Annual Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of All Saints’, Legbourne For the year ended 31st December 2018 Aims and Purposes All Saints’ Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Legbourne the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical, as well as the maintenance of the fabric of the church at Legbourne and the churchyards at Legbourne, Burwell and Muckton, and the church yard and cemetery at Little Cawthorpe. Objectives and Activities We are part of the Benefice of Legbourne Woldmarsh, an Anglican Christian community, worshipping in - and working from - nine churches, in villages across the Lincolnshire Wolds and Marsh. We are inspired by the Bishop of Lincoln’s call for ‘faithful worship, confident discipleship and joyful service’. In our mission to the people here we seek particular encouragement from the mobile ministry of Jesus Christ amongst the rural communities of his homeland, as recorded in Luke 8: ‘He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.’ It is our sacred duty and joy to continue his work, aided by the Spirit, in the villages of Lincolnshire. As God's pilgrim people we move around our churches for worship, being prayerful, active and present in all of our communities. The PCC is committed to inviting and enabling as many people as possible to worship in our church, to have access to the sacraments of the church and to become part of the Christian community. To this end we strive to forge strong relationships between the church and local families and organisations, especially East Wold School and the Community Centre. In summary, we exist to communicate a comprehensive and glorious vision of God and the nature and purpose of his creation, to help people to be formed into the image of Christ and to live out their faith as his disciples to nurture human flourishing and the common good according to God’s will. We primarily aim to achieve this by Worship, prayer and catechesis Provision of pastoral care Missionary and outreach work. Achievements and Performance Worship, Prayer and Catechesis The parish Eucharist is the central act of worship, taking place on a Sunday morning at 10.30am. According to the longstanding benefice rota this happens at All Saints’, Legbourne on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. Numerous members of the congregation read the lessons from Scripture, and four people actively assist the priest by administering the chalice, under licence. Fr James Robinson was informally introduced to the congregation at a Songs of Praise service in July, followed by a buffet supper in the chancel. Fr James was then Instituted and Inducted on 3rd September by the Archdeacon of Lincoln and the Bishop of Lincoln, who preached the sermon. The church was full, with a good contingent from Fr James’ former parish in Grantham and representatives from our local community. A buffet in the Community Centre finished off a wonderful evening of thanksgiving and fellowship. The major festivals in the church calendar continue to attract larger-than-usual congregations. The Crib Service on Christmas Eve was particularly successful, with good participation from younger members in constructing the crib. A traditional 9 Lessons and Carols gave opportunity to invite representatives from the wider community to read lessons, and enjoy a glass of mulled wine. Particular mention must go to Hank Green for contributing such a glorious Christmas tree, cut from his garden. A village carol service was also held at the redundant church of St Michael’s, Burwell, which is in the parish, and which allowed us to reach out to a group not normally within our orbit. Locals contributed cakes and candles (to make up for the lack of electricity in the church) and Bill Kibby led the music, with his wife Beth performing a moving solo. Other important feast days have begun to be celebrated with a Eucharist. We marked our patronal festival, All Saints’ Day on November 1st with a Eucharist attended by members of the deanery, followed by glasses of fizz and cake. As part of our commitment to working closely as part of the Louth and East Wolds Mission Community, Fr James attends monthly – and occasionally celebrates – the 11am Eucharist at St James’, Louth, and Choral Evensong on a Sunday. The Mission Community also makes the commitment to celebrate the Eucharist together on Red Letter Days in various churches across the deanery. All church members are of course welcome and encourage to attend any of these services. The daily offices are now said publically Monday – Thursday (Friday being Fr James’ day off). After initial experimentation with timings and location, a pattern has been settled upon which has morning prayer said at Legbourne at 9.30am Tuesday – Thursday, and evening prayer Monday-Wednesday at 4.15pm, with a number of church members attending semi-regularly. The bell is always rung before the office to let the village know they are being prayed for! An renewed emphasis on the church’s teaching ministry, began by Rev’d Alan Hayday during the interregnum, has been developed. Fr James gave a talk on St Luke’s Gospel to mark the beginning of Year C in the lectionary cycle on Advent Sunday. The occasional offices remain an important point of contact and ministry within the wider community. In 2018 there were 3 baptisms, 1 wedding and3 funerals. These are lower than usual and perhaps reflect the interregnum status. Baptisms are now strongly encouraged to take place during the Parish Eucharist, to enable the congregation to welcome their newest members, and for the candidates and their families to be more directly introduced to the worshipping community. This has had a positive impact, not least in drawing more children into the Sunday morning services. The Taize Prayer Group, meeting in All Saints’ on the 2nd Saturday of each month (excluding a short winter break) continues to attract a good number and provide a space to share prayers and spiritual writings and to participate in the Taize style of singing. On Armistice Day we gathered at the war memorial in the churchyard to commemorate the centenary of the ending of World War 1. After the observation of the 2 minutes silence wreaths were laid on the war graves. Especial thanks should be given to Rev’d Alan Hayday for his work in leading our worship during the interregnum; to Hilary King for, amongst other things, performing the duties of sacristan; to our reader Helen Marsden for her dedicated ministry, and to Liz Marshall for enhancing our worship greatly with her organ playing. We are also grateful to Keith the tower captain and our team of bell ringers for announcing our worship so wonderfully; and our flower arrangers and church cleaners, who help enhance the beauty of our church and our worship. Deanery Synod The PCC is currently not directly represented on Deanery Synod but representatives from the benefice, as well as the incumbent and reader attend. In general it has been a good year for the deanery, with 2 vacancies filled (including our own). Nevertheless with 3 multi-parish benefices still without an incumbent the clergy are stretched. The deanery office continues to provide essential and effective administrative support. In order to ensure this service is sustainable all benefices have been asked to contribute a monthly payment of £70. The division of the deanery into 2 Mission Communities, with Legbourne Woldmarsh united with Louth and Binbrook, has helped to create a more collaborative and mission-focused environment. One fruit of this has been the provision of a Eucharist, attended by members of the Mission Community, on important feast days. Pastoral Care Fr James has made visiting the sick and isolated a priority, as well as calling on members of the congregation for a more general chat. The availability of a visit, for whatever reason, as well as the opportunity for anointing for healing and/or the sharing of Holy Communion is advertised in all newsletters, noticeboards and on the website. The public praying of the daily office on most week days offers a point of contact with the parish priest, should a person wish to have a talk. There is currently no tabernacle in any of the benefice churches where the sacrament can be properly reserved for the sick and housebound. The PCC has voted to rectify this and begin the process of acquiring one, to develop this important ministry. A collecting box for the Community Larder, based at the Trinity Centre in Louth, is kept by the church entrance and regularly filled through donations and delivered to those who need it. A special collection of food was taken for the Community Larder at our Harvest Festival, and was greatly appreciated. Church members are hugely involved in ‘Friendship Club’, which meets in the Community Centre and provides an opportunity for people to meet, play games, have tea and cake and enjoy one another’s company. Fr James attends when he can. Mission and Outreach The ‘Welcome on Wednesday’ coffee morning, which takes place once a month in All Saints’, provides an opportunity for people – whether they are a member of the congregation or not – to enjoy company and good quality cakes. This is a valuable point of contact with the wider community, and a good way to offer hospitality and enable social cohesion. Donations are taken, and usually given to a specific charitable cause each time. Speakers are occasionally invited to address attendees on matters of local interest or importance.