Save The Parish - Cornwall

 If you thought - perhaps wearily - that 'They will push this through anyway'  please think again.  It is possible to successfully object and stall the Diocese of Truro's controversial pastoral reorganisation schemes, which too often involve creating giant new benefices. The planned large benefices - which sadly envisage fewer stipendiary parish priests and instead a raft of lay workers run by an 'Oversight Minister' - are causing concern across Cornwall.  However, it is possible to have your voice heard. Plans to 'reorganise' the Roseland received a host of objections, resulting in the Church Commissioners sending  the scheme back to the Diocese for more information. Thankfully, this has stalled the process for the time being. Click here to read the papers (which are in the public domain) presented at the Church Commissioners' recent meeting to discuss the matter.    Summary of the planned scheme in this introductory paragraph: The Rev Douglas Wren prov

A message from Save The Parish national steering committee member Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent We recommend keeping a regular eye on News, especially “ In the Press ". You can search by author (e.g. Emma Thompson or Marcus Walker), by publication name (e.g. Spectator) or by topic (e.g. vacancies, retirement age). In particular, we recommend Revd Campbell Paget’s article in last week's Church Times .  His parish’s sad story is worth reading because it shows that even thriving parishes with lots of families are under attack as a result of the “Vision and Strategy” which is supposedly intended to bring in young people. (You will be asked to register for free articles with the Church Times; registering doesn't seem to have any downsides.)

 An excellent letter in the most recent West Briton by Falmouth-based freelance journalist Bobby Angelov. who attends church locally.  Angelov, who is in his early twenties, congratulates the paper for covering the recent debate on falling clergy numbers in Cornwall.

  A powerful Comment piece in today's Church Times arguing against the C of E's centralising policies - in particular moves to creating new, large benefices.  Click here to read. In Cornwall pastoral re-organisation schemes are currently being proposed in the Roseland (Church Commissioners' meeting on 21/3 did not make a decision but returned the scheme to the Diocese for more information, and Maker (consultation closed on 2/4). These schemes are a central plank in Diocesan moves towards Oversight Ministers leading teams of  predominantly lay workers in the new benefices.  A scheme in Kerrier originally proposed one benefice of 23 churches overseen by a Rural Dean: there are signs that this is now being reconsidered.

 A message from Save The Parish national steering committee member Emma Thompson We hope you had a very Happy Easter.    Your parish at Easter Please do send us your parish stories, showing any ways in which your parish demonstrated its value to local people this weekend.  On Easter Day, my Rector took a service in each of his churches and was busy all day, driving the lit Easter candle around in his car between villages.  I amateurishly conducted my parish church choir in a joyous rendition of Cecil Cope's anthem "He is Risen".  Four young adults who were home for the Easter weekend, including one of my sons, rejoined the choir.  I feel and hope that this illustrated the value to them of rootedness in a place and still feeling a sense of "belonging".     Press  You may like to see this PDF of my Easter Day piece for the online Spectator.  If you are a Spectator subscriber, please feel free to add an online comment here:  https://www.spectator. co

Clergy figures in Cornwall (at an all-time low of 38) are mentioned - as are the 19 vacancies unfulfilled.  These figures were given to Save The Parish Cornwall by the Diocese at the start of February 2024. Click on this link to read the full article - two full pages inside the Sunday supplement.

After two years in York to tie in with General Synod, this year it is the West Country’s turn.  Save The Parish's annual conference will be on Saturday 20 April at St Thomas’ Church, Redcliffe, BS1 6JG Bristol. The church is a 10 minute walk from Temple Meads train station.  Lunch will be at midday and Bishop Andrew Rumsey will speak at 12.45. There will be a panel of speakers in the afternoon discussing their experiences in the restructuring of parishes within the Church of England. The day will end with Evensong in the Church followed by drinks. 20 April, 12pm-5.30pm St Thomas’ Church, Thomas Lane Bristol, BS1 6JG United Kingdom Click here for a free ticket to this event All welcome.

Tomorrow's Church Times (22 March 2024) gives a detailed breakdown of full-time stipendiary parish incumbents in Cornwall. The worryingly low figures had been revealed in a report by Save The Parish Cornwall but strongly contested by the Diocese of Truro. Madeleine Davies's piece puts the record straight, showing how STPC had compiled its figures. These figures - confirmed by the Diocese - showed that clergy numbers were at an all-time low at end December 2023, and staff at Church House were outnumbering full-time stipendiary priests in parishes. Click here to read.

Local newspapers (Reach Group) in Cornwall covered the debate raging this week over clergy numbers in the Diocese of Truro . A Save The Parish Cornwall report has revealed that, at the end of December 2023, the Diocese employed more administrators at Church House, Truro, than clergy.  Read on for the Editorial column published in Cornish newspapers alongside coverage of the report.  

 

  Click here to read a recent leaflet from Save The Parish.

Licensing at Gwinear Church on 5 March 2024 of the Revd Michelle Porter-Babbage as Priest in Charge with Bishop Hugh (left) A big Save the Parish Cornwall welcome to the Rev Michelle Porter-Babbage to Godrevy Benefice. In On The Way restructuring negotiations ( click here for a timeline ), Truro Diocese tried to cut this post to 0.5fte - causing years of upset. Penwith Deanery, knowing the parishes, took the issue back to the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, and his team – and eventually prevailed.  Rev Michelle's post is full-time, as it should be . The message here is that deanery On The Way plans are not set in stone, and that popular pressure and resistance can lead to productive change.

Article in Daily Telegraph throws spotlight on cuts to Sunday services and parish priests. The situation in Cornwall is particularly concerning... Click here to read.

Save The Parish Cornwall issues the following response to a regrettable statement by the Diocese of Truro published on its website on 5 March 2024. The Diocese misleadingly says that Save The Parish Cornwall is 'targeting clergy' and providing inaccurate clergy figures. Save The Parish Cornwall’s recent analysis of clergy numbers in the Diocese shows that there were just 39 priests for Cornwall’s 200 plus parishes and 300 churches at the end of December 2023 - according to figures supplied by Church House sources at the end of January 2024. A further 19 other incumbencies remained vacant. Stipendiary priests in Cornwall at the end of December 2023, and their locations: data supplied by Church House sources to Save The Parish Cornwall at the end of January 2024. There was, therefore, one stipendiary priest to 15,000 people: the population of Cornwall is just over 600,000. The number of stipendiary priests in Cornwall at the end of December 2023 was 39. Save The Parish Cornw

  Click here to read an article by Save The Parish's Emma Thompson on the perils and dire realities of 'oversight ministers', sadly being imposed in the Diocese of Truro.

A Save The Parish Cornwall supporter gives his highly personal point of view on what the future might hold for the Church of England in Cornwall It is hard to fathom why the Diocese of Truro is so intent on amalgamating parishes, reducing clergy numbers and investing in 'oversight management'. Wherever this has been tried it hasn't worked.  Wigan, an early forerunner, has been a disaster, the Super Parishes in Wales have been anything but 'super' and parallel initiatives around England are visibly deflating as congregations depart and the collection declines.  The whole thing is baffling, there is no financial reason for any of this so we can only conclude that the CofE has either been captured by some sort of outmoded 20th century management theory or is mesmerised by a fantastical vision of the future based on urban mega churches and has little interest in anything beyond the urban pale. Indeed both of these this things could be true. Either way the diocese h

Click here to read a timeline of planning, events and development of the Diocese of Truro's On The Way restructuring plans.

Cornwall’s acting Bishop the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson now has more pen-pushing bureaucrats on the Church House payroll than priests in parishes. There is only one priest per 15,000 people in the county, a Save The Parish Cornwall analysis reveals. The news comes as a petition calling for a suspension in divisive radical reorganisation plans in the diocese burst through the significant 1,000 signature barrier this week. The petition, signed by 1,070 worried churchgoers in just a few weeks, warns that the plans - championed by Bishop Hugh and known as On The Way - will lead to sharply reduced stipendiary clergy numbers in Cornwall as Church House lay staff numbers rise. The diocese’ own records reveal that the number of stipendiary priests currently in post carrying out pastoral duties, conducting services, and “curing souls” in the county is at an all-time record low, just 39 for the 200 plus parishes and 300 churches. There are currently around 600,000 people living in Cornwall: this means

The parish system is at the heart of the CHurch of England and is designed to serve the entire community. But Anglican priest and scholar aruges Alison Milbank argues that it is at risk of being destroyed. Click here for a recent article in the Tablet.   Alison, who is Professor of Theology and Literature at Nottingham University, will be coming to speak at Save The Parish Cornwall's next meeting at 2pm on Tuesday 5 March at Penzance Heritage Centre. Key to Alison's thinking is the need to keep priests in parishes  - and for congregations, and communities, to regain confidence (and courage).   Her recent book - The Once and Future Parish - is reviewed here  https://scmpress.hymnsam.co. uk/books/9780334063131/once- and-future-parish Penzance Heritage Centre is on the site of the former Penzance Library building at 62 Morrab Road, Penzance TR18 4AP  

The Vacancy in See Committee will meet tomorrow (22 February) when representatives will be elected. The Crown Nominations Commission will then meet on 6 September and on 15 & 16 October 2024. This Committee has a vital role: appointing a new Bishop of Truro, capable of healing the enormous divides and disappointment created by the previous Bishop's On The Way restructuring plans.  Any person wishing to comment on the needs of the Diocese or the wider church or who wishes to propose candidates for our next Bishop should write via email, by 15 March 2024, to: Canon Stephen Knott Archbishops’ Secretary for appointments & Mrs Helen Dimmock MBE Ecclesiastical Secretary to the Crown and Lord Chancellor stephen.knott@churchofengland.org helen.dimmock@cabinetoffice.gov.uk Any letters received will be shared by the two Secretaries.

Alison Milbank - a founder member of Save The Parish nationally and Professor of Theology and Literature at Nottingham University - will speak at Save The Parish Cornwall's next meeting on Tuesday 5 March at 2pm at Penzance Heritage Centre. Please do come along - she'll be delighted to answer questions. The title of her talk: “Getting Your Courage Back: A Vision for the Parish of the future."   Key to Alison's thinking is the need to keep priests in parishes  - and for congregations, and communities, to regain confidence (and courage). It's a positive and encouraging message. Her recent book - The Once and Future Parish - is reviewed here  https://scmpress.hymnsam.co. uk/books/9780334063131/once- and-future-parish All are very welcome.  Email savetheparishcornwall@gmail.com if you would like to know more. Penzance Heritage Centre is on the site of the former Penzance Library building at 62 Morrab Road, Penzance TR18 4AP

More disquiet over the links between the Post Office's former CEO Paula Vennells and Archbishop Justine Welby. The Queen's former Chaplain, Rev Canon Jeremy Haselock, is calling for the Archbishop to resign over his apparent lack of judgement in shortlisting Vennells as a possible Bishop of Londo n. Click here to read.

The Diocese of Truro has belatedly produced a jargon-packed paper on the concept of 'oversight ministry' - central to the Bishops' On The Way plans that are being rolled out (amidst widespread unease) across Cornwall.   Click here to read the paper, approved by the Ecclesiastical College in December 2023 - a dense and uninspiring read reflecting the bureaucratic and managerial approach currently embedded in Church House. It is sadly unlikely to inspire future candidates for the (largely unworkable) oversight ministry vacancies being advertised. The Bishops of Truro and St Germans have repeatedly revealed over the past 12 months their conviction that 'oversight ministry' is key to the future of ministry in Cornwall. The concept of 'Oversight ministry' has been built into Church House thinking in Truro for some years. Vacancies for oversight ministry posts from East Wivelshire to Penwith have failed to attract candidates. Potential applicants are understandab

A narrow escape - highlighted by this letter in the Sunday Times (14 January 2024) from Richard Coles, former Church of England parish priest