CONVENER

Can you help, please?

After seven years the convener is retiring from this ministry (and other public ministry) early in 2013.

People say that they have found mutual support in meeting, they have learnt from reflecting on rural ministry and issues of country churches. They have quite simply valued meeting others involved in rural church work in Hampshire across the two dioceses of Portsmouth and Winchester and the opportunity to share with those who appreciate the countryside and its peculiar issues

It has been amazing that gatherings have consistently attracted some 15 busy people.

Could you - or a couple of you - devise and arrange three meetings a year:

• they typically run from 11.30am until after prayers in church finishing at 3.00pm
• they only need a location with tea/coffee making facilities, as those attending bring their own lunch
• they move around Hampshire through the hospitality of members of the network
• they are well spaced through the year: February/March - discussion or speaker; June/July - a farm or rural enterprise visit; October/November - discussion or speaker
• most in the network are easily contactable through email
• the HRG blog is easily updated with news and reports - training and explanation can be given -- or this could be done by another volunteer.

If you think you could help in some way, either email Martin Coppen, or contact him by phone on 01264 738308, or by letter at: The Vicarage, St Mary Bourne, Andover, Hants SP11 6AY.

Thank you for reading this.

How is the rural church different?

Hampshire Rural Group
Meeting at Colden Common Vicarage, 30 October 2012

Ministry on the Edge: Rural Ministry on the fringes of towns / Suburban Ministry on the Rural Fringe.

Starting point, Archbishop Rowan Williams' Theological Reflection on the essays in Changing Rural Life: A Christian response to key rural issues, ed Jeremy Martineau, Leslie J Francis and Peter Francis (Canterbury Press, 2004)

Points made in dialogue with that article:

•    Faith taken from towns to countryside
    •    ‘not thinking of countryside for itself’, most tend to see it through urban eyes: worldview shaped by urban
    •    many in modern villages have urban mentality - commuters, secondary schools are in towns, young use networking media
    •    successful buy into countryside living, some into ‘rural myth’

•    Land
    •    sense of trusteeship not always evidenced by farmers and estate managers – but some do
    •    theology of place: sense of place; in countryside ‘people need to know their place’: people living away who wish to celebrate their weddings and baptisms in home rural church
    •    history of place important: development from Roman times into Anglo-Saxon, Roman villa ➔ estate ➔ village
    •    minster small monastic settlement at heart of estate, monks and secular clergy, with church
    •    Church is often much loved as ‘our church’

•    Limit
    •    human nature desires to control: this year’s bad harvest is taken philosophically by farmers
    •    countryside as a place where death is in view: road-kill, livestock, open churchyards
    •    small scale: both beautiful and challenging (parish share large): small makes for greater interdependence, more loving, greater need for good relationships.

•    But what is really distinctive about rural ministry?
    •    is it only that it is ministry in rural context to range of people with rural attitudes, expectations, dreams, by definition living in small settlements
    •    it is likely more traditional
    •    hypothesis: in village communities church goers are representative: someone dies, but then another takes up the responsibility so numbers keep up.
    •    ‘old village’ may be isolated from church, but still support the building
    •    sense of identity, sense of belonging sometimes highest in those who are overlooked
    •    multi-parish – need to regain balance between ministry and management

Brainstorming at the inaugural meeting of Hampshire Rural Group, 13 April 2005 What, from our experience, is distinctive about Rural Ministry?  Sociology of Villages •    different countrysides (Russell) •    farming •    change, in a setting thought of as more traditional •    eclectic •    rurality — ‘in the mind’ •    different models of ‘common space’ •    perception of ‘community’, while sometimes not actually knowing each other •    class: people don't laugh if your name is Rupert ... •    parochial Church •    community ownership of church •    multi-parish •    un-ideological •    organic •    church primary schools common •    a (retired) military presence - to vicar, “You’re one of us.” •    managing decline? •    Ministry or management? •    decline of non-conformity •    church events owned by village •    open church, visitors •    churchyard •    value of string (make do and mend)

Thoughts about the discussion (a personal response - MC)

•    The difficulty we had in identifying clear differences between rural and urban ministry has already been suggested in research by Leslie J Francis and team which shows that rural ministers are less differentiated now from their urban colleagues than they used to be (Rural Theology articles).
    •    sub-urbanism is a greedy concept, by definition, erasing difference by making a comforting uniformity: but there really is need in rural ministry to ‘know one’s place’ in every sense, not least by appreciating (celebrating?) difference.
    •    rural society is complex and, the smaller the community the more this impinges on ministry.
    •    rural ministry is most likely to be done in multi-parish benefices: multiple-focus is wearing for all, lay and ordained.
    •    rural churches cannot easily withdraw, whether into a spiritual ministerial bubble or eclectic churchmanship: there is always pressure from the expectation of many-layered engagement with all the parish.

•    So, theologically we could say that the special emphases of the Good News from the rural churches are:

    •    A heightened recognition in our worship of God as Creator and Father: this leads to living in community and church life with an acceptance of limit, and with organic growth supported by human tending – however slow to fruit.
    •    Celebrating in our village communities the incarnate life of our Lord Jesus Christ, through face to face relationship, by knowing our place in its human scale by love and service, with thankfulness for its land, walked and prayed over.
    •    In the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to seek the common good, through the fruits of kindness, gentleness, generosity, etc: and through the reconciling Spirit to gather up the fragments of multi-parish ministry to nourish the people of God.

MC 3 November 2012

How is rural different? A personal response ....

Rural Ministry

It feels to me as if the distinctive qualities of rural ministry are clear when you are looking through binoculars but similarities are found when you examine or compare under a microscope. It is about ‘knowing your place’......


What are the ’Binocular’ (distance) distinctive qualities associated with Rural Ministry (or Rural Descriptiveness)?

1. Geographical

By the very nature of the definition of the word rural our understanding is that it is not urban (town, city, built up area). It involves hills and valleys, fields and pasture, which are not the domain of urban areas.

2. Environmental

Rural ministry happens in areas that range from conservation areas, areas of outstanding natural beauty to places on urban edges. Some rural parishes share boundaries with built up areas. There are country footpaths, by ways open to all traffic and bridle paths inside the parish/benefice boundaries.
Footpaths in the main are not tarmacked, farm vehicles are regular road users

3. Social

Even though villages may attractive those who can afford houses over £300,000 there is a sense of community that is not class dependant, with a shared understanding of the boundaries of the place (village, hamlet or settlement). This means there is a collective aspect to and a sense of belonging to the church or ministry that takes place.

4. Physical

There is a given understanding of the corporeal (earthy) with foundations of agriculture (there is a season) and farming (animals) as well as the ‘hunting, shooting and fishing’ part of rural life.

5. Emotional

The rural life evokes strong feelings amongst village dwellers that those who move in can tap into. A sense of ‘Our’ village is very real and it is reinforced by geographical boundaries which may have very strong historical significance although people dwelling in the village may be unaware of this (e.g. Villages who supported the roundheads or cavaliers) Traditional fetes and carnival events would have tested the strength of men (tug of war) on which the village pride would rise or fall.

6. Biological/Organic

The village population takes in those ‘old villagers’, 2 or 3 generations of a family, a family where a couple of siblings would be living in close proximity as well as those who have bought into the village or rural mentality – desiring a home in the country, a village school for their children, a house out of a town by close enough to public transport to enable them to commute. Those who wish to live out the dream of the rural idyll. 




What are the ‘Under the Microscope’ distinctive qualities about Rural Ministry?

1. Geographical

The parish (or Benefice) boundary limits the number of souls. within the care of the parish priest. The ‘place’ The distinctive boundary, which is ancient defines the area and the people. by the welcome for all at the parish church.

2. Environmental

Environmental issues involve change of land/farm use/buildings, homes that housed 3 families now house one. This suggests a change in the nature of a place and the holding of both traditional and modern

3. Social

The make –up of committees including PPCs offer a cross section of the church going population. At events like church fetes other organisations will offer to help know that this will be reciprocated at other events. The church Fete, or the church bazaar or the church jumble sale is an event at which church going and non-church going people help and attend. It is part of village life, for the benefit of all.

4. Physical

There is an understanding amongst the people of the routine of the farming year. Harvest celebrations begin when our farmers have finished harvesting, literally, when the crops are gathered in. There is a greater exposure to life and death: along the road side (rats and pheasants), in the church yard, hearses driving along the main road through a village, new babies are perambulated and children young (at Mothers and Toddlers) and older (at the Village School) are recognised. The community ‘gathers’ as it faces new life and death of those they know

5. Emotional

The sense of belonging translates into our church and church yard – the return of ‘the young’ for weddings or baptisms across the social strata is evident and popular. The banns calling reinforces a kind of “here I was born, baptised and confirmed (for some) – it is here I wish to be married” This is the place of my roots. It is from here I came, this is the platform from which I can move on”

6. Biological/Organic

Those who buy into the rural idyll and those who are born can sense both a past rootedness but also a willingness to move forward. House ownership, rebuilds, new housing, conservatories(!) have become more widely available. People still see baptism as a rite of passage. 



A. Identity—Where do I belong? To whom do I belong?

Rural ministry promotes a sense of belonging to the community of which the church is a part. The village sees the church as its own, calls to the priest because he/she is part of the community – as if it is their right. The church yard belongs to the community. The support for and financial commitment to the church far out does that of urban parishes.

B. Spiritual

The church building is primarily a place to pray and worship. It is in Eliot’s words ‘a place where prayer has been valid’. It is a place where we can weep with those who weep and be filled with joy with those who celebrate and give thanks. Somehow in rural areas the sheep and shepherd are within the community’s understanding. Even though they may not be there physically, they are there in the community’s memory.

C. Pastoral

It is with great humility, a mixture of joy and sadness that a priest ministers to those in his/her care. To witness life and death is integral to the nature of village life. This can be done effectively to a population of under 2000, it is impossible to offer this kind of pastoral support to 20,000.

On a personal note in rural ministry there is immense joy in recognising ‘the boy in the man I am seeing before me ’. I want our children to know about the love of God because they know the love of the church – clergy and people. I want them to feel they are valued because they see and know we care.

D. Underground Current of Care

The subterranean care for and understanding of community is there and very often unnoticed. Neighbourly care and concern often appears to go unnoticed. People in rural parishes know that they do not have access to all that urban folk have so they are keen to check if their neighbours are ok.

E. The Disaffected

Those who choose the rural idyll like their wellies but are unhappy about them getting too mucky! Some ‘hedge fund’ new housing comes with barrier gates which shouts ‘I’m the king of my castle and keep out.’

The Rural Church can offer a great deal to the urban church

• It can open up the depth of pastoral experience where illness, tragedy or death means re-shaping the boundaries of relationships within a community

• It can demonstrate the love for or appreciation of a church within a community whether a church goer or not

• It can generate a welcome that could be missing in a gathered church

• It can show a willingness to be generous financially and not just if you are a member.

• It has a lot to offer if we take seriously the words from the BCP HC

i) YE that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life,

ii) Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 1 S. John 3

The Revd Dodie Marsden 31 October 2012