DEANERY OF HINCKFORDApplications are sought for the post of

Team Vicar (House for Duty) to be

Lead Minister for the Knights Hospitaller parishes

(Gestingthorpe, Great Maplestead, Little Maplestead and Pebmarsh)

Within the Halstead Area Tem

SummaryWe seek an enthusiastic Team Vicar to serve friendly villages in the countryside between

Halstead and Sudbury. Modern vicarage. Strong lay support.

Contents

1. Geography2. Covid-19 Update3. Messages from the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Chair of the Deanery Synod and the

Team Rector4. Person profile5. The parishes and churches of the Knights Hospitallers6. The Halstead Area Team7. The Rectory8. Useful Websites

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1. Geography

1.1 Map of the Deanery highlighting our parishes and the Halstead Area Team.

1. Gestingthorpe

2. Great Maplestead

3. Little Maplestead

4. Pebmarsh

1.2 Ordnance Survey map of the area between north Halstead and south Sudbury.

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Gestingthorpe

Great Maplestead

Little Maplestead Pebmarsh

2. Covid-19 Update

This profile was originally put together just as the pandemic was starting to take hold. It therefore describes what “normal” life in these parishes was like! As with other churches, we are now gradually exploring what the new – and changing – normal is, for these four parishes, for our Team Ministry, and beyond.

During lockdown, a weekly family service was provided on Zoom, run by a lay team primarily from Great Maplestead. The parishes also had access to online worship provided from other parishes in the Team. Weekly emails were sent out with readings and a reflection from one of the clergy. The strength of our village communities came to the fore in care and support offered to one another. It has been a challenging time that has caused some anxiety but which has also reminded us of the underlying strengths of our parishes. Now that services have restarted in church buildings, there is a Eucharist each week in the Knights Hospitaller parishes, rotating around between each parish so that each hosts it once a month. The monthly family service has also restarted in St Giles, Great Maplestead, and an occasional service of Compline is planned at Gestingthorpe. So with the rest of the Team, these parishes are stepping forward into their new circumstances, adapting as necessary and looking to the future.

Revd Katie de Bourcier, Team Rector

2. Messages

2.1 The Diocese: A message from Bishop Stephen Cottrell (written before his move to York)

In the Chelmsford Diocese we believe that God is calling his church to be a transforming presence. Our vision is that the church - that is the people of God here in Essex and East London - should be a transforming presence in every one of our parishes.

These are our priorities –

To inhabit the world distinctively

To evangelise effectively

To hold ourselves accountable to one another and to God for the stewardship of the gospel

To re imagine the way we minister so that each ordained minister and each individual Christian discovers their part in God's ministry and so that each church flourishes.

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To this end we are looking for priests who are excited by this vision of becoming a church which is itself transformed, and which is becoming a more visible and effective presence in the huge diversity of communities that make up this most exciting and energetic part of England. There are many challenges ahead of us.

We are a diocese generously subsidised by the national church. We need to become financially self-sufficient.

Leadership often seems distant. We are creating patterns of leadership that are closer to the parishes. And we are looking to develop missionary leadership at all levels of church life. Nearly half our clergy will retire in the next ten years. We need to find out how to minister with fewer stipendiary clergy and with a re-imagining of how stipendiary ministry works. We need to re-organise the way parishes relate to each other in what we are calling Mission and Ministry Units.

Some of our congregations still think ministry is what Vicars do. We have a vision of ministry where the whole people of God are involved in the whole of God's ministry. We are also experimenting with new forms of authorised lay ministry.

Church must be a safe place. All those in ministry will be expected to undergo training that will equip them to respond well in situations associated with safeguarding.

Levels of church going are below the national average. We need to get evangelism on to the agenda and into the lifeblood of every church. We encourage and train churches to put on weekends of mission and outreach. One of our aspirations is that every benefice should have a trained lay evangelism enabler.

We are developing missionary discipleship, so that every church in the diocese is a place where Christians are formed in order to be sent out in witness and service.

Despite planning for a future with fewer stipendiary clergy, we remain as committed as ever to the local church. And what is the local church, but that community of men and women gathered around Christ, and living and sharing the gospel in the networks and neighbourhoods of their lives? But we need priests to lead and to serve.

We know we need to change. We can only be a transforming presence when we have allowed God to transform us. Therefore at the heart of all we do is a longing for intimacy with God and a renewed life of prayer. First and foremost a priest is a minister of the word and sacrament. All ministry flows from this. But a priest shares the ministry of the bishop, therefore presbyteral ministry will increasingly be a ministry of oversight, guiding, nurturing and directing the mission of God's church in the communities we serve.

It is an exciting time to be part of God's missionary movement for the world, and the Diocese of Chelmsford is an exciting place to serve. We have a clear vision and we are looking to appoint clergy who will share this with us. In every parish we long to see each person and each community grow in faithfulness and ministry so that together we may serve in the world and Christ may be made known.

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+Stephen

2.2 The Chair of Hinckford Deanery Synod

The Hinckford Deanery consists of 39 Parishes, with 42 Churches, in the North of the diocese, stretching down from the borders of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, through the Hedinghams and Halstead to Chappell and Wakes Colne. It is largely rural with many small villages and some larger ones with the market town of Halstead at its centre.

Our vision is that our church communities will have a passion for Jesus Christ, proclaiming and living out God’s love for all people, and a desire to be at the centre of the life in our towns and villages, whilst our church buildings will provide physical, spiritual and social centres within the community of North of Essex, reflecting the priorities of Transforming Presence mentioned in Bishop Stephen’s message.

Recognising the changes which are taking place in the roles and deployment of both ordained and lay ministers, the Deanery Plan seeks to re-imagine how ministry can develop to make us more effective in mission. We look towards building up every church community by increasing collaboration and team working, recognising and celebrating the ministry of all God’s people, and making full use of the diversity of ordained and lay ministry that God has provided. The future pattern of ministry in the diocese will be based on neighbouring parishes working together and sharing resources within Mission & Ministry Partnerships (MMPs). To this end, Deanery Synod concluded that the Parishes of the Hinckford Deanery could best serve the people living in the Deanery by becoming a single MMP.

To work towards the fulfilment of this vision, our strategy encompasses nine strategic aims across four workstreams, made up of licensed ministers and lay people working together across the Deanery. These workstreams are:-

Mission, Discipleship and Evangelism;

Vocations;

Youth and Children;

Resources (including Finance and Buildings) and Communications.

These workstreams came out of a desire to work together to provide an environment which releases people to fulfil their God-given potential. We seek to provide, amongst other things, opportunities of training for lay people, sharing best practice and ideas and supporting and praying for one another. Current Deanery-led training initiatives include lay participation in leading worship, preaching, writing and leading intercessions, pastoral visiting and the Course in Christian Studies. This is an exciting time in the development of the mission of God in our Deanery as we work together to discern what the Holy Spirit is doing in our churches and communities so that we can play our part. Should any prospective candidates wish to contact me for further information or to ask any questions, my contact details are set out below.

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The Revd. Canon Jonathan D Lowe ACII CF Assistant Area Dean, Hinckford DeaneryEmail: vicar@2rivers.faith

Telephone: 01440 731687

2.3 The Rector of the Halstead Area Team Ministry

Thank you for your interest in joining our Team!

The Halstead Area Team, consisting of the country market town of Halstead and nine surrounding villages, is committed to working together to enable our parishes and our ministers to thrive. We’re looking not just for a new vicar for the four small Knights Hospitaller parishes, but for a new member of our Team, someone we hope will enjoy working with us and who will bring their own gifts and experience to enrich our shared life.

As a ministerial team, we come from a range of backgrounds. We meet regularly to pray, plan and chat; we support one another in practical ways; and we are seeking together to discern God’s leading for our future as a Team. As a group of churches, we value distinctive ministry of each parish while also taking the opportunities to do things as a Team which we wouldn’t be able to do just at parish level.

The Team consists of three clusters: Halstead, Gosfield and Greenstead Green in the south western part of the Team; The Colnes (Earls Colne, Colne Engaine and White Colne) in the eastern part of the Team; and the Knights Hospitaller parishes (Great and Little Maplestead, Pebmarsh and Gestingthorpe) in the northern part. We work on the basis that each minister has a clear focus on one or a group of parishes, meaning that each parish knows who their lead minister is; but we are also committed to supporting one another flexibly as needed, and to joining together as a whole Team for various services and events. We also play an active part in the wider Mission and Ministry Partnership of which we are part, the Churches of Halstead and the Hinckford Hundred.

The ministry team, from the end of March 2020, will consist of:

Team Rector (full time stipendiary): Revd Katie de Bourcier

Lead minister for Halstead and Greenstead Green

Team Vicar (full time stipendiary): Revd Mark Payne

Lead minister for the Colnes parishes

Team Vicar (House for Duty): Vacant from end March 2020

Lead minister for the Knights Hospitaller parishes

Associate Minister (self-supporting): Revd Rose Braisby

Lead minister for Gosfield

Curate (self-supporting): Revd Beverley Vincent

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Curate (stipendiary): Revd Jo Parrott

We are also fortunate to be supported by retired priests living in the benefice; and have two ordinands in training at present.

The Halstead Area Team came into being in 2002, consisting then of Halstead, Gosfield, Greenstead Green and the Colnes. It expanded in 2012 to include the Knights Hospitaller parishes, and since then we have been on a journey in which we have built closer relationships and greater trust, and a deeper shared understanding amongst both ministers and churches; a Team offers us the best basis for a future in which each parish has the opportunity to thrive.

We meet for fortnightly ministry team meetings; we provide cover for one another where possible for leave and other absences; we assist each other in taking funerals and weddings where needed; and we act as sounding boards for each other, and sources of advice and ideas, or simply offering a listening ear. And we like to have fun together! Once a year we take a day away from the parishes together for a social day out, both to help nurture our relationships and also as part of our commitment to supporting each other’s wellbeing.

Most fifth Sundays, we come together across the benefice for a Team Service. We also do that on the Sunday after Christmas and the Sunday after Easter, taking that in turn around the churches and so enabling most of the ministry team to have those Sundays off.

Although this is a time of transition in the Team, in terms of ministry team members, it is also an exciting time and we are looking hopefully towards the future. We have real strengths and opportunities: in the relationships amongst the ministry team and the churches; in our various gifts and the distinctive character of each parish; in the extent of skilled lay ministry; and in new initiatives such as a Strategic Development Fund grant for a new worshipping community in Halstead. We see the arrival of a new team vicar as an opportunity too, to refresh us as a Team by bringing new gifts, experience and perspective. We face challenges and risks, too, of course: parish finances are tight – but there is a real commitment to supporting one another in that; our lay volunteers are working hard and juggling different responsibilities; and some of our congregations are very small and generally elderly. But in all this we are confident in God’s provision and faithfulness, and we sense that there is a positive momentum in the Team as a whole, which excites us for the future.

Thank you for taking the time to find out about us and our vacancy. Please do feel free to get in touch with me for an informal conversation if you’d like to find out more.

Revd Katie de Bourcier

3. Person Profile

We hope to appoint someone who is enthusiastic about working in and with rural communities and is both thoughtful and clear in communicating their Christian faith. More specifically we hope to find someone who:

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Has an understanding and appreciation of rural ministry, and an awareness of how the link between parish church and community works in a rural setting

Is a leader who listens to and involves others, and who nurtures their gifts

Enjoys working as part of a team with lay people and clergy, and who will contribute their gifts and insight to the Halstead Area Team as a whole

Will look beyond the walls of the church and engage with other parts of the community, including our primary schools and our clubs and groups

Will encourage and maintain the unity and co-operation between our four churches, including through our shared parish magazine

Knows how to have fun and remembers that looking after their own health and well-being is a key part of being able to care for others.

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4. The parishes and churches of the Knights Hospitallers

GESTINGTHORPE

The parish

Large in area and relatively sparse in population (421 in the 2011 census) the parish is characterised by open countryside, extensive arable fields and long views.

It is equidistant from the towns of Sudbury (which has a train service) and Halstead. The nearest surgery is in Castle Hedingham and the nearest large hospitals are in Colchester and Bury St Edmunds.

The Pheasant pub has developed as a restaurant with rooms and has won a number of awards.

There are no shops and the nearest post offices are in the neighbouring villages of Bulmer and Castle Hedingham. There is a (small) bus service to Sudbury and to Halstead.

The primary school closed in the 1960s and is now the Village Hall, which is used by a number of community groups including for a fortnightly coffee morning (attendance up to 20).

The village’s children go by school bus to primary schools in other villages, mainly that of our neighbour to the east, Bulmer (now linked with the Great Maplestead school). The nearest secondary school in the county is at Sible Hedingham. There is a private day nursery in the village.

A former red telephone box has been converted to house a defibrillator. A well-attended briefing session in the Village Hall was arranged when the service was launched to explain how it worked

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and what to do in case of an emergency. All this has been organised, and continues to be maintained, by volunteers.

Activities in the village

Opposite Gestingthorpe Hall (formerly the home of Captain Oates who died heroically on the Scott Antarctic Expedition of 1912) there is a large playing field. This is used according to season both for cricket and for football. Play equipment for young children in the corner of the field is well used.

There is a very active Village History Group, chaired by a local farmer who is also an amateur archaeologist and historian. Remains of a Roman farm/villa have been excavated on his land and artefacts from the site are on display in one of his barns. Children from the local schools visit often to learn about local history and nature.

The Bells of St Mary’s is an active handbell ringing group, which practises in the Village Hall weekly. The handbells belong to the church and are known to be over 125 years old; they were originally cast by Taylors of Loughborough and have been recently maintained by them.

The Church of St Mary’s Gestingthorpe

Our congregation is small but loyal and friendly, welcoming newcomers (most recently towards the end of 2019). Congregations for “normal” Sundays are between 8 and 12. Generally speaking our congregation is middle-aged or older, but we do have at least one young family among our frequent attenders. On normal Sundays the services take place in the chancel giving the effect of closer fellowship than being scattered across our rather large nave. In winter there is a curtain across the rood screen to add a bit of extra warmth to the heaters.

We usually have four services a month: Holy Communion twice, Matins (taken by a Reader) once and Compline in mid-afternoon once. The Compline service is led alternately by two lay members of the PCC. On fifth Sundays, there are services for all four parishes or for the ten parishes in the Halstead Area Team, rotated in turn.

Additionally we usually have three outside services a year, one in a beautiful bluebell wood in the spring and one for Plough Sunday and a third for Lammas.

Our December carol service is very popular with up to a hundred participants. In 2018 and 2019, the standard of singing was greatly improved by the welcome presence of members of a Halstead Gospel Choir. The church is lit by candles on these occasions, with mulled wine and mince pies beforehand. In 2019, a few hardy souls also re-introduced the practice of carol singing around the village, with some success.

Harvest Festival is also quite popular and is followed by Harvest Supper in the village hall, with up to 50 taking part.

We would describe our approach to liturgy as neither high nor low. We use Common Worship. We have recently acquired fine new hymn books, Ancient & Modern: Hymns and Songs for Refreshing Worship.

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Our organ was built by J.J. Binns of Leeds in 1910 and is reckoned to be a fine example of their work. It was fully restored in 2006 and is regularly maintained. We are fortunate in having organists in the village.

The Church is Grade 1 listed. It is medieval in origin, though a pre-Norman structure probably preceded it. The highlights include a very fine double hammerbeam roof, a very early tall brick tower (1498) and a splendid brass memorial plaque to Captain Oates. There are also some information boards about Oates and the Scott expedition just inside the south door. The tower is built with Gestingthorpe brick. There were several brickworks in the parish and just over the border with Bulmer one still thrives.

We have six church bells in the tower and an active group of ringers. We often have visiting bell ringers. The oldest bell, the tenor, dates from the sixteenth century.

Our most recent quinquennial inspection was in 2017 and we are working through a list of minor repairs and maintenance tasks that resulted.

A rota of volunteers ensures that the church is opened every day. The Visitors’ Book has many entries from outside our area and from other countries. Australia, New Zealand and the United States feature quite often, there usually being distant family connections with Gestingthorpe.

Except during Lent, there are always flowers in the church. Another rota of volunteers is responsible for this, led by one of the churchwardens.

The churchwardens and the PCC

In a small village with small congregations it is often the case that the same volunteers continue in post for some time, there being no obvious willingness on the part of others to come forward: Gestingthorpe is no exception. We have 2 Churchwardens, a Treasurer and 4 standing members.

We have been paying our full parish share since the last interregnum and have a reasonable reserve for contingencies. A few years ago we had lead stolen from the south aisle roof for the second time. We asked the village for contributions and this enabled us, together with a payment from the insurance company, to meet the costs.

We receive a quarterly payment from County Broadband for hosting some inconspicuous aerials on the top of the tower. We see this as a double benefit, income for the church and a community service, broadband reception here having previously been below par.

Since the Village Hall is very close to the church and is well-equipped with kitchen and toilets, the PCC has seen no need to embark on expensive installations of such facilities inside the church. A member of the PCC also sits on the Village Hall Committee so there is good liaison between us all.

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GREAT MAPLESTEAD

Parish Great Maplestead

Dedication St Giles

Population 355 approx

Electoral Roll 33 (2019) 4 non residents

Average Number of Sunday Communicants 9

Average Number of Sunday Congregation 10

Baptisms 2019 0

Weddings 2019 0

Funerals 2019 2

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Description of the Parish

Great Maplestead is an attractive rural parish set in gently rolling countryside in Essex,close to the Essex / Suffolk border. Its nearest market towns are Halstead (3 miles) andSudbury (7 miles). It is about 30 minutes by car from Colchester, 45 minutes from Bury StEdmunds and about one hour from Cambridge. The nearest train stations are at Sudbury,Braintree (10 miles) and Colchester, with trains to London, Ipswich and Norwich.

The Village

The village is set on a triangle of quiet roads, with its nucleus located around the churchand school, but with several outlying clusters of houses. Housing is largely privately owned.

The CommunityThe village has an exceptionally good community spirit, with a strong tradition of caring forneighbours, either elderly or unwell. There is a lively social life, with a programme ofactivities throughout the year, mostly organised by the village social committee or thechurch. These include well-supported WEA classes, WI, carpet bowls, knitting group, quiz nights, annual fete and cream tea, footpath walks, coffee mornings for charity, and carol singing round the village at Christmas. Wednesday coffee and chat sessions take place in the Tower Room at the church.

Facilities in the Village

The village is served by a weekly mobile grocery and milk and newspaper deliveries are available. The nearby village of Castle Hedingham offers a good range of pubs, with a restaurant, grocery shop, post office and tea-room. There are supermarkets and a good range of other shops in Halstead and Sudbury, with further out-of- town supermarkets at Braintree and Sudbury.

The Village Hall

A well-equipped Village Hall (shared with Little Maplestead) provides an important venuefor social gatherings and activities. Its running and maintenance is under the care of theVillage Hall Committee.

The School

St Giles’ School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school. It has about100 children, many of whom come from outside the village. The Incumbent is expected totake an active part in the school’s life, through governorship, taking regular assemblies,etc. The pupils come to church for special services and have used the church buildingand churchyard to help learn about history, architecture and ecology. The head teacher is keen to maintain ties between church and school.

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The Church Building

St Giles’ Church is an ancient Grade 1 listed building, in excellent repair and is well heatedand lit. It has its original Norman apse and tower, and was extended in the Middle Agesand by the Victorians.

The Dyne’s Hall chapel, on the south side, contains two fine Tudor effigies, and is usedtwice a month when coffee is served after the service, using the new facilities. The seatingin the nave consists of fixed pews and can accommodate up to 150 people.

Following re-ordering, the church now has an excellent refurbished pipe organ,sound system, meeting room, and toilet facilities.

The Congregation

We have an average congregation of about 10, consisting of a mixture of ages. A service is held every Sunday. Our normal pattern of services is:

First Sunday Evensong at 6.30pmSecond Sunday Holy Communion at 9.30amThird Sunday Holy Communion at 11amFourth Sunday Family Service at 11am

Team services rotate between the parishes whenever there is a fifth Sunday or on special Sundays.

Lay Involvement

The running of the church is aided by many willing volunteers. The Parochial ChurchCouncil meets about four times a year to support and maintain the life of the church.Meetings are usually held in The Tower Room. We have 2 Churchwardens, one of whom is also the Treasurer and 6 standing members.

Family service on the 4th Sunday is an informal service run by the family service team.

Activities run by the Church

Every Wednesday morning the Tower Room is open for coffee and provides a good focalpoint for the community, bringing people into the church building who wouldn’t otherwisebe there.

Worship and Churchmanship

Worship at St Giles has been largely traditional, using Common Worship, and the Book ofCommon Prayer for Evensong. Although we appreciate a formal framework for ourservices, we look for a lightness of touch and a degree of informality. As a congregationwe always welcome children.

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Music

St Giles Church is justly proud of its refurbished organ and our excellent Rolandkeyboard. We employ a regular organist, who plays for services in the mornings, anda church member plays for Evensong. A well supported adult choir sings at Festivals.

Finance

The PCC pays the Parish Share in full. Detailed copies of the accounts may be supplied on application to the Treasurer.

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LITTLE MAPLESTEAD

The parish

The parish of Little Maplestead is surrounded by those of Great Maplestead, Gestingthorpe and Pebmarsh. It lies two miles from the market town of Halstead in Essex and six miles from Sudbury, the nearest market town in Suffolk.

The focal point of the village is the Round Church, which was probably built about 1335 on the site of an earlier Saxon church. It is one of the four round churches in England and is proud to still be serving its small rural parish with regular services. It is the historic links with the Sovereign Order of the Knights and Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem which give the Benefice its name.

The village

Little Maplestead is a village comprising around 120 dwellings which are scattered across a fairly wide geographical area. There are a small concentration of homes near to the church and another group on the main road between Halstead and Sudbury. Other houses, cottages and farms lie along its quiet lanes. Several small businesses have their premises in the village, most based in the small business centre, but there is also and an Indian restaurant and an apiary.

The Benefice Rectory is situated in Great Maplestead, a village whose facilities are shared with Little Maplestead. The two villages combine for social as well as religious events.

Facilities in the village

There is a well maintained children’s playground in the centre of the village. Nearby can be found one of the village defibrillators also the village post box and bus stop. A local bus service, linking Halstead and Sudbury to the village can be booked by phone and times can be checked on the internet. Direct rail services to London Liverpool Street run from Braintree (9 miles), Witham 16 miles) and at Sudbury a small link service runs to Marks Tey, where main line services to London, Colchester and Ipswich can be reached.

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Health Facilities

Nearby GP surgeries can be found in Halstead, Castle Hedingham and Sudbury, with some outpatient service available in Halstead and Sudbury. The main hospitals are in Chelmsford (18 miles / 40 mins), Colchester (15 miles/ 34 min) and Bury St Edmunds (22 miles/ 45 minutes).

The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Little Maplestead

The Church of St. John the Baptist in Little Maplestead is one of only four round churches still in use in England. It was built on a site given to the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, known as the Knights Hospitaller, and is still associated with the Order today. This Order was originally established in 1092 in Jerusalem with the building of a hospice to accommodate pilgrims visiting holy places and was first introduced in England in around 1144.It is generally believed that there was a church near to the site of the current church in late Saxon times as a priest is mentioned in the Domesday Book but there is no documentary or archaeological evidence to support this. The manor and church of Little Maplestead were given to the Knights Hospitaller in 1185 and it must have been around this time that the Hospital was founded. Soon thereafter the Knights must have built a church for their own use.

The church was dramatically restored between 1851 - 1857 when most of the old details were renewed or replaced. It is possible to read what was done in the old minute book of the Restoration Committee which is still in existence. The external walls were completely refaced and the windows and buttresses were renewed. A new roof was added to the chancel and circular aisle, the hexagonal wooden belfry was rebuilt and the old western porch was replaced with a smaller one. The interior stonework was scraped and much new stone added. The present font was also discovered during the restoration work. It is the most ancient feature in the church and probably dates from 1080. The bowl was originally square but the corners were later cut off, probably during the 16th century. The font was probably intended for total immersion baptism as was the custom in early Norman times. The western face of the font bears a carving of St Andrew's cross. As St Andrew was possibly the first bishop of Byzantium this may account for the presence of his symbol.

The church is open every day between about 9.30am and dusk, the visitors’ book shows that it is a popular church to visit and draws people from around the world.

In 2017 a new section for the churchyard was gifted by a local family and was Consecrated by Bishop Roger.

Regular Services

There are three regular services each month – 11am Holy Communion on the first Sunday, 9.30am Holy Communion on the third Sunday and 10am Morning Prayer on the fourth Sunday. If there is a fifth Sunday there is a Team Service.

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We worship with other parishes in the Benefice for some of the farming services – Plough Sunday and Lammas. A Bluebell Service is held annually. Mothering Sunday, Remembrance Sunday and Advent Sunday are all held on a rota basis. The Palm Sunday service traditionally consists of a walk between the Maplestead churches, beginning at one church and ending at the other.

Harvest is a very popular service with the congregation gathering for a hot lunch with hymns and prayers in church.

Lent begins with the Ash Wednesday service.

In Holy Week there is always a Compline service and a Good Friday Service, with a Holy Communion on Easter Day.

Christmastide begins with the Carol Service with mulled wine and mince pies. The Crib service on Christmas Eve is a joy to attend, and informal Carols and Holy Communion on Christmas Day is a wonderful experience. All services are very well attended.

On the first Sunday of June each year, we host a service of Choral Evensong for the Sovereign Order of the Knights and Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. Of those who attend some 50 -60 guests are by invitation; refreshments are provided after the service by volunteers from the St John’s Ambulance Cadets with assistance from members of the Little Maplestead PCC.

The Parochial Church Council

We have a full complement of members of our PCC. We have a Churchwarden, a Treasurer , and 6 standing members.

The Sacraments

In 2019, in addition to the regular services there were two baptisms, one wedding and two funerals.

Fabric of the Church

The most recent QI report in 2018, identified several areas in the church where remedial or maintenance work needed to be undertaken. Of the nine priority A items, only two still require attention. We are currently working our way through the Priority B items and improving the church heating. In addition, we have repaired the masonry and glass to all the windows which were identified in our own window audit.

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Parish Room

We have spent two years working on plans for a small Parish Room to be built in the church grounds. We have just received Full Planning Permission from Braintree District Council, and are in the process of applying for the relevant Faculty. The Parish Room will be used for mission, outreach and community use. We will have a kitchen and meeting room suitable for the needs of 21st century ministry. We have some funds, and intend to apply for grants, but we have had many pledges of support, both financial and practical from the parishioners.

Additional Fund-Raising Activities

We are fortunate to have a committed band of helpers from the village, who arrange flowers, bake cakes and open and close the church. We hold a Spring Craft Fair and Plant Sale, which is growing in popularity every year, and a Christmas Craft Fair – both held in the church. We have held Summer Fetes with a Dog Show, and also a bi-annual Flower Festival, all raising funds for the fabric of the church.

Church Finances

Our Parish Share is always paid in full and we regularly donate to chosen charities. Detailed accounts for the Church may be seen on application to the Treasurer.

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PEBMARSH

The Parish

The village of Pebmarsh has a population of approximately 500. The parish is surrounded by agricultural land and open countryside. The main industry is agriculture with a lot of diversification within recent years including fishing lakes and a Glamping site. Courtauld’s weaving and textile business started in the village.

The Church of St John Baptist

St John the Baptist Church is set in the middle of the village and was built in the 13th Century. In the floor of the chancel there is a full sized brass of William FitzRalph (Lord of the Manor) who died in 1323. This brass is the largest in Essex.

During recent years the church has been updated with a wheelchair accessible toilet and a well equipped kitchen which has proved to be very popular providing refreshments after services.

We have 6 bells which are rung by a team of Benefice ringers on a regularly basis.

During 2019 the Friends of Pebmarsh Church was formed, and has been well supported by the village, allowing us to keep updated on the fabric repairs.

We hold two Holy Communion Services each month. Normal congregation is 8 -12 people.

We have special services which include a Carol service with an average attendance of approximately 100. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services approximately 25. Harvest festival service again 25, with the Easter Day service similar.

The school attend the church for religious services each term, with family members making the congregation of around 200.

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The Churchwardens and PCC

We currently have one churchwarden, a secretary, a treasurer, and 6 standing members.

Our Parish share has been paid in full.

We have volunteers who decorate the church with floral arrangements for special services, and the altar is dressed weekly.

Village Life and Activities

The Kings Head public house has been re-opened as a Community Pub with shareholders from the village and surrounding areas. This is now a thriving pub serving good food and ales.

In 2018 the village gained a Hairdressing/beauty salon, a village shop which is well stocked with essential items, and more recently a Café/restaurant.

The School is well attended and serves the village and surrounding areas. Currently approximately 80 children attend.

The village hall, serves the community, and is available for hire. Clubs that are held in the village hall include Ladies Club, Art Class, Bowling, Dog Club, Card Making, Youth Club and Baby Sensory class.

Open gardens and “A bit of a do” are held annually, and the roads around the village also form part of the Halstead Marathon route.

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5. The Halstead Area Team

The Team currently consists of ten parishes, four of which are the Knights Hospitallers’ parishes, the focus of this profile. The other parishes are:

St Andrew’s Halstead

St Catherine’s Gosfield

St James’ Greensted Green

St Andrew’s Earls Colne

St Andrew’s Colne Engaine

St Andrew’s White Colne

The full ministry team consists of the Team Rector (Rev’d Katie de Bourcier, who leads for Halstead and Greensted Green); two Team Vicars (Rev’d Mark Payne, who leads the three Colne parishes; and whoever is appointed to the House for Duty vacancy to lead the Knights Hospitallers parishes); a self-supporting Associate Minister (Rev’d Rose Braisby, who leads for Gosfield); and two Curates (Rev’d Beverley Vincent, who is self-supporting; and Rev’d Jo Parrott).

While members of the ministry team are assigned to lead for particular parishes, they are all expected to cover for each other as required and to work as a team under the leadership of the Team Rector. This gives more flexibility and ensures continuity of service during holidays and sickness. It also helps parishes to learn from each other and to carry out certain activities which would not be viable in a small parish on a Team basis.

Sunday Gestingthorpe Gt. Maplestead Lt. Maplestead Pebmarsh1st Holy Communion Evensong Holy Communion

2nd Compline Holy Communion Holy Communion

3rd Matins Holy Communion Holy Communion

4th Holy Communion Family Service Morning Prayer

5th Team Service

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6. The Rectory

The house was built in 1996 and designed to Diocesan standards. It is a spacious andwell-equipped family home, with four bedrooms, (main bedroom en-suite), dining room,kitchen, utility room, lounge with terrace doors to the back garden, a separate study anddownstairs lavatory, with a door between these and the main accommodation.

A good-sized enclosed back garden is mainly laid to lawn, with a small paved area andgate leading to the churchyard. At the front, there is a small garden, double garage, andparking for three to four vehicles.

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7. Useful Websites

The following is taken from the Halstead profile, with amendments where it may need to be updated in the light of later developments.

There are a number of websites that may be useful for gaining background information regarding the parishes that make up the Team and those that we feel might be useful are listed below.

All the parish websites can be accessed through the Team website: http://www.halsteadchurches.co.uk/

Schools:

https://stjohnthebaptist.pebmarsh.com/

https://sggm.sgasa.uk/

https://www.hedingham.essex.sch.uk/

https://www.ramseyacademy.com/

Parish spotlights: Using the data from the 2011 Census, the national Church produced a document for each parish. The spotlights for the Chelmsford diocese are at: http://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/parishes/advice/parish-spotlights

Local Council Information: Braintree District Council’s Local Plan can be accessed via http://www.braintree.gov.uk/localplan and housing and other parish-related information can be found under “Mapping housing needs in the Braintree district: http://www.braintree.gov.uk/housingstatnav/info/4/parishes (For each parish you have to navigate by selecting the parish; clicking for housing needs documents and clicking “parish name” detailed background data.) https://www.ramseyacademy.com/

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