Page 79 - br-july-2019

July 2019 July 2019

Something I can share with you is that, in line with our advert placed back in April DATES FOR
which asked for ‘a passion for rural ministry, a pastoral heart and a pioneering
practitioner’ and with the requirements of our Benefice Profile, we gave our
candidates a very full and rounded experience of benefice life on the interview YOUR DIARY
day. One important element of this was that we know that in going forward we
need careful planning if we are to flourish and grow as the Church in West 2019
Purbeck. We had said in our Benefice Profile that we have become a Thrive
Learning Community with a steering group leading us through a two year process
which began last March. The task, or purpose, of ‘Thrive’ is to enable us to identify October
our key priorities as a benefice and to lead us forward in taking steps to achieve
them. Candidates knew when they came for interview that this is the case and 1st GC: Harvest Supper
they had plenty of opportunity to think about this and engage with members of
the Thrive Team. I take this opportunity of updating with you as to where we are
with ‘Thrive’ and to encourage your whole hearted engagement with it for the 8th FG: R Thompson, Up the Garden Path
future of our benefice.
9th AL: Tony Bates, Stunning Wildlife Photography
As I outlined at the APCMs in both St Laurence Church and St John the Baptist
Church in April, a group of 8 of us from across the three churches, all of whom 12th PiP: Presentation Evening with Shaun Marx 7.30
responded to my open invitation and volunteered to become part of the team,
committed to a two year course that includes 4 x 2 day sessions of intensive
training in Blandford to help us to work collaboratively on things that we identify as 13th Havest Lunch - Briantspuddle Village Hall 12.30
needs within our churches and communities. Our new Associate Priest will join us
in this process. We met for the first 2 day session in March where we were invited 16th WI: The Watercress Company
to imagine how we would hope our benefice could look in 2022 and to identify
our ‘burning issue’ for where we now are which, God willing, will help us to 25th Purbeck Film Festival at Briantspuddle Village Hall 7.00-7.30
achieve the vision for 2022. We identified our burning issue as the need for us to
intentionally work at growing together and working together as partners in the
benefice. It is very encouraging that members of our churches, some far more November
than others, have begun to embrace the sense of partnership by worshipping in
each other’s churches when there is no Service in their own parish church, but 2nd Affpuddle Church - Gift Day
there is a very long way for us to go for us to believe that we are the Church in
West Purbeck, and to become recognised together as such. 5th GC: Roaming Free - New Forest Ponies, Suzanne Kemp 7.30
In terms of planning, as I identified at the APCM’s, we believe that everything
must be underpinned with and guided by prayer. A prayer group has already 12th FG: Mr Nicky Heal, Christmas at Home
been established; you are warmly invited to come along to pray for the benefice
and its future. In due course we would hope that something of a simple (spiritual) 13th AL: Glo Curtis, Advice for All Citizens
Rule of Life specific to our benefice will be developed that every member can
sign up to and follow. The Thrive Team determined to meet regularly, which we 15th PiP: Children in Need, Lower Hall 10.00-12.00
have done, including with our diocesan Thrive mentor, our Rural Field Officer,
Canon Richard Hancock. Because ‘Thrive’ is about the future of our benefice
there is the need for everyone in the benefice to be engaged with it in order to 20th WI: Christmas Craft
avoid the trap of people being ‘done to’ rather than working collaboratively
together. For this reason we’re following the time tested method and model of
good practice in asking everyone for their thoughts, hopes and dreams in
creating a questionnaire for our church families, bespoke to us although based on

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