Church Villager News

St Mary's Mapledurwell

December 2008

Christingle at 4.30 Sunday 30th November

The carol service is at 4.30 on Sunday 21st December.

Carols Round the Pond 6pm Thursday 18th December with a collection for the Childrens Society.

Christmas Day

Family Communion 10 am

An unusual Parish and its future

The Parish of Newnham with Nately Scures with Mapledurwell with Up Nately with Greywell was founded in 1984 ,when the Reverend Brian Cowell was Rector, by the amalgamation of the three parishes of Newnham and Nately Scures, plus Mapledurwell and Up Nately, plus Greywell. Thus was created one governing Parochial Church Council (PCC) instead of three former ones. However in order for the five village Churches to be run by their respective Church Wardens and villagers, five Village Church Councils (VCCs) were created.

The PCC is made up of the 10 Church Wardens, the Clerk to the PCC, the PCC Treasurer, each VCC Treasurer and three members of each VCC with the Priest in Charge as Chairman.

In order to create this one Parish it was necessary to obtain an Order in Council from Parliament. The formula normally used prior to this was the formation of a United Benefice where self governing Parishes, each with its own PCC and no VCCs, join together as a group with one Priest in overall charge.

With the passage of time and the ever growing financial demands on the Church of England’s funds, we are now grouped together with the neighbouring Benefice of Upton Grey, Herriard, Weston Patrick and Tunworth and the parishes of Long Sutton and Odiham. This is called a Benefice and has no overall leader in charge. However the Bishop of Basingstoke has proposed the a Group Ministry is formed where there will be one priest in overall charge assisted by other clergy and lay readers. What is not clear is whether the group will consist of individual churches or whether the parish status which now exists will remain.

At the moment there are enough clergy and readers within the Benefice to see to the needs of the parishes, although they might find they have to work very hard to cope. Will the formation of a Group mean that they will have to be available for the group as a whole or will they continue to care for the parishes they now look after?

A further question which will need an answer eventually is; What happens when one of our priests retires? Up to now there has been an interregnum and a new one has been appointed. But if there is no priest available, what then?

There will no doubt be an open and probably hard hitting debate as to what each village wants for the future. In fact it has already begun with input from within and without the parish in some circles. In the end if we do not all agree on everything the great British ability to compromise for the good of the cause will probably prevail.

We love our village Churches and will fight to keep them open and alive for their very presence is a reminder of our past and a symbol of hope for the future.

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