The Benefice of

Potton

with

Sutton

and

Cockayne Hatley

The Benefice of Potton with Sutton and Cockayne Hatley

This is a flourishing Benefice with a growing community both within and outside of the church. We are looking forward to reviewing and updating our Ministry Action Plan with the new Incumbent, with a view to building on the growth and outreach work that has recently begun to bear fruit.

The Benefice consists of three rural parishes on the Eastern Borders of Mid-Bedfordshire close to Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. It currently comes under Central Bedfordshire. Potton is a small, but growing town of 5000 residents, and Sutton and Cockayne Hatley are villages of 250 and 90 respectively.

The nearest towns are Sandy, 4 miles to the west and Biggleswade, 4 miles to the south. Both provide access to the A1 and mainline rail links, on the London Kings Cross to Peterborough line.

Many of the inhabitants’ commute to London, Stevenage, Milton Keynes and Biggleswade and to the other major towns such as Bedford 12 miles to the West, which has concerts at the Corn Exchange, a cinemas complex, swimming pool and leisure centre, as well as a good selection of shops.

Cambridge is only 19 miles to the east and has good theatres, concert venues and shopping facilities, and all the advantages of a major university town. There is a variety of local schools in the Benefice, and secondary schools are in Biggleswade and Sandy.

The Ministry Team

The Ministry Team will consist of:

•Rector•Rev Barbara Johnson PTO and (Chaplain to the

PTSD999 Charity)•Retired Priest with PTO Rev Judi Clarke•Readers: Simon Guttridge, and David Kilpatrick PTO

•Lay Leaders of Worship - Wendy Chappell, Margaret Pryor and Hazel Rozanska, and two awaiting training in next year

•Three lay members of the Local Ministry Development Team Pippa Montgomery, Sally Davis and Jayne Howard

•Two safeguarding leaders, Darren Brooker and George Price

Apart from this, there is a culture of involvement by all church members.

The Rectory

The Rectory is located adjacent to the church and the Old Rectory.It is a modern family home set in a large mature garden including mature woodland. On the ground floor there is a study: lounge and separate dining room both with patio doors into the garden, toilet, large fitted kitchen with space for dishwasher and cooker, leading to a utility room housing the gas central healing boiler and fittings for washing machine and tumble dryer. Upstairs there are four double bedrooms a family bathroom and a shower room. Outside there is a double garage plus garden shed.

St Mary’s - Potton

The LocationPotton is an attractive small town which has a good selection of shops and businesses including a post office, health centre and dental practice, and also provides facilities for residents of the surrounding villages. There is a small industrial estate, which gives employment for some local people, although the majority of employed residents work in larger towns or commute to London. The last few years have seen housing and population growth, and Potton is included in the plan for further development of around 250 homes by 2026.

There are two schools, Potton Lower with a roll of 222 and Potton Middle with 300 and two pre-schools providing education for the many young families living in the town. A team from the church take “Open the Book” assemblies regularly in the lower school and both the lower and middle schools visit the church for services at Harvest and Christmas. Potton is a diverse community which regularly comes together to organise community events. There is a lively social scene with something to suit every age group. This includes choirs, an amateur dramatics group, a local history society, Scout and Guide groups, sports clubs, pubs, Potton and district club and a variety of multi-cultural restaurants.

St Mary’s Church is located on a slight rise off the Hatley Road, built in stone and cobbles and set in a closed churchyard. A project to introduce three Gardens of Remembrance is under discussion. The

churchyard is part of the Living Churchyard Scheme and is cut accordingly each year allowing the wild flowers (some of them rare) to grow and be enjoyed by all. The Town Council have put up explanatory panels pointing out what can be seen in various areas of the churchyard. St Mary’s played host to the Diocesan Living Churchyard Day Conference in July 2019.

The Church building was first founded in 1094 but the present building dates from the 13th century. The quinquennial report in 2016 was excellent, some minor works were required. The lead from the chancel roof was stolen in 2016. It was replaced along with the damage to the stonework around the roof. The inside of the church sustained some damage and this is being repaired and completed with the final decoration to take place in 2020. The porch has been given new access doors and a glass window to enhance the entrance to the church and give an additional area for use by all. New heating was installed in the church in 2016 which is incorporated into the new lighting chandeliers. The glow from the heating without the lights on is a wonderful addition to candlelit services. Plans to create toilet facilities by the addition of a new south porch are in process.

St Mary’s Potton is a ‘CAP Money’ church with a ‘CAP Money’ coach who runs courses on budgeting for all to attend.

Church HallThe Church Hall is opposite the church and is used by the church for outreach and social events, organised by the thriving Events Team.

The hall is hired by the local community for classes, entertainment and functions.

A PCC sub-committee manages the Church Hall, which is self-financing. Church parking is within the Hall grounds, and it has a large field for overspill Sunday parking and many community events, such as Potton Show, Potton Apple Day.

Worship at St Mary’sSt Mary’s is a growing intergenerational

church and the services reflect this.We have services at 9am and 10.30am every week. Once per month the 9am service is replaced by a contemplative candlelit service at 7.30pm called NightLight, a Fresh Expression service. The 9am services are quiet, reflective services, alternating between said Holy Communion, and non-Eucharistic services led by Lay Leaders of Worship. Our main service is at 10.30am and offers a menu of services catering for all ages and stages.

Week 1 Friends & Family, an innovative intergenerational service with

Week 2 Week 3

Week 4 Week 5

something for all, music provided by our Music group. Organised by our Intergenerational team, led by Lay Leader of Worship, Wendy.

7.30pm NightLight a Fresh Expression which is lay led and is a quiet reflective service with singing led by The NightLight

Singers, Heather and Sarah, accompanied by acoustic guitar, and a talk, contemplation, prayers and readings led by the congregation. There is Communion once per year in our NightLight Eucharist.

Sung Holy Communion with hymns accompanied by our robed choir.

Shorter Communion, a simple, guided service of Holy Communion using the ‘additional’ Eucharistic Prayers for celebrating with children. This is another intergenerational service. Children and adults together act as welcomers, servers, readers and intercessors. There is an illustrated service booklet, and “Treasure Boxes” of visual aids for children tofind during the service are handed out.

Sung Holy Communion with hymns accompanied by our robed choir.

Holy Communion with contemporary hymns accompanied by our Music Group .

The average Sunday attendance across all services at St. Mary’s, including baptisms is 73 adults and 11 children. The Worshipping Community is 138.

In addition, we hold services of Morning Prayer on Tuesday and Friday morning at 9am.

On average there are around: 20 Baptisms, 10 Confirmations, 8 Weddings and 25 Funerals annually

All major festivals are celebrated. Special Services include Christingle, Crib Service, Harvest Festival, Mothering Sunday, Remembrance Sunday Parade, All Souls, a Baby Bereavement Service (Little Stars) and a Civic Service. There is also a Prayer Chain and three house groups meet weekly.

Lay participation is excellent, with at least 70 participating on the rotas, undertaking various roles such as administering the chalice, serving, reading, leading intercessions, flowers, choir, cleaning, and bell ringing.

St Mary’s has a choral tradition with a number of Choir members led by Nick Wilson who plays organ and flute. We also have a small band which plays music at the more informal services. All types of hymns those from the Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New as well as contemporary music are enjoyed by the congregation.

Chasuble, alb, and stole are worn for Holy Communion.

Cassock and surplice and scarf for non-communion services.

EcumenicalSt Mary’s Church, the Salvation Army and the Baptist Church work together on various projects including: ecumenical services at the annual Potton Show, “Party on Potton!” events, a walk of witness on Good Friday, Remembrance Day, joint efforts in Christian Aid collecting, and a joint Christmas card delivery around town.

The PCCComprises 5 ex-officio members and 10 elected lay members aged between 40-80 years. Teams reporting to the PCC are Maintenance, Events, Intergenerational, Parish Giving, Hall Management. George Price is our Safeguarding officer.

We have this year undergone a complete renewal of the Electoral Roll which stands at 112 members. St. Mary’s Potton has paid its full Parish Share each

year and has a number of home and overseas charities which are donated to each year.

Church Groups and Outreach includes:•Craft & Chatter – this is held on every other Friday and is an informal group gathering to learn new crafts from other or just continue with a project.

•Seasonal Market – This is held quarterly in Potton Market Square and we provide tea and coffee and a chat, this is alternated with the Baptist church.

•Mothers Union – Meets monthly during the day with speakers.

•First Steps – a toddler group held in the church hall every Friday with healthy snacks offered for children and coffee and cake for adults!

•Open the Book - Christian assemblies at the Potton Lower School undertaken by a team with a fun approach to the Bible and church. This takes place twice a term.

•Social events organised by the Events Team, these are varied from Bonfire night, quiz nights, curry nights, banquets, themed dinners and much more. These are all provided to reach out to those who would not otherwise attend services.

All Saints - Sutton

All Saints Church Sutton was built of ironstone and cobbles between the 13th and 15th centuries.

The interior has seen little in the way of modernisation, the box pews still standing on the mellow brick and stone paved floor.

The church has had the addition of a toilet, kitchenette and vestry.

The East Window and chancel were restored in 2013.

The Location

The village of Sutton is 2 miles from Potton, and consists of approximately 123 dwellings, a pub, a church school, the church, a horse riding establishment and the village hall, all situated in the main street, which is crossed by a picturesque ford and 13th century packhorse bridge.

There are also a number of outlying farms and the John O’Gaunt golf club.

The village was owned by the Burgoyne family until 1938 when the death of Lady Burgoyne brought the association to an end. It developed as accommodation for estate workers, but much infilling has taken place over the years and now has a very wide range of housing from small cottages to large detached homes.

Today the population consists of farm workers, small traders, and retired people from all walks of life. Sutton also has several professional people who find Sutton convenient for commuting to Hertfordshire and into London.

Being a very small village, a great deal of social interaction takes place, not just between individuals, but between various village societies and groups. There are shared events, both social and fundraising. Most of these events take place

in the village hall, which is well maintained by a very active committee.

The John O’Gaunt pub is an excellent and very popular dining pub. Sutton is particularly picturesque and has several excellent rural walks, a wide variety of wildlife and is regularly visited by tourists.

The church is usually unlocked during the day, with the main door left open in fine weather to welcome visitors from near and afar, both those wanting a quiet moment of prayer and those looking at the historic features of the church.Sutton has a number of very active groups, including the W.I., Friends of Sutton School (FOSS), Friends of Sutton Church (FOSC) who run many excellent events during the year.

One of the main events of the year is the annual Flower Festival which takes place in and around All Saints church, this also incorporates the Sutton Duck race, which is run jointly by the Village Hall Committee and Parochial Church Council and is much enjoyed by everyone in the community and many who travel from nearby towns to take part.

Sutton has a House group led by Reader Simon Gutteridge and Margaret Pryor, a Lay Leader of Worship. Sutton has no choir, but has organists who play for many of the services, including special services such as Mothering Sunday, Harvest, Christingle etc.

The PCC has seven elected members, and three ex-officio including the incumbent. The ages of PCC members range from early 30s to 80+years, two of the older children also attend from time to time.

Worship at All SaintsAll Saints is a traditional church which also has an exciting intergenerational missional

congregation.

Our services are at 9am every Sunday and 2.45pm every Friday.

The Sunday service alternates between Holy Communion (Common Worship Order 1), Mattins (BCP), and Service of the Word (Common Worship Order 1), the average Sunday attendance is around 12 and growing

Week 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5

Service of the Word or Holy Communion

Mattins with Hymns

Holy Communion order 1 with Hymns

Service of the Word with Hymns

Service of the Word or Holy Communion

We are really excited about our unique and growing intergenerational service which takes place every Friday. This takes the form of 15 minutes of reflection and prayer for adults, followed, in term-time, by around 60 children from the village school on the same theme at the children’s level. It is a service for people of all ages to come together and reaches out to parents from outside the parish, as well as parishioners and the children. The average term-time attendance is around 80, when the service lasts 45minutes.

Education

Sutton VA Lower School was built in 1870 by the Burgoyne Family. It currently has a roll of 60+ children, the majority of whom come from outside the village. The church school is rated outstanding by Ofsted and is currently planning to both extend and convert to a primary school. The Rector is an ex-officio member of the school governing body.

It is a small, friendly school providing for Reception Year and Years 1 to 4. Their website says; “Our approach is based on committed value-led education. Children are currently averaging at least 20% above the government's national targets in reading, writing and maths. We welcome children from any and every background, from Sutton and

all surrounding areas.” https://www.suttonvalowerschool.org.uk/

There are very close links between the school and the church. The school children volunteer and help out at the church during certain term times of the year. The level of excitement and enthusiasm of groups of children helping out with activities such as ‘cleaning up bat poo’, ‘cleaning moss off of the north door’, etc. is fabulous.

The children are involved in the weekly service held on Friday afternoons when the whole school attend with parents and the local congregation. The children provide us with a beautifully

decorated screen each term.

Pastoral and Ecumenical

We have this year undergone a complete renewal of the electoral roll which now stands at 18 members.

The church building is generally sound but in need of some decorative attention. The last quinquennial inspection was carried out in November 2018 and a plan of action is well underway to deal with the essential items.

As well as continuing maintenance work the church has been provisionally offered special funding to repair the sandstone wall to front (south) boundary as the church sits on the edge of the Greensand Ridge and the wall is a good example of a local sandstone structure.

The churchwardens are supported in their work to look after the building and grounds, by a group of parishioners who voluntarily carry out such work as cleaning, gardening, tidying, flow arranging, grass cutting, odd jobbing, tea making, etc.

The PCC has managed to pay its Parish Share in full for many years. Fundraising events are held in order to facilitate this. There are no longer any significant reserves.

The PCC takes part in the benefice Christian Aid collection and gives to the Bishop’s Harvest Appeal

and makes donations to several charities from special collections at festival services.

St John’s -Cockayne Hatley

The LocationCockayne Hatley is a hamlet of 32 dwellings and a church, with a current population of 90, situated 2 miles east of Potton.

The CommunityThe community developed to provide farm labour for the large agricultural estate, which surrounds it. The houses are all privately owned, including the Old Rectory and Cockayne Hatley Hall, for centuries the Manor House. The age range in the village is from childhood to mid-eighties.

The Parish Council comprises Cockayne Hatley with Westlingworth. It is within the Central Beds District Council. Many of the inhabitants’ commute to London, Stevenage, Milton Keynes and Biggleswade.

There is no village hall or any other public building, so the church is the only meeting place. Children go to school in Wrestlingworth (Lower school), Potton (Lower and Middle School) and Sutton (C.of E. Lower school).

There are no leisure or recreation facilities in Cockayne Hatley, apart from concerts etc. at the church.

St. John’s is a quiet, peaceful historic church surrounded by God’s creation.

The Church dates from the 12th Century.

In 1819, a major restoration occurred.

The church furnishings were replaced by carved oak Flemish woodwork (choir stalls, screens, busts of saints etc). Four large stained glass windows by Willment were installed, together with a 14th Century English window.

The Church has undergone restoration for 20 years at a cost of £450,000,

The north aisle crennelations has been replaced in 2019.

St Johns has an open Churchyard which is a well-kept, peaceful place overlooking the countryside. It contains a large stone Grade II listed monument to the poet W.E Henley, the author of the poem “Invictus” which has given the name to Prince Harry’s charity which helps injured servicemen.

The quinquennial report is due in 2020

Worship at St John’sSt John’s is a breathtaking place of

peace, holiness and prayerfulness with a traditional style of worship

Week 1

Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5

9am Holy Communion Book of Common prayer

3pm Evensong Book of Common Prayer

3pm Evensong Book of Common Prayer

3pm Evensong Book of Common Prayer used

No service

Special services for Harvest Festival and Carol service are all very well attended (40-60).

The age range for normal services is 38 to 92. There is lay participation in reading, and bidding prayers. Baptism, Weddings and Funerals occur occasionally. We have an open churchyard which includes a Garden of Remembrance for the interment of ashes.

No musical tradition apart from sung evensong at which an electronic organ is used to assist the congregation. Concerts are held regularly in the church.

Alb and stole are worn for communion. House communion and visiting the sick is carried out by clergy.

The closest parish links are with Potton.

The PCC has 6 members and their age range is 38 to 92.

The electoral Roll is 15.

The Friends of the church actively assist in the maintenance of Church and churchyard as well to raising money for the church and various charities.

Stewardship is practised through envelope and bankers order.

The Parish Share is paid in full each year and the parish gives to charity, in particular by allowing the free use of the church for charitable purposes in response to the many visitors to the church.

The Churchwardens, the PCC and Friends have prepared descriptive booklets and often give guided tours to visitors. Because the church is such a quiet meditative place sitting within the open country side, a new initiative entitled, “Quiet Space” has begun this year, with the church open once per month in the summer months between 10.30am and 12pm for reflection, silent prayer and a time to be still and think.

Words to help attenders settle in to the space are provided. It is hoped this initiative will expand in time.

The 2018 accounts of Cockayne Hatley

currently show a balance of £146,690, this is largely as a result of two substantial bequests.

Area common to all three parishes

The benefice has three very diverse churches of different sizes with a wide range of expressions of worship.

Communications

•A benefice news sheet called “Sunday Link” gives a weekly diary and details of news and events is emailed to a mailing list of 100+ and made available in print in each church and is downloadable from the website.

•A website www.pottonparishchurch.org.uk, with on-going work to expand it to include more benefice information.

In addition, St Mary’s Potton has:

•A Facebook site.

•A (closed) youth and children Facebook site: St Mary’s Youth and Children’s Church.

•A Twitter account: @StMarysPotton.

•An Instagram account: stmaryschurchpotton.

Strengths of the Benefice•There is a variety of services and expressions of worship available.

•The three parishes are friendly and welcoming.•There is much lay involvement.•There are four active house-groups.•We have a strong and supportive lay ministry team.

•Sutton’s church school and Potton lower and middle schools

•We are proud of good ecumenical fellowship with the local Baptist and Salvation Army churches.•We held a mission in October 2018 which was attended by many people in our communities called, ‘Half Way There...?’. From this, new ventures are being started.•We have three beautiful and historic churches. Cockayne Hatley is listed in the volume, “England’s 1000 Best Churches” and is much visited.

Challenges for the Benefice•To balance the needs of the congregations between traditional and modern approaches to worship.•To encourage more individuals and families to become part of the family of the church.

•To draw in and nurture those on the edge of the church life.

•To build on our links with the uniformed organisations and the schools in Potton.•To build stronger links between different congregations.

•To build and to grow the ministry of house-groups.

What this Benefice can offer

• Support and care in your faith journey.• Friendly and caring congregations.• Large house and garden to live in.• Beautiful town and surrounding villages.• Encouragement and help in growing the

benefice church family.• Wonderful Church family social life.• Good schools for growing families.• Involvement with Sutton Church school.• 3 diverse churches.• The opportunity to try new ideas.• An active ministry team.• Proactive PCC’s.

New Rector Profile

We are looking for a person who:

•Is prayerful, and an engaging teacher and preacher.•Is a “people person” who will encourage, enable, and nurture faith.

•Is a delegator who enjoys working collaboratively.•Is enthusiastic and able to inspire and motivate our diverse congregations.

•Will be innovative according to the character of each congregation.

•Will encourage all age groups to be involved.•Will take an active part in the social life of the Benefice.

•Will be available and happy to visit parishioners.•Is good with children and will build on relationships with our local schools.