Profile The Severnside Benefice December 2018 Priory Church of St. Mary, Deerhurst Holy Trinity, Apperley St. Mary the Virgin, Forthampton St. John the Baptist, Chaceley St. James the Great, Stoke Orchard St. John the Baptist, Tredington 2 Table of Contents The Severnside Benefice 3 Location 3 Church Life 3 The Parishes 4 The Vicarage 4 The future and new incumbent 4 Chaceley 5 Church 5 Services 5 Village Survey 6 Finance 6 The Village 6 Deerhurst with Apperley 7 Our Churches 7 Our Community 9 Our School 9 Forthampton 9 Congregation 10 Ministry 10 Church Building, with its medieval heritage. 10 Worship 11 Finance 11 Tredington and Stoke Orchard 11 The Villages 11 Our Churches and Services 12 The Friends of Tredington & Stoke Orchard Churches 13 The Church Community 13 Personnel 14 Parishes Summary Statistics 14 Who are we looking for? 14 Map of the Benefice 16 Websites 17 3 Location This group of parishes lies in the Severn Vale, at the north-western end of the county The of Gloucestershire, bordering Severnside Worcestershire, and is very much a rural Benefice and agricultural location. The market town of Tewkesbury is the nearest town to all the villages, and Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Worcester, are all within easy reach. The This exciting and faithful benefice comprises M5 and M50 motorway connections are of four parishes with six churches. There is close by, as are main line rail facilities. The a vibrant Ministry Group whose vision River Severn runs through the centre of the alongside the PCCs is: parishes, with Forthampton and Chaceley lying to the west, the other parishes to the ‘To enable everyone to experience the love east. On our doorstep too are the beautiful of God and to become the people God calls Cotswolds, the Malverns, and the Forest of them to be in the world by sharing the Good Dean. News of Jesus Christ. In such a rural area, Working together with our new priest we aim farming of course is to grow and further develop our vision. We the predominant work towards this following a strategy of industry, but most of prayerful steps and stages: the working • Assist the Priest in Charge with population of our services, worship, pastoral care and villages commute to occasional offices; work in the nearby towns, or work from home. • Affirm, nurture and support the ministry of all and grow the Kingdom of God by Within the benefice there are several public developing their faith journey; houses, and at Stoke Orchard there is a community shop, and also a farm shop. • To be a welcoming presence, Tewkesbury, and the other nearby towns, spreading the Good News and provide good shopping venues, a wide showing the love of God to the whole range of eating places, public houses, community by words and action; theatres, cinemas, and cultural • Develop the faith journey of the team, entertainment. There are also local markets enabling spiritual growth and in Tewkesbury and Gloucester. enhancing practical skills; Whilst we are quite close to towns and • Encourage an outward looking ethos - cities, we are situated in open countryside, promoting a just society and care for where there are many lovely local walks, the environment. and opportunities for cycling and horse riding, as well as more nautical pursuits on We now need a priest to collaboratively take the rivers Severn and Avon. us forward, to lead, inspire and nurture our benefice and together fulfil our hopes and dreams. We offer a range of ministers to Church Life walk alongside our new priest and this There is a mixture of worship styles found includes the Ministry Group (an associate throughout the parishes, and services tend priest, readers, and parish lay ministers: (for to follow a fairly stable rota; there is at least which we are the pioneer benefice for the one communion service within the benefice, diocese) and commissioned laity), retired on every Sunday. When there is a fifth PTO priests, and strong lay involvement. Sunday in the month, a United Benefice service is held in one of the Severnside 4 churches, on a rotational basis. Church Information about services is included in congregations consist mostly of a loyal core ‘The Severnsider’, the benefice magazine. of worshippers, with larger congregations at The magazine includes information about festivals throughout the year. wider village life in general within the Severnside Benefice. Tredington and Stoke Orchard also have a free monthly newsletter delivered to every house in their parish. The Parishes Our church buildings range from the eighth- century Saxon Priory Church of St. Mary, at Deerhurst, to the Victorian Chapel of Ease, Holy Trinity, at Apperley, but what they all have in common is a warm, welcoming atmosphere, all are in good states of repair, and all are well-loved by their communities. The parishes are all on a sound financial footing, and parish share payments are met. There are village halls at Apperley, Forthampton, Chaceley and Tredington. The Vicarage The benefice vicarage is situated in Apperley, opposite the green and only 50 Taking the Sacrament across the River on metres from Holy Trinity Church. It is a Good Friday 1980s, four-bedroom detached house with a We have a strong and committed Ministry modern kitchen, small gardens to front and Group, which includes an Associate Priest, rear, a garage, and parking for at least two three Parish Lay Ministers, and two cars. It is fitted with solar panels. Readers, which has a mandate to operate throughout the Severnside Benefice. The team conducts services, and assists with baptisms, funerals, confirmations, wedding preparation, and pastoral visiting. The Benefice is fortunate in having several retired clergy with permission to officiate. There is currently no shortage of organists prepared to play at the different churches, and rehearse singers as necessary. Work with children includes assemblies in both our schools, Open the Book, toddler services, messy church and youth group. This work is very much valued and needs to The Vicarage, Apperley be maintained and built upon. The future and new incumbent Study groups, particularly during Advent and It is hoped that the new incumbent will have Lent, are organised on a benefice basis. a visible presence in all the parishes, not There are four P.C.C. groupings: Chaceley, only in the leading of worship, but also in Deerhurst with Apperley, Forthampton, and pastoral care and outreach; thus ensuring Tredington and Stoke Orchard. 5 that the church continues to be an important and some thirteenth-century features, part of the life of the villages. including the tower, with a small spire, which The pattern of worship, and the wide range was re-built in the fourteenth century, when of styles employed, require a broad the south aisle was added. knowledge of liturgical practice. The A good deal of further incumbent will need strong organisational/ restoration took place time management skills but can be assured in 1882. The church of support from the Ministry Group and has a lovely peal of six P.C.C. members. There is also the support bells, which at present of a part time, paid, benefice administrator, can only be rung three who has in the past operated from the to four times a year. A vicarage. fund has been started Since 2018 the Ministry Group has been to restore them. The church has a very involved in the three year Thrive Initiative (CPAS) which is looking at mission in multi- welcoming and friendly atmosphere and is parish benefices, and they are currently kept in a good state of repair. The exploring how we move forward. churchyard always looks immaculate. A new heating system was installed a few years ago, which is much appreciated by the Chaceley congregation! Church Services The normal rota of church services is for two BCP Holy Communion services to be held on the first and fourth Sundays of each month, with Songs of Praise, at 6.30 p.m. (4.30 in the winter) on the second Sunday, conducted by the Ministry Group. Chaceley is also very fortunate to have an excellent organist, and the small congregation sings enthusiastically. In those months which contain a fifth Sunday, there is a United Benefice service which rotates around the different churches within the Benefice. St. John the Baptist, Chaceley St. John the Baptist church, Chaceley, stands to the west of the Severn, opposite to Deerhurst, on the east bank and five miles from Tewkesbury. Together with the village hall (the former school), Chaceley church is the heart of the village. The village boundaries extend to Forthampton in the north, Tirley to the south, to the river in the east, and to Corse Lawn in the west. The church has an unusual Norman chancel arch, Good Friday service with a ‘devil’s- face’ keystone, Throughout the year Chaceley holds special probably of services, such as Patronal, Sea Sunday, Saxon origin, Harvest Festival, and Remembrance Day, 6 as well as a Carol Service and the normal fewer than half a dozen young children in church festivals. These services are usually the village, sadly it is hard to get them well attended as we use the opportunity to involved. extend our hospitality and often use The church is one of common worship. We also carol sing 20 listed buildings in around the village. There are around 50 the village. The people are on the Electoral Roll. village sits within the flood-plain, and the Village Survey residents are now well used to coping In 2015 the P.C.C. undertook a survey with periodic flooding. relating to the church and the village community and its findings were compiled The village pub is The Yew Tree, which is into a report.