A Vacancy Prayer
Heavenly Father, We hold before you all who live and work in our villages of Winscombe and Sandford and Churchill and all who come to worship you at St James, All Saints, St John’s and the Church Centre. Lord Jesus, we know you have plans for our Benefice, and we trust that those plans are good. Wise and Holy Spirit, guide those who are seeking the right priest to be our next Vicar and also those who may be wondering if coming here is the next step in their ministry. Together may we discern your way for the future and be further equipped to grow your kingdom, by putting the love of Jesus in the heart of our communities.
Amen
Looking Forward Event
On a cold, bright Saturday morning in January, 50 members of our Benefice (which included a good representation from each of our three Churches), met to discuss the way forward to producing a fair and representative Parish Profile for a new Incumbent.
The morning started with coffee and croissants, a prayer and a reading, and then the businessof the day commenced, led by Sandra O’Shea, Deanery and Parish Development Adviser. Sheasked us to consider different areas of Church life, the positive and negative aspects of our parish and community, while also thinking about what we feel would be the ideal attributes of the next Incumbent.
Lively discussions took place, and the main points were noted and passed onto the Profile Team who are putting the document together. We were reminded that the process will be guided by the Holy Spirit, so we will need to be open to all applicants. Once the draft Parish Profileis complete, it will be sent to the Parochial Church Councils for approval before being sent tothe Archdeacon, Area Dean and Patrons for agreement.
The timetable, set by the Diocese, is as follows:
17th March: Draft Parish Profile and role description sent to the Archdeacon, Area Dean and Patrons
1st April: Final Parish Profile prepared and sent to the Archdeacon, Area Dean and Patrons. Draft advertisement sent to the Archdeacon.
18th April to 9th May: Weekly advertisements in Church Times and on the Diocesan website
14th May: Closing date for receipt of applications
19th May: Shortlisting
10th June: Informal visits by candidates
11th June: Interviews
‘Looking Forward Together’ Event Saturday 11th January at the Church Centre 9.30am
All members of our three churches are invited to come along to this event and everyone should have received a personalised invitation.
The morning will be lead by Sandra O’Shea from the diocese and is an opportunity for us to think together about what qualities we are looking for in our new vicar as we look forward and prepare to write our Parish Profile.
Please remember to reply to the invitation. if you are unable o attend please consider sending your response to the questions on the reply slip so that your ideas can be included.
An update on the progress to find a new Vicar for the Benefice of Winscombe and Sandford with Churchill – December 2024
In late November the joint PCCs were invited to meet Bishop Michael, Archdeacon Charlie and the Area Dean of Locking, Andrew Hemming. Also at the meeting were our two Patrons from the Chapters of Wells Cathedral and Bristol Cathedral. These people are required by Canon Law to be part of the process and all of them will be on the interview panel.
Of course, our three Churches will have representatives on the interview panel. The parish representatives will have the final decision on the appointment.
The Bishop and Archdeacon talked us through the process and laid out the timetable, encouraged discussion and questions and were very supportive.
The first task is assembling a small team of people from each Church to prepare our Benefice Profile. They will be assisted by Sandra O’Shea, the Deanery and Parish Development Advisor. The team have recently met with Sandra and started work. Meetings will be held in the New Year with our congregations and, later, with the wider communities.
The draft Profile will be presented, for approval, to the PCCs in March along with a draft advertisement. It is then sent to the Archdeacon for final approval. The post will be advertised in May and interviews will be in June.
The Bishop finished the meeting by emphasising something that everyone can do which is to:
“PRAY, PRAY AND KEEP PRAYING”
Vacancy News October 2024
Following our recent meeting with the Archdeacon and Assistant Area Dean, we now have a date for the PCCs to hold their Pre-Section 11 Meeting. This will take place on Thursday 21st November with Bishop Michael, Archdeacon Charlie and other representatives from the Diocese.
At this important meeting the archdeacon will explain the PCCs’ role in the appointment of the Benefice’s next incumbent or priest-in-charge, outline the process, indicate an approximate timetable, and explain the agenda for the subsequent formal meeting, called the Final Vacancy Meeting (or Section 11 Meeting).
Beth Cutmore, Derrick Claridge, Diana Williams and Tricia Avery
Churchwardens
Meeting with the Archdeacon – Thursday September 19th
The Churchwardens were invited to meet Archdeacon Charlie Peer on Thursday afternoon to discuss the plans for our Benefice now that we are in vacancy.
We were able to engage in a very positive dialogue with both Charlie and Tim Erridge (Assistant Area Dean).
They were both impressed with the work put in so far, by our leadership teams to manage the vacancy.
We were very pleased and reassured to hear from him that we are to get a new Vicar.
The Archdeacon told us that we could now start the lengthy process of finding a new Vicar for our Benefice. He will shortly call a meeting of Winscombe and Sandford and Churchill PCCs to lay out the timetable and processes that we have to follow.
We can reassure you all that we will keep you updated as soon as we have further news.
Churchwardens Message at the start of the Vacancy
The Churchwardens will be invited to meet the Archdeacon in the Autumn, and he will discuss our future with us. This will be our first opportunity to have an insight into the future plans that the Diocese has for us. When we have had that meeting, we will share his thoughts with you all.
In the meantime, it is our intention to work closely with the wonderful, retired clergy and lay worship assistants whom we are very fortunate to have in our villages. We also want to meet with the other groups who make our Benefice work and listen to their thoughts for the future.
Jacqui, our Curate, starts a short placement, in early September, at another Parish as part of her continuing training. We anticipate she will return at the beginning of November.
The plans for the future development of our Church Centre (Fresh Foundations) will continue to be explored as this will be an exciting project to encourage a new Vicar to consider coming to our Parish. However no firm commitments or decisions can be taken until we know our future and have a new Vicar.
The discussions and the process of finding a new Vicar is not speedy – it may be more than 18 months due to the way the Church of England works. For example, a vacancy cannot be advertised for at least six months after the previous incumbent leaves.
We are so grateful for all the people who are already helping in so many different ways – no offers of help will be refused from either Church members or from our wider communities!
Finally, please, please do talk to the Churchwardens. We will listen to your ideas and concerns and do our best to support our communities in the absence of a vicar. We may not know the answers but will find out or point you in the direction of someone who can help you.
Please continue to hold the Church Wardens and members of our PCCs in your prayers at this time.