Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

‘How  awesome  is  this  place!  This  is  surely  the  dwelling  place  of  God.  This  is  the  gate   of  heaven.’  (Genesis  28:17)  

Rector’s Benefice report: 2015 Within this report for 2014/15, I primarily offer some reflections in overview as to what I sense the Lord is doing across the Chanctonbury churches, and some indication as to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. I have not listed all our activities over the past twelve months by way of review – much of the excellent work of the ministry has been detailed in the substantive reports that have been compiled, and which make very encouraging reading! However, I do begin by taking a moment to give thanks to God for each of you, and every single member of our churches, young and old… I am so thankful for the wholehearted and worshipful manner in which hundreds of tasks, jobs, sacrificial service, financial giving and prayers are undertaken, in the course of how we live together as the body of Christ. I am keenly aware that much of church life is done in a very unseen way, by many unsung heroes. Those of us who clean the churches; who liaise with diocesan architects; who visit and pray with those lonely and in need; our flower ladies; our children’s’ leaders; the list could go on and on… Thank you for the passionate ways you serve God – it is a privilege to be a part of what He builds through you. I am also so grateful to God for all our Parochial Church Council members who help the Churchwardens and I in the stewardship of Jesus’ Church. These are the ones who step forward to own areas of responsibility, and who come out to meetings on a cold winters night! Thanks everyone.  

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

Our Church Office team has wonderfully expanded in recent months following our move to Eastgate in Ashington, and our paid staff has increased with the arrival of our legendary new Senior Youthworker Paddy Donovan! Under Philly Pearson-Miles’ oversight, the office is humming and has a really dynamic, loving and Holy Spirit-filled atmosphere. Much change and transition has been handled superbly by them all, and in particular Philly. Thanks for everything crew… J And I would like to thank each of the Churchwardens – Andy Muddle (Washington), Anthony Ray & Mark Barrett (Ashington), and Anne Gordon-Johnson & Harry Goring (Wiston-with-Buncton), for their constant support, prayer, and faith to believe that the best in God is yet to come. It is a wonderful blessing to journey with you.

1.1 2014/15: SIGNS OF GROWTH

If one steps back from the day to day of church life, we can see that there is growth across each of our parishes on Sunday mornings. At Washington, our worship is developing strongly under the leadership of Caroline Hottenbacher. We have had some excellent services welcoming our village into church through our involvement with the school, and during the seasonal events of the year (Remembrance, Christmas etc.). Indeed we have hit record attendance at some of our recent ‘one offs’ (eg. Midnight communion), which is very encouraging as we consider how to translate occasional attendance to regular participation. Our finances have come a long way in the past twelve months, with regular giving up by over 10%, and our diocesan loan expected to be paid off in the forthcoming year! We are nibbling away at progress towards reengaging children within morning worship, due in no small part to Little Lambs toddler group. Prayer is being stirred up, and we are in good heart at Washington… At Wiston-with-Buncton, we have enjoyed some terrific services this past year with real signs of renewal and the presence of God. We continue to break historic records in attendance at ‘special services’, welcoming 94 on Christmas Day 2014, and 82 at our recent Easter celebration, beating last years record attendance of 76! Overall, our winter experiment at Wiston church proved very fruitful, and whilst being delighted to be back at Buncton for Easter, we look forward to worshipping at St Mary’s after Harvestime this forthcoming Autumn. Our finances are also up by just over 10%, and PCC meetings are always full of joy and hilarity!

 

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

As you can see, there are such encouraging signs of growth across the benefice. Yet at Ashington, it is perhaps even more obvious due to size. We are averaging just over 140 each Sunday morning, and feel full most weeks. The growth we have experienced over the past year is materialising in newcomers finding their place and beginning to serve. Our recent Gift Day was a great encouragement to all, as over £18,000 was pledged to meet our projected financial growth-gap. We are using the church building on an increasing number of days, enjoy everdeepening connections into village life, and have restructured the PCC to strengthen and support leaders and areas of ministry. Our Joint PCC’s away day in November was a really significant and unifying time for the three church councils. The key headline emerging was of our desire to pursue an ‘ongoing and sustained outpouring of the Spirit, for the transformation of our lives, churches and communities.’ And the first step along this road is found through investing in our worship and prayer life. In summary, the Chanctonbury churches are growing under God’s mighty hand, and we have much to celebrate! I am not saying everything is perfect – there is much to do and develop. Yet Sunday morning attendance, the finances, and the general sense of God’s presence about the place, are all really encouraging indicators of our health.

1.2 THE CHALLENGES OF GROWTH

Yet growth brings challenges, and important ones for us all to work through. Some of the challenges that lie ahead consist of these: 1) Ashington is full on Sunday mornings. We need to make more room for more people to find a spiritual home in Ashington. I do not believe another building project is what is right – multiplying & planting new services has to be the best way of making room for further growth. 2) How we multiply services has to be a step we consider together as a benefice. We are not going to get a Curate anytime in the near future, and we already run two services each Sunday, and once a month we facilitate three. This is not something we can face as a sole ‘Ashington problem’, but a challenge we must seek God about together. 3) Whilst all our parishes are growing, the size and influence of Ashington is increasing. We have to avoid the age-old killer  

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

problem of comparison between churches, and learn to celebrate one another’s strengths. I feel it is essential to take a Kingdom viewpoint across the whole benefice, and try to discern together how best to take hold of the growth points God is nurturing. 4) Communication is a key area to strengthen. As we grow and develop, communicating more precisely both inside the church communities, and within the wider parish settings becomes ever more crucial. 5) My own time and capacity to oversee the ministry. I recently did some diary analysis, and I found I spend around 60% of my time undertaking ministry which has nothing related to the leadership of the church communities. Eg. School governance x 2, funerals, weddings, baptisms (and all the meetings with people and prep attached). Which leaves me 40% of my time to lead three wonderful and growing parish churches – which feels squeezed, and a recipe for ‘missing a trick’ as time goes by… Please do not misunderstand, I thoroughly enjoy and value each part of my role – yet the two components (parish ministry / church leadership) can compete against the ability to deliver well in each sphere. ………………………………………………………………………………………….. I will introduce some ways that we are moving forward to meet these challenges in the next section. However, the main invitation I would like to make in response to some of the challenges I raised in this section is this: CHANCTONBURY CHURCHES PRAYER NIGHT: Thursday 14th May, 8pm at Buncton I want to invite us to seek God together, listening to Him as He leads us forward, and gaining discernment as to how He wants us to participate in seeing His Kingdom emerging here. Do make it a priority. We are at an exciting point, yet one that I feel we need to bathe in prayer.

1.3 OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD… Archbishop Justin Welby recently said:

 

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

‘We are called to grow. Growth is always from God, yet never accidental.’ (+Justin Welby, 2014) We are in an exciting moment, and I am delighted to update you with some key developments – specifically the planned recruitment of three staff posts. These have been processed through the Ashington PCC alone up to this point, yet I bring them to us all now with keen anticipation. Chantonbury Churches Intern. Paddy Donovan is planning to recruit an intern to join the staff team for a nine-month period. He is ideally looking for either a school-leaver or postgraduate female, to enable a significant female role model to join the leadership of the Youth ministry. This post will be full time, and will be funded from Paddy’s Youth budget. However, for the third of Paddy’s time that he works for Ashington Parish Council, the intern will serve and strengthen other areas of ministry across all age groups within the churches life. Eg The Café’s or toddler groups, older persons ministry etc. Communications Lead. Due to the trajectory of the finances at Ashington, the PCC recently approved the recruitment to the staff of a one-day a week Communications manager. Up to this point, the ‘Comms team’ has been volunteer led, and primarily based from Ashington church. The needs and demands are such in this area, that it is increasingly beyond delivery by volunteers. The main remit of this person will be to coordinate and deliver an overall strategy for communication. Worship Architect: Ashington This role needs some background and explanation. During our Joint PCC’s weekend in November, I outlined my long-term vision for transformation along the lines of Acts 2. This led to monies being donated by individuals in response to this vision, to the tune of £12,000 per annum. This is surplus to any money raised recently in our Gift Days. I then developed with the Churchwardens, the proposal to recruit to the staff a ‘Worship Architect’. The name sounds a bit niche (!), yet the ‘Architect’ title is intentionally given as we desire to release the person God leads to this role to: ‘sketch the worship blueprint’ of the Kingdom of heaven here – before inspiring, training and deploying the ‘builders’ to construct the house…

 

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

In other words, we desire this postholder to grow, gather and inspire a rising movement of worship, worship leaders, and worshippers across our locality. Earthing that, in practical terms, we want to recruit someone for 18 hours per week to fulfill two main tasks: 1) Strengthening and building from where we are – this person will oversee with the Rector, the growth and development of sung worship in Ashington church. 2) This person will initiate worship and prayer gatherings outside of Sunday mornings. When I first arrived, I shared with the Churchwardens how key I felt worship is to the growth of the Kingdom here – and it seems the Lord is making a way! To be clear, this post is being funded by monies that have been received, which are additional to any raised at the last Ashington Gift day. This post is based at Ashington due to the specific needs related to size. This person will enable us to countenance and develop other services and gatherings. However, building significant relationships with the other churches will be of paramount importance, as well as the license to listen to the Spirit’s leading in worship across the Chanctonbury area. Developing the recruitment process We have just begun to work on the recruitment process, and job descriptions for all three posts. I will update the churches in due course with more specifics. Some of us may wonder, ‘why do we need more paid positions?’ Going forward, one important factor to avoid will be any professionalisation of ‘how we do church’. A real strength of ours throughout the Chanctonbury churches is our wide-ranging voluntary involvement and participation. Yet, as we develop and grow, we will increasingly find ourselves needing specialized skills that become harder to deliver for people solely using their spare time. For now, I would ask that you pray that as we lay these posts before God, He would raise up His persons to fill them. ………………………………………………………………………………………….. To summarise, we are preparing for the recruitment of three part-time staff posts, to enable the future growth of the ministry.  

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

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1.4 TWO KEY PRIORITIES C of E opportunities: A key focus for next year, is making the most of the parish openings afforded to us in funerals, weddings and baptisms. There are an abundance of opportunities for extending care, mission, relationship-building and ministry by getting involved in what are known as the ‘occasional offices’ – which are not so occasional here! If you are stirred in this area, please speak to Philly or myself

1.5 CHANCTONBURY CHURCHES WEEKEND AT DALESDOWN In spending a weekend together, we will have the chance to reap the equivalent benefits to probably a whole year of Sundays! Any of us who have ever been on weekends like this will know how profound they always prove in deepening our friendships, allowing God space and time, and making a heap of memories together… A contingent of us attend New Wine summer conference, another contingent attend Focus holiday camp. Others engage in other events throughout the year. The main aim behind holding this weekend at Dalesdown, is that it allows the greatest participation from across each of our churches – we can gather all together. Liz Burt is heading up a team planning the delivery of the weekend, and information will be coming out over the coming weeks. There will be masses of ways to get involved, whether you are staying there or driving in for the days. Bishop Sandy Millar is joining the adult sessions, and there will be kids and youth work running simultaneously. We plan to make a small charge for tickets, covering the rest of the costs by an offering on the weekend itself. Do keep the date free, and look out for more info! The weekend date is: Friday 11th – Sunday 13th September 2015 ………………………………………………………………………………………….. Finally… 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power

 

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Rector’s Report: APCM 2015 The Chanctonbury churches

to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

With love, James di Castiglione, Rector

 

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