. We did so last year and we have accentuated this through our Parish Newsleter. I look forward to hearing more voices in coming months, and pray that as we tell our stories hand-in-hand with those in our community; hand-in-hand with God's story; we will become more atentive to his life-giving Spirit. 2 2.0 South West Framland Group Council 2019 was a significant year as it was the first since 2013 when we had for a full year a Priest in Charge for each of our three benefices. We also started the new year with a continuing vacancy for a House for Duty Priest for the Burrough Hill Parishes. Thankfully by March we had started to advertise the vacancy but after a number of atempts there were no takers. By the time the autumn arrived there was a glimmer of hope and on November 15 th the interview of two possible candidates took place. We ended the year with the good news of Bishop Martyn’s announcement that the Revd Jane Walker had been appointed as House for Duty Priest of the Burrough Hill Parishes. It was later reported that Jane would be licensed on the 27th February 2020 by Bishop Guli at Pickwell Church. We will be at full strength again for the first time since June 2018. The other key event for SWF has been the issue of the finance of the Group. In March the Group Council were advised of the emerging financial problem. All were able to reflect on the issues and at the June meeting it was agreed to set up a Working Group to bring back recommendations and a budget to the November 19th meeting. The agreed outcome was a budget which increased from £12,000pa to £13,500pa this being the first increase for some years. The contribution of each benefice rising by £500pa. The increases have been modest and will see SWF start 2020 on a much firmer footing. We will be able to pay the Diocese all of their fees due for 2019 and also pay 50% as planned of the unpaid fees from 2018, paying the other 50% in 2021. However, all of this has come at a cost. As part of the process Mel Davies the SWF Book Keeper was made redundant and she completed her time with SWF by the end of November. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mel for her six years of service to the Group and for being at the centre of building and consolidating the SWF Group after the Group was formally established back in 2011.