Getting Involved

 PCC

A Parochial Church Council (PCC) is the executive committee of a Church of England parish and consists of clergy and churchwardens of the parish, together with representatives of the laity.  The origin of PCCs is in the old parish vestry committees, which they replaced in 1921.

Christ Church, Derry Hill

  • Lucinda Prater – Lay Member, Secretary, Parish Verifier (DBS)
  • Ian Liddle – Churchwarden, Health & Safety
  • Peter Rigby – Churchwarden, Parish Safeguarding Officer, Vice Chair, Deanery Synod
  • Michael Summers – Lay Member
  • Carol Rigby – Lay Member
  • Lady Lansdowne – Lay Member
  • Rachel Collins – Lay Member
  • Rev’d Annie Church – Deanery Synod
  • Peter Roycroft – Treasurer, Non-PCC Member

Derry Hill APCM

Bremhill PCC

  • William Wyldbore-Smith – Churchwarden, Vice Chair       
  • David Stevens – Churchwarden, Treasurer, Parish Safeguarding Officer    
  • Pippa Lovering – Deanery Synod                                
  • Jennifer Lamacraft – Lay Member                         
  • Ken Webb – Lay Member                                        
  • Louise English – Lay Member                   
  • Robin Pocock – Lay Member    
  • Thelma Cox – PCC Secretary, Non-PCC Member                                                                  

Bremhill APCM

Foxham PCC                           

  • Andy Skipp – Churchwarden, PCC Secretary       
  • Robert Pegler – Churchwarden
  • Elizabeth Hannah – Deanery Synod                                                 
  • Lynne Pegler – Treasurer (Non PCC)    
  • Jenny Wilton – Lay Member       
  • Daphne Glass – Lay Member                                                                  
  • David Milligan – Lay Member                                 
  • Imogen Abbots – Lay Member                                            
  • Chris Minty – Lay Member, Vice Chair

Foxham APCM

The PCCs usually meet every other month, although dates and times of meetings can be found on our church calendar.  We meet to discuss any church issues and plan events and services for the church.

We are currently looking for new members to join our highly committed team.  If you are interested, please contact Reverend Linda Carter to discuss this further.

Parish Safeguarding Officers

David Stevens and Peter Rigby

Deanery Synod

Duties of Deanery Synod Members

 What is “Deanery Synod”?

The word “synod” comes from a Greek word meaning “assembly” or “meeting”. The churches in the Marden Vale Team Ministry are in Salisbury Diocese. A Diocese is the area under the supervision of a bishop. Salisbury Diocese is in turn divided into 19 Deaneries, or groups of parishes. The churches in the Marden Vale Team are in Calne Deanery. Every Deanery is required to have a Synod. This is chaired by the Rural Dean and an elected Lay Chair.

The Deanery Synod consists of all clergy licensed to a benefice/parish within the Deanery, plus elected lay members.

What does a Deanery Synod do?

The Deanery Synod makes decisions at a deanery level. It acts as an intermediary between the parochial church councils (PCCs) of each parish and the synod of the diocese as a whole. Its priorities include Deanery Strategic Planning, Mission Action Planning and the allocation of the ‘share’ from the deanery to the parishes.

Deaneries also have power to bring proposals and motions to Diocesan Synod for debate.

Deanery Synod lay members also elect the deanery’s lay representatives to the Diocesan Synod and the Diocese’s members of the House of Laity in the General Synod of the Church of England.

How are Deanery Synod lay members elected?

Each parish is allocated a number of places on the Deanery Synod based on the size of their electoral roll. Christ Church, Derry Hill and St. Martin’s, Bremhill each have two, while St. John the Baptist, Foxham has one. Deanery Synod members are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) to serve a three-year term.

What do Deanery Synod lay members do?

Deanery Synod members are invited to attend four Deanery Synod meetings per year. These are held at various locations in the Deanery. The agenda and papers about matters to be discussed are circulated to members in advance. Some decisions are put to the vote.

Deanery Synod members are also automatically members of their parish’s PCC and so attend those meetings as well.

Representation

 This is a two-way process, where loyalties cannot be one-sided. Synod is not there to tell parishes what to do, and synod representatives are not elected to “fight the corner” or “stand the ground” for their parishes. Their task is to be points of contact between deanery and parish, but they are elected to synod and also serve on PCC, not the other way around.

That means:

  • They are responsible for communicating the activities of the deanery to the parish, and encouraging the parish to be engaged and involved.
  • They represent the parish on the deanery synod. It involves joining in debate and discussion. It can’t be done effectively without both informing the parish and getting feedback.

Participation

 Through debate, discussion and committees, Synod members should:

  • take part in discerning deanery vision, including the right level at which work can most effectively be undertaken (deanery, locality, parish etc)
  • help develop forward looking deanery projects to support the parishes in their local mission and ministry
  • support collaboration both between parishes and ecumenically
  • keep themselves informed of internal and external issues affecting mission and ministry – at local, diocesan, national and international levels
  • work to grow a culture of generosity and good stewardship
  • encourage others in their vocation and ministry

Flowers 

Flowers at Christ Church, Derry Hill.

At Christ Church in Derry Hill there is an Altar Guild who, though not professionals, produce beautiful arrangements of flowers for the church. If you are planning a special event in Christ Church Derry Hill, or would like flowers in church to commemorate a loved one or a special occasion, the Guild are more than happy to produce arrangements and displays to support you. If you would like to know more please contact jjleddra@talktalk.net

Photos taken by Goff Lias.

Flowers at St. Martin’s, Bremhill

Contact Philippa Stevens (Tel: 01249 815377    Email dandpstevens@gmail.com) who will be happy to talk to you about flowers for your special occasion at church. 

Bells

Bellringing at St. Martin’s, Bremhill

Bremhill parish church bells are usually rung weekly before each Sunday service. The volunteers who ring the bells work as a team to try to make the sound pleasant.  The team belongs to the Calne branch of the Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers.

Team members need to be reliable, to have a sense of rhythm & reasonable co-ordination. Bell ringing requires skill rather than strength. You do not need to be strong or fit to ring most of the bells – it is a form of gentle exercise. Ideally all 6 bells are rung, with one person ringing each bell.  We welcome people aged about 13 to 70+ whether they are new recruits or lapsed bell ringers. We provide free training. We welcome all people whether they live in the parish or nearby. The volunteers are not required to attend church services.  

Bremhill church has 6 bells which are rung in the traditional English style which means each bell rotates 360 degrees each time it makes a sound – when the bell stops rotating & the clapper hits the bell. The bells were tuned on a lathe in 2001 & the mountings improved. The heaviest bell weighs about 17.5 hundredweight ie 870 kilos.

Bells are made of 77% copper & 23% tin. The oldest bell was made (cast) in 1685 and the most recent in 1826. There is written evidence that 6 bells were cast for Bremhill church in Bremhill parish in 1685 – possibly inside the church!   Do contact us to join our team!

Ken Webb  01249 760682  ken44webb@gmail.com

Hand Bell Ringing at Christ Church, Derry Hill

Wednesday evenings from 7.30pm9pm we meet in Christ Church Derry Hill to practise our hand bell ringing.  No experience needed!  Just come along if you are interested and give it a try.  There is a small charge of £2 per week per person to cover costs.

Contact: David Bedford   david.bedford977@btinternet.com 

Musicians and Choir Members

We currently have a choir at Derry Hill and if anyone is interested in joining the choir then please contact Carol Rigby (01225 704356).  The choir usually meets on a Thursday afternoon at 4pm to practise.

Mothers’ Union Prayer & Fellowship Group

The Mothers’ Union Prayer and Fellowship Group is an international Christian membership charity that aims to demonstrate the Christian faith in action through the transformation of communities worldwide.

We are working with people of all faiths and none in 83 countries to promote stable marriage, family life and the protection of children through praying, enabling and campaigning.

Our aims and objectives are:

  • To promote and support married life
  • To encourage parents in their role to develop the faith of their children
  • To maintain a worldwide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service
  • To promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of children
  • To help those whose family life has met with adversity

Derry Hill and Studley Mothers’ Union meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 2:30pm in Christ Church Derry Hill.

If you are interested in becoming a member, then please contact Mrs Barbara Parry on 01249 444608.

Meditation

The meditation group meets in Christ Church Derry Hill on a weekly basis on Wednesdays from 6pm to 6.30pm; just 30 minutes of stillness, beginning with a short reading and closing with music.

If you are coming home from work or have time before or after supper, just pop in.  You can join on any Wednesday because we are all beginners!  There are no “experts” or “masters”, we are all novices and there is nothing complicated, so just turn up.

We have been so pleased to see people joining us from within Derry Hill and Studley and those from further afield.  Everyone is welcome – those from a Christian tradition, those of other faiths and those of no faith.  Meditation is inclusive, so we offer a space and place where we can just be in stillness and silence.

Pastoral Care

We strive to offer the best pastoral care to each and every person in our parish communities including those who may be sick or suffering in any way; hospitalised, in a nursing home or homebound for any period of time.  This care can include visiting, bringing Holy Communion and arranging transport to and from church services.

Within the Derry Hill Parish, this pastoral care is coordinated by Lay Pastoral Assistant: Mrs Anita Uttley.