LOCAL MINISTRY TEAM  

The initial thinking and planning of the Local Ministry Team in our parish began about five years ago, and was part of the package that the Vicar felt was essential as the two parishes were merged into one in 2006. There was a year’s worth of training open to all parishioners in the Growing Together in Christ course, followed by selection of team members by the Parochial Church Council. These people had had to attend virtually all the 27 training sessions and produce three pieces of work based on it. Then, on an away-day, the PCC considered the gaps that they could identify that were missing in our parish life. The Vicar had already, as you would expect picked up on all these - and could list a few more too! He and others in the church had attended the annual consultation days around the diocese where local ministry teams already existed. And so with all this information and background, there was a launch of the team on 17th May 2009 at a special service. Those present included the Venerable Paul Hughes who is Archdeacon of Bedford, the Revd Canon Robin Brown who was Diocesan Local Ministry Officer (since retired and not yet replaced, but who brainchild LMTs are) and the Revd Canon Stephen Purvis, the Area Dean of Luton.

Team members who received the Bishop of St Albans’ mandate were: John Booth, Alison Budgell, David Clark, Julia Jolly, Polly Linforth, Ian Marshall, Ruth Marshall, Yvonne Puddephatt, Jan Weedon, and Sandra Riley our Reader, Gladys Finlayson who has since become our curate and Peter Budgell, the Vicar. The team was to have a consultant so that it would be easier for relationships to build and direction to be established. Sadly, Ron Upton was only able to attend once during 2009 and had to resign for health reasons. A new consultant has been put in place, but so far she has only been able to attend one of our monthly meetings together. Her name is Peta Gunson, and so we look forward to getting to know her more and have her facilitate our group. The one difference between our team and the seven or eight already established is that none of the other teams work in an urban setting, so we are pioneering in this. In the same way our parish structure as a single benefice parish is a one-off for the diocese.

The Team meets together for about an hour and half on the last Thursday of each month. As I write, although we have met like this a good number of times now, the actual time together is less than a weekend conference, so it is important to realise that building up relationships, discussing what we are about and working out what we should be doing necessarily takes a long time.

Particular matters that have been discussed include the Back to Church Sunday and ways that it would be most effectively undertaken. This event was on the last Sunday of September, and was only taken on as a project for St Christopher’s. Interestingly there were about eight people who came back to church that Sunday, but there are issues of how projects like this are followed up.

Another area has been to prepare welcome packs for visitors for both churches. This is nowhere near as simple as it might appear, and these came out in trial form for the Christmas services, and will have minor tweaks in the coming weeks ready for Easter.

There was concern about the corner noticeboard at St Anne’s, and a lot of discussion as to the best type of posters to be put on it. We are currently waiting for the main section of the board to be replaced, but that has been delayed by inefficient contractors. However, a Christmas poster was used and was totally different from any we have had in the last 20 years. We hope that it will be the start of more engaging notices.

There has been discussion about the possibilities of having a café of some sort at St Anne’s. This is in its earliest stages and we are trying to find out more of what is going on in other churches. The news of having the kitchen extended and brought up to much higher hygiene standards is very encouraging.

The biggest project however is about post bereavement befriending. Several members of the team have met separately on training for this and by the time this report is published this particular project will have been launched. One of the major gaps in the ministry of the parish is that of following up those who have had bereavements. The staff are very limited in the amount of time they can put to this and many people since the merger of the parishes have not received the sort of support they should have. From now on, virtually all those who have funerals taken by one of the staff will be given a small booklet about “Grief and Loss” along with a number to contact if they would like someone to come and visit them. This befriending role is not a counselling one, but is to give that extra little bit of support when maybe there is no family locally to do so, or people find that their friends are getting on with life and they feel alone and uncared for. The initiative for the contact might sometimes also come from the one taking the funeral, if they sense that a person is going to be finding it exceptionally difficult to cope. If it is found that more professional support is required, people will be encouraged to contact formal bereavement counsellors. The Bereavement Befrienders will also be meeting together most months to give mutual support to each other.

In addition to this, there have been a couple of general training sessions on pastoral visiting that have been open to anyone in the churches to attend. We are aware that the team members will on occasions be asked to do visits and it is wise to have such preparation.

One of the biggest difficulties is communicating what is happening to the church as a whole. Despite the reports back to the DCCs and PCC, there is a general perception which we need to correct that people will somehow “see” the team doing stuff. Most ministries of the team, as well as the staff, neither are nor will be seen or known about by most people. It is not an out-the-front, shout-on-the-rooftops, high-profile thing. The team’s mission statement emphasises that is about growing with the parish to further Christ’s ministry, not to lead it or even to do it all. The team is about being a helpful and supportive tool, in a similar way to those who support the church’s ministry in prayer. It works alongside what is already happening, during daytimes or evenings.

The team is also is grappling with the issues important to the church councils, about communicating the gospel, making it relevant, promoting the faith and in some ways “marketing it”. We also are aware of the need for nurturing newer Christians, for follow up visits of those who are new to the church or have not been recently - and in the longer term considering matters about worship and liturgy and the creative side of worship.

Two other things have happened. The annual Diocesan Local Ministry Team Consultation day took place on 6th March, and this year it was at St Anne’s. The vicar of our link parish in Oslo, Fredrik Ulseth, came to it not on behalf of his own church, but was sent by the Church of Norway to discover how local teams function in England. He went away full of enthusiasm, seeing the potential.

Secondly, two of the members have left the team. It means we now have the somewhat unsatisfactory and unexpected situation that all the remaining members are from the St Anne’s side of the parish. That does not mean however that they will only be thinking about St Anne’s. Their remit is to the entire parish. As well as people leaving the team, it is possible for people to join it, perhaps initially in an associate way. The Diocese expect all full members to attend a Growing in Christ course somewhere before receiving the Bishop’s mandate. Maybe this is something you should be thinking about, as the age-range currently is from 20s to 70s. Think about it, but remember our Mission Statement is to grow with the Parish in Christ’s mission, and so recognises the value of all the work done by so many in the churches already with that purpose.

The Vicar