Annual Report for 2022

The Church of St. Peter Purse Caundle

Annual Report for 2022

The APCM will take place on Tuesday 23 May 2023, at 7.30pm in Church

Review of the Year 2022

2022 was certainly a year with two distinct halves: the first half was spent tentatively trying to get back to normality as covid restrictions started to lift and people slowly regained confidence to return to church. We were incredibly lucky to have the regular support from Revd David Dunning (retired priest) and other clergy from nearby parishes to ensure our services continued and spiritual support remained available for all.

With the appointment of Revd Canon Richard Hancock in June, all five of the parishes in the Spire Hill Benefice were grateful for his vigour and enthusiasm, as well as a host of new ideas and suggestions to help our parish flourish again.

In September we saw our village cyclists take part in the annual Ride & Stride event, which raises money for both Dorset Historic Churches Trust and St Peter’s Church. Their splendid efforts mean £370 has been raised for Purse Caundle. The welcome return of the annual carol service and village party in December managed to raise almost £400

However, just as the outlook became more positive, the PCC and the entire village mourned the sad death of Edward Waltham in October.

The Waltham Family of Church Farm have long-standing links to St Peter’s. Edward was a Church Warden for many years, as was his father before him. In recent years when his condition worsened, his wife, Ethne, took over as Church Warden to maintain those family links and support. On behalf of the PCC, we extend her and the family our deepest sympathies. We are committed to continuing the life-long work Edward undertook to ensure that St Peter’s and the Church remains a focal, vibrant and relevant element of village life.

Financial

As we slowly emerged from covid restrictions, we were once again holding our regular monthly services but attendances were generally lower and it took some time for people to feel confident about being inside Church once again. This obviously impacted the level of donations received at monthly services.

In 2022 the total income was £4,576 a very small improvement on 2021 but still down compared to income from 2019 (pre-pandemic). Our expenditure however jumped by just over £1,000 to £3,796 which included a vastly increased electricity bill, repairs to the door and a token payment towards the Share (which is the amount paid to the diocese to pay for priests and a contribution to central church costs). Without the extra income generated by fundraising and social events such as the Harvest lunch, we have been unable to better our financial position. Indeed, we face a situation where it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet the expected Share payment and maintain the upkeep of the Church building.

The rising cost of the Share, together with repairs, maintenance and escalating electricity costs, means that St Peter’s relies even more on income generated through

covenants, standing orders, one-off donations, Sunday collections and gift aid, which is eligible for tax relief.

Therefore, it is particularly important that in this review we acknowledge and offer sincere thanks to all those who continued to support and donate to the Church, even whilst we were unable to host fundraising events.

We remain committed to ensuring that all monies that we are able to raise will be dedicated to preserving the wonderful building and maintaining a strong Christian presence in the village.

Church Attendance

There are 16 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll, two of whom are not resident within the parish. The average Sunday attendance was 13 but this number increases considerably at festivals such as Easter and Christmas. In 2022 there was one marriage and two baptisms – an encouraging sign that the Church is still very much part of modern village life.

Future Plans for 2023

After almost three years without a Rector, we welcomed Revd Canon Richard Hancock in June 2022; his report can be found towards the end of this annual review. With covid restrictions now lifted, we plan to reinstate many of the annual social events and at the time of writing we look forward to celebrating the King’s Coronation with a village Garden Party on Sunday 7 May 2023.

We are also keen to explore new events that reach out to the wider village residents so that we can build our sense of community with the Church being a central focus in the village. We hope to strengthen our financial situation and work together in the community to raise more funds for St Peter’s.

How the PCC Works

The PCC is responsible for organising the monthly services and the maintenance of the Church. The group meets at regular times throughout the year to discuss matters concerning Church events and funds. If you would like to support the PCC’s work or enquire about becoming a member, please speak to any member of the PCC – all levels of support would be very welcome.

The flowers in Church are done on a monthly rota basis – thank you to all those who have contributed. If anybody would like to volunteer or help out with flower arranging, even on an ad-hoc basis, please contact Mrs Charlotte de Pelet on 07974 802175.

A Church email has been set up for St. Peter’s Purse Caundle and is now the key communications tool for sharing church and village news. You can use stpeterspursecaundle@gmail.com to email any suggestions or ideas for village events.

Membership of the PCC

During 2022 the following served as members of the PCC:

Mrs Ethne Waltham Churchwarden and Chair

Mrs Charlotte de Pelet Deputy Churchwarden

Rev Richard Hancock

Appointed when he took up post in June 2022

Mr Richard Taylor Treasurer

Mr Edward Waltham Served up until his death in October 2022

Mrs Sharon Vincent

Mrs Kate Cox Secretary & Deanery Synod Representative

Rev David Dunning Co-opted to the PCC during the vacancy

From Canon Richard Hancock TSSF

It’s been ten months since I joined you all in the benefice and I’d like to start by saying thank you for making Kate, Alex, Ben and me so welcome. Despite the disaster of the Rectory refurbishment, poorly overseen by the diocese, we have now truly settled in and are enjoying life here.

Having got my first Christmas and Easter under my belt, I have a much better idea of the benefice, what works well and the challenges we face together. The first thing I would like to highlight is how well I believe we work as a benefice (and I have known plenty of benefices which don’t). There is a true spirt of cooperation, affection, and support from our different parishes. This is particularly evident in our Wardens and Treasures working together to meet the challenges we all face, as well as our congregations regularly sharing worship together. This is a wonderful thing to have inherited and one which can be built upon, particularly as we develop into the Pilgrim Group Ministry.

I have also been encouraged by the way our PCCs have been thinking creativelyabout how we can better develop the life of our churches in each of their parish contexts and in the benefice overall. This was very evident in our Vision Day in February where we worked creatively on our new 10 year Mission Action Plan which will be launched on Pentecost Sunday at a Benefice Service followed by a bring and share BBQ at the Rectory.

I have been lucky enough to inherit a great ministry team of dedicated lay people and retired clergy. This has made the celebration of Christmas and Easter a real joy, something I have not experienced for some years. Sharing the leading of worship, along with team members developing worship and giving input into our new liturgies, has been a very positive experience which I’m sure will lead to new and interesting things in the future. On the pastoral front, it has been good to share this work with others, particularly our LLM Judy, our assistant priest Angela and our LPA Rachel, the latter of whom is working hard to develop new outreach project in Stourton Caundle. As a result, I feel very much a part of a team working together as Jesus instructed us to in the Gospels. Luke 10.1.

I would like to pay particular tribute to Stuart Waite, former Church Warden of Stalbridge, who sadly died last year. I was lucky enough to get to know Stuart (and Judy) in my role as Rural Field Officer. His energy, enthusiasm, sense of humour, as well as his no-nonsense approach to things was one of the key reasons I came to this benefice. Also, to Janet Minikin, former Church Warden of Stock Gaylard with Kings Stag, who also sadly died last year. Janet’s sense of duty and her love of the church and the people of her parish are a Christian example to us all. Finally, to Derek Bollen, Church Warden and Tower Captain of Stalbridge, who is retiring at the APCM. Derek is as much a part of the fabric of St Mary’s as the stone itself having been born in the shadow of the church. His tireless attention to duty, often wearing several different hats, along with his gentle manner and a good yarn about every character in the community has been a pleasure to work with. In this he has been ably support by his wife, Sarah. He has, over many years, made an indelible mark on the church and community. I’m grateful that he has agreed to remain as Steeple Keeper for one year to train up an apprentice Steeple Keeper and will be close at hand to answer any question I may have about the locals

The appointment of a new Benefice Administrator, Helen Hitchins, at the beginning of April is already taking a lot of general admin off my hands, as well as enabling me to better develop things moving forward. In time, this will also lighten the load for our busy churchwardens.

I’m delighted by the new focus we have begun to develop in reaching out to our communities: for us as church to be “guest” rather than just host. This is exemplified in our work with Stalbridge school and now Bishops Caundle school (which although not part of our benefice is where many of our children from Stourton Caundle and Purse Caundle attend) and in my work with the Scouts and other community organisations such as the Stalbridge Singers, WI, British Legion, Stalbright etc. As we develop these relationships, it will not only help build our churches but strengthen our communities.

The challenges that face us in the future should not be underestimated: a decline in church numbers, particularly from young families; financial challenges and the responsibility of looking after five historic buildings. However, like Nehemiah, we have a plan and God is with us so I’m confident that as we journey together as fellow pilgrims, with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, we will meet these challenges and build God’s Kingdom.

Thank you to everyone for all your hard work, love, and support. Blessings

Richard