Parish Profile - Diocese of Durham

Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Welcome to our parish profile for the parishes of
Forest and Frith, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Eggleston
1
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Contents
The person to lead us ............................................................................................................................... 3
For Middleton. ..................................................................................................................................... 3
For Eggleston....................................................................................................................................... 3
For Forest............................................................................................................................................. 4
The Future ........................................................................................................................................... 4
The Rectory is situated in Middleton in Teesdale: .............................................................................. 4
Description of Middleton – in - Teesdale ............................................................................................ 5
The Parish of Middleton – in - Teesdale ................................................................................................. 7
Church Buildings ................................................................................................................................. 7
Worship ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Teaching. ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Fellowship ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Administration ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Financial ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Ministry ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Locality, Deanery and Diocesan Links ............................................................................................. 10
Ecumenical links. .............................................................................................................................. 11
Major features of Middleton parish life in the last five years. .......................................................... 11
A Description of Eggleston Parish ........................................................................................................ 12
Buildings............................................................................................................................................ 13
Worship ............................................................................................................................................. 13
Teaching ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Fellowship ......................................................................................................................................... 13
Administration ................................................................................................................................... 13
Finance .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Ministry ............................................................................................................................................. 14
Local Deanery and Diocesan Links ................................................................................................... 14
Ecumenical Links .............................................................................................................................. 15
Community Links .............................................................................................................................. 15
Major features of Parish Life in the last 5 years ................................................................................ 15
The Future ......................................................................................................................................... 15
Description of Forest-in-Teesdale parish. ............................................................................................. 16
2
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
The person to lead us
This was a difficult question for us to answer, the feeling being that words chosen no matter how
carefully written may look like a list of “demands”, and may dissuade a person who, actually, would
be very suitable.
The message therefore is:
We are proud of our community which we are sure you will find welcoming. We have our established
patterns of life but have embraced change. We appreciate clear, practical, thought provoking sermons.
We trust in faith that God will send the right person to walk with us on our journey. Someone who
enjoys village life, who can make strategic use of time and energy and who, more importantly than
meeting a “specification”, has something personal to offer. The three upper dale parishes have been
linked since 1986, and we have a joint service whenever appropriate.
For Middleton.
We feel that God is leading us to continue on our path towards unity with our Methodist friends. At
the Methodists covenant service this January we publicly exchanged letters undertaking to work
together in mission, outreach and ministry. We will look forward to continuing down this path with
new leadership. Here is a copy of our letter which demonstrates our most immediate ambition for the
future:
To the Middleton Methodist Church Council.
We of St Mary’s C of E Church in Middleton- in-Teesdale believe that working together with
our Methodist Christian family to promote the Worship of Almighty God and the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ in this community is our priority.
We affirm our commitment to pray together and for each other in shared worship and ministry.
Also in making and nurturing Christ’s disciples in serving God’s mission in our neighbourhood and
beyond, as far as the disciplines of our Churches allow. Our vision is that through unity we will
support and embrace our different traditions and achieve more than the sum of our parts, seeking to
do separately only those things that our church teachings will not allow us to do together
Our commitment to working together is much more about mission, outreach, and ministry, so
that buildings serve these purposes, not be the reason for unity. We offer St Mary’s church for
Methodist and joint worship through any period of change or re-building. We agree to seek ways of
expressing the visible unity of Christ’s Church through the rationalisation of our denominational
buildings and look forward to jointly determining God’s purpose in this regard.
For Eggleston
We need a person who is prepared to become involved in and with our community, with the
experience to provide pastoral support to all ages; who is practical and thought provoking. A person
who can support us to work to strengthen our churches and support the work we wish to continue.
3
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Eggleston has no school therefore we need a person who is willing to provide pastoral involvement
with the upper dale primary schools, where the village children start their education, and to support
our ecumenical Messy Church. Ideally the person appointed would be approachable, good-humoured,
enthusiastic, realistic, and erudite – someone who would enjoy the challenges and joys of a rural
community.
For Forest
We are looking for someone with energy and enthusiasm, who has something to share and wants to
share it. The congregation is small and desires to grow. The job is not one of consolidation and
maintenance but of leadership to mission and growth. The geography presents unique challenges and
similar opportunities. The right person could help us make a real difference and be very happy here.
The Future
During the next five years we wish to make closer ties with the parishes of the Diocese of Ripon to the
south of the River Tees. These are Laithkirk, Romaldkirk, Cotherstone and Startforth. The dale is
very much a united community and it is recognized that the River Tees is not an ideal boundary for the
church. The aim is the same as with the ecumenical work we have started with our Methodist friends
– to work together in mission, outreach and ministry to be a more effective witness to the good news
of the gospel. The Upper Teesdale Churches Together (UTCT) was started 5 years ago and includes
the Upper Dale chapels, Roman Catholic Church and the Quakers as well as our 3 parishes. Each fifth
Sunday in the month one church hosts a United Service; we hold a Lent course and Advent
Reflections. Throughout Holy Week we share services with the ministers leading. Twice a year we
hold open air worship as part of the Middleton farmers’ Market. This ecumenical work is vital to our
community and requires support by our new priest.
The Rectory is situated in Middleton in Teesdale:
The rectory is a new purpose built four
bedroom, eco-efficient house in the
centre of Middleton-in-Teesdale
conforming to the latest specifications
and designed to be very economical to
heat and keep warm. We hope the new
incumbent will be the first occupier of
this fine house. It is a short walk to St
Mary’s church
4
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Description of Middleton – in - Teesdale
Middleton – in – Teesdale stands on the border of the
North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The surrounding moors are mostly owned and managed
by the Raby Estate to the north of the River Tees (with
distinctive whitewashed buildings) and the Strathmore
estate to the south of the river. These estates are
landlords to numerous tenant farmers and offer grouse
shooting in season.
Middleton is situated midway in a justly popular
section of the Pennine Way, and thus attracts walkers
all year round. Likewise, the roads are popular with
tourists and busy with motorcyclists who often stop
in the village for a break.
There is a local newspaper, the Teesdale Mercury and
a recently established community Radio station called
Radio Teesdale. The population is approximately
1,300 enjoying predominantly local employment.
Local services are strong and include primary school, hotels and tourist accommodation, village hall,
Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Service, Social Club, outdoor pursuits centre, modern doctors
surgery, mobile NHS dentist, thriving post office, Barclays bank, car repairers with fuel station and
extensive local shops including small supermarket, butcher, bakers, book shop, hardware shop,
chemist, art supplies shop, public house and cafes.
The Memorial Hospital at Darlington provides accident and emergency facilities, some 25 miles away.
At Barnard Castle, 10 miles away, there is a Leisure Centre including swimming pool.
The parish is rural with a farming and mining heritage, with farming still a mainstay.
5
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
The village newsagents shop
Winter in the upper dale
Prince Charles visiting the village in 2012
6
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
The Parish of Middleton – in - Teesdale
Church Buildings
There was a church on the site of St Mary the
Virgin, Middleton-in-Teesdale in 1170 and it was
part of the possessions of the Monastery of St.
Mary in York. The 13th century church was
demolished in 1876 after which the current one was
built.
The current church consists of a nave with north
and south aisles, a chancel with organ chamber and
a vestry.
7
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Our new disabled doorway and
access path, bell tower in background.
Bell Tower. St Mary’s Middleton is fortunate to
have a historic bell tower containing three ancient
bells. A further point of interest is that the tower is
separate from the church and was built
alongside the former medieval church on the
site. The oldest bell is dated 1557. The three
bells were originally arranged for full circle
ringing but during the 1990’s they fell out of
regular use. Restoration work to the tower and
bells commenced in 1999. To allow the
original frame to be preserved, the bells have
since only been chimed. The bells are now chimed regularly for Sunday services with local volunteer
ringers.
Worship
Worship is to a regular pattern from Common Worship as follows:
1st Sunday Morning Prayer, subsequent Sundays feature Order 1 Communion. Typical Sunday service
attendance is 18 local persons plus visitors also regularly attending, especially in the holiday seasons.
There are 60 persons on the electoral roll.
The current style of worship might be described as “central churchmanship” but the congregation is
adaptable to different approaches. Although there are no full time prayer groups, Lent groups are
regular and ad - hoc arrangements are sometimes made. The church is normally decorated with
appropriate liturgical frontals handmade by a local person.
We are fortunate to have a regular organist and a standby organist to lead the singing, the organ is a
good two manual instrument restored in the 1990’s. There is occasional variety in the music, with
trumpet accompanying the organ. The hymn book in regular use is “Hymns Old and New”, which
was gifted to the church by individual contribution, and with support from the Middleton Carnival
Committee.
There is a good sound system capable of playing CD’s for worship purposes if necessary, and also
8
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
providing microphone and hearing loop facilities.
The regular congregation is a “Christian Family” in the best sense. A “mystery worshipper” from the
“Ship of Fools” organisation reported positively on their visit to Middleton in 2007.
Teaching.
Although the local primary school is not a C of E school, the previous incumbent used to enjoy regular
involvement in the life of the school.
Other outreach teaching is in participation with other local churches under the “Upper Teesdale
Churches Together” initiative, e.g. Lent classes.
Fellowship
Regular social activities include a well established coffee morning programme which is also a
mainstay of fundraising.
A magazine is circulated and well supported. The sick are visited at home or hospital, not a “duty on
the priest” but just something we do at grassroots level.
In 2012 the Methodists and Anglicans of Middleton started to work more closely together. This
initiative has recently been cemented by the exchanging of letters at the Methodist Covenant Service.
It is envisaged that by working together we will more effectively witness to the Gospel, will grow in
number and outreach more strongly than we would separately, and will make better use of our
buildings.
Administration
The PCC forms the backbone of the administration of the parish. Regular and special meetings are
held as required to discharge the business at hand.
With the majority of members living and working locally, unforeseen needs are met by volunteers on
an as required basis. Taking burials as an example, former churchwardens are still actively giving of
their time to manage the allocation of suitable plots and liaise with funeral directors.
It is anticipated that for a “House for Duty” minister, appropriate secretarial and or administrative
support will be required to manage community workload.
9
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Financial
There are 9 tax efficient covenants and 5 other planned givers. We manage to “pay our way” and have
set our parish share at the maximum figure we can sustain.
Within our village and the dale generally there is considerable community support for good causes.
Within the last two years the village bookshop which was facing closure has been bought and is now a
charitable trust administered by trustees with the support of a wide volunteer base, not exclusively
churchgoers. The bookshop makes donations to applicants who fit the charitable purposes including
the equally recent church development fund. This fund has been successful beyond all expectations
with receipts in excess of £40,000, two major projects funded to completion and £13,000 in hand for
the next project which may be maintenance identified by the recent quinquennial report.
We are actively involved during Christian Aid week, running house to house collections. The
Children’s Society receives our Christingle collection.
Clergy expenses are met in full, shared by three parishes in the proportion of Middleton 45%,
Eggleston 45% and Forest 10%.
Ministry
The congregation and the wider community enjoy the ministry of male and female priests equally.
Male and Female candidates will be equally welcome.
During the vacancy we are enjoying the continued ministry of a female priest, amongst others. One of
the happier consequences of our vacancy is that we have been enjoying a variety of worship styles
from different visiting clergy. Middleton is an adaptable congregation in that respect, and has the
quality of self reliance which marks the dale community as a whole.
When required at short notice, services have been led by churchwardens, there being a strong will to
have a service. There are Eucharistic ministers available to assist the celebrant at communion. Other
lay involvement includes reading the Epistle and occasional prayers.
When members of the Christian family have been indisposed, for example housebound or
hospitalised, there is a strong tradition of visiting, not just by clergy, and the taking of home
communion.
Locality, Deanery and Diocesan Links
Middleton sends two representatives to the Deanery Synod, and matters are regularly reported back to
the PCC. We participate in the annual Deanery Day which is held on the first Sunday in September,
thus maintaining links with the other parishes in the Deanery
10
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Through Deanery meetings, we have become involved with the work being carried out in Lesotho and
have met representatives from Lesotho at various services and venues.
The parish supports all Confirmation services in the Deanery.
St Mary’s is involved with the work of Christian Aid and together with the Methodist church we make
yearly house to house collections.
Ecumenical links.
As mentioned above in “The Future” ecumenical links are an increasingly important part of our
church life. Since the farmers markets were re-introduced to Middleton life, there have been open air
services held at some of those, with music provided by church members and the “Middleton and
Teesdale Silver Band”, carrying the Christian message into the streets in a unified way.
These services are well supported in all weathers and characterised by an easy going and friendly
combining of churches both to take readings and participate generally.
Jointly with the Methodists, we are now planning to additionally target local areas in rotation with
prayer and to reach out in other ways at special times. An example being the free distribution of hot
cross buns at Easter which will carry a message.
Major features of Middleton parish life in the last five years.
It is with much pride that Middleton has witnessed thirteen local persons being confirmed altogether
since 2007. The congregation is a welcoming Christian family and rejoices in new persons either
visiting or joining more permanently.
Within the last five years, the church facilities have been invested in carefully. A modern WC,
kitchen, sound system and children’s area were early developments. The new Church Development
Fund has sponsored the new heating system and we have just completed a project providing a very
attractive disabled access to the church.
Sadly, the whole Teesdale area including the parish of Middleton had a terrible experience of the foot
and mouth disease outbreak. This has left unseen scars upon many in the farming community.
Recovery is taking place, but the emotional recovery is not as rapid or as simple as the re-stocking of
fields.
In the summer, Middleton has an annual carnival, and the organisers have in the past donated money
to provide some of our new hymn books. Individuals also contributed with donations in memory of
friends and family.
In 2007 a community radio station called Radio Teesdale was established permanently after some
limited duration trials. This has been working successfully, broadcasting from a small studio in
11
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Barnard Castle to all parts of the parish and the dale generally. The station has broadcast the dawn
service at Easter and parishioners have taken turns during Lent to read from Bishop Tom’s
commentaries on the Gospels in a series called “Lent Reflections”.
In the winter, Middleton’s Christmas lights are a proud feature of our local life, being formally
switched on by HRH Prince Charles for the 2005 / 6 season. Prince Charles visited again in 2012, he
is a key supporter of the Upper Teesdale Agricultural support Service, UTASS, and formally opened
new facilities in the village auction mart.
In 2011, the village bookshop faced closure. A group of parishioners lead by the then priest in charge
took the business over and moved it to new premises. The business has built up stock, repaid start up
financing and is making significant donations to good causes within the dale. It is now an
independent registered charity lead by a board of trustees and staffed by volunteers.
There are annual agricultural shows, held at Langdon Beck, Eggleston and Bowes. In 2012 a
“Farmer’s Olympics” was held at Langdon Beck with events such as the farmer carrying wife sprint.
A Description of Eggleston Parish
Eggleston is an attractive small village of about 412 inhabitants, a
rural and wide-spread community, which is proud of its history,
situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is on a local
bus route, with buses every hour going up or down the dale and
within 35 minutes’ drive of major shopping centres, railway
station and airport.
The community is
predominantly retired
with some farming, other
local service industries, a number of self employed home
workers and many commuters. The people are very friendly,
and the crime rate is low. Housing is mainly owneroccupied, with a few housing association bungalows, quite a
lot of private rental, and a caravan park.
There are two good pubs in Eggleston, and a well-used
village hall. The village shop and post office closed down a few years ago, and the only remaining
shop is the gift shop at Eggleston Hall, where there is also a Bistro and a Garden Centre. There is a
mobile Post Office in the Village Hall twice a week.
12
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Buildings
The church dates from 1869 and is of a manageable size,
in a sound structural state and well maintained. We are
currently working towards repairing the windows and
internal walls, and the organ also needs restoring. The
church does have the disadvantage of no mains water
supply.
Worship
We have only one regular weekly service, at 9.30 a.m. on
Sunday – Common Worship Communion, with a Prayer
Book service once a month. We are neither high nor low
church, just “middle of the road”.
Some extra services were introduced by previous Vicars, e.g. All Souls; Lent course; Advent
reflections and additional Holy Week services as part of our commitment to Upper Teesdale Churches
Together. We have a steady average regular attendance of 14.
An aging congregation means we are gradually losing regular
members, but we have also continued to gain new members, so
that our overall numbers remain fairly static. There are 31 on the
Electoral Roll.
In 2012 Eggleston had 3 baptisms, 1 wedding and 4 funerals.
Teaching
We no longer have a Sunday School. Confirmation classes are
held jointly, either with Middleton or with the rest of the
deanery.
Fellowship
We have coffee in church after every Sunday morning service and mulled wine with mince pies in
church after our Carol Service at Christmas.
Administration
The PCC is lively, hard-working and cohesive; supportive of the incumbent/clergy.
13
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Finance
We have 18 regular Gift Aid givers and 5 regular givers not Gift-Aided.
We are still solvent. We have always managed to pay our Parish Share, although not always on time.
Under the new scheme introduced by Bishop Justin we have agreed to pay £7,000 parish share in
2013.
The congregation is very positive towards the financing of church upkeep and the support of the
clergy. The PCC agrees regular annual donations of £350 to charities.
We support clergy expenses according to guidelines and after consultation. There are joint aspects
with regard finance and our treasurers work closely.
Eggleston Village Hall
Ministry
We are very fortunate to have the assistance of
one non-stipendiary voluntary minister and a
retired minister.
Two lay persons are currently licensed to
assist with the chalice, and there is a rota of
around ten people who read the Epistle. We
have two honorary sides persons (aged 15
years). We also have an occasional choir. Our organist plays twice a month at the moment.
The congregation is co-operative and open-minded. There is ample scope for development amongst
young & old, with youth being a particular area for expansion.
Local Deanery and Diocesan Links
Outside the requirements of the interregnum the Diocesan offices/officers have little impact on us,
although, when approached, they are always very helpful and knowledgeable.
Our Deanery parish groupings have distinct characters and are diverse in both social and economic
terms. Despite our different needs relationships are cordial and where possible we support one
another, particularly on such events as Church Days, flower festivals and organ recitals. The annual
Eggleston Show returned to a farm in the village in 2012 and we hope to use a marquee for the
Barnard Castle Deanery and Methodist Circuit Church Day and to have a presence at the show in
2013.
14
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Ecumenical Links
We belong to a dynamic Upper Teesdale Churches Together group, which supports regular united
services. Within Eggleston we join with the Chapel to hold an annual Mothering Sunday service in
the Village Hall and are in discussion to share more services.
Community Links
There is good co-operation with the Parish Council, Village Carnival, Recreation Park and Village
Hall Committees.
Our joint Parish Magazine, for the three parishes, goes out to many people in the wider community
who support the church without necessarily attending services, or being Anglicans. Members of the
congregation run a ‘Community Coffee Morning’ to raise money for projects within the village
community. Church members help run the monthly Messy Church
Major features of Parish Life in the last 5 years
The annual summer Church Fair is our major fund-raising event.
Eggleston Agricultural Show is a popular and very well attended event which, in 2012, successfully
returned to a village location.
The Ordination to the Priesthood of the voluntary non-stipendiary Deacon in September 2008 was a
highlight of that year.
In January 2012 we started a monthly Messy Church in the Village Hall. This is led b a Methodist
trained youth worker. Of the 54 children in the village our average attendance is 25 – it went up for
the Christmas party.
The Future
Our strengths: The positive attitude of the congregation - we accept challenges, support one another
and pull well together, with a cheerful and positive PCC. The church has the support from the wider
community, which we know will continue.
Our main weakness: there are not many younger people coming to church, and our older and most
staunch members are reducing in number.
In order to maintain a viable congregation we know that we need to encourage middle aged and
younger members. We need support to show an Anglican focus to the new families in the village, to
enliven our image, and to provide confidential pastoral support, in this tight knit community. On a
positive note, several younger people have recently expressed an interest in the church, and we are
encouraging them.
15
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
Description of Forest-in-Teesdale parish.
The parish covers several thousand acres of upland farmland and fell. It divides into three areas,
Ettersgill, Forest and Harwood, but there are no hamlets or villages, with the population being around
150. All the parish is owned by Raby Estate (Lord Barnard), who is a supportive patron of the parish
church of St. James the Less. The old vicarage is now an outdoor pursuits centre. The parish contains
tourist beauty spots like High Force and Cow Green. Most people work in farming, but there is some
commuting to Barnard Castle and elsewhere as the roads are good.
Most of the small congregation lives outside the parish; they are either local people who have moved
elsewhere and come back to worship, or people who come because of the welcome they get and the
friendly feel of the place. This eclectic character has been identified as having the potential for further
growth.
The building dates from 1845 and is in good order. The congregation works well together and
previous incumbents have commented that Forest is a joy to work with. Administration and finances
are sound.
There is a service on the second Sunday of every month at 3pm, alternating Evensong or Communion,
with additional services at Pentecost, Easter etc. Liturgy is the BCP or CW equivalent. The
congregation is fairly ‘middle of the road’ in worship.
We have previously had a woman vicar and would welcome a good person of either gender.
Normal attendance is single figures, but the church is full for Harvest Festival, when we are joined by
the local Primary School, and on Xmas Eve. Both of these services have music by Middleton Band.
The PCC is keen to grow our church and has begun conversations about making more of its unique
and remote character, perhaps by becoming a focus for different styles of ministry, such as Celtic
worship. We are open to guidance for growth. Both the churchwardens are heavily involved in
community life.
There are no formal links with the local Methodists but we support each other’s services. We
participate in Churches Together.
16
Parish Profile for Upper Teesdale
….and finally, dales humour.
17