Well what a day it was!  It was meant to be a Thanksgiving Service for Alistair’s life and to be quite honest, I was

expecting it all to be a difficult, sad time.

However, with the tremendous help and support of all our wonderful  friends at Little Malvern Priory, it became a very special day which I and all my family will always remember.

The cars were parked with such efficiency, Alistair would have been very proud!

Our beautiful church looked magnificent, thanks to the wonderful flower ladies.

People just seemed to keep arriving and I think everyone was found a seat somewhere thanks to such calm efficiency and good humour.

The service, both words and music, was very moving but also uplifting and knowing that I was surrounded by so many kind friends, is something that will stay with me for a long time.

The afternoon at home afterwards was for catching up with friends and memories, and again, was very special.  Tea was served with gusto and also cleared up in the blink of an eye. 

Special praise to such an efficient team!

Alistair, I know, would have been very touched by all the kind thoughts and I felt very proud to be a small part of such an unforgettable afternoon.

Thank you all so much.                               Wendy Booth

Open Day Floristry

Thank you once again for all your help with the flower displays. They are a real reflection of the joy that goes into creating them.

This year’s Open Day takes place on Monday 6th May. We shall be decorating the church Saturday 4th May starting at 9.30. The theme for this year is:

ANNIVERSARIES CELEBRATED IN THE YEAR 2013

Parish Share – a fresh challenge

Parish Share - that is, the amount we pay towards the running of the Diocese and its work - accounts for over 60% of our annual outgoings. In 2012, our Share stood at over £29,000. Parish Share is used to pay for clergy stipends, clergy pensions, housing and training. Although we benefit only indirectly from most of these expenditures, our Share helps to underpin the fundamental structure of the Church of England in our diocese and we should be part of a much weaker organisation if we failed to contribute to it.

Although our Share has risen steadily over the years, we have so far managed to pay it in full. This may well not be possible in future. Based on last summer’s assessment of average income in each parish within the Malvern Deanery, there has been a major reallocation of Share.  As a result, the proportion of the Share allocated to us has been sharply increased. We are not the only church to have seen its Share go up, and some smaller and much poorer parishes have had a reduction. On balance this seems fair, though it does mean we are faced with a considerable additional obligation.

The upshot is that we have been asked to provide an extra 5% annually over the next few years, until our Share reaches the revised allocation level of over £39,000 by 2017. This is a rise of over 34% and will be in addition to any general increase added by the Diocese to the Deanery’s allocation. It is a huge extra amount and we need to find ways of dealing with it.  It would, in theory, be open to us to ignore the increased allocation and continue to pay at the existing rate, thereby clocking up a notional debt. But the Diocese is dependent for its many activities on the financial support of its constituent parishes. The PCC therefore believes that we should do our best to pay the higher Share, if we possibly can.

There are few options open to us in this situation, other than to ask members of the congregation to help by increasing their regular giving, although the PCC will be examining all possibilities. Members of the

congregation already give generously and these are not the best of economic times. But given especially the increased challenge we face, please do anything you can to help.

In particular, it is very important that any regular giver who pays tax and who is not yet registered for Gift Aid, should sign up to that scheme. It costs nothing, is entirely confidential, and increases the value of every pound given to £1.25. The easiest way to do this is to participate in either the weekly envelope or the standing order plans. Our Treasurer, Peter Williams, will be happy to advise on how this can be done.

Eric

The Cure of Souls at Little Malvern Priory from 1989.

At Easter 1989 the Revd Edward Cox retired from Little Malvern Priory.  The Church then became part of a United Benefice with All Saints (The Wyche) and St Peter’s (the Wells) led by the Vicar the Revd Michael Dunn.  Little Malvern Priory wished to continue wih its own minister and after advertising the Post I was appointed honorary Curate to All Saints, St Peter’s and Little Malvern Priory in 1990.  This was an honorary appointment as I was a Non-Stipendiary (I earned my living working in industry and carried out my ordained ministry on a voluntary basis).  I was given special responsibility for Little Malvern Priory and so we agreed on the title of Chaplain.

When the Malvern Deanery was undergoing a re-organisation, Team Ministries and Group Ministries were under consideration.  It was agreed that Little Malvern Priory should be made a Benefice in its own right so that it could retain its Lay Patron.  This was the situation before Edward Cox retired.

After the Revd Michael Dunn retired he was replaced by the Revd Graham McNamee.  I continued in an honorary position but with special responsibility for Little Malvern Priory as Chaplain.  At Graham McNamee’s Induction the Archdeacon (the Ven. Frank Bentley) said to me “listen to the words of the licence, we are going to make legal what is illegal”.

When the Revd Graham McNamee retired All Saints was joined with St Andrew’s church and there was then a question of how to deal with Little Malvern Priory.  It was decided by the Diocese to suspend the Lay Patron’s (Alex Berington) Right of Presentation and make the appointment one of Priest in Charge.   So on 14^th May 2000 I was Licensed as Priest in Charge (Non-Stipendiary) of Little Malvern Priory.  That Licence expired in 2012.  So the question was again raised about what to do about Little Malvern Priory?  The conclusion was to restore the Lay Patron’s Right of Presentation of an Incumbent.

During the last few months of 2012 representations were made by the Bishop, the Archdeacon and two members of the PCC to the Archbishop Rowan Williams requesting him to invite me to become the Incumbent of Little Malvern Priory. I received that Invitation in December and duly accepted.  As a result of this the Right of Presentation by the Lay Patron is being restored.

Although we had a Service of Licensing on 14^th May 2000 we now need to have a Service of Induction, Institution and Installation in order to officially recognise this change in my legal status and the Restoration of the Right of Presentation by the Lay Patron.  So after all that we will be back almost to where we were in 1989.  I say ‘almost’ because the position from 16^th June will be that of Non-Stipendiary Incumbent.

Now I have written this to help you understand what is happening on the evening of 16^th June.  I have written it more or less from memory and so there are gaps such as dates.  Perhaps those of you who wish to add more detail would kindly let our Archivist have the information and he can compile a fuller account for the records.    

For your information the following definitions apply:

Presentation The act, by a registered patron, of presenting a priest to fill a benefice.

Priest in Charge A priest given charge of a parish by licence of the bishop. (S)he has not been presented and therefore does not own the benefice property.

Incumbent The freehold owner of a benefice - can be either a rector or a vicar - with responsibility for the cure of souls.

Self Supporting Minister (Non Stipendiary Minister) A deacon or priest who does not receive a stipend or clergy pension or a house but supports himself or herself from his or her own resources. An SSM may hold an office, such as incumbent or team vicar, which would usually be a stipendiary one.                                                    Eric

Church Crossing Patrol and The Car Park

Crossing Patrol

Despite the 40mph limit, many vehicles speed round the downhill bend on the A4104 which separates Little Malvern Priory from its car park. This situation could put

members of the congregation, particularly the more elderly  or infirm, at risk when crossing the road. The Deputy Church Wardens have therefore initiated a   “Church Crossing Patrol”. Now, Clive Prue And Roger will don their (highly prized) yellow high visibility waistcoats every Sunday to assist those crossing the road at the busiest times of arrival and departure of the congregation. If you do not need assistance please do not be offended by an offer, but if you do need it they are there to help.

Car Park

Many of you will be aware of the deterioration  of the surface of the car park.,

particularly  the lower end of the slope. On several occasions cars have become stuck  and have had to be pushed out—not a particularly popular activity in one's Sunday Best (do we still have “Sunday Best “outfits?). The car park was re-gravelled a year or so ago but the very wet weather this year has resulted in the present difficulties. The Estate, the PCC and The Friends are currently looking urgently into options for a long term  solution to this problem. In the meantime the footpath leading from the car park to the gate , which has become very slippery, has been redressed with gravel as an interim measure.

John Chatten 13/11/12

Thank you

Norman and Barbara Rose would like to thank everyone at Little Malvern Priory for their very valuable prayers and thoughts during Norman’s recent illness  and

 subsequent surgery. Thankfully he is now,  at last , home and is continuing to make steady progress. Many heartfelt thanks.

FOOD BANK

Thank you all the items of food brought to church for the Food Bank.

 It is a much needed project which seems to be

developing in many areas.

Best wishes for 2013                        Ann Henderson

SAMARITAN’S PURSE

Thank you all so much, once again, for filling shoe boxes for the Samaritan’s Purse project.

 There were 252 boxes received at The Lyttelton Well this year

Ann Henderson

Pastoral Care

Please note that there are people for whom we are particularly concerned and as you learn of them would you check that the members of the Pastoral Group are aware. Here is what was said when we started the system:

Pastoral Care

The Pastoral team is here to offer help if you are for any reason housebound. If you need assistance  with shopping ,

visiting a relative, getting to church or anything else give one of us a call and we will do our best to help out.

The Group comprises Jacqui Anstiss 592215,   Margaret Bryer 574812,   Diana Dawes 310798,   Prue Edwards 591180

Names and contact numbers of the team will appear regularly in the Pewsletter.

What they will do:

Keep a watching brief on some of our more vulnerable members to notice if they are missing for any length of time;

Make contact with people on behalf of the church to check on their situation;

Act as a focal point for support if it is required;

Notify me if they see a problem.

What they will NOT do:

Replace any existing support;

Provide all the support themselves;

Do this instead of anyone else (including me) doing anything.

What you need to do

If you have a concern about someone, (perhaps you have noticed them being absent from church for an unusually long time) please contact any one of these people or myself.

Remember them in your private devotions.

If you are contacted by one of these people please understand that this is the church’s way of expressing our care for you.

The Lighter side of life

A Couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a check-up, the doctor tells them that they're physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember. Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. 'Want anything while I'm in the kitchen?' he asks. 
'Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?' 
'Sure.' 
'Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?' she asks. 
'No, I can remember it.' 
'Well, I'd like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so as not to forget it?' 
He says, 'I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.' 
'I'd also like whipped cream. I'm certain you'll forget that, write it down?' she asks. 
Irritated, he says, 'I don't need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream - I got it, for goodness sake!' 
Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment.
'Where's my toast?'

Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn't need my help to leave the hospital.
After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel him to the elevator. 
On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him.
'I don't know,' he said. 'She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.' 

Review 2012

It was rather different from the first one we held in 2010.  The number in attendance was about ½ of the number we had in 2010 and the atmosphere was different.  Someone said we were more relaxed.  Certainly there was more laughter and there was a wider spread of comments.  They ranged, for instance, from “What are we about as a Church?” (we could have spent all afternoon debating this) to; “Helping people across the road to the car park”.  As before a full report is to be discussed by the PCC and the outcome will be published.  Again our sincere thanks to Chris West for all the work he has carried out on this.  It is a tremendous help in formulating the future shape of the ministry of our Church.  Thank you Chris.

“Thank you” also to those who gave up your Sunday afternoon to join in the exercise and particularly to those who provided the refreshments.

Readers Rota 

We are starting to compile the rota for next year. If you are not already on the list please give it some serious consideration.  It will be a greaat help to those who are already on it.

 If you would like some advice please have a word with John Chatten, Clive Fox, Roger Smith or Prue Edwards.

Outward Giving

Each year the Church, through the PCC, makes a number of donations to good causes. These are described officially as ‘Outward Giving’, and the PCC allocates up to £3,000 a year for this purpose.

Some of the donations represent the proceeds from collections at special services, such as the Midnight Christmas service and Remembrance Sunday, or weddings and funerals. Others are intended to help causes that have come to the Church’s attention during the year.

 In 2011 we made the following donations in this way:

We nearly always get thank-you letters from those we support in this way and these are pinned up on the noticeboard in the porch.

Peter Williams

 Treasurer

Chalice Assistants

The PCC has given its unanimous approval to the following people being appointed to assist with the

Chalice at our services of Holy Communion in addition to John Ziesler.

They are:

Annie Burge

Stan Creamer

Peter Williams

Their appointment has subsequently been authorised by Bishop John Inge.

I am very grateful to each of these for being prepared to serve the church in this way.

                              CHURCHES TOGETHER IN MALVERN

           Chairman – Mrs Chris Bray    -    Secretary Mrs Jenny Bull

              20 Crown Lea Avenue                    10 Christ Church Road

               Malvern                                           Malvern

                              01684 560920                                   01684 561307

                               email: cbray@waitrose.com             email: jennybull10@btinternet.com

T

FARM CRISIS NETWORK

Farming itself is not in crisis, but many people in the farming community are experiencing serious problems related to their business or their personal lives. These problems include animal diseases, such as Bovine TB, veterinary regulations and agricultural bureaucracy, the effects of the weather, rising costs and debt, isolation and loneliness. Some are having to face up to making radical changes to their businesses or even leaving agriculture altogether. In many cases not only is a job at stake, but also a home, a way of life and a family tradition. There can be intense feelings of bewilderment, anger, frustration and despair, and often overwhelming fatigue.

 Farm Crisis Network (FCN) is a UK network of volunteer groups drawn from the farming community and rural churches, ready to ‘walk with’ farming people and their families as they strive to resolve such problems. For some all that is needed is an opportunity to talk with somebody sympathetic and not directly involved. Others may need someone to support them for many weeks or months. FCN volunteers are prepared to relate to all aspects of the situation and have links with sources of professional help where needed. FCN has its own Business Support Group and it works closely with the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, the Arthur Rank Centre Addington Fund and where necessary with the Samaritans.

FCN provides a national Helpline which is manned from 7am to 11pm every day of the year, with an answerphone between these hours. It has over 300 active volunteers spread across England and Wales in County based Groups, which provide a visiting service to deliver practical and pastoral support to farming people and families. Following the production of a report 2 years ago into the human costs of the impact of Bovine TB, FCN has been contracted by DEFRA to provide a sympathetic interface between farmers suffering from the effects of Bovine TB and the perceived bureaucracy of Animal Health officials. Whilst DEFRA now provides some funding to cover the additional work involved, FCN still relies primarily on donations from churches and members of the public to fund the work of its volunteers and limited administrative overheads. In these difficult economic times, it is struggling to raise sufficient funds and County Groups are now having to address the challenge of raising funds, as well as carrying out their primary support role.

 Alistair and Wendy Booth are both volunteers with the local Worcestershire FCN Group, which is closely associated with the Worcestershire Chaplaincy of Agricultural and Rural Life (CARL), with which Eric is involved too. Alistair carried out the interviews with 20 Worcestershire farmers for the FCN Bovine TB Study and has been trained as the Worcestershire Group’s Bovine TB support specialist; he also mans the national Helpline for 4 hours every week. If you are interested in becoming an FCN volunteer, which could be focused on fundraising or administrative activities if you feel you lack the agricultural background to provide direct pastoral support, or you wish to make a donation to FCN, or you just have a query about FCN’s work, please do not hesitate to contact Alistair.  

Church Flowers

Flowers are a gift to the glory of God and whilst they are not necessary in a church they do remind us of God’s creation. The purpose of flowers in church is to add beauty. They are not there to dominate or distract from the purpose of worship. It is for this reason that normally there is only one arrangement placed by the side of the altar. During festivals such as Christmas and Easter we are more abundant with our displays in the main body of the church.

I am sure that the beautiful flower arrangements which enhance Little Malvern Priory are much appreciated by us all and we are constantly grateful to our talented flower arrangers. However, for the coming year a few of the team of arrangers are having to relinquish or reduce their commitment for various reasons and we should be very grateful if there are any members of the congregation who would like to come along and join the team.

We are always grateful for the generous donations made by the congregation for festivals. For the majority of the year however, the flowers and greenery are provided by the flower arrangers themselves. This generosity as well as their time and effort is truly appreciated.

 Should you wish to join ‘the team’ please let me know, in person, by phone – 01684575753, or email: beesteele@btinternet.com 

Barbara Steele

The Friends of Little Malvern Priory

The Society of Friends of Little Malvern Priory, founded in 1954, plays a key role in the financial support of the church and its worship. Over more than 50 years the Friends have contributed well over £250,000 to church funds, largely on the maintenance of the church fabric: in particular, they donated £118,000 toward the restoration of the church roof in 2002/3. The Friends also make a regular contribution to the church running costs. So there are continuing calls on the Friends’ funds. 

The Friends currently number 115. Most live locally, and many are members of the existing congregation. A number of Friends live further afield, as far away as Scotland and Northern Ireland. All are individuals who love Little Malvern Priory and wish it to continue to thrive as a living church. Their generosity is invaluable.

Members meet from time to time for social occasions.

If you are not already one of the Friends, do consider joining. The minimum annual subscription is only £5, though many Friends give much more. Application Forms can be found on the table by the church door; they include a bankers order form and a Gift Aid Declaration to enable the charity to reclaim income tax on subscriptions.

If you would like any further information, please contact

 Nigel Nicholls (tel: 01684 562077).

Photographs

Hope Carrier's Trust

Where there’s a will………

…………….there's a way

Floodlighting

We will be floodlighting the church for an hour or two every Sunday evening during the winter months.  If you have a special occasion that you think would be suitably commemorated by floodlighting the church at any time, please ask one of the churchwardens.  There is no set fee for this but something to cover the cost of the electricity would be welcome.