ALL SAINTS CHURCH PURLEIGH Parish Profile – April 2015

ALL SAINTS CHURCH PURLEIGH

1. SUMMARY

Purleigh is in the Diocese of ; the Archdeaconry of Chelmsford; and the and Deanery. The patron of All Saints Purleigh is Oriel College Oxford. Our interregnum commenced on 4th January 2015 when our House for Duty Priest retired. The parish will for the time being operate as a single Benefice. We are very happy to welcome men and women to minister amongst us. We are again looking for a House for Duty Priest. As a parish, we have very good experience of working with an incumbent who is designated as such and are well aware of the unique challenges that are faced and relationship that is needed. We regard ourselves as a hard working, flexible and adaptable church community, dedicated to the future of our church and the spiritual life of our village. There are however, still challenges to be overcome. These include the need to discover new ways to grow our impact in the community, maintaining the links that have been built and the need to inspire the congregation of the need for volunteers to partake in the leadership of our church at parish level. We are not complacent and we recognise that to go forward we need guidance, leadership and fresh ideas. As well as working with an experienced PCC, further support will be available from the Parish belonging to a new Mission and Ministry Unit, an initiative that the Diocese is currently exploring. Further details are available in the Diocesan documents, Reimagining Ministry and Transforming Presence. www.transformingpresence.org.uk

2. QUALITIES WE ARE SEEKING

 A relaxed style of approach coupled with the ability to reach out and continue to develop the spiritual life of our village.  Be willing to build on the high visible presence in the village which has been attained in recent years and continue to build links with local groups and activities.  To maintain the level of pastoral care and to engage with the community at all levels and all ages, keeping the church as a focus for the community.  To provide leadership and inspiration to existing church members through excellent communication and involvement of all and to develop people's vocations  To contribute to the development of our new lay led services.  To encourage congregation members to seek a role in lay participation in services.  To help us reach out to new and younger worshippers.

3. OUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Our previous incumbent instigated a survey with the congregation in 2013, to identify our strengths and weaknesses and our 'needs' and 'wants'.

Strengths

 Financially sound  Own organist and choir  Well maintained with no major fabric issues. Listed Grade 1  Major historical interest - George Washington connection  A friendly atmosphere with a very warm welcome  A separate fund raising organisation for church refurbishment  A small Sunday school  A pool of talented people in the congregation/PCC  Established connections with village groups  Capable administrative team of Churchwarden, Treasurer, Parish Administrator, Verger and PCC Secretary, experienced in working with a priest in a part time role  Highly valued for weddings and baptisms  Up to date heating, sound and loop system and a modern church extension - The Cock Clarks Room  Modern and well appointed rectory

Weaknesses

 Declining age of congregation  Reluctance of people to play a part in church life  Same hard core of people that are the PCC and the backbone of church events  Only one churchwarden  Need to improve our communication within the church and the local community  Sole churchwarden is also the organist  Under utilisation of the Cock Clarks Room  Limited car parking  Church situated at top of a steep hill. Not helpful to the aged with no transport!

4. HOW WE SEE OUR FUTURE

There are opportunities to develop the work begun with the younger members of our community, particularly the links with the local primary school and the Half Pint Nursery group. If time permits on occasion, we would like our Parish Priest to visit homes and hospitals, if necessary and to visit former residents and members of our congregation in nursing and residential homes. We would like our priest to be someone who enjoys the rural life.

We feel we need to strike a balance between preserving the forms of service which have held the older members of the congregation together for many years and moving towards the use of more modern language and music in order to make services meaningful for those who are younger. We would like to achieve a compromise by preserving traditional BCP Communion and Evensong but revise the expression of worship through more varied music in other services. We would like to resume a monthly early morning BCP Communion.

We hope that our new priest will encourage all parishioners to continue with faith, hope and enthusiasm and a vision to fulfil its purpose in extending Christ’s kingdom here in this locality.

5. STATEMENT FROM THE DEANERY BY THE RURAL DEAN, REVEREND SANDRA MANLEY

In common with most dioceses, the Diocese of Chelmsford is undergoing considerable reorganisation and rationalisation of ministry, both ordained and lay. This arises partly because of the predicted national shortage of clergy in the next decade. Under the Re-imagining Ministry section of the Diocesan ‘Transforming Presence’ strategy, the Deanery of Maldon and Dengie will have two areas, provisionally termed Mission and Ministry Units (MMUs). The Western MMU of the Deanery is expected to have up to four stipendiary priests, based mainly in the Maldon area, working with a variety of other ministries including House-for-Duty, SSM, Readers, and Lay focal ministers. Each of the smaller parishes will have an appropriate level of support from one of the stipendiary priests. These plans continue to be discussed and are of course subject to any future moves of clergy currently in post.

6. OUR CHURCH LIFE

6.1 Church Services During the last incumbency our pattern of Services has been a 10 a.m. Eucharist every Sunday. However, once a month we now hold a lay led service. Once a month we have Choral Evensong (BCP). The Daily Office is said at 8.30 a.m. every Saturday. Average attendance at the Eucharist is 33 adults and 3 children . The number on the electoral Roll is 56. During 2014, we held 7 Baptisms, 7 Marriages and 6 Funerals in the church.

Our previous incumbent instigated a series of occasional 'Guest Services', held when there was a fifth Sunday in the month. Topics have included Faith in Sport, Sea Sunday and a Celtic Service. Additionally there is an annual animal blessing service. These were all very much enjoyed and well attended services. In view of this, we would like our new incumbent to continue with these occasional services as they brought many people to church who would not normally attend.

From January 2015 instead of a Eucharistic service, we hold a Lay Led Service of the Word on the fourth Sunday of the month. Once our vacancy is filled, with the agreement of the Bishop and our new Priest we would be happy to continue with our lay led service. This would give our Priest the opportunity to lead a service at another church in the deanery or to have a weekend "off". This would have two advantages. It would allow the congregation to maintain the momentum and their skills in providing Lay led services and it would also strengthen the pool of priests available to officiate in the Deanery, even if only on an occasional basis.

Our churchmanship could be considered “Middle of the Road”, but we are open to change, as change is upon us, because we recognise that in order to increase our congregation our services need to have broader appeal, especially if we want to attract and retain younger people. We would therefore like our services to be spiritually uplifting and the music to be joyous and inspirational. Lay participation in services is encouraged and congregation members assist by giving the notices, opening the service and welcoming the congregation, by reading, by leading intercessions and performing sacristan duties. A Server assists the priest and we have six people licensed to administer the chalice. We use the rites from Common Worship and hymns from Common Praise and we have recently purchased new hymn books, ( Hymns Old and New), as the members of the congregation indicated that they would like to incorporate more joyful and modern hymns more often, particularly for Family Services. We have an organist and a small unrobed choir and usually sing the ordinary of the Mass (except the creed), and the Canticles, responses, psalm and an introit at Evensong.

We like to hold occasional Study Groups. Robes are always worn for services: usually alb and stole with optional chasuble for Eucharist, cassock, surplice and scarf for non-Eucharistic services.

In addition to our Churchwarden, we also have a Verger who assists at wedding and funeral services and also a Parish Administrator.

6.2 Junior Church, Genesis and Small Saints

As at March 2015, attendance at Junior Church, Genesis Group and Music Group, fluctuates. These therefore offer obvious areas for growth, already highlighted in section 2. Our JUNIOR CHURCH children meet every Sunday at 9.45 a.m. in the Cock Clarks Room. They join the congregation at 10a.m. and stay in church till after the Collect, then rejoin the congregation for the Peace and remain for the final part of the service. For our monthly Family Service, Junior Church join the congregation in the church for the whole of the service. An Advent and a Lent workshop are held every year. GENESIS GROUP Our GENESIS Group for 12 to 15 year olds meets monthly. In addition to their meetings in the Cock Clarks Room, during 2014 members of our Genesis Group attended various outside events, including the Diocesan Solid Camp, and a Solid Camp “REMIX” at the Cathedral. MUSIC GROUP The junior church music group meets once a month. SMALL SAINTS Our parent and toddler group called SMALL SAINTS, (for children from birth to school years), which meets, in the Cock Clarks Room is currently attended by 2 children from the parish. An outreach from our Small Saints Group is held once a month at the Half Pint Nursery Group at Purleigh Primary School. The Half Pint group normally includes 13-14 children from ages 2 to 5. We are fortunate in our youth leaders, one is the retired head teacher of a primary school. Another of our youth leaders holds both the Bishop’s Certificate in Children’s Ministry and the Bishop’s Certificate in Youth Work. A third youth leader has now completed her course for the Bishop’s Certificate in Children’s Ministry. All of our youth workers have access to the Saltshaker resources. Most members of our PCC plus some congregation members attended a Child Protection Seminar held in the church in 2012. All DBS checks are currently being reviewed by our church Safeguarding Officer. The diocese recently implemented an Online Safeguarding Training Course.

6.3 PCC All Saints Church, Purleigh has a very supportive, active and adaptable PCC. The PCC comprises 10 members, including one churchwarden, parish administrator/verger, secretary, treasurer, and Deanery Synod representative. The Council met 6 times during 2014. The PCC has a Standing Committee and a Charity Committee, which meet as required.

6.4 Friends Of Purleigh Church This independent organisation was set up in 2000 to replace the Restoration Committee and its aims are to raise money to help with the maintenance of the church building. It is not a registered charity. It has recently paid for improvements to the tower access and for the boiler housing for the recently installed heating boiler. Among their fund raising activities, the Friends of Purleigh Church have an annual plant sale, themed evenings (including dinner) in the Village Hall, Open Gardens days and a Tree of Light at Christmas.

6.5 Bell Ringing The church has a peal of six bells and a team of bell ringers who ring for Sunday services and on other occasions. We also have a set of hand-bells and a junior and a senior team who ring around the parish in the weeks before Christmas and in the Church then and at other times.

6.6 Purleigh Education Foundation This is a Trust, the constitution of which states that the Rector is Chairman. Members come from the Parish Council and Purleigh Community Primary School. It meets once a year and makes grants to students from the parish and church youth groups to help with the purchase of books or other items. Annual disbursements amount to about £200.

7. THE PARISH OF PURLEIGH

Purleigh is geographically a large rural parish, situated on the western edge of the Maldon and Dengie Deanery. Our local area known as the Dengie Hundred or the is bounded by the Blackwater estuary to the north, the North Sea to the east and the river Crouch to the south. Purleigh is situated about 4 miles from Maldon and 10 miles from Chelmsford, with easy access to the A12 and rail links to London. Purleigh has a population of around 1,200. The 2001 census showed an age structure of 17% aged 0-15, 65% 16-64. and 18% 65+. About 180 of the total 504 dwellings are in the village centre, i.e. within one mile of the church; the rest being in outlying farms and in the adjacent hamlets of Howe Green, Rudley Green, Roundbush and Cock Clarks. There are several small businesses, including a large vineyard and farms with associated services.

8. THE VILLAGE LIFE

“Purleigh is a lovely village in which to live. The community spirit and awareness of neighbours is wonderful, the atmosphere truly rural. We really enjoy living here and the peace of the countryside is a real bonus in this modern world.”

Purleigh is a very active village with many local organisations - Playgroups, Mother and toddler groups, Whist group and Whist drives, Military Drive, Carpet Bowls, Women’s Institute, Stitch and Crafts Club, Quilters, Gardeners, Croquet, Cricket, Football, Bell Ringers, Handbell ringers. Purleigh has a well-maintained and actively used Village Hall. There is also a Playing Field with cricket square, football pitch, croquet area and children’s play area with swings etc. The playing field also has a pavilion with changing rooms, showers and a small hall. Purleigh has an active and caring Parish Council. For the Church, the Parish Council helps with the cost of maintenance of the closed churchyard and the graveyard, and also has helped with the cost of repairs to the church fabric.

Village Shop/Post Office Our small village shop is a general store, Post Office and newsagent and as such is a daily focus for village life.

The Parish Magazine produced each month is delivered to 380 homes keeping people in touch with village events.

There are three Public Houses in the parish; one next to the Church, one in Cock Clarks and one at Roundbush. The Bell public house,(next door to the church), is supportive of church activities and the owners attend our special services.

Schools Pre-School For many years there has been an independent nursery working in partnership with and on the premises of Purleigh County Primary School. There is now a new purpose-built nursery on the school site for the HALF PINT NURSERY children.

Primary School Purleigh Community Primary School, now part of the Eveleigh Link Academy Trust, is situated in the centre of the village. It has a good reputation and children come from miles around. This year the school has 214 pupils, including 10 pupils from ethnic minorities. It is not a Church School, but the Parish priest is welcomed in the school. The school performs a musical nativity play each year giving three performances in the church. The school has a good P.T.A. and its own swimming pool.

Secondary and Further education For older children there are good grammar schools in nearby Chelmsford and a school bus takes local children in each day. There are also excellent secondary schools in all the surrounding towns which local children attend in nearby South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford and Maldon. Chelmsford is home to Anglia Ruskin University.

FAIRLFIELDS - Retirement Flats for Purleigh Residents Purleigh is proud of Fairfields which is run by POPHA (Purleigh Old Peoples Housing Association). This is situated next door to the Rectory and comprises two blocks each with 6 well-maintained flats for the elderly people of Purleigh or their relatives. Each of the residents of Fairfields live independently in their own self contained flat.

VIEW OF FAIRFIELDS

LOCATION AND AMENITIES

Maldon And Dengie Our local area is known as the Dengie Hundred or the Dengie Peninsula and is bounded by the Blackwater estuary to the North, the North Sea to the East and the river Crouch to the South. The nearest town is Maldon (4 miles), at the head of the Blackwater estuary. An historic and attractive small town with picturesque Victorian Thames Sailing Barges based there. Nearby Burnham on Crouch is a sailing centre of international renown. The eastern part of the Dengie peninsula has the lowest rainfall of anywhere in the British Isles. So this is an ideal area for outdoor leisure pursuits.

The chapel of St. Peter’s on the Wall at Bradwell overlooking the North Sea, is 17 miles from Purleigh. It is built on the site of the Roman Fort of Othona and is perhaps the oldest church in of which so much remains. In 653 St Cedd founded a monastic community on this site, the Chapel is the only remaining building on the site, and was re-consecrated in June 1920. The Chapel is used regularly for worship and is the focus of the annual Bradwell Pilgrimage. It is an inspiring site to see Bishops, Archbishops from the Anglican and Catholic traditions, clergy, Salvation Army officials, monks and nuns together with people of every age range from small children to elderly people in wheelchairs walking to spend the afternoon together in joint worship.

Photograph of St Peters and Pilgrimage

In short this is an ideal place for outdoor activities, walking, sailing, bird watching, Fishing and golf – with the added advantage of such a low rainfall.

Facilities Due to our proximity to both Chelmsford and Maldon, whatever your interests we feel there will be a group for you to join. This is an ideal area for those wishing to live in a rural location with the option of all the art and culture that London has to offer only 50 minutes away by train. Sailing - As Purleigh is situated between the Rivers Blackwater and Crouch, sailing is obviously a popular hobby. There are many clubs and marinas along the Blackwater and Crouch. Walking - This part of the world is ideal for walking enthusiasts. There are 40 miles of sea wall footpaths around the Dengie Peninsula. Some parts of the sea wall are very isolated, all that is visible is estuary, fields and a sky which appears to go on for ever. Inland, Danbury Woods (owned by he National Trust) are justly famed for their beauty. Birdwatching – We have a large number of migratory birds due to our location between two rivers and proximity to the coast. Golf – There is a golf course less than 10 minutes drive from Purleigh with a number of other golf courses and a driving range in the area. Cinema –There are cinemas, Chelmsford (10 miles), Basildon and a small cinema in Burnham on Crouch. Theatres There are theatres in Chelmsford, Southend, Grays and Brentwood - London theatreland is only 50 minutes away by train. U3A (University of the third age) – There are very active branches in Maldon and nearby South Woodham Ferrers where you can join groups such as local history, photography, music appreciation, gardening , walking, the list is endless. Singing – there are choirs in Maldon, Burnham on Crouch, Witham and Chelmsford, all happy to enlist new members. Gardening – RHS Hyde Hall Garden is nearby and there are many interesting gardens to visit less than an hour away by car. Libraries – Public Libraries are located in Maldon, Burnham on Crouch and South Woodham Ferrers. County Council also provides a mobile library, which visits Purleigh frequently. Swimming pools and gyms – There are public swimming pools in Maldon and in South Woodham Ferrers. Both these pools also have a gym. There is a private Health Club in South Woodham Ferrers.

Transport Links Buses - There are buses from Purleigh to Maldon every hour. Buses to Chelmsford are few and far between but this may change. Rail – There is an hourly service to London Liverpool Street (50 minutes journey time) from Station (10 minutes drive). Trains are more frequent in the rush hour. Alternatively, trains leave Wickford every 20 minutes for Liverpool Street. Air – London Stansted airport is an easy 1 hour drive away. London Southend airport can be accessed by train from Wickford, or by a 45 minute drive.

Shopping For everyday needs there are two large supermarkets just outside Maldon town centre. The High Street contains all the shops you would expect to find in a small market town. The City of Chelmsford, has the normal complement of Department Stores in the town centre. Within an hours drive are three of the largest indoor shopping centres in the country, Lakeside, Bluewater and Westfield at Stratford, (the latter best accessed by train).

Eating Out This area is very well supplied with restaurants and country pubs, which serve food – there are too many to enumerate. Nearer to home, The Bell Public House in Purleigh serves excellent food.

9. OUR CHURCH

Church viewed from road View from tower, looking west

View across churchyard

9.1 All Saints Church, Purleigh

All Saints Church is an early 14th century building with some later additions and is a Grade 1 listed building. The church is situated on a hill-top roughly in the centre of the parish, with splendid views over the Blackwater estuary and the Dengie peninsula; and on a clear day a large portion of Essex. We have a vineyard adjacent to the churchyard!

Restoration work carried out in the mid nineteenth century put the church in good shape, followed by major work to the tower in the 1990’s. In 2000 the interior was re-plastered where necessary and redecorated. The 2012 Quinquennial report has indicated that there are no major problems with the fabric. The open chancel space together with a good acoustic, makes the church attractive for choirs and other music groups to give concerts in the church.

There is a closed churchyard and further graveyard opposite the church with an area reserved for cremated ashes. In 2014, a new Memorial Garden was created. Our church has a loop system and an up to date sound system was installed in December 2010. A new heating system (low pressure hot water system with 13 radiators and an oil fired boiler) was installed in autumn 2011. In addition to making our church a more comfortable place for our congregation during the winter months, the new system is a constructive and sympathetic approach to the preservation of the fabric of a very old and beautiful building.

All Saints Church has a rich history one previous incumbent of the church was Laurence Washington, George Washington’s great great grandfather. Laurence Washington was Rector of All Saints from 1635 to 1645, consequently we have a number of American visitors. Another incumbent Edwin Hatch, whilst living in what is now The Old Rectory in 1878, wrote the hymn “Breathe on me breath of God”. Edward Lively, who was regarded as one of the greatest linguists of his time, was a director of the First Cambridge Company (one of the groups involved in the translation the King James Bible). Edward Lively went on to become Rector of Purleigh in 1604.

9.2 The Cock Clarks Room There is an extension to the church, built in 2003, which comprises a small hall/meeting room, kitchen and toilets. This has improved the facilities and offers great opportunities to the church community. As well as a meeting room, it is used by the Junior Church, Genesis and the Small Saints parent and toddlers group. It is also used to provide refreshments following services and for events held in the church.

External view of Cock Clarks Room

10. FINANCE

The Parish pays the Family Purse in full each year. The use of gift aided donations is encouraged for both envelope and standing order donations. Currently, our income slightly exceeds our expenditure. Our reserves approximate £62,000, (2014 Annual Accounts), the vast majority of which are unrestricted funds. Our total donations to charity in 2014 amounted to £2,594 plus a further amount of £961 to Christian Aid collected from Purleigh residents during Christian Aid Week. Our next major project on the agenda is the replacement of the electrical wiring system and internal church lighting. Our next quinquennial inspection is due in 2017.

11. THE RECTORY

The Rectory, situated about fifty yards down the hill from the church is a substantial modern 4 bedroom house with oil-fired central heating and double glazing. The ground floor is on two levels and comprises, entrance hall, a good size lounge with a sunny aspect and patio doors leading to a small terrace and the rear garden, inner hall, dining room, family size kitchen plus utility room and downstairs cloakroom. A study is situated off the entrance hall The dining room and kitchen overlook the rear garden. The first floor comprises, 4 bedrooms, bathroom and separate shower room. There is a garage and a good size garden overlooking a meadow, which is Glebe land. Solar panels were fitted in 2014. The rear garden is laid to lawn with some borders. The front garden has a small flower bed between the two entrances to the property.

Left front view of Rectory Right front view of Rectory

Rear view of Rectory View from rear of Rectory