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A recent lunch with one of our colleagues from the Diocesan Board of Education led to a very interesting conversation around the relationships between our church schools and our parishes. 

For many years, new clergy appointments to a parish would not even include a visit to the school, let alone ask the Head Teacher or Chair of Governors to be part of the interview process.  Now, of course, the Parish Profile for the new priest will include details of schools, and the interview process most often includes a visit to the school, some interface with the staff and pupils, and some informal interview with the school Head or Governors.

Our conversation came around to the appointment of school chaplains, in particular to the new Academies.  Full time school chaplains are a luxury, and indeed, with a decreasing number of stipendiary clergy, would there be a sufficient pool of potential clergy to meet these new appointments?  I pushed the boundaries a little further.  I was certain that these school chaplain appointments could not successfully be part time appointments with dual roles including a parish priest role – the management of the boundaries does prove a challenge.  I had been a part-time chaplain to a joint Anglican-Catholic Secondary School, and it was hugely fulfilling, but also a huge frustration, and the scope for developing the role could not happen whilst I was still expected to be in the parish five days a week.

So – do we need to continue to look for parish clergy who are able to offer some chaplaincy role to the school?  Or, if you consider the development of our school age children between 5-18 years to be the urgent priority for our faith community, do we need to look for clergy who are full time school chaplains, based in our primary and secondary schools, who can offer a couple of  days a week to be chaplains to our congregations? 

What difference would it make if we trained all our clergy to be school chaplains, as the norm, and then let them use their spare time at evenings, weekends and school holidays for work in the parish, developing teams of lay ministers and ordained assistant ministers to be the church presence throughout the parish during the day?

What difference would it make …?  Where do you stand …?

Well, these past few days have been a whirl of social activities and festivities, as we come together and celebrate good things around the Area. 

Friday evening most of the Team were in Burbage to toast the very successful Pilgrims in Mission week in the Pewsey Deanery.  I was at another social event in the south of the County, as part of the Friends of Wiltshire Churches initiative, which seeks to provide a new source of funding for the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust, of which I am Chairman.  We met at a beautiful house just north of Salisbury in the Woodford Valley, and raised a good sum of money which the Trustees will allocate to churches seeking to maintain and enhance their church fabric.  Check out the site at: http://www.wiltshirehistoricchurches.org.uk/Home.html We are looking for new members, and it’s very cheap to join, and we get so much fun from being a member – think about it?

Saturday morning, I attended the Salisbury Cathedral Open Day, and at 1000 hrs when the cathedral opened its Great West Doors, there were 400 people waiting to go in.  There was a real carnival atmosphere as people saw various exhibitions of the life of the cathedral and diocese, and tried their hands at various workshops.  The museums were open and free too – a great day out.

Saturday evening, we in the Learning for Discipleship and Ministry Team, gathered at our home in Bemerton to celebrate the mid-year and to enjoy one another’s company.  It was a good party, a little cold for outside dining, but a few braved it, and the conversation and laughter went on well into the night.  As I was preparing the outside tables a candle, in a large glass container caught the tablecloth which had been whipped up in the wind – just turn your back for a moment, and the cloth, and table supporting it, was an inferno!  I flipped the cloth onto the ground and smothered the flames – but it is true what the advertisements say – don’t leave naked lights unattended – even for a minute!

Sunday morning and I was attending a service in Pitton school, for both the church and school communities, who were gathering to say farewell to David Morgan, the Headteacher.  The service was quite superb – with a lay member of the church, leading a wonderful act of worship.  We had a dramatic reading of a passage of scripture, which helped us all understand how meeting Jesus transforms people’s lives.  We heard about Jairus, his daughter, an unclean woman, and one of the disciples – brilliant!  We also heard from three members of the Bristol University Christian Union, who were supported by the parish of Pitton last year.  Their witness and testimony of their work within the university and the city of Bristol was truly inspiring.

Back home and after Sunday lunch, the Bemerton Community Group Open Gardens event started, with yes, our home and garden taking part.  We had a steady stream of around 100 people come through – many of whom enjoyed a cup of tea  with us, and walked around the garden, and many good conversations were held.

Late afternoon, and I was back in the cathedral for Vespers, and a service of thanksgiving for the work of our  Foundation School Governors.  Tea with the Dean afterwards, and I came home, fully alive, and full of a weekend’s experiences of saying thank you, and raising both the profile and some money for important aspects of our common life here in this part of Wiltshire.

Time is flying by in the Pewsey Deanery Pilgrimage – Unite FC.  Since we last blogged, the team has been out and about and I’m able to blog the events I have attended, and it has encompassed the whole of life’s journey.

Tuesday morning we gathered in St John the Baptist, Pewsey for breakfast and morning prayer, and then I headed out solo to Collingbourne Ducis Primary School.  The buildings are relatively new there, and it was lovely to see the children learning in a very spacious and well planned environment.  I visited classes, and met teachers, and saw a wonderful presentation on pilgrimage by the school, who have produced art panels showing the Christian pilgrimage through life.  A buffet lunch with Governors and staff completed my visit.  Check out the school for yourselves at: http://wiltshire.schooljotter.com/collingbourne

I then had to hotfoot it to Great Bedwyn, to join Bishop Stephen and Rachel at the Primary school for a special collective worship and blessing of the school’s sensory quiet garden.  Again the buildings were relatively modern, and the children very excited about the prospects of the Bishop amongst their number.  +Stephen spoke about being able to know when we were pointing in the right direction, and that we often need friends to help us turn around and travel in the right direction.  The school sang two hymns really well, and read some excellent poetry.  Another site for you to explore: http://www.greatbedwyn.ik.org/

Rachel and I then left the Bishop to bless the garden, and we headed south to Burbage where we joined the staff and residents of Seymour Court, an assisted living accommodation for older people.  They were relaxing after lunch, and we joined them for a cup of tea and biscuit, and found the conversations easy and fun.  Rachel in particular had a belly aching time of laughter and we were privileged and inspired to hear their stories, and chat about their life achievements.

Then the weather closed in and the rain came down, and we heard that the planned motorcycle ride to Poole Quay has been postponed – and my photo opportunity to sit astride a Triumph Sprint will have to wait!

You know how it is – on paper nothing really looks exciting but when you are doing it things change.

Saturday started with me in Pewsey church attending the Prayer for the Journey, two hours on patchwork, paint and prayer in preparation for the Ramsbury Team visit to the deanery. It was a glorious two hours lead by Janet Thomas. We used part of the pack put together by her and Rev Deb Larkey for use in the local schools and I learnt a technique of manipulating paint with cling film – you needed to be there to understand. Thank you Janet.

I then took a marriage service in Durrington,which was a delight. Thank you James and Melanie (and their family and friends) for allowing me to share the occassion with you.

On Sunday I took the two services in Durrington – the 8 o’clock one was a quiet reflective service whilst the 10 o’clock was   busier but because the organist was recovering from surgery Val played all the music on her flute which lent an air of reflectiveness to that service as well. Thank you Val. We then had a baptism at 12 noon and Joshua (6 months) spent most of the time looking at us through his large eyes. For this I was ably assisted by Sylvia who will hold the baby as I am frightened that my elbows will lock at the vital moment and the baby will fall – not a good thing! We had many young people who acted as official water temperature testers ( I splashed them with water) and the family and friends of Josuha stayed for about 20 minutes after the service. Thank you to all those who were there for making it such a joyous occassion.

I’m very grateful to Sharon for acting as the guest editor  for last month’s parish magazine reviews.  I am always pleased to receive parish magazines, and always read them.  I try to pull out the innovative ideas from them, and wish to share the good news.  However, from time to time, it is good to get another’s perspective on the news. Thanks Sharon for a new pair of eyes on this aspect of our Area Life.

Benefice of St Bartholomew

Taking ‘fellowship’ to the max:  Benefice Autumn sailing trip. An epic journey to France crewed entirely by the benefice! Aboard the Morning Star 62ft Ketch ( a boat of elegant proportions by the sound of it!) take the opportunity to get to know your fellow travellers and a bit of French shopping to boot! Sounds an ideal way to follow in the footsteps of the first ‘fishers of men’ and share some special time together. No sleepwalkers though!

 If you fancy something more rooted and on terra firma……try TOAST (time on a Sunday together) a family friendly start to the day….breakfast at 9.30! Semley School Hall each month. What a great idea to gather the whole church and domestic family together, and then move into church – gets the gossip and prayer foci sorted before the service.

 Arrowhead….the parish mag for Chitterne Orcheston, Shrewton and Tilshead must take this months prize for maximum use of space. I never thought it possible to get so much into an A5 MAGAZINE …

60 pages of info, events, recipes, ideas and news! Not to mention congratulations to Karen who raised £1200 on a Skydive for the New Life project (Baby Survival Equipment)

 The Bridge..and speaking of congratulations…..Well done to Woodford Valley Choir for their Merit Certificates at The Salisbury Music Festival…complimented for their ‘excellent tone and intonation’!

 Focus (Tisbury Community) offer something different in aid of The Sudan and Salisbury Hospice……..a talk on Catherine the Great by Professor of History and Politics at Moscow University: Ludmilla Selezvena.  There’s some church and culture for you! 

St Thomas Ensbury Park

[I know this is out of Area, but Alan's roots  go deep!]  If you fancy a bit more history get hold of the parish mag for St Thomas…they have a page of ‘dates in history’ for each month. Fascinating and useful at those awkward silences in coffee mornings! So brush up your general  knowledge…..April 20^th Napoleon’s birthday. 1^st April 1918 formation of RAF! Also useful for those fundraising quizzes!

 Whiteparish

Date for your diary if you can make it…….All Saints Church Choir sing Evensong at Southwark Cathedral…..a proud moment for all.  What a fine achievement for the parish choir to get to sing in a prestigious setting.

If you don’t see your parish magazine listed, why not send it to me?

I visited Pitton C of E Primary School today – some 8 miles south-east of Salisbury.  It was a planned visit to say thank you and farewell to the retiring Headteacher, but I’m sorry to hear that he has snapped a tendon and will not be back at school for a little while.  I’ll come again!

But the great delight was the act of collective worship for the school, which was ably led by one of the foundation governors from the local church of St Peter’s.  It was just superb!  Sara had carefully planned the worship; creating a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere in the school hall, subdued lighting, loads of candles in jars, and colourful letters which spelt out the theme – hope.  We had some reflective music as we came in, and everyone was still and attentive.  A PowerPoint with simple clear words, and bright relevant pictures guided us through the opening sentences, the worship song, and the closing sentences.  The address was simply led by Sara, using the year six students who had been reflecting on what they understood hope was, and this was mapped out with flashcards on a board which created a rainbow before the whole school – God’s sign of hope to Noah after the flood.

The year six children also wrote our prayer for the day:

Thank you God.  We have so much to be thank you for here at our school. We think it is the best school in the world.  Thank you for all the people here, for the playing field and for football.  Thank you for our friends and our teachers.  Thank you for our food and water and our break times in the sunshine.  It brings us joy and happiness and we pray that our new headteacher will be as nice as Mr Morgan.  We hope that all the children will be as happy in the future as we have been.  AMEN.

Simply wonderful – well done Sara, and well done Pitton Cof E Primary School.  God is blessing you, and you are a blessing to others.

Well last week was a typical week of shades and kaleidoscope ministry, which was full and fruitful, and one of the reasons I think ministry in the Church of England is still one of the best reasons for getting out of bed in the morning.  Monday morning – Rachel has blogged the morning’s team meeting, and yes, recipes for rhubarb muffins with star anise creme brulée is coming, so watch out!

Lunchtime on Monday was spent with the senior pupils of Trafalgar School at Downton, as I met and chatted with staff and year11 students.  I’ve been invited to present the prizes this autumn, and really wanted to meet the guys and girls before that occasion.  A fascinating visit, and my thanks go to all for making the visit happen.

Tuesday I showed a new curate coming to the Diocese around the house we’ve allocated, and was really pleased to see and hear how thankful both the training minister and the curate are for the care and attention that has been offered to make this happen.  It is such a nice feeling to know that you  can fix somethings!  Tuesday afternoon, night  and Wednesday morning the Rural Deans, Archdeacons and the Bishops were on retreat with the community at Ammerdown, near Radstock.  http://www.ammerdown.org/ This Christian retreat and conference centre is just far enough away to feel you’ve journeyed out of the patch, and has good facilities for prayer, meetings and good home cooked food.  I was responsible for the first two sessions – where I worked with the group in mapping our vocational journeys, and interviewed Bishops Graham and Stephen about their particular vocations, and what sustains them in their ministry.

Thursday, I travelled to London, Stepney episcopal area, to visit the DDO and chat about a particular ordinand we are hoping to place, and also to explore how we might work together to offer our respective ordinands an experience of ministry in a different context.  I do enjoy London, its buzz and vitality, and found the companionship of another DDO helpful and reflective.

Friday was the Bishop’s Staff meeting, and we covered a lot of ground, and again, enjoyed one another’s companionship and reflections on our common life.

Saturday, I was working with potential ordinands in Salisbury, observing them presenting and discussing topics which they had prepared. 

Sunday, I visited Little Bedwyn to preach at the group service with Rev Rodney Harrison the Team Vicar presiding.  The small community straddles the railway and canal. Of particular interest in the church are the differently shaped arches on either side of the nave, and the collection of hand-stitched kneelers. The rear of the church, which also doubles as the village hall, has a map of the parish made for the millennium, with paintings of every building and all the wildlife found in the parish.  It is always good to go and meet new congregations, and I was given a really warm welcome, and used the theme of Vocations Sunday, as well as introduce them to the UniteFC pilgrimage week from 6 – 13 June, when the Ramsbury Team visit the Pewsey deanery.  http://www.unitefc.org/index.html A great morning, a great week, and much to be thankful for.

Today I was privileged to visit Dilton Marsh C of E  VA Primary School.  I met the Headteacher some while ago, at a meeting in the Rectory, whilst making a Parish Pastoral Visit to the White Horse Team based around Westbury.  I asked if I could visit the school, and I duly received a kind invitation to visit the school for a tour and lunch.

I was greeted at the school reception, after properly signing in, and showing photo ID, and wearing a Visitor Badge.  A short while later my two student escorts arrived and introduced themselves.  Year six students [10/11 years of age in old money!], who explained that they would show me around the inside of the school, then sit me down with another guest to a meal which the students had cooked, and then a short tour around the outside of the school.

I was very impressed with the care and attention that these two ambassadors took of me, carefully showing me into classrooms, school hall, library and IT suites, explaining displays, introducing me to teaching staff, and detailing answers to my questions.  Then came the biggest surprise of all!  I was shown into a small room, which usually doubles as a music practice room, or small group room, where a table had been set for four hosts, two guests and a teaching assistant.  The food was carefully served, I was asked to say grace, and we all tucked into lasagna, home made bread rolls, mixed salad,and that was followed by custard tarts decorated with sliced strawberries.  All cooked and made by the four pupils, and interesting conversation was followed by clearing up, and a polite request to know whether we were ready to continue our outside tour of the school!  What great kids, great food, and great host/tess/ing!

Their website offers their own description: Dilton Marsh Church of England Primary School is fortunate to occupy a modern building in a beautiful rural setting, next to the village church of Holy Trinity. The facilities are modern and spacious, creatively furnished and decorated, providing a perfect environment for learning of all kinds. We are fortunate enough to have a large amount of space inside and out. Inside we have 6 large classrooms. We also have a large well equipped purpose built Media Suite. We cater for the whole child in every sense, within a caring ethos sensitively developed and with regard given to Christian values. We aim for academic excellence and personal growth, always fostering a child’s individuality and self-belief.

As we concluded our visit, the guests were invited to sign the visitors’ book, and at that moment the Headteacher arrived to ask if we had enjoyed our visit and then showed us to the reception again.  Apparently, the school try to do this each week, offering the year 6 students a chance to meet, greet, and cater for guests around four times each during their final year.  Cooking, entertaining, and engaging in adult conversation.  Worked for me!  Thank you Dilton Marsh, and may God bless you all.

It has been a while blog-watchers, and +Stephen and the Team apologise for the desert like appearance of our contributions these past couple of weeks.  The Mission Week in Devizes was just fab, but depleted our energy levels and then we headed out to Swanwick for the four day residential Clergy Conference – which again was just fantastic, and we are only just getting back into our grooves.

However – I will try and catch you up with the news over the next few days – although it may be rather random, especially with regard to dates!

Yesterday, I was privileged to go out to Newton Tony in the Bourne Valley, which runs north-east from Salisbury, to visit and celebrate 50 years of the Newton Tony Church of England Primary School.  50 years didn’t seem a long time, for a village school, and I learned that it was 50 years since the re-building of the new school after a fire razed it to the ground.  The school has recently been extended, with a beautiful new Atrium [entrance hall for you non-Latin scholors] providing a spacious welcome to the school and new offices for the Head Teacher, and secretary, together with revamped staff room and kitchen.

I was impressed that this small school – 34 children on roll – was making such a statement about the value and quality of the education provided.  Two classes, with excellent teaching and assistant staff, with happy, engaging, and interested students.  I especially liked the fact that every child had painted a wall tile which was included in the tiling to the new kitchen, and every child had made a copy of their hand onto cloth material, which was then appliqued into a wall hanging for the entrance hall.  When I spoke at the celebration church service later, I asked the children whether they would come back in 50 years time to celebrate their growing up, and show the same commitment to education in Newton Tony, as the packed church of parents, governors, villagers, past pupils [many of whom had travelled from afar] and county and diocesan education officers.

After the service, we all processed back to school where I was asked to pray for God’s blessing on the new Atrium, and the worship table, and then we headed outside for teas and cakes, and a special concert from the children of classic songs, including Yellow Submarine, YMCA, and Dancing Queen.  Should have been there – a real tonic!

Tuesday saw Bishop Stephen and I meeting people representing the spectrum of ages in the community. We began in the Nursteed Centre having lunch with those who care for friends or relatives in the community, because of the time of day it was those over school age. Although young carers were very much in our minds.

Bishop Stephen led us in worship and talked about the value of touch and how God surrounds us with his love. The lunch was simple but wonderfully tasteful as has been all the food thus far -(waists may become larger this week!). The discussion was lively and we heard many different stories and met people who give of their time in the care of others.

Two hours later Bishop Stephen and I walked over to Southbroom Junior school, here we first met the school council. We were told what happens in a council meeting and the many things with which the council had been involved – ranging from an anti-bullying policy to water features and the bacon roll. Now before you think that we were eating again I have to tell you that the latter is a pink pig shaped compost bin which has to be rolled now and again – it has now been rolled by a bishop. We were then given a tour of the school and saw murals, the bacon roll and a lovely water feature near a boat with flowers planted in it. The school council were our guides and very ably told us the story of everything we saw.

Then the school had assembly which was taken by three adults who encouraged us to say ’sorry’ and for the other person to say ‘that’s OK’. It is hard to describe the outfits and how rubbish came into it, if you know any children at the school I suggest you ask them.

The school’s motto was to be the best we can be and both groups had shown us how this can be lived out within the community.

Thank You too all who made us feel so welcomed.