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 pr...

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 he...