An open letter to East Wivelshire

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Deanery representatives in East Wivelshire meet on 30 June 2022 to vote on their On The Way plan - click here to read it. The Bishops of Truro, and St Germans, are rolling out On The Way across Cornwall. It's a cost-cutting exercise resulting in severe clergy cuts and loss of local agency through parish mergers.

Save The Parish Cornwall's Peter Bellenes has written to deanery representatives in East Wivelshire ahead of their meeting. His letter stresses how vitally important is that they should listen to  parishioners' concerns  - and fight to save their parishes and heritage.  Click here for a guide to arguing against parish re-organisations, published by Save The Parish.

15 June 2022

Dear Deanery representatives East Wivelshire,

 

You will shortly meet to consider the deanery plan and it may well be suggested to you that this project is a fait accompli. The East Wivelshire deanery plan is far reaching in its plans for closing almost 50% of churches and, from what we see elsewhere in the diocese, the likelihood of PCCs being combined to form just 3, one for each of the focal parishes of Torpoint, Callington, and Saltash.

 

You have an opportunity at the deanery sessions to fight for your parish and its heritage, to preserve the input of the laity at the most local level where it counts.

 

I am attaching a guide from Save the Parish, the national parish preservation movement in the Church of England, about how and when your PCC can object to proposals. Many of us have over the years sung with feeling the hymn “we love the place O God wherein thine honour dwells”, do not let this deanery plan dishonour the investment of prayer, time and money given freely by you and your forebears.

 

Yours in Christ,

 

Revd Peter C Bellenes

For more information see:

Savetheparish.com;

savetheparish.blogspot.com;

 


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