The Benefice of Stonesfield with Combe Longa Benefice Profile

Contents

Foreword by the Bishop of Dorchester ...... 3

Foreword by the Area Dean ...... 4

Introduction ...... 5

Person Specification ...... 6

Looking to the future ...... 7

The Benefice ...... 8

Worship and Ministry ...... 11

The Church and the Wider Community ...... 14

The Church Buildings ...... 16

The Rectory ...... 18

The Organisation of the Benefice and Finance ...... 19

The Rector‟s Ex-Officio Responsibilities ...... 21

Welcome to the Benefice of Stonesfield with Combe Longa

2 Foreword by the Bishop of Dorchester 04.10.20

I am delighted to write a foreword to this Profile for the new Rector of the Benefice of Stonesfield and Combe and I hope and pray that, having read the Profile and researched the role, you may consider applying for this important post in the Dorchester Area of the Oxford Diocese.

As a Diocese, we are seeking to be more contemplative, compassionate and courageous in all that we do. Anyone taking up the post will, I hope, wish to engage with our vision as it further develops, and to offer their own insights, ideas and energy as we explore what it means to be a more Christ-like Church for the sake of God‟s world.

The Benefice is ready to move forward and to work more closely together. The two Parishes are also looking for someone who will play an active part in their communities, bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm. The churches wish to work with the new Rector to look outwards and better engage with all ages within their communities. The churches would love to grow numerically as well as in depth spiritually. Someone who is warm, sensitive and pastoral and a good preacher would be welcomed by the Benefice, as would someone with reasonable administrative gifts, though administrative help is offered.

The role also includes time to work with our DDO Team to foster vocations across Woodstock and Witney Deaneries, something which we hope will appeal to the right candidate.

The Benefice is situated in a beautiful part of Oxfordshire on the edge of the Cotswolds with good links to the M40 and to Oxford with excellent local schools.

I do hope that, having read this Profile, you pray about this and consider applying for this post.

With every blessing,

3 Foreword by the Area Dean

Woodstock Deanery is a varied Deanery both in terms of demography and church tradition. Whilst both Stonesfield and Combe have a distinctly rural feel to them, they are nevertheless within easy reach of both Witney and Oxford and, in terms of church tradition, a bit of the variety mentioned above is evident in the distinctive styles of St James‟s in Stonesfield and St Laurence‟s in Combe. Having had contact over the vacancy with many different people within the Benefice, I have been impressed by the enthusiasm, organisation and creativity of PCC members and others. Stonesfield and Combe represent a rich opportunity for worship, ministry and mission in a beautiful setting among supportive and creative communities.

In the wider Deanery, the main centres of population are all in the south of the Deanery with the north being fairly rural. The Deanery encircles Blenheim Palace (with one of the gates to Blenheim Park situated just outside Combe), includes the Diocese of Oxford's Church House and borders the Oxford Deanery. The Deanery consists of only 8 Benefices and, despite our variety of theological and ecclesiological traditions, our Deanery functions really well. Chapter meetings are almost always well attended and usually fun and the clergy and lay people of the Deanery get on well together when they meet in Synod.

We currently have an agreed Deanery Mission Action Plan and an agreed formula for allocating Parish Share across the Deanery. The Lay Chair, Liz Whittle, is very supportive of the Deanery clergy and lives just along the road in the neighbouring Benefice of Hanborough and Freeland who have just appointed a new Rector due to be instituted in January. The appointment to Stonesfield and Combe, therefore, will see all Deanery posts filled.

Although I have only been the Area Dean since January of this year, I have got to know a bit of the life of Stonesfield and Combe and so would be happy to chat informally should you wish to do so having read this Profile. I can be contacted on 01993 810749.

May I conclude by assuring you that a warm welcome awaits the next incumbent to our Deanery, and we very much look forward to extending that welcome.

Jeremy Auld, Area Dean of Woodstock

4 Introduction

The Benefice of Stonesfield with Combe Longa comprises the Parishes of St James the Great, Stonesfield and St Laurence the Martyr, Combe.

Our Churches are closely connected to the life of our two rural communities and we seek to serve our Parishes both pastorally and spiritually.

The Benefice was formed in 1989 and a new Rectory was built in Stonesfield in 2010, described in detail below.

Our Church congregations are friendly, warm and welcoming. There are differences in styles of church tradition but at the same time many similarities. The Parishes value their music and the social aspects of Christian fellowship.

Our Churches and village communities have many strengths on which we would like to build. Feedback from the Church communities in a questionnaire (completed to inform this document) was very positive. Responses indicated an understanding of the need to reach out to a younger generation. We recognise the challenge to grow our congregations, and balancing our existing church traditions with change will be an important focus for the new Rector. To this end we seek a Rector for our two Parishes to inspire, nurture and further build our Church communities.

The Benefice is part of the Woodstock Deanery and the Dorchester Archdeaconry. The Area Bishop is the Bishop of Dorchester (the current Bishop is shortly to retire).

The post includes a role fostering vocations across the Woodstock and Witney Deaneries. The right person will act as a vocations advisor, encouraging vocations from the local churches by working with the local clergy and their churches, helping to deliver vocations training and events, as well as meeting those who feel that they have a vocation, and helping them through Diocesan processes properly to discern what God is calling them to. On average, we expect the vocations part of this role to be about a day a week.

5 Person Specification

With our new Rector we wish to develop the mission and ministry of our Churches, and to this end we are seeking someone to lead us who:

. has strong personal faith and sound theological and biblical knowledge;

. is skilled at communicating the word of God with people of all ages and at all stages of faith;

. can enable us to develop our work with schools, families, children and young people so that our Churches may truly be communities of all ages;

. is able to facilitate change with sensitivity, so that Church life may be enhanced and developed across the Benefice, whilst retaining important aspects of Church traditions favoured by our Parishes;

. can help develop our pastoral care of all ages.

As the Deanery Vocations Advisor:

. A person with a passion and someone who will take the initiative to see vocations flourish across the Woodstock and Witney Deaneries.

. A person who will relate to the DDO team as they re-imagine vocations work in the Diocese.

6 Looking to the future

Before preparing this document we undertook a questionnaire in each Parish, and this forms the basis for the vision for the Benefice set out below. The questionnaire responses expressed how much of our present Church life is loved and valued by the congregations, whilst at the same time they looked forward to how the Church will develop in future years.

The key messages from the responses are as follows:

. For our Church communities to be warm and welcoming to everyone – places of love, help and hope.

. To carry our faith out into the wider community, engaging with village residents of all ages through outreach events, village activities and pastoral support.

. To offer a range of different styles of worship, both traditional and modern, to meet the diverse needs and preferences of our congregations and villages.

. For our congregations to be nurtured through encouragement, the study of the Bible and prayer.

. To celebrate and encourage our Church music and choirs, bell ringing and other Church groups.

. To engage with children, young people and their families, developing and offering them dynamic and suitable activities exploring faith and involvement in our Churches.

. To develop further the interaction of our two Churches with our village primary schools.

7 The Benefice

The Benefice comprises two rural Cotswold Parishes lying in the Evenlode valley in West Oxfordshire: Stonesfield and Combe. Each village is about five miles from Witney, the premier town of the district, and some 12–15 miles from Oxford. The Benefice lies inside the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and to the west of Blenheim Palace World Heritage Site. Both villages are mentioned in the Domesday Book.

Stonesfield Combe From https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap

Stonesfield is the larger of the two Parishes with a population of about 1800. Combe has a population of about 750. Both villages are thriving and have active communities, with numerous organisations in addition to the Church. Both villages are relatively affluent, in keeping with the nature of the district, but of course household incomes vary. West Oxfordshire is an area which has grown significantly in the last 20 years and both villages have felt this effect (Stonesfield more than Combe).

The villages contain many families and people of working age. A good proportion of residents work in Oxford and other surrounding towns, or commute to London; a considerable number also work from home. Unemployment within West Oxfordshire is currently low. There are also many retired people, some of whom live alone.

8 Schools: Each village has a primary school, Combe School being a voluntary controlled Church of England school. Both villages have thriving pre-schools. We see our work with schools as an important aspect of the mission of the Parishes. See below

Amenities: In Stonesfield there is a shop with post office, hairdresser, garage and a branch of the public library at the Village Hall, whilst Combe has a public house and a Co-operative store close by in Long Hanborough. There is a significant farm that cultivates the extensive agricultural land within the Parishes, together with a woodyard and small office park at Combe Mill.

Each village has various lively clubs and societies, including tennis, cricket and football clubs, Scouts, the Stonesfield Players (amateur dramatics) and Lunch Club.

There is a small Methodist Chapel in Stonesfield, and good friendships and informal links exist between the two Churches.

Transport links: The Benefice lies away from main roads, but each village has good road links to Witney, which provides extensive amenities such as shops, cinema, concerts and a community hospital. Doctors‟ surgeries and dentists are close by in Long Hanborough, Woodstock and Charlbury. The A40 (Oxford–Cheltenham) and the A44 (Oxford–Evesham & Stratford) roads are 10 to 15 minutes away. There are two available routes to the M40, each taking some 30 minutes.

9 The villages are well served by buses: a Stagecoach bus service (route S3) runs between Oxford and Charlbury, via Woodstock, with buses running normally every hour Monday– Saturday, and a „shopper bus‟ runs to Witney. Special bus services operate from both villages to transport secondary school children to Marlborough School in Woodstock. A range of other secondary schools is also within travelling distance, some of which offer school transport.

GWR trains from Paddington to Hereford via Worcester serve the halt at Combe (two trains a day) and the stations of Hanborough and Charlbury (both 10–15 minutes away), giving excellent rail links to Oxford and London. The new station at Oxford Parkway is served by trains between Oxford and London Marylebone.

Further information can be found at:

. the Parish Council websites:

www.stonesfield.online and https://combepc.org/

. Stonesfield Church‟s website: www.stonesfieldparishchurch.org

. Combe Church‟s web address: www.combeparishchurch.org (the website is currently under development)

10 Worship and Ministry

Our Churches are 'middle of the road', with sound biblical teaching and preaching. We would like to explore ways to help people develop their faith through new and established ways and means, whilst respecting the existing patterns of worship that sustain many members of our Church community in their Christian faith and life. We would like to work with the new incumbent to further develop the life of the Church in both villages.

We have two Licensed Lay Ministers who lead worship, one living in each Parish.

The regular services held under the previous incumbent are shown below. We try to offer a range of styles of worship to suit the different needs of the congregations.

8am Stonesfield 9.30am Combe 11am Stonesfield

1st Sunday Communion BCP said All Age Worship All Age Worship

2nd Sunday Communion BCP said Communion CW sung Communion CW sung (Sung Matins x 3 p.a.)

3rd Sunday Communion BCP said Communion CW sung Communion Service for All Ages

4th Sunday Communion BCP said Communion CW sung Communion CW sung

5th Sunday Communion BCP said Joint Benefice Service of Holy Communion

Average 7–10 20–30 25–35 attendances

All Age Worship is held on the first Sunday of each month. It is a simple informal service planned in common by the two Parishes, which aims to provide an introduction to a biblical theme or story in a relaxed way involving children and adults. Each Parish has a team of organisers and some keen participants of all ages.

11 Communion Service for All Ages: This is held in Stonesfield on the 3rd Sunday of each month. A very accessible order of service is used, and singing is accompanied by the piano. Songs are either well-known traditional hymns or „singable‟ contemporary songs. In the last two years a Sunday Fun group for children was established to work alongside the service, starting at 10.30am, with parents and children joining the service in time for Communion (either partaking with non-alcoholic wine or receiving a blessing). All these arrangements will benefit from a review following „lockdown‟ (along with other children‟s activities previously offered).

Parish Communion is the main Sunday service. The services follow Common Worship. There is much lay involvement at our services, such as in reading and leading intercessions.

Evensong is held at Combe at 6pm, five Sundays a year, generally in January, March, May, September and November. This can vary, particularly if Easter falls in March. The service is followed by sherry supplied by the Churchwardens. In recent years a Songs of Praise service has proved popular. This is generally held in June.

Wednesday Communion service: This is offered at Stonesfield every Wednesday at 9.30am, and is much appreciated. (The possibility of re-establishing a said weekday service of Holy Communion or Morning Prayer in Combe is something the Parish would like to explore further.)

Christmas and Easter: A range of services is offered in each of the Churches to celebrate festivals. At Christmas these include a Carol Service in each Parish and also a Crib Service held in Stonesfield – all very much enjoyed and well supported.

In addition, special displays and meditations such as for Easter, Advent and national celebrations are created and held in each Church, which are of interest to the wider village community. These have included, in Stonesfield, „A Journey to Easter‟ (to which 350 visitors came over the weekend) and in 2019 a seven- door Advent Calendar walk around. At Combe, Advent 2019 was marked by four special Advent

evenings of music, readings and meditations.

12 Christenings, Weddings and Funerals: The table below shows the number of these in each Parish in each of the five years 2015–2019. Figures for funerals include those conducted elsewhere (generally the Oxford Crematorium).

Stonesfield Combe Baptisms 5, 4, 5, 6, 5 2, 4, 3, 4, 2 Weddings 4, 4, 2, 1, 1 3, 4, 2, 2, 1 Funerals 15, 16, 8, 6, 7 9, 8, 8, 7, 5

Music plays an important part in the life of the two Churches:

. Stonesfield‟s choir of 4–8 members helps to lead worship at the main Sunday service, with a choice of organ or piano for accompaniment, as appropriate.

. Combe has an active choir of some 20 participants and a modern electronic organ. (A smaller pipe organ which provided accompaniment is to be removed to re-order the west end of the Nave.) The choir practises once a week, on Wednesdays, and sings two services per month and at Evensong.

. Hymns are normally chosen from Common Praise (Combe and Stonesfield) and Songs and Hymns of Fellowship (Stonesfield) and in each case are chosen by the Choir Director and the Rector. Words for hymns or songs from other sources can also be included in the weekly newsletter (see below).

Bell ringers: Each Church has an enthusiastic community of bell ringers who ring for the Sunday services, Christmas Day and other festivities.

Bible Studies: Weekly Bible Study/Home groups are held in each village; recent topics include Hebrews and the Bible Society „Bible Course‟ (Stonesfield), and The Lord‟s Prayer and Psalm 23 (Combe).

Wednesday morning prayer: A small group meets to pray at 7.30am in Stonesfield Church on Wednesday mornings.

Benefice Newsletter: A weekly Benefice newsletter (available by email and on paper) helps greatly as a means of communication and information; it was especially successful during the COVID-19 „lockdown‟ when it included a reflection for each Sunday and was an essential way of keeping in touch with the Church community.

13 The Church and the Wider Community

Ladies’ and men’s breakfasts, with speaker, are organised from time to time and are well attended.

Monday coffee: Volunteers from each Church provide drop-in, free, morning coffee and home-cooked biscuits on Monday mornings. In Stonesfield this is held at the St James‟ Centre, and in Combe in the Reading Room. The coffee mornings are popular both with parents after dropping children at school, and others who appreciate the coffee and chat at the beginning of the week.

Pastoral Care: In Stonesfield, a Church Pastoral Care Group seeks to ensure support is available to those who need it, welcomes new residents, organises social events (e.g. a wine and nibbles evening), and endeavours to keep in touch with those not able to come to Church. Combe has no structured pastoral care system but relies (successfully) on the village drums and good neighbourliness of its inhabitants. Both villages have responded well to the recent challenges of COVID-19 in their kindness, support for the elderly and those socially isolating.

Manor Party: In Stonesfield, the Church organises an annual tea party for people of all ages in the Manor Garden. A bouncy castle, games and tea ensure that a good time is had by all.

Village magazines: Each village has a magazine devoted to the affairs of the Parish. Although neither is produced by the Church, they both carry a contribution by the Rector and details of Church services. Stonesfield‟s magazine is the Slate (www.stonesfield.online/category/slate) and Combe‟s, the Combe Courier.

14 The Village Schools We see work with schools as being an important aspect of mission in the Benefice and would like our new Rector to explore how she or he can best contribute to this.

Stonesfield Primary School is a county school with 107 pupils. Combe Primary is a Church school (voluntary controlled) with 114 pupils.

For further details about the schools see: www.stonesfield.oxon.sch.uk and www.combeprimary.co.uk.

Statement from the Headteacher of Combe School:

“Combe Church of England Primary School is a voluntary controlled

primary school with strong links with the Church.

The school holds services throughout the year, including Christmas,

Easter and Harvest, which we‟d like to be supported by the Rector.

The Rector will be a member ex officio of the Governing Body which

conducts six full Governing Body meetings a year, and we would

encourage additional link governor visits to school.

We‟d like the Rector to play an active role in the life of the school,

playing a part in leading collective worship, working closely with the

Headteacher and RE Leader in preparing for Diocesan inspections, and

communicating the role of the Church in the wider community. We

would also like the Rector to attend school events such as our Summer

Fair and Christmas Lights”.

15 The Church Buildings

St James the Great, Stonesfield, is centrally located in the village, a three-minute walk from the Rectory. lt was built in about 1220 and is listed Grade II. The Patron is the Duke of Marlborough. It seats approximately 120 people and is light and spacious, with modern chairs. Repairs to the roof and a complete redecoration of the interior were undertaken in 2006, funded by a very successful appeal. There are now exciting plans, at an early stage, for the re-ordering of the North Aisle, whereby the removal of remaining pews would provide a flexible space for displays, coffee and children‟s area.

St Laurence the Martyr, Combe is located off the green in an extensive churchyard with views over the Evenlode Valley. It was built in 1395 and is listed Grade I. The Patron is the Rector and Fellows of Lincoln College, Oxford. The interior is particularly notable for the surviving wall paintings, including a 14th-century Doom over the Chancel arch and an unusual stone pulpit. At full capacity about 180 people can be seated in the pews. The building is well maintained with a rolling programme of work to deal with various, mostly historic, problems. St Laurence has the great advantage of a considerable endowment for its upkeep.

16 The ‘Church Halls’: Each Parish has a Church-linked building.

In Stonesfield, this is the St James’ Centre, formerly the village school, immediately adjacent to the Church.

It has a medium-sized hall, two smaller rooms (which can be combined to form one long room), a well-equipped kitchen and very pretty garden.

It is used for Church meetings, children‟s groups and Monday morning coffee; it is also hired out to a variety of village organisations and for private functions.

In Combe the venue is the Reading Room, which has a small meeting room, large kitchen and extensive gardens and outbuildings.

The Reading Room is run by an independent charity, for which one trustee is appointed by the PCC (but need not be a member of the PCC).

The venue is used by a variety of village organisations, Monday morning coffee and for private functions. Combe also has the Combe Community Hub, the former Methodist Chapel, now run by a charity and from which Combe Pre- School and After-School club is run.

17 The Rectory

The Rectory was purpose-built in 2010, in part of the garden of the old rectory (now Brook House) in Brook Lane Stonesfield, overlooking the Evenlode Valley.

It provides spacious modern accommodation of: . four bedrooms (one en-suite) . family bathroom . study . large kitchen . dining room . sitting room . disabled WC in the lobby serving the study

The domestic accommodation is separated by an inner door from the lobby/study area. There is also a large, manageable garden.

First Floor

Ground Floor

18 The Organisation of the Benefice and Finance

Each Parish has a PCC that controls its own Parish affairs independent of the other. We anticipate that the new Rector will want to take stock of the current PCC arrangements. Each Parish appoints a member to attend the PCC meetings of the other and Parish representatives to Deanery Synod.

The Rector is supported one morning a week by a (paid or voluntary) administrative assistant. This is an area which the PCCs will be pleased to review with the new Rector.

Current Electoral Roll numbers are 55 in Stonesfield, 51 in Combe.

Finances The income and expenditure of the two Parishes for the last five years is shown in the tables below. It has been a challenge for both Parishes, but they have met their respective Parish Shares in full.

Stonesfield

Year 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 £ £ £ £ £ Income 55,251 56,846 54,554 47,758 52,247 Expenditure 52,759 52,452 52,339 51,866 50,459 Surplus/deficit 2,492 4,394 2,215 (4,108) 1,788 () deficit Reserves 21,182 19,690 15,296 13,031 17,139

Combe

Year 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

£ £ £ £ £ Income 26,451 25,685 26,432 29,680 25,469

Expenditure 28,585 28,248 27,869 26,991 25,929 Surplus/deficit (2,135) (2,563) 1,437 2,689 (406) () deficit

19 In 2017 Stonesfield introduced a Gift Day (already a feature of Combe finances) in addition to a Stewardship Sunday, which has helped to boost reserves, as shown in the table above.

Stonesfield generates most of its income from donations. It has no endowment or significant property or land rental income to supplement voluntary giving.

Combe‟s income from voluntary giving does not meet its Parish Share. Additional income from rents for land on which the Primary School stands and allotments assists, but nevertheless Combe has had to use up reserves for four of the last five years to meet its Parish Share. Combe has a substantial endowment for the purposes of maintaining the Church building and the Churchyard.

Both Parishes recognise that their finances need careful consideration and we want to work with our new Rector in addressing the issues to ensure financial sustainability in the future.

20 The Rector’s Ex-Officio Responsibilities

In Stonesfield, the Rector will be a trustee of the St James‟ Centre and the Eastwood Memorial Trust (set up for the advancement of Christian education in Stonesfield).

In Combe, the Rector is ex-officio a member of the trustees of two small historic charities, both created in their present form by the Charity Commission. These are:

. Combe Charities – an unregistered charity for the benefit of the poor of the Parish. The Rector is Chairman with two other trustees, these normally being the Churchwardens.

. The Charity of Adela Brooke – a registered charity that is beneficial owner of the freehold of the Reading Room, let to the Reading Room trustees on a 20-year lease at £5 p.a. This is not collected as the Reading Room itself (along with the Church) is a beneficiary of the Charity.

The Rector is also a Foundation Governor of Combe C of E Primary School. This will involve six evening meetings per year. Please see the brief statement from the Headteacher above.

......

We hope that this Profile offers a comprehensive insight into the Benefice of Stonesfield with Combe Longa.

As Rector you will have an exciting opportunity to make a great contribution to the life of our communities.

The new incumbent can be assured of a warm welcome

Illustrations by John Taylor

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