PARISH OF BURCHETTS GREEN ‘Seeking to know Jesus, to share his love and make him known in word and action’ PARISH PROFILE APPENDICES Welcome We are looking for a new Vicar to lead us as we seek to develop our Mission and Vision for the Parish. We offer an opportunity which we hope you will find both exciting and challenging, as we launch a new facility, bring the parish closer together and look for new ways of being Church. Situated close to Maidenhead, we are one parish with three churches, each with its own distinctive congregation and team of enthusiastic volunteers. You will have the help and co-operation of a small Ministry team, some committed Lay leaders and an active and supportive PCC. We look forward to meeting you. 1. ACTIVITIES The following are organised by Church people and everyone in the parish, churchgoers or not, may participate. Parish walks are always well attended bringing together people from each of the churches. Hurley Pebbles. A short service followed by refreshments and playtime for pre-school children and their carers. Weekly. Attendance 8 adults. 16 children. Oasis. A prayer group. Bi-weekly. Attendance 5 – 8. Our OASIS prayer-group newsletter has been widely shared online since last March. CAMEO. Come And Meet Each Other. Monthly. A practical support group for the over 60s, with tea, cake and a quiz. Attendance 35+ Hurley Breakfast (Free) 4 times a year on a Sunday morning. Attendance 50. Coffee morning in the pub Monthly. Attendance 20 - 30 Ukulele group. Weekly. Attendance 12. Community choir Bi-weekly. Attendance 40+ In church music events to promote the church and raise funds. Village fete. The church hosts the flower and art and craft displays. Hurley care - A Pastoral care service providing support and companionship for older and vulnerable members of the community. (Some members of the Stubbings congregation have supported Maidenhead Care) Hurley Church Estates The church owns a small number of medieval alms cottages, which are rented out, and provide a vital income that contributes towards the maintenance of the ancient fabric of the church. Stubbings 'Young at Heart' Lunch for older members of the parish and beyond. Monthly. Attendance 40 - 45 'Knit and Natter' A group of ladies who meet to sew and knit garments and blankets for good causes over a cup of tea. Fortnightly. Attendance 12 – 15 Occasional organ recitals. Pinkneys Green Scouts worship with us at Stubbings 3 times a year. Littlewick Green. The church has a local fund-raising committee ‘The Friends Of Littlewick Church’. We also benefit from the Littlewick Green Sunday School Trust, established following the sale of the village school. The money invested is to be used for the religious education of the children of Littlewick Green. This trust has recently provided the capital to construct a purpose-built Sunday School Cabin. Over the past few years, a number of young families have moved into the village and have become involved in church activities. We now want to further develop our worship for families, to include all age groups within our congregation. There is a large and active Cub and Beaver group in Littlewick Green, who get involved in church, particularly on Remembrance Sunday. Our associate priest visits a nursing home in Cherry Garden Lane, Littlewick Green. The vicar sits on various trusts ex-officio, notably Hurley Church Estates, the Littlewick Green Sunday School Trust, the Gilchrist Hall, the Shottesbrooke Trust, governor of Burchetts Green School. Missional Giving The Parish give approximately £600 a year each to Thames Hospicecare, the Church Urban Fund, USPG, and to the Church Missionary Society in support of Mark and Rosalie Balfour, with whom we maintain a contact and for whom we hold occasional additional extra fund-raising events. We also support The Children's Society, Maidenhead Food Share and Yeldall Manor, a Christian drug rehabilitation centre. We have been a Traidcraft supporting parish since 2013 and have purchased £15,000 of goods in that time. 2 BUILDINGS Each of our three churches has an additional room/building, which are well maintained and in excellent order. Stubbings. The Soltau Centre (named after a former incumbent, the Revd. Bernard Soltau Vicar 1953 - 1990) - an award-winning modern building paid for by the sale of the Victorian schoolroom and donations from parishioners, designed by an architect in the congregation and built on the garden of the previous vicarage. This is administered and maintained by members of the Stubbings congregation. It is used by the parish and let to carefully selected groups, the proceeds of which go into general parish funds. The parish office is located in this building, this is where our Parish Administrator (employed for 15 hours per week) is based. Hurley Attached to the church, on the south side, is the Priory Room. It was built in the 1980s to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the church and provides a building for church events and Sunday School. It contains a large communal room, a small kitchen and a toilet. Littlewick Green. The new Sunday School Cabin, having its socially distanced opening in 2020! THE VICARAGE The vicarage is a modern 4 bedroomed detached house situated in the heart of the parish in the village of Burchetts Green. It comprises 2 bathrooms, kitchen, utility room, breakfast room, cloakroom, sitting room, and dining room. The study, with its own cloakroom, has access from within the house and from outside. There is ample parking and a compact garden. 3 CHURCH SERVICE INFORMATION St Mary the Virgin, Hurley. Sunday services; 1st. Sunday. Parish service at Stubbings. 2nd Sunday. Family service. (Average attendance 59) 3rd Sunday. Communion Together, a family-orientated Eucharist with Sunday school for older children. Explorers and Adventurers) (Average attendance 49) 4th Sunday. Traditional CW communion service. (Average attendance 30) 5th Sunday. 'God in Quiet' lay-lead prayers, readings and music. (Average attendance 19( At Festivals: Remembrance Sunday 82. Christingle 65. Carol Service 94. Crib Service 147. Weddings 8 Funerals 2 Baptisms 9 The churchyard is closed except for ashes. St John the Evangelist, Littlewick Green. Sunday services; 1st Sunday: Parish Service at Stubbings. 10.30 am 2nd Sunday: Family Communion (CW) 9.15am. (Attendance 20 - 40. Average 30) 3rd Sunday: All age family service 4pm. (This service is directed at children and a screen is used) (Attendance 15 - 40. Average 26) 4th Sunday; Family Communion (CW) 9.15am. (Attendance 20 - 40. Average 30) 5th Sunday: Songs of Praise 9.15am. (A chance to enjoy the singing of hymns) (Attendance 20 - 40. Average 30) At Festivals: Remembrance Sunday 100. Christingle 75. Carol service 60/80 Crib service 120. Weddings 1. Funerals 5. Baptisms 6 The churchyard is open. St James the Less, Stubbings. A predominantly BCP church, attracting congregants from beyond the parish boundaries. Sunday services; 10.30am 1st Sunday of the month. A Common Worship PARISH SERVICE which is attended by parishioners from all three churches. (Attendance 36 - 53. Average 46) 8.00am (except 1st Sunday) A traditional quiet BCP service with a short homily attended by parishioners from all three churches. (Attendance 13 - 26. Average 15) 11.30am (Once a month) A BCP service (with hymns). Average 20, but far larger at festivals. Mid-week services: Wednesday. 11.30am (Weekly) This short quiet BCP service has a small but regular and faithful congregation. Potential for growth. (Average attendance 7) At festivals; Remembrance Sunday 96. Crib service 162. Christmas Day 184. Weddings. 4 Funerals. 12 Baptisms 6 The churchyard is open. 4. ACCOUNTS. Electoral Roll 165 The Parish accounts for 2019 are attached. The Parish had significant reserves and an income that was balanced and relatively healthy. A significant proportion of income comes from a small number of well off elderly donors and there are a number of restricted funds. There has been no stewardship campaign since 2006, so there is a good opportunity for future growth. Occasionally major fund raising events have delivered large sums of money, in one instance over £10,000. The COVID 19 crisis has changed the financial position. The Parish has been able to fund its operations and pay its Parish share in full, but only at the expense of its reserves and a stewardship/fund raising campaign is now essential. No major works currently planned. We have recently joined the Parish Giving Scheme, which we hope may bolster our income and we are planning to approach every member on the electoral roll to invite them to participate in this scheme. We are increasingly using technology; we have a QR code for giving via mobile phone and welcome contactless giving with our 'Good Box'. The PCC recently gave approval for Wi-Fi to be installed in each church, which will afford further opportunities for giving. Our Parish Share and clergy expenses are met in full. Quinquennial inspections were completed in each church in November 2020, with no significant issues. 5. SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Burchetts Green Infant School is a C of E school, the vicar visits each week and the children come into church once a term for special services. They have taken part in a pilot scheme run by the Diocese in Contemplative Practices. Newlands Girls School a large comprehensive school on the edge of Maidenhead. The Vicar has good contact is regularly invited to lead assemblies. Little Graduates Montesorri Littlewick Green whose children come into church at Harvest and Christmas. Beech Lodge School is a new independent school – where they ‘think differently about children who think differently’. It is located at Stubbings – just opposite the church, we have no connection so far. Berkshire College of Agriculture located in Burchetts Green.