BLANDFORD FORUM PARISH LHUKLH- A Beucun ()ICJi￿s HtTrp¢ *tJr II&TJidhA Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Blandford Forum Vestry Meeting and Annual Parochial Church Meeting Wednesday 24th April 7.30pm At Blandford Forum Parish Church Vision: Revitalise the Church, Transform the Town, Impact the Area and beyond Ministers Re ort I continue to be encouraged by the journey of the church here in Blandford Forum. By God's grace we are continuing to grow and have an impact within our community. We started 2023 with the move back down to worshipping in the church buildin8 with +Stephen joining us to commi55ion us back into the space. It was especially fi'tting to walk from the Parish Centre down to church as a community- reversing our stepsfrom when we vacated the church in February 2022. It was also a risk for us as a community as the question remained, would we retain all that we had gained during our time worshipping in the parish centre? Would the sense of community persist? Would we continue to grow a5 a community? In essence we returned to a building in many ways very different from that we left. We were warm, there was new technical gear, a new servery and a new carpet all of which has contributed to the space feeling more welcome for those coming across the threshold. +Stephen was also able to announce on that day that Will Burditt would be joining us for his curacy. Another confirmation that we were heading in the right direction as a church. No sooner had we returned to using the church building, we were also hosting the rest of the churches of the town for our frequent but irregular United Service at which we were able to share Holy Communion (which I believe was a first?). As we engaged with a rhythm of worship in the church building we also initiated what 15 now our 11am Contemporary Service. At the time this felt like a big risk, dividing the church congregation. Would it work or would it falter? Ultimately we were hoping for growth. I think time has proved that the risk has been worth taking we now have two thriving congregations, and the number of children engaging with the church ha5 Steadily increased over the last 12 months. Post Christmas 2022 we launched our first Alpha course in a number ofyears. We had a good number of people come along, and I know that those who led that first course were greatly encouraged by the conversations and the relationships built. We may not have grown in congregation size, but we definitely grew in faith of what God can do. During Lent, we took the decision to hold weekly prayer and worship evenings under the title of Going Deeper. These gatherings on a Thursday evening were powerful for those that went along, with a real tangible sense of the Holy Spirit being present. Alongside this we held a Lent course lookin8 at Hearing God's Voice - helping to engage with the prophetic gifting. Easter wa5 again another highlight- with the suite of services being such that almost everyone was able to engage with something - the Good Friday Breakfast followed by the Parish Boundary walk was very well attended and will undoubtedly become a fixture in the annual church calendar. Post-Easter we launched our monthly evening worship 8athering - on the first Sunday of the month. This effectively transitioned the weekly prayer and worship gatherings from Lent into a monthly gathering aimed at the wider community of North Dorset. Thi5 Steadily grew over the year and reached 30 attendees by the end of the year, which is a huge encouragement and show's a desire across the area for people wanting to go deeper in prayer and worship than can be achieved on a Sunday morning. In May we assisted with the celebration of the coronation for the town, hosting a civic service attended by the MP and the town Mayor. On the Monday we invited the whole community to Afternoon Tea - and given the wet weather it was surprisingly well attended. A real highlight of the church engaging with the wider community. The Bellringers also celebrated with a quarter peel being rung in the church. Incidentally it has been good to have the ringers operating every first Sunday of the month for our combined service. We continue to strengthen the relationship between them and the church community. In June, Archbishop Wake Primary School had a visit from ++Justin Welby as part of his mission weekend in the Diocese of Salisbury. As a parish we hosted Ben Hudd, a member of the Archbishop's College of Evangelists, who led series of events and prayer sessions over the weekend of the mission which a small number of us took part in. Ben also preached for us on the Sunday morning. We continue to engage with the two primary schools in the town, with Will and I both leading collective worship once a month and hosting the schools in the church at least once a term. This has been a conts'nued encouragement to us and13yS the foundation for all that we want to do in regards to ministry amon8St families and children. Over the Summer Term our preaching and teaching was on our identity in Christ (Secure, Accepted and Significantl and then our discipleship practices (Worship, Belong, Pray, Give, Serve, Witness). At the start of July we welcomed The Burditts to our community, with Will getting ordained on 2. Julyand thenioininguson 9 Ih when we shared a bring and share meal up in the parish centre. At the end of the Summer Term the Community Kitchen team took the difficult decision to stop their regular coffee mornings in order to provide space and time to rethink how we serve and reach the wider community of elderly and vulnerable as a whole. My personal thanks go to Mike, Juliet, Annie. Susanne and Heather who all made the ministry happen. At the end of July, a small group of us attended New Wine United in Kent. This was a good time of fellowship. worship and teaching. Over the Summer holidays we consolidated our usual worship pattern down to a single 10am service for all ages each Sunday- where we followed the story of Jonah and how it related to evangelism. Feedback from many was that this was a good approach to this usually fallow season in the life of the church. Alongside this, we had social gathering5 each Sunday (walk, picnic, BBQ) for those who hadn't disappeared on holiday, to connect socially and 80 deeper in relationships. Each Wednesday we hosted the community for our regular holiday stay and play sessions. We were able to Serve many families over the holidays, giving them space for craft, games and fun a5 well as lunch for everyone attending. This is increasingly serving the wider community and demonstrating the chu rch is a blessing to the town. My thanks to Tina, Barry and all others involved. This was a real team effort from the church community in making it happen. Between September and November we worked our way through the book The Church of tomorrow- both in Small Groups and in our Sunday preaching. This was a very fruitful season of conversation across our congregations on the nature of church and what it looks like to engage with being disciples in the world today. The conversations we had then continue to shape us today in a very productive and healthy way. In November Will and I played significant roles in the various remembrance events across the town. I led and Will spoke at the ceremony on the camp, and then we both had roles in the town service later that afternoon. The civic nature of the church continues to be a way we can serve the town and gives us an opportunity to speak into its wider communal life. Over the Autumn Term Will and I were able to expand the scope of our schools ministry to include Downlands School on the Blandford Camp with the impending move of Padre Ken Adolphe to civilian life leading a church in Poole. This is an incredible opportunity to build connections with the community on the camp and see what relationships can be formed. This is also assisted by Downlands intent to join DSAT (Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trustl in the near f uture. Over the last year, I have also joined the Trustee Board of Faithworks (who operate Blandford Foodbankl and the Local Governing Body at Milldown School. I believe both of these roles reinforce the work of BFPC and strengthen the relationships we have with those organisations. Both are partners in mission for u5 as a church. In addition to this I have also been leading the local New Wine leaders. network alongside Mike Tufnell from the Lantern Church in Merley. My hope is that as we work in partnership with likeminded churches across the area we will be able to learn from them and them from us. We are stronger together. At the end of 2023, we had a great Christmas with a good number of different worship offerings, as well as the Yuletide festival. The Yuletide festival bought a continual crowd of people into the church building and served to reinforce the need to make adjustments to the building in order to better cater for the wider community. Lack of decent toilets, a decent kitchen and the space to host hundreds in an informal manner were all clear issuesl Christmas itself for me was unusual, in that we had very good attendance numbers, but the number of church members was small in comparison to visitors. My usual experience has been Christmas is largely about church family coming together to worship... As I look back at the above l am amazed by all that we have done and all that we have achieved in 2023. If you had told me in Jan 2022 how far we would have come in 2 years I would have been very surprised. God has been very good to us and has blessed us as we have sought to honour him in our worship and our communal life. 2024 has continued in the same vein - but I'll get to that in my APCM report next year. Thank you to everyone who has served in some way in the life of the church over the last year. I know I don't say it enough, bL*t l am deeply appreciative of everything you have done. Church wouldn't be church without you. I want to urge you to keep praying for this church to grow and prosper. We've come a long way, but we've 5ti11 got 50me way to go before we can declare success! Onwards and upwards! Revd. Chri5 Beaumont Messa e from Will Firstly. thank you for welcoming me and the family. It was daunting leaving Salisbury. friends, church, work, and schools etc. but the transition has certainly been softened by all your warmth and welcome. Thank you especially to Chris for all his support and kindness. Secondly, it has been a real privilege to be a part of this church - it is clearly on an exciting journey of restoration and renewal. The f irst few months have been a joy to be a part of something that God is working in and through. It is hard to comprehend that as I write this we will be coming up to a year in Blandford, we still feel very much like the newbies. But my time so far has enabled me to see all that goes on in the life of the church and contribute in part to some of those activities. I have deeply appreciated these varied experiences and opportunities that Chris has gradually and helpfully given me. My curacy has been appreciated in part because I have learnt lots already and still have plenty to reflect on. But overall, it has been a joy because it's clear that we are a church that is not satisfied with the status quo and wants to pursue God and His mission for Blandford, and gettin8 to play a small part in that is a real gift. l am grateful for the previous year and excited for the year ahead. Church Re orts Electoral Roll At the time of putting this Annual Report together there are 95 members on the Electoral Roll. 4 names have been removed and 8 names added. The electoral roll was approved by the PCC th at the meeting on 14 April 2024. Safe uardin In line with Church of England expectations and Diocesan Guidelines the PCC has a Safeguarding Policy in place. This Policy is renewed annually. Mary Henley was unanimously approved as Safeguarding Office at the PCC meeting on 19 June 2023. Re ort from the Safe uardin Officer Ma Henle We now have 58 people with valid DBSs- a mixture of Adult & Child DBS. New DBSS are bein8 processed as requested by the various activity leaders. Any existin8 DBSS that are reaching the three-year limit are being renewed if appropriate. 43 people have completed the Safeguarding Basic Awareness course, 33 the Foundations Course. In addition, courses on Domestic Abuse, Leadership and Safer recruitment have been completed by some Church members. There is a requirement for courses to be retaken every three years and this position is being monitored. The Diocesan Parish dashboard is being used to check on our compliance with the Parish Safeguarding Handbook - this is a work in progress! As Parish Safeguarding Officer l attend Diocesan Safeguarding Workshops. PCC Strurture Governance and Mana ement The method of appointment of PCC Members is set out in the Church Representation Rules, a copy of which is available in the church office. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to stand for election to the PCC. Over the course of 2023 the PCC has met 8 times to discuss'normal, bu5ine5S Wlth an average attendance rate of 10. Ob ectlves and Activities Blandford Forum Parish Church's PCC has the responsibility of working with the incumbent to promote the whole mission of the Church in Blandford Forum. It a150 ha5 maintenance responsibilities for St Peter and St Paul's Church and the Parish Centre buildings. Membershi of the PCC Administratlve Information PCC members who have served since the last APCM in May 2023 are.. Clergy: Rev. Chris Beaumont Rev. Will Burditt15ince July 20231 Wardens: Stuart Britton and Heidi Roberts Representatives of the Deanery Synod: Philip Whitcomb (until 2026) Lay Chair: Rodney Smith Secretary: Tina Stanley Elected members: Sara Loch (until 20261 Philip Whitcomb (until 20241 IPCC Treasurer) Sue Metelko (Until 20261 Gail Del Pinto Iuntil 2024) Rodney Smith Iuntil 20251 Gill Ablitt Iuntrl 20261 Rachel Anney was co-opted on to the PCC. Communlon Distribution Assistants The following acted as Communion Distribution Assistants during 2023- Rodney Smith Dan Roberts Barry Cox Heidi Roberts Sara Loch Debby Griffiths Philip Whitcomb The following people have arted as Sidesmen (Welcomers) during 2023 Tina Stanley Barry Cox Diane Beasley Muriel Read Marion Warren Val Dennis Alan Dennis Graham Poynter Rodney Smith lan Smith Bob Henley Sheila Bessant Andy Bessant Pat Richardson Shirley Remmer Gail Del Pinto Liz Wesley-Barker Occasional Offices Over the course of 2023 we have conducted the following.. Funerals.. 8 Funerals took place at Blandford Forum Parish Church l Funeral took place at Blandford Cemetery Baptisms.. 8 Baptisms took place, No Weddings were held. Wardens Fabric Re rt on the Church Bulldin s 2023 Church buildin During 2022/3 the following work has been carried out.. A display area has been created on the left and right back pews with a permanently fi'tted collection box installed. Curtains have been installed in the north and south porches to enclose the working areas. The first toilet cubicle and north porch area have been decorated. The flower area in the south porch has had additional shelving installed. A handrail has been installed from the dais to the south aisle. Lightbulbs have been upgraded to LED in dimly lit areas. There has been general upkeep of paths and removal of ivy, etc in the churchyard. There have been further clearances of unwanted items in the west balcony, north and south porches. The fi're extinguishers have received an annual service. The boiler has had its annual service. A wireless thermostat has been fitted to control and regulate the temperature inside the church. The electricity and gas contracts were renewed with British Gas and our broadband contract is with Now TV Parish Centre During 202314 the following work has been carried out: The telephone and broadband contract with BT were renewed. Our electricity contract is with British Gas Lite The heat pump central heating had its annual service and various parts were mended. The fire extinguishers have been Serviced and the fire alarm is tested quarterly. The edging was added to the concrete surface to create a step down to the grass. An office storage cupboard was built. Repair to the sagging gutter over the Emmaus Room and leaf clearance of the gutters during the year. The shed is now more organised and useable with a large shelf for Little Peas equipment being installed. The raised bed in the garden has been removed to create more usable space with new gravel being added to the existing stones. General upkeep of the garden which is now being undertaken by Barry Cox A r.hild-prnnf EAtp fnr l ittlp PpA%lFxplnrpr< hA£ hppn in