The Benefice of Newnham,
with Awre and Blakeney
We are a Benefice that wants to see the
good news of Jesus Christ
spread throughout our communities.
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
Our new Vicar
We would like a Vicar who…
transforms
old things
into new
things
is smiley
makes me feel
welcome at
church
laughs a lot
makes Bible
stories fun
can roller
skate










knows all our
names
Is led by the Holy Spirit, having an infectious love for Jesus Christ and a commitment to both
scripture and personal prayer.
Can recognise and affirm the breadth of ecclesiology and tradition in this Benefice.
Will reach out in love to all our community with compassion, courage and patience, taking
time to listen and securing the trust of all.
Can identify with and support the mission of our Churches. Will work with the PCCs to
develop a strong strategic vision for the Benefice and have the skills to translate ideas into
action.
Has a youthful outlook, a sense of humour and the energy and enthusiasm to grow our
congregations.
Will lead, inspire and challenge the church community, recognising and encouraging the gifts
of others and delegating effectively.
Will support our schools, giving time and energy to develop the close relationship that
already exists with Newnham St Peter’s as a Church of England school, maintaining the
pattern of regular visits and assemblies, supporting all stakeholders and seeking to build on
established links in Blakeney to draw the school closer to the church.
Has an appreciation of the issues affecting rural ministry and will develop the improved
perception of the Church and its mission, recognising the role of local media in this task.
Is fully inclusive in ministry and able to reach those who have lost their connection with the
church.
Can organise effectively and use IT skills to enhance worship and communication within the
Benefice.
page 2 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney

Will understand our finances and support and develop the ways we achieve our financial
goals.
Benefice Profile
The Parishes of Newnham, Awre and Blakeney
Forest South Deanery, Gloucester Diocese
The Benefice
History
The three parishes of Newnham, Awre and Blakeney became one united Benefice in 1982.
Awre and Blakeney St Andrew's, Awre, had a Chapel of Ease in Blakeney, built early in the 19th
century. All Saints’ Blakeney became a parish in its own right in 1878 with its own Vicar and
Vicarage. Awre and Blakeney churches were merged into one living in 1944. Both had a tradition of
being evangelical in message and "low church" in style of worship.
Newnham remained a single parish living until 1982 when it was joined with Awre and Blakeney.
Newnham had a tradition of liberal theology and now has a "middle church" style of worship.
Together with the Bishop of Gloucester, the Joint Patron of the United Benefice is the Worshipful
Company of Haberdashers, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London. The
Haberdashers have been Patrons since the 17th century and have a strong commitment to the
Parishes. They support the United Benefice by providing an annual donation and a Company
Contact keeps in touch with the activities of the Parishes and visits from time to time. In addition,
the Vicar is invited to Haberdashers’ Hall twice a year. The Company plays an active part in the
appointment of clergy to the Parishes of which it is Patron.
Church buildings
While each church building needs some non-urgent work, all three now have their fabric in good
condition. All three are adapted to their role in the 21st century, have a sound amplification system,
an open area for fellowship after services, a mini-kitchen and toilet.
Geography
The Benefice is located between the Forest of Dean to the north-west and the river Severn to the
south-east, some 12–18 miles south-west of Gloucester.
The Deanery
The Benefice is in the Forest South Deanery and appoints its full quota of representatives.
The Benefice office
This is in the Vicarage. At present there is no secretarial help on a regular basis as this was as a
matter of choice by the previous incumbent. Help, and finance for it, will be available if required.
The Vicarage
page 3 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
A comfortable, purpose-built four-bedroom house with double garage in a central but quiet
landscaped cul-de-sac in Newnham, it has a secure, fenced garden at the back and is open plan at
the front.
Education
Pre-school
There are playgroups and a Pre-School in Blakeney and
Newnham.
Primary
In Newnham St Peter's C of E Primary School has c.100
children on the roll.
In Blakeney there is an LA primary school with 88 children.
Secondary
Whilst there are no secondary schools in the Benefice, there is a range of good schools in the nearby
towns of Lydney, Mitcheldean, Cinderford, Newent, Gloucester and Cheltenham including grammar,
comprehensive and independent schools.
Further education
There are further education colleges in the Forest of Dean, Gloucester and Cheltenham and the
University of Gloucestershire has campuses in Gloucester and Cheltenham.
Other churches in the Benefice
There is a Baptist church in Blakeney. There are no other functioning churches in the Benefice.
There is a Quaker Library in Newnham.
Church magazine
“The 15 Bells” is published monthly and distributed by a team of volunteers to 340 homes in the
Benefice.
Staffing
In addition to the incumbent the Benefice enjoys the ministry of an experienced retired priest and
two Readers. There is a further Reader in training.
Prayer
A monthly Benefice breakfast prayer meeting is held at the Silver Fox Café in Newnham and
attended by c.12 people.
page 4 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
The world-famous Severn Bore
page 5 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
St Andrew’s Awre
Electoral roll 37
Population c.150
Awre is a typical rural village with some houses close to the Church, War Memorial and Village Hall
with farms and other houses scattered around the lanes. Residents are farmers, in private
enterprise (trade, artisan and professional), families, retired and commuters. At present there are a
few empty houses about which the Church regularly prays.
Church life
Everyone in the village, who attends worship, worships at St Andrew’s. The Church family includes a
wide age range from six to over ninety with an overall vision based on spiritual growth and mission.
Patterns of Sunday Church services
Almost always held at 11am (with exceptions for special
seasonal services).
1st Sunday Family Communion
2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays Morning Worship
3rd Sunday All Age Worship
Attendance at services averages 38 with 60–100 at special
services.
Refreshments are served after every service.
For most services the clergy do not robe.
Informal prayers are led by Church members on Thursdays 9.15–9.45am.
Family Communion
The east end Victorian holy table is used for larger
congregations. Smaller numbers gather round the original
Reformation table in the Chancel
All Age Worship
Monthly All Age worship is planned and led by Church
members. It follows key themes, the present one being
“People who met Jesus”, and employs a range of
approaches, music, drama and seating. PowerPoint is
always used.
Music is led by the new electronic keyboard. Musician members are encouraged to accompany
services.
Audio visual systems
There is a very efficient audio system and a high quality digital projector which enhances worship.
St Andrew’s is recognised as a genuinely open and welcoming church as demonstrated by the
comparatively high attendance figures. Every effort is made to welcome and inform the many
casual visitors to the Church, which is opened daily.
page 6 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
The wider life of the Church
Spiritual growth
The Church is outward looking with a strong focus on spiritual
growth. A fortnightly “Fellowship Group”, which arose from the
last Alpha Course, meets in a local farmhouse to encourage
discipleship through Bible study, prayer and worship.
Church members take part in a wide range of Christian events,
such as New Wine and The Ladies’ Splendour Days. Good support is given to benefice-wide
activities, such as Forest Churches Together Revival Meetings and a monthly prayer breakfast which
is co-ordinated by a St Andrew’s Church member.
Outreach
The Church is deeply committed to mission. Visitors invariably remark on the warm welcome they
receive. Members are regularly in touch with village residents and every opportunity is made to
take the Church to the community. Many attend events
and take part in coffee mornings held in Church or local
homes.
A Rogation-tide journey takes place around the village
using tractors and trailers with prayers and hymns, ending
with tea at a local farm.
On Palm Sunday a donkey has led a procession to Church.
More than 60 attend the Easter Sunday early morning egg
hunt from the village to the bank of the Severn. A short
service there is followed by breakfast in Church and Easter Family Communion. Many gather at the
village War Memorial on Remembrance Day and then walk to Church for a service.
page 7 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
At Advent, models of Mary and Joseph visit 25 homes for a night’s lodging
together with a suggested prayer. They arrive back in Church on Christmas
morning complete with baby Jesus.
Carols are sung around the village one
evening during Christmas week.
The “Sunday Link” provides current
news about the Church and
community for the congregation and
others in the village who do not attend
Sunday service.
Support for Mission
Members have a heart for the persecuted Church and support is given to two
missionary families, one in Turkey and one in Romania.
Charitable giving extends to organisations such as Open Doors, Barnabas
Fund, Tear Fund, A Rocha and the local Gloucester Mission, plus sponsorship
of over a dozen Compassion children. Individual Church members are closely
involved with particular overseas work.
At present there are children, teens and young adults in the village who need
more opportunity to engage with the Christian faith and members are keen to
develop this work.
The church building
St Andrew’s is the oldest complete building in the Benefice. It dates from early C13 and C14, and is
surprisingly large for such a small village. It is light inside because only the west and east windows
are of stained glass, all others being clear (mostly hand-made) glass. It now has comfortable chairs
for 77 people and pews for seating another 50 or so.
Financial matters and fundraising
Financial Accounts (full Accounts are available on request)
2012 Income
2012 Expenditure
£29,214.97
£29,534.52
Our policy is not to hold fundraising events. Financial needs are met by our
giving and God’s blessing. The quota is paid in full. Around one-tenth of
income is given to support mission and other charities. From our giving we
have now replaced pews with chairs, carpeted much of the nave and
chancel, put in a sound system and a PowerPoint facility and purchased a
top of the range electronic keyboard, replacing the old organ. All this
allows flexibility in worship. We have no debts.
page 8 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
All Saints’ Blakeney
Electoral Roll 23 Population c. 1370
Blakeney is a small, thriving village on the eastern edge of the Forest of
Dean, on the main A48 road between Gloucester and Chepstow. It was
at a house called Hawfield that Thomas Sternhold was born. He was
Groom of the Robes to Henry VIII, but is renowned (along with John
Hopkins of Awre) for publishing the first metrical version of the Psalms.
Situated at the confluence of the Blackpool and Soudley Brooks,
Blakeney is a busy Forest village that was a natural site for early
industry (an iron forge and furnace existed here as early as 1228). The oldest building is the 16thcentury Swan House, formerly an inn, although there are several 17th- and 18th- century buildings
in the village, the largest being the early 18th- century Church of All Saints’.
The font at All Saints’ is what appears to be a 15th-century stoup for holy water,
believed to have been removed from Awre church during the Reformation and
buried for safety. It was found near Gatcombe when the railway was built, and
used locally as a flower pot for many years before being brought to the church at
Blakeney. The history of All Saints’ is sparse: it was a chapel of ease for many
years before it became the parish Church. Documentation shows priests
detailed for the parish as far back as the 1600s. The Church originally had a gallery which was
removed in the late 1800s. The church had no apse until the early 1900s when the current apse was
added.
The village is well appointed for its size and boasts a modern Doctors’ Surgery, LA Primary School
and Nursery playgroup, Post Office, shop, Community Centre, Youth Centre, two pubs, Fish and Chip
shop and British Legion with a handful of local businesses.
The Parish is bordered by neighbouring Awre and Newnham to the south and east, Viney Hill to the
west and Soudley to the north; all lie within the Forest South Deanery.
All Saints’
The Church is fairly modern in its internal appearance and doesn’t boast
much in the way of architectural features although it is a Grade II listed
building situated within a conservation area. During the last few years it
has had extensive works carried out and boasts an excellent heating
system, PA system and hearing loop, kitchen area and disabled toilet and
has been fully re-decorated. More recently it has had a disabled pathway
completed for access and a full overhaul of the electrical system. The full work programme has
resulted in one of the warmest and most attractive churches in the area.
In fact, our recent Quinquennial report showed the church to be in very
good order throughout. It really is a tribute to all who have worked so
hard to fund and implement the improvements. In the last couple of
years we have had to retire our old pipe organ as it was beyond
economic repair and have replaced it with a Johannus electronic version
of excellent specification. The old organ pipes and casings have
remained and the new organ has been slotted in. The Church has no cemetery. The nearby
cemetery is owned and administered by the parish council.
Church family
The average congregation at All Saints’ is around 20. This has increased in
recent years from about seven or eight ... we’re going in the right direction!
The congregation is drawn from mixed age groups from young to not so
young and all are enthusiastic to build on this, to attract and encourage
more to worship here. The residents of local care homes for adults with
page 9 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
learning difficulties are regular and welcomed members of our congregation.
We have two Readers, a husband and wife team who assist the parish priest and conduct nonEucharistic services within the benefice. Both readers will often take funerals here at Blakeney, in
the benefice and at the local crematorium. Both Readers are well known, respected and actively
involved within the community; they are also members of the Northumbria Community. Further, we
are very fortunate to have the assistance of a local retired priest. He has a wealth of knowledge and
experience, celebrates the Eucharist and will take occasional offices as required.
We are extremely grateful to have our own very skilled and
capable organist for Sunday services and occasional offices. We
generally use Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New but may
use Mission Praise or Junior Praise from time to time.
We follow a “middle road, traditional” style of worship but are
very open to developing and encouraging other forms of
worship and would welcome a priest with the skills to engage
and influence our Church and spiritual life. Our congregation
enjoys both formal and not quite so formal services and so we
offer a wide range of options within our worship style. For our Eucharist we offer both traditional
Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship. Our non-Eucharistic services consist of Morning
Worship and Family Worship services.
Service pattern
First Sunday – Morning Worship
Second Sunday – BCP Communion
Third Sunday – Family Worship
Fourth/Fifth Sundays – Holy Communion (CW)
Our Sunday services are held at 9.30am with the exception of the third Sunday when the service is at
11am. The 11am service often proves a useful slot for baptisms which
are normally held within worship services.
In addition we have sung “Celtic” Morning Prayer on Tuesdays at 8am
and said BCP Communion on the First Wednesday of the month at 10am
with a coffee social to follow.
We also annually host a benefice Memorial Service for All Souls Sunday,
and mark occasions such as Remembrance Sunday, Mothering Sunday,
All Saints’ and of course Good Friday and Easter. At Christmas we
celebrate Christingle, Midnight Communion and Christmas Day Communion.
Occasional Offices:
2011: Baptisms 3; Weddings 2; Funerals in Church 18*
2012: Baptisms 8; Weddings 1; Funerals in Church 14*
*Does not include funerals at Crematorium
With the exception of Family Worship clergy are robed for all services.
Church activities/Outreach

There is a monthly Saturday lunch held within the Church which is
gaining increasing support from the village. This is a particularly
useful tool for outreach as it often attracts people from within the
community who wouldn’t normally come into Church. The lunches
also serve as a very viable fundraising activity for All Saints’. We
have recently also made a table available for outside fundraising and
page 10 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
charitable bodies to use during the lunch session.

Our annual Christmas tree festival and our Flower Festivals are always very popular.

We have a flourishing flower arranging group which meets fortnightly during the spring,
summer and autumn. The group again attracts members who wouldn’t otherwise come to
Church but are always available to lend a hand at events when required and maintain our
Church flowers to a very high standard.

Communion is extended to our local residential home for the elderly at Sydenham House.

We also encourage and support the work of two local care homes for adults with learning
difficulties.

Our priests have always tried to work closely and forge links
with the local primary school, playgroup/nursery and youth
centre. This we encourage and would aim to expand and
develop more in the future.

At Blakeney we feel pastoral care to be very important and
relevant to outreach to our community. We aim to improve
and extend this so as to provide support and care within the
home for many who simply need help, support, guidance or
just a friendly face to chat to. One aim is to introduce a follow-up programme of visits
following bereavement and to help, support and spiritually care for those who have serious
problems and health issues and their families.

All Saints’ regularly hosts concerts, fundraising activities and
more recently has been made available for after-service
refreshments following funerals, christenings etc.

Latterly the community has organised and funded a new village
memorial to the fallen of the war years, which has been
situated in the front garden of the Church.
Financial matters
Accounts summary (full accounts available on request)
2012 Income
2012 Expenditure
Refurbishment Fund (restricted)
Balance
£16,465.12
£10,209.74
£6,299.41
£23,478.29
We are proud to have already paid our parish share in full (Sept) and make an overpayment
contribution to the diocese.
“A Parish Church with a life and passion to achieve ~
with God’s help, Spirit, prayer and discipline, we will succeed”
page 11 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
St Peter’s Newnham on Severn
“Your church, your community”
Mission Statement
The Church of England seeks to serve all people in its communities; at your village church of St Peter
Newnham, we proclaim the love of God by:





sharing the good news of the Gospel with every person
providing a wide range of accessible and thought-provoking services
offering an open door to everyone
seeking to be fully inclusive and responsive to the community’s needs
creating Anglican worship opportunities and activities for the village and wider
community.
Newnham on Severn
Population c.1300
At the last census, more than 800 of these claimed to be
Christian with only 15 of other religions. 31% are under 30 and
21% over 65. The majority of housing stock is owner-occupied .
An important port on the River Severn until the 1820s when the
Sharpness Canal opened and the volume of river traffic
declined, the parish of Newnham has existed since Roman
times. The centre of the compact village is a conservation area
containing many listed buildings; it is surrounded by farms and
bounded by the river on one side and the railway line from Gloucester to
South Wales on the other. The A48 trunk road runs through the centre of
the village, and it is along this road that a variety of shops and businesses is
situated, including a café and Arts Centre, a pharmacy, a doctors’ surgery
and two public houses. A country market is held weekly.
Employment reflects the rural location and in addition a number of people
commute to nearby Gloucester or Cheltenham. Many professional and
self-employed people work in the village and the population includes a
good mixture of young and older families and the retired.
Newnham St Peter’s Church of England Primary School serves the whole Benefice and is situated in
pleasant surroundings and good modern buildings off the main road. The school roll stands at
approximately 100 and additionally has an on-site pre-school. The school was judged by Ofsted as
“good” last year and by SIAS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools) as “outstanding”. More
information can be found on the school website at www.newnhamstpetersschool.org.uk
page 12 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
Newnham village community
This is a busy and active community with many interest groups for every
age range meeting regularly in one of four commodious spaces, one of
which is the church building. A village group has recently created a
charity to run the village library when the local authority relinquished
responsibility and church members run clubs for both the elderly and the
young. Newnham Players present a wide variety of drama, sometimes
using the church building, as do community singing groups and the local
History group.
St Peter’s, Newnham is first recorded in 1230, when it was referred to as
“the great church”. By the 14th century the church was in danger of
being washed away and was rebuilt on higher ground.
Today’s church is the second Victorian church on that site,
built in 1881 following a fire to the original. The tower,
which was renovated at a cost of £84,000 in 2002, holds a
Victorian carillon, one of only a very few in the country.
The interior has been redecorated and re-ordered to
provide more flexible accommodation. It can seat 150 in
(moveable) pews in the main nave and 75 on modern
chairs in the large, south aisle.
Church life
Electoral roll: 78, of whom 11 live outside the parish.
The electoral roll has increased by 50% over the past six years.
The congregation is mostly aged 50+. Families with children sometimes attend Mustard Seed Café
family worship and up to 100 people often are present at baptism services. Among the most regular
worshippers are residents of two Camphill Village Trust communities on the outskirts of Newnham,
together with The Apple Orchard and Stepping Stones, two other houses for adults with learning
difficulties.
Church services (average attendances in brackets)
1st, 3rd, 5th Sundays at 9.15am: Holy Communion (35–45), followed by coffee and fellowship;
2nd Sunday at 9.15am: Morning worship (35–45), followed by coffee and fellowship; at 5.30pm
Evening Prayer (BCP) (8–15)
4th Sunday at 8.00am: Holy Communion (BCP) (7–10); at 11.00am Mustard Seed Café – family
worship (35–45)
Thursday at 10.15am: Holy Communion (8–15)
1st Wednesday at 8.00pm: Taizé worship in a local hall (6)
All services are from Common Worship unless otherwise
stated and clergy generally robe, with the exception of
Mustard Seed Café family worship. St Peter’s has
traditionally had a “middle church” style of worship, with
expository preaching.
There is facility for reserved
sacrament.
Special services
These include a Maundy Thursday vigil; an Easter service beside the River Severn, Ice Cream Sunday
and more recently an outdoor Nativity walk to the “stable” (a fishing hut) on the bank of the Severn.
page 13 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
This last has attracted large numbers of families, many of which join preparatory activities at the
school. The Christmas Crib service attracts c.150 people while c.85 attend midnight communion.
Study groups
There are currently two lay-led Bible study groups which meet in the homes of parishioners.
Lay participation
Members of the laity act as vestry and sides persons, read lessons, lead intercessions and serve.
Well organised teams of lay people plan and carry out the fundraising programme, arrange flowers,
clean brass, deal with minor maintenance and hold occasional major cleaning days (to supplement
the work of the salaried cleaner.) A “Welcome Pack” is delivered to newcomers to the village.
Music
The organ is used for communion services and the piano for Morning Worship and Mustard Seed
Café family worship. A core choir sings at all Sunday morning services and there is an augmented
choir of 25 voices for special services. Currently Mission Praise and Hymns Ancient and Modern New
Standard are used.
Occasional offices 2012
Four baptisms (these always take place in a morning service)
Five weddings
Six funerals
Communication
A weekly pew sheet is produced.
Church fabric
St Peter’s is in good order, with regular
maintenance carried out. In the past five years
a new kitchen area has been installed and
equipped and toilet facilities for disabled
people, along with baby-changing facilities,
have been completed. The Norman font has
been moved to create a larger fellowship
space. Unusually for a church this size, there
are eight bells and a carillon, all in good
working order.
The church is currently considering the
purchase and installation of a digital organ.
The burial ground which surrounds the church is the responsibility of the parish council.
Current activities in the church
On the first Saturday of each month teams from the congregation prepare and serve a very popular
lunch. This event typically serves 80 lunches each month and importantly, apart from being a
valuable fundraiser, provides a convivial meeting place for villagers and visitors.
School services are held monthly and other school events,
such as the Nativity play and the Diocesan Experience
programmes, take place in church.
page 14 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
The Church in the community
There is invariably a strong church presence at community events.
The Christian ethos is strong in Newnham St Peter’s School.
Open the Book is a scheme, initiated in Gloucestershire and now
covering over 100 primary schools in the county, where small
teams from the local church visit schools regularly and present
Bible stories, dressing up and involving the children as much as
possible. Newnham has a team which visits the school regularly
and also assists at special services. The last incumbent, who
served on the governing body, visited every week to nurture the
spiritual life of the school and was popular among parents and
staff alike.
Newnham Friendship Club
Initiated and run by church members, this club for the over-50s meets fortnightly in the village hall,
with a varied programme of talks, craft activities, musical entertainment and outings.
Financial matters and fundraising
Financial Accounts (full accounts are available on request)
2012 Income
2012 Expenditure
Parish Share (paid in full)
£55,390 (includes £10,000 legacy)
£37,167
£24,188
Since the PCC adopted the Diocesan Parish Giving Scheme (Giving for Life) in April 2012, 20 people
have joined the scheme.
Fundraising throughout 2012 contributed £11,500 to the
total income. A varied fundraising programme is
organised by a dedicated group of volunteers. Major
events include a Christmas Market, Open Gardens
Weekend, race night, concerts and festivals.
The church has for many years had the use of a small
shop rent-free in the village, to sell donated goods.
The only major capital project being considered at
present is the replacement of the Victorian pipe organ
with a digital instrument.
All reasonable clergy expenses are paid.
Charitable giving
Over £1,500 is raised each year for a range of local and national charities, mostly from stalls held at
the monthly lunches.
St Peter’s participates in the Christian Aid and Christmas Shoebox appeals and occasionally donates
the Sunday offertory to charity, for instance to the British Legion on Remembrance Sunday.
Looking to the future
St Peter’s PCC plans to implement the newly created mission statement with the establishment of a
five year plan which will incorporate vision and action. It is prayerfully hoped that numbers will be
page 15 of 16
Benefice Profile for St Peter’s Newnham-on-Severn with St Andrew’s Awre and All Saints’ Blakeney
substantially increased and that a broader age group will characterise the congregation as many
more come to faith.
We are a Benefice that wants to see the
good news of Jesus Christ
spread throughout our communities.
We unite regularly in Benefice services and share in a monthly prayer
breakfast. Together we minister to our schools with “Experience” mornings
at Easter and Harvest and in “Open the Book” presentations. We look
forward to working together with our new incumbent to see God
transforming our lives and those of all around us in our villages.
~~~
page 16 of 16