ontact:   PCC Secretary          or  Church Warden

   Alex Barbour                        Carol Bousfield/Ted Relph

Telephone;  01931716001                       017683 51249/715359

   al*ex@ydf*c.co.uk       car*ol@train*lands.co.uk     

                                                                   ted*relph@ao*l.com

 

1.     Purpose or Objective of your organisation

 

St Lawrence is the ancient Anglican parish church for CR, Reagill and M.Meaburn. Our purpose is to provide a place of worship for all in the parish, a haven of quiet in a busy day and where Christian folk can celebrate communion, be married and buried in line with the faith of Church of England.

 

2. The plans/projects we are pursuing or considering at the moment and into the future. 

     Update May 2009: The PCC of 2007 decided after public consultation and questionnaires that apparently there wasn’t sufficient support for St Lawrence and so regretfully started the legal process of seeking redundancy in March 2008.

The church doors were already closed due to fears about public liability and dodgy electrics. The legal process is still in process. But at least the PCC of 2008 were able to open the church again for April 9th 2009 Maundy Thursday by putting in temporary electrics which by- pass the poor parts. This took much time, negotiation and a special Archdeacon’s faculty to see it though. We have it until August but can reapply if necessary.

The PCC of 2009 has decided that from May 24th the church will be used for all our services held in CR until further notice.

Meanwhile there is to be a crucial meeting of the Pastoral Committee of the C of E in Jun 2009. Here the letters and representations of those in the parish- both those who wrote in support of the redundancy and those who opposed it- will be considered and a way forward to redundancy or not decided upon.

 

3. Do you have any longer terms plans (e.g. next five years) that could be included in the Community Plan.

This is difficult to say in the circumstances. 

If the church is made redundant, a group called the Conservation Churches Trust may help with advice, but not necessarily funds, to get the church water-proof and heated. The space may then be used for heritage displays/concerts/open days and also services for about 6 Sundays. Burials and weddings will be able to be held at the discretion of the incumbent and CCT. 

The ancient parish may then disappear or the PCC may decide to remain as an Anglican parish without their own church building as such, but with special licence to worship in other spaces such as the village hall or the Methodist Chapel who have been so kind to us in the past. On the other hand they may decide to align with another parish instead.

 What would happen to the lovely church if she and we were made redundant but the CCT did not take on St Lawrence is unthinkable.

St. Lawrence Parish Church