Amport Church News - June 2005
Bishops'
Pastoral Letter.
The
main areas of follow-up actions are:
 |
PCCs, not benefices, form the only executive structures beneath the Bishop and Archdeacon, and a structure is needed to consider matters that affect all the parishes, such as Sunday and other services in the four parishes that require the priest-in-charge or a reader (benefice services should not conflict with parish needs) and religious matters to do with mission, witness and education. |
|
To
create a main family service, if possible at the same time each Sunday,
involving younger parents and their children, and not too long. |
Survey
of Parishioners.
A
survey is to be put out with a future edition of the Parish News, covering both
the need to learn of views on making the faith and church-going more attractive,
and whether the proposals to develop St Mary's church are so important as to be
an important aid to that. There are strongly held views on priority, and the
replacing of pews with chairs.
Development
of Church.
The
Diocesan Advisory Committee has approved the plans to rebuild the Porch and
reorder the Nave. We now have to consult the Test Valley Heritage Officer and
the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings: this will take two or
three months, after which the PCC would decide whether to put forward a case for
a faculty.
Churchyard.
The
PCC wish to create a Garden of Remembrance where ashes are laid, and those
relatives that we have found have been notified. Mrs Morrison and Mrs Aisher
have presented their first ideas, including bounding the area with box and a few
shrubs, levelling and putting down gravel over a membrane, and then cutting
holes for a variety of small plants. Two wooden or stone benches against the
wall might be included, and light arbours with sweet smelling climbers.
Fundraising
talk.
At
7.30 p.m. on 19 July in the church, Mr Timothy Finn, an experienced consultant (www.collyerfinn.com)
has kindly agreed to talk to anyone who wishes to come - a golden opportunity to
hear a very experienced and successful consultant, who recently directed a
fundraising campaign for his own church. - D F M