The Isle Valley Benefice

Hambridge

Isle Brewers

Isle Abbots

Ashill

Ilton

Broadway

Horton

Donyatt

Rector – Isle Valley Benefice

In preparation for this vacancy, during the autumn of 2014 the Benefice undertook a process of reflection and prioritisation. Four sessions, facilitated by a Parish Consultancy Officer provided by the Diocese of Bath and Wells, gave PCCs and others the opportunity to consider what is going well, what needs to be better, what the challenges and opportunities in their parishes are, and to identify priorities:

A need for facilities (toilets, serveries) where these do not already exist The desirability of a visible clerical presence in each community A desire to improve the provision of visiting, home communions etc (whether provided

by clergy or by local lay people) Lay people to be enabled and empowered to do more – both liturgically and pastorally The importance of community links A desire to explore options for the 5th Sunday The need to make church relevant to people’s lives A vision for the future, and mission-mindedness

They then considered what would be important to them in a new incumbent, to lead them in these priorities. A consensus emerged around the following:

Good communicator, accessible Listener Encouraging of lay involvement in pastoral and liturgical ministry A team person – able to work collaboratively, and to lead an established team Adaptable – diverse village and church communities, and a variety of worship styles

including BCP Understanding of rural life and church Willing to have a visible involvement in the life of communities, a ministry of presence A sense of humour, stamina, and a 4x4 were also mentioned repeatedly!

The benefice can offer:

A team including a House for Duty colleague who is also the part-time Benefice Administrator, NSM Assistant Curate, Readers, Lay Worship Assistants and Lay Pastoral Assistants, committed lay people including hardworking Churchwardens, and active retired clergy

The opportunity to live and minister in a beautiful part of the country Variety, both in communities and liturgical style The opportunity to empower and enable lay people to engage missionally with their

communities and explore the ministry of lay people

Introduction

The Isle Valley Benefice covers about thirty square miles of pleasant countryside. It lies roughly to the north-west of Ilminster, in rural Somerset – much of the benefice straddles the A358 which is the main road to Taunton and J25 of the M5. The area is largely agricultural, with small villages and hamlets.

However, communications are good, with the main routes of the A303, A30 and M5 all nearby. From Broadway, where the Rectory is located, Taunton is approximately 20 minutes’ drive, while Yeovil is 30 minutes. Main line trains to London and elsewhere can be accessed at Taunton (Paddington) and Crewkerne or Yeovil (Waterloo). The Jurassic Coast, Exmoor, the Quantocks and the North Devon and Somerset coast are all within daytrip distance, and immediately to the north-west of the benefice is the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

There are 4 primary schools in the benefice, secondary schools are at Chard, Langport, Crewkerne and Taunton. FE colleges are located at Taunton, Yeovil and Bridgwater and there are also a number of independent schools in the vicinity. There are major hospitals at Taunton and Yeovil, with smaller facilities at South Petherton, Chard and Crewkerne.

The Benefice

The Isle Valley benefice is characterised by variety. Playing to the strengths of the individual parishes is important, as is recognising that for some parishes at some times, there are things that are beyond realistic feasibility.

The benefice includes the villages of Ashill, Broadway, Donyatt, Hambridge, Horton, Ilton, Isle Abbots and Isle Brewers and their adjacent hamlets. Each of the villages has its own history, character and opportunities, varying as they do from fewer than two hundred inhabitants to more than eight hundred. The village facilities include seven pubs and two local shops, though the nearby towns of Ilminster and Langport both have a wider range of shops and a supermarket in each.

The eight parish churches similarly have a range of architectural styles, ecclesiological traditions and membership numbers, and all have a varied diet of worship including services led by locally trained lay people, as well as readers and clergy. As in many parts of the country, the level of local support for the church buildings through fund-raising activities is much greater than the level of church membership in the table below. In one parish this has already led to the formation of a 'Friends' group’

Key statistics

Parish Population2014

ChurchMembership2014

Church Electoral Roll2014

Proportions of population

0-15 Over 65

Ashill 529 18 46 17 20Broadway 740 32 49 16 28Donyatt 347 7 38 19 18Hambridge 514 16 20 16 25Horton 812 28 51 17 30Ilton 854 8 22 20 20Isle Abbots 205 10 14 25 10Isle Brewers 150 6 20 17 17Benefice Total 4151 125 260 19 20

Worship

Although all the parishes have a weekly Sunday service, and some have a midweek communion as well, the mix of services of the word, and indeed the order for communion, varies from parish to parish. A typical monthly pattern is set out below, though there are naturally variations at festival times and in the winter.

Occasional offices

As might be expected, the number of occasional offices also varies between the different sized parishes, but overall there are around fifteen baptisms, eight weddings, and thirty-five funerals across the area each year. Almost inevitably, the full pastoral potential of these offices has not been realised; doing more should be another aim for the future.

Sample Rota of Monthly Services

Parish Service are led by churchwardens or locally trained lay leaders. All other Anglican services are taken by local clergy or Readers. The other denominations make their own arrangements.

March2015GMT

1st 1Lent 2P

8th 2Lent 3P

15th 3Mothering SundayP

22nd 4Lent 5P

29th 5Palm SundayP BST

ASHILLSt Mary

BaptistChurch

9.30HC BCP

11.15Family Service

9.30Parish Service

4.00Evensong

11.00Messy Church6.00Evening Worship

6.00Communion Service

11.00Communion Service6.00Café Church

6.00Evening Worship

11.00Messy Church6.00Evening Worship

BROADWAY

9.30Parish Service

9.30HC CW

9.30Matins

3.00Evensong

6.30United Benefice Songs of Praise

DONYATT9.30Parish Service

3.30Evensong

9.30HC BCP

8.30HC BCP

HAMBRIDGE9.30Family Service

8.30HC CW

9.30Parish Service

9.30HC CWPR

HORTONSt Peter

MethodistChurch

Monks YardChurch

3.00Evensong

9.30Parish ServiceLW

10.30Horton PartnershipFamilyService

9.30HC CW

9.30United HCfollowed by Palm Sunday walk10.30

Café Church11.00Communion Service

11.00MorningService

10.30Café Church

10.30Morning Service

10.30MorningService

10.30MorningService

10.30Café Church

ILTON

11.00HC CW

11.00Morning Praise

8.30HC BCP

11.00Parish Service

11.00United BeneficeHC CW

ISLEABBOTS

9.30Parish Service

6.00EveningPraise

9.30HC CW

9.30Morning Praise

ISLEBREWERS

9.30Family Service @ Hambridge

9.30Parish Service

9.30HC BCP

11.15Matins

Wednesdays 9.30 Holy CommunionG 4th March Horton (CW)G 11th March Hambridge (CW)P 18th March Ashill (BCP)P 25th March Broadway (BCP)

Thursdays 10am Prayer & CommunionMonks Yard Church

Pastoral Care

Good neighbourliness is one of the strengths of many village communities, and those in this benefice are no exception; pastoral care by church members into the wider community is almost second nature. However, this does not mean that more could not be done, nor indeed does it mean that that which is already done is recognised as an integral part of our calling as Christians. While not wishing to create non-existent barriers between pastoral care by church members and good neighbourliness by villagers, many feel that the former needs to be fully recognised. 'The Vicar' is not 'The Church’!

There are two residential care/nursing homes in the benefice. One is in Hambridge, where staff in the former vicarage now care for some 32 residents. Historically, ministry here has been a significant element of service to the community, and revitalising this will be an important part of our witness in the future. The second is at Horton Cross, which for historical reasons has continued to be provided with pastoral care from Ilminster parish, where a team of lay-people serve Horton Cross and the cluster of nearby care homes that actually do lie within Ilminster parish.

Development plans

There are a number of plans in various stages of progress for developing either the worship or the physical layout of the churches in the benefice. In Isle Brewers, for example, plans are well-advanced to permit the use of the church as a whole-community building, while in Isle Abbots, work is nearly complete on revamping a former school building, across the road from the church, into the Jubilee Room-a useable space for small meetings, refreshments after services, etc. Ilton is working towards a significant re-ordering of the church building.

On a smaller canvas, but important none the less, is Isle Valley News. This is a monthly publication of '...news for all in the eight parishes'. As the strapline suggests, it is not confined to church information and around one thousand copies are distributed each month. The advertisements make a helpful contribution towards the benefice's cash-flow.

Finances

There is a benefice account, which covers clergy expenses and central purchasing of, for example, communion wine and wafers. There is also a benefice capital fund, controlled by the incumbent and churchwardens. However, most financial decisions are made locally, with each parish typically having at least a current account, a fabric or capital account and, sometimes, a separate churchyard maintenance account. At the same time, it would be disingenuous to claim that most parishes had no financial concerns. Persuading church members that churches are not inflation-proof is an ongoing concern. The person appointed as Rector will need to be prepared to teach a Christian approach to the realities of financial life. The audited parish accounts for the last year are available on request from the Archdeacon.

Ecumenical Activity

In addition to the parish churches, there are three sister churches in the benefice, Ashill Baptist Church, Broadway Hill Methodist Church and Monks Yard Church. In Horton, St Peter’s Church and Broadway Hill Church have a formal ecumenical covenant – The Horton Partnership – forged over many years of working together. There is now a united monthly family service and a quarterly united communion.

The Wider Picture

The Diocese of Bath & Wells has, as its 'strap-line', the phrase 'Changing Lives: Changing Churches for Changing Communities'. This has provided a background to a series of projects for lay and ordained church members to help them cope with the extra-ordinary speed of change in society and to enable them to grow into confident Christian communities that can truly be centres for mission and witness. There has been, in particular, an encouragement to embrace a collaborative style of ministry, both between neighbouring members of the clergy, and between lay and ordained members within each area, drawing on and drawing out the gifts of each Christian. Growing out of this thinking, the changes in this part of the diocese are responding to a greater emphasis on the 'local', rather than either the 'parochial' or the diocesan-centric patterns of yesteryear. Thus the benefice itself has been spun out of the former Ilminster & District Team Ministry of seventeen parishes. Similarly, the Ilminster Deanery, of which the benefice forms part, has been recently formed by the division into two of its predecessor, an enormous deanery of fifty-six parishes!

At the same time, co-operation between the parishes of the benefice brings the benefits of wider sets of skills and gifts than could be possible within even the largest of the constituent parishes while continuing to honour the traditions and 'specialness' of each.

The parishes

Although some information about individual parishes, their worship patterns, population and membership figures, for example, are given above, in a benefice with as much variety as this, it is thought helpful to give below 'pen-portraits' provided by members of each church describing the communities they serve.

Ashill Village website: ashillvillage.net

Ashill church lies at the centre of a large parish, with the main settlement around it and a ring of eight hamlets further out. St Mary's aims to cater for all age groups and preferred styles of worship. Whilst the majority enjoy the traditional form of worship, with singing led by a choir, there are those who prefer a more informal style. An annual Songs of Praise service attracts around 80 people. This has and will be enhanced by other musical (and other) ‘services’ as a result of a parish meeting attended by 29 people which addressed the question ‘Are you a confident Christian community?’

There is a Family Praise service in August and Morning Praise monthly throughout the year, both lay-led, together with a monthly Family Service. Being mindful of the demographic of our church family, we are working hard to attract young families via this informal form of worship. The Baptist Church, at Windmill Hill, has a monthly Messy Church and hosts a weekly parent and toddler group.

One of the two pubs in the parish lies close to the church, and a small, but well-respected community Primary School lies adjacent to the churchyard gate. The school has a strong musical tradition which has led on to the growth of MAD, a Music and Drama group which now attracts members from a wide area. On the same site is a Pre-school, most of whose children progress into the Primary School at the appropriate time.

A team of more than thirty volunteers, some churchgoers but not all, keep the church and church grounds in good order and there is good support for the various fundraising activities that take

place throughout the year.

The village has a fine recreation ground including an all-weather games surface and a recently-improved village hall, which provides a venue for a number of activities, including a well-supported senior-citizens' lunch club.The church has interesting historical/architectural features such as the shields and flower tablets which were carved out of the face of solid balks.

Broadway

Broadway is an ancient parish; the church of St. Aldhelm & St. Eadburga is 13th Century, nearly ¼ mile away from nearest houses but enjoys an average congregation of around 24/25. Monthly services are Matins and Evensong (BCP), Holy Communion (CW &BCP) and a Lay Led service. The building is well maintained and attracts many visitors from far and wide. The congregation is welcoming and refreshments are offered after the Lay Led services.

There is an enthusiastic team of Bell ringers. The PCC organises fund raising events and 3 years ago a “Friends of the Church” was set up to raise funds specifically towards the costs of the repair and maintenance of the church building. The PCC is currently considering organising Home Groups (for developing faith), more refreshments after services and the provision of a toilet. We would like to have more varied services e.g. a Pet service etc. and are seeking ways in which we could attract families and children. We would also like to seek more lay involvement in assisting our priests with pastoral work. The parish is financially self-supporting and meets our contribution to the Common Fund every year. We have a “Welcome leaflet” which we try and give to every newcomer who moves into the village.

Broadway village has a thriving primary school and a welcoming village pub – The Bell Inn. There is a large and well-appointed Village Hall and a modern Doctor’s Surgery with its own Pharmacy. There are currently Planning Applications proposed for some further 50 houses.

Other activities include an active Broadway Amateur Theatrical Society (BATS), based in the Village Hall, where Short Mat Bowls, Keep Fit, a Scout Group and a Play Group are also to be found. Shared, with neighbouring Horton is a thriving Women’s Institute, a Gardening Club, a Cricket Club, a Walking Group, two Reading Groups and a Ladies Friendship Group.

Donyatt Village website: www.donyatt.com

Donyatt is the most southerly of the parishes in the benefice and, like several others, includes outlying hamlets (Park, Sea and Peasmarsh) as well as the main village. The fifteenth century Church, the largest in the benefice, is on the bank of the River Isle itself, and is just below the course of the annual duck race. A reading area in the church is used regularly by villagers and visitors.

Across the main road is the village hall, newly refurbished, which is home to a wide variety of regular activities, from 'Big breakfasts' to line-dancing!

Donyatt Bowling Club is well-known to followers of that sport, and The George Inn provides social facilities, while the village recreation ground and the long-distance cycle trail and footpath along the track of the old railway provide for the energetic in the community.

In the post-war period, much of the parish was owned by the county council, which let out farms as 'starter businesses'.

Although some consolidation has taken place, and the council is now selling part of its land-holdings county-wide, Donyatt has a relatively large number of farms for the size of the parish.

Partly as a result of this farming history, Donyatt and St Mary's church keep a special place in the hearts of many former residents now living in nearby towns and villages and even further away and the proportion of non-residents on the electoral roll is relatively high. The Tea Cosy, a monthly gathering in the village hall, brings together residents, church and those in the surrounding villages.

Hambridge with Earnshill Village website: www.hambridgeandwestport.org

The present parish was formed in 1843 by the amalgamation of the two Domesday parishes of Bradon and Earnshill, with Hambridge. A new church was built at that time to serve the spiritual needs of the many workers building the Westport Canal. The first incumbent was Rev. Stephen Grueber, an original member of the Oxford Movement, who ensured a high church tradition in the parish, which has continued to some extent to this day.

There is general concern in the village to keep the Church going; but active participation is limited to around 15 people. Over the last ten years or so an outreach group has enabled the conduct of services in the Village Hall to recognise seasons such as Lent, Plough Sunday, Rogationtide, Harvest, etc. These have drawn attendance from the village and local school. Pupils of Hambridge Community Primary School also visit the church for End of Term services, Harvest Festival and Christingle.

The Village Hall and Recreation Ground are adjacent to the school, and the village retains its shop and post office, together with two pubs, one on the green and one in Westport. The former vicarage now houses a nursing home, which has in the past benefitted from visits from the incumbent. The congregation of St. James the Less looks forward to a time of renewed priestly oversight, and subsequent spiritual care and nurture.

Horton Village website: hortonvillage.co.uk

St Peter's Church in Horton sits towards the eastern side of the village, on Hanning Road. Over 114 years old, it has a single bell turret, an organ, a brightly coloured 'Gospel' window, seating for 150 and is surrounded by a sizeable churchyard. It is supported by two Churchwardens, volunteers of the PCC, sidesmen, a Verger, a robed choir, chalice assistants and many other local providers of time, cakes and energy! Facilities include an adjoining church room, with a fully fitted kitchen, a disabled toilet, flower room, vestry and storage areas.

The Church Room is a valuable centre for our pre and after service activities and refreshments, especially for the Family service. It is used by both church members and local residents, and often by the caravan clubs of the caravan site opposite. It is regularly booked by the Mothers' Union, Parish Council and occasional keep-fit classes, and is used for fund raising such as Lent Lunches, Quizzes, Bazaars and various meals. Although we’d love to see more of our local residents in the congregation, we are generally very well supported at our fund-raising activities.

St. Peter’s has an active Covenant with Broadway Hill Methodist Church. The monthly Family service is planned and led jointly.

Horton village, with a fairly lively community, comprises a good mix of small and medium private houses and social housing, including an elderly persons' sheltered estate of flats and bungalows. There is a Post Office with general stores, a thriving Public House with rooms, a new and very well used Village Hall at the western end of the village,

and a recreation ground. It holds an Annual Flower Show. Clubs include the Ding Gardening Club, the WI, Whist Drive, a ‘Computer Hub’ with Internet cafe, a Film Club, the Horton Ramblers, various dancing and exercise classes, Sunday breakfasts and upholstery workshops. This year the Church and Village are planning a joint summer fete with the aim of bringing the two communities together.

Ilton Village websites: www.iltontalking.btck.co.ukVillage newsletter: Ilton Talking www.iltoncricketclub.co.uk

The Parish of Ilton lies between the old railway line beside the A 358 and the River Isle. There are two outlying "hamlets" Ilford and Ashford, while a third, Rapps, a pre-Domesday assert of Ilton in Neroche Forest is now within Ashill parish.

There are two business parks, lying north and south of the village, while in the centre, social activities focus on the pub, the C of E primary school, the cricket club and the village hall. Merrifield Hall, as it is known, was completed in 2009 and provides a home for a Youth Club, as well as many village activities including the fortnightly 'Coffee Pot' a morning drop-in event run by church members for the whole village. Next door is the Cricket Club. On the northern boundary of the parish, Merrifield airfield, which was built for D-Day, is now used by the helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton for training purposes.

The church of St Peter (14th century) lies in the centre of the village but cannot be seen from most directions because it lost its spire in 1884. The bells in the surviving tower are regularly rung, not least for special services throughout the year such as the well-attended village Carol Service. The churchyard was closed about fifty years ago and succeeded by a cemetery run by the Parish Council.

The housing stock includes a significant proportion of social housing including a recent development of forty properties. Planning permission has been applied for (although yet not granted) to build 50 more houses near the village hall. Integrating newly arrived and longer-term residents and developing a real sense of community is a continuing challenge for both church and parish.

Isle Abbots Village website: www.isle-abbotts.org.uk

The church of St. Mary the Virgin is situated in the heart of Isle Abbots, one of the smaller parishes in the Isle Valley Benefice. Built in the 15 th century it has been listed as one of the 'thousand best churches' in the country. Over recent years and especially since the bells were restored in 1999, it has been visited by many people interested in architecture and bell ringing alike.

The church serves a community of about 80 households. As the village is without a pub or shop the church is an important focal point for the village. The Jubilee Room, a small Victorian building close to the Church, is being restored using Lottery funding and other grants to provide a small hall with kitchen and toilet facilities. The project should be completed this Spring.

Beyond the service pattern noted in the sample service rota, there are special services throughout the year which are supported by more of the community. The four main services relating to the farming world, Plough Sunday, Rogation, Lammas and Harvest Festival are usually well attended as is the annual Christmas Carol Service and Christmas and Easter Day services.

Fundraising is necessary to maintain the fabric of the church and to pay all the necessary bills as well as the Parish Share. Open tower days, concerts, flower festivals, breakfast mornings and Harvest lunches are all well supported.

The Village Hall supports an active Play-group, and the Isle Abbots Singers are well-known in the area for the variety and quality of their repertoire. Also well-known to enthusiasts of all ages is the Isle Abbots Railway, a private miniature railway that is open to the public several times a year.

Isle Brewers Village website: www.islebrewers.org.uk

Isle Brewers at the north of the benefice is a small village of 62 houses with a working dairy farm and the only thatched commercial garage in the country. Over the last fifty years we have lost shops, two pubs, a post office and a village school. Over the last decade there has been a change from a large number of retired residents to families with young children (now over forty at the last count), who go to nursery and primary school in nearby villages.

The village has existed since Roman times and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. The name is derived from the river Ile and the Briwere family who were Lords of the Manor in the 12th century. The original Norman church was demolished in the middle of the 19th century. The then vicar the Reverend Dr Joseph Wolff, a German Jew who converted first to Catholicism, later becoming an Anglican missionary working in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Local landowner, General Sir John Michell donated land for a new church. Architect CE Giles designed the church with an octagonal tower and the roofs tiled and banded in two colours. Dr Woolf had to find the funding himself, which he did by lecturing about his travels, networking and seeking subscriptions from anyone he met. His church was consecrated in 1861. It is a simple but very special building.

The village, although small, enjoys several events during the year which bring residents together. Having no village hall and a church full of pews most events have to be ‘village tent’ friendly which rules out winter events. Events include St George’s Day Lunch, a Plant Sale and Ploughman’s Lunch, Village Show, Summer Fete, Harvest Supper and a Christmas Fair. The church is well

attended for the festivals, Christmas, Easter and Harvest and other special services such as our Hymns and Pimms version of Songs of Praise which ties in with the Fete and Flower display.

For about 10 years we have had two village tents which have sheltered us for our events, but we would ideally like to convert the church into a space for everyone to be able to use. In other words to create a village hall within the church. We hold regular village meetings in the church. And serve coffee after services, and of course mulled wine and mince pies after the Carol Service. All this without any facilities what so ever. We are keen to attract some of our young people to join us and we do hold one off services for the children, we would like to do more but without unpewed space and some facilities we are rather held back. The churchyard is rather over grown particularly at the western end. We will shortly be removing and trimming some of the trees with the blessing of the Archdeacon.

We feel we could achieve even more with the church internally rearranged. We are in the process of applying for a Heritage Lottery Grant to repair the structure and at the same time hope to improve the inside. The building is on the 'At Risk' Register. We are hopeful of success which makes for a very exciting time to come for All Saints. We hope our new Rector will enter into the spirit of the Village and help us achieve our aims.

The Rectory

The Rectory is situated in the village of Broadway near Neroche Primary School and The Bell Inn. It is being extensively refurbished in anticipation of a new incumbent.

The house comprises:

4 bedrooms (one with ensuite) Family bathroom Ground floor WC Utility room Open plan kitchen and dining room Sitting room Study Oil fired central heating Working fireplace in sitting room Single garage and off-road parking Garden