LAFFORD  DEANERY  SYNOD

Minutes of the meeting held in the Village Hall, South Kyme

at 7.30 pm on Monday 27^th October 2008

Diocesan Website - www.lincoln.anglican.org         
Lafford Deanery Website - www.lafforddeanery.org.uk

      PLEASE BOOK THE DATE OF THE NEXT SYNOD

SYNOD   MONDAY  26^th  January  2009  7.30 pm   St Denys Church Hall

Rev Jeffrey Heskins                              Vocation and Ministry in the Church

Rev Canon J Patrick was in the chair; he welcomed all present to the meeting.

1 Rev D Boutle opened the synod with prayer.

2 Apologies - 12 were tendered and noted; 40 members were present.  

3 Minutes of 14^th July were agreed

4 Rev Canon M Cooney            Lincolnshire Chaplaincy Services – LCS

Please see the last sheet; as this item contains questions and answers received after the synod, item 4 has been put as a complete unit at the end.

5 Report from the Finance Committee

Mr Simon Wright presented his report in two parts - a copy of part 2 was issued and is filed with these minutes.

Part 1  Mr Wright was delighted to give us some good financial news - the Deanery Synod Expenses charge for 2008 did not need to be doubled, it could remain the same as in recent years (the charge for the deanery website was significantly less than initially predicted.)

Part 2 On receipt of the Diocesan Indicative Budget, an average increase of 3.56 % was needed in Lafford’s 2009 Budget. The Finance Committee concluded that it could be met with 8.25 clergy posts in the 10 cures in (enlarged) Lafford. This could be achieved by 1 House for Duty post (at 0.25) and the 2 vacant cures not appointing a replacement until 1^st July on average (1 post.) This would achieve a saving for 1 year only.

Assuming the above, the budget had been worked out using the new system outlined at the last synod.

This new system for Parish Share led to some unreasonably large increases (particularly for the small parishes) - hence a system of transitional relief had been devised to smooth these problems. The result was that increases per cure varied between 3 and 5.15%; a summary sheet showing more detail was issued. Anyone requesting the full calculation was welcome to approach Mr Wright directly. (See summary sheet in file.)

Discussion  

- a cure could decide to vary the charges per parish (within the total for the cure) to respond to local problems

- one Group, and a larger parish had asked to increase their total

- the application of socio-economic factors was considered; however their unreliability was remarked on, and the difficulty of applying national statistics to the very small areas in parishes was noted

Finally, Mr S Wright urged all cures to continue to work strenuously to pay 100% of share requested.

Mr S Wright proposed that Synod accepts the budget based on the new system  (seconder: Rev C Robertson)

Voting:             For 36              Against 0          Abstentions 3               The motion was carried.

Mr T Bush then presented the final part - about the diocesan synod agenda on the 2009 diocesan budget.

He drew attention to the following points -

-  the number of people employed in each area of the diocese 

            -  the reduction for 2009 to 151 parish priests (other mission support is 64.9 priests)

            -  the number of new curates in 2009 is 9

            -  LCS charge to the diocese for 2009; (LCS is not yet an independent company)

-  Lafford Deanery subsidises the diocese (about 1 priest). A Working Group convened to investigate   the current system of allocation had recommended no change at present.  

6 Report from the Mission and Ministry Committee

Rev M Nicholas reported that the committee was aware that the present idea of three areas in the deanery does not serve our current needs; different models of ministry need investigation. Sleaford (central area) at present uses a system of central administration and flexible clergy deployment; could this be extended in the deanery?

Demands on the clergy include -

- increasing administrative and managerial matters

- the mobility and location of families

- clergy incapacitated by stress; without the recording of clergy illness, the scale of this is not known. 

The report concluded with another story of mission from the south of our deanery.

Mrs J Samuel described the installation of cloakroom facilities at the back of her local church, together with computer equipment, with help from the bishop’s New Initiatives Fund. The idea was to start a café-church for mums and tots. This had generated social cohesion between old and young in the village; indeed mothers had maintained contact with the group when their children reached school age; a flexible approach had been adopted both now and for the future.

7 Deanery Council        Any Matters not already covered are in item 10

8 Committees of Deanery Synod for ’08 - ’11  See item 11

9 Methodist Circuit Report       Mr P Thornton had sent his report - summarised below.

Rev Martin Amery (Sleaford) and Rev John Corrie (Metheringham) are well settled in their areas. All present were invited to the Christmas Tree Festival at Sleaford Church on Sat-Sun 29^th and 30^th November; also the organ concert by Nicholas Martin on Sat 6^th December. (Full Report is filed with the minutes)

10 Rural Dean’s Report

Vacancies  Digby  - Rev David Woods has been appointed as the House for Duty Priest in the Digby Group, with his licensing date fixed provisionally for Thursday 27^th November. Rev Patrick expressed his appreciation to the lay people of that group, who have worked together with enthusiasm during the vacancy.

Leasingham - the vacancy consultation has taken place, with that for Quarrington in the near future. Services up to Christmas have been covered in those parishes.

Bishop Tim will take the 2009 Confirmation Service on Sunday 21^st June at 4pm in St Denys Church, Sleaford.

All clergy have a copy of the changes in the law of marriage measure - there is some relaxation.

Church Yard Regulations - to be reviewed; church wardens need to be involved to avoid practical problems.

Deanery Administration - a significant amount of work is being done by St Denys’ secretary, Mrs Janet Bailey.

11 AOB

The names of clergy elected to serve on deanery committees were produced - the full list would now be printed.

12 Rev Patrick thanked all at South Kyme for their warm hospitality; Rev Boutle closed the meeting with prayer at 9.30 pm.