St Mary the Virgin Lewisham Pari : simplebooklet.com

2 | P a g e Contents Welcome to St Mary the Virgin, Lewisham ...................................................................... 3 Link to Our Mission Action Plan ……………………………………………………………….……………….…4 Vicar of St Mary the Virgin Parish Church Lewisham ....................................................... 5 Our vision for our new Vicar .............................................................................................. 5 Qualities and Skills .......................................................................................................... 5 Accommodation .............................................................................................................. 6 Key relationships ............................................................................................................. 6 Our Parish Statistics ....................................................................................................... 7 Our Pattern of Worship and Prayer .................................................................................. 8 Our Music ........................................................................................................................ 9 Ministry Team and Lay Participation .............................................................................. 10 Church Governance and Groups .................................................................................. 11 Safeguarding ................................................................................................................. 11 Flowers.......................................................................................................................... 11 Eco Group ...................................................................................................................... 11 Therapeutic Garden ......................................................................................................... 11 Mother’s Union (MU) ...................................................................................................... 12 Bells ............................................................................................................................. 12 Children’s and Youth Ministries ..................................................................................... 13 Pilgrimages .................................................................................................................... 13 The History of Our Church ............................................................................................. 14 Parish Records ............................................................................................................... 14 Churchyard ................................................................................................................... 14 Church Fabric ................................................................................................................ 15 St Mary’s Centre – Our Parish Hall ................................................................................ 16 St Mary’s Church of England Primary School ................................................................ 16 Outreach and Community Activities ……………………………………..………………………….17 Our Financial Position ..............................................................................................18 Appendix 1: Aspirations ................................................................................................ 19

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3 | P a g e Welcome to St Mary the Virgin, Lewisham We are the ancient parish church of Lewisham. We have shared God’s love with the people of Lewisham for over 1100 years and we continue to do this today in new and creative ways. We are a vibrant, living Christian family. Our life and worship are centred on the Eucharist, the Bread of Life for all Christians. As an Anglican church, St Mary’s enjoys modern catholic worship, with a sense of mystery and awe, beauty and fun. We believe in an enquiring faith open to reason and challenge. We are a diverse and inclusive community which has a focus on engaging with and serving local communities across Lewisham. The oldest and most significant heritage building in the borough, we are a community hub, hosting art and music events, welcoming local schools for visits, worship and education. We host a range of annual civic services, events, celebrations and commemorations, and work closely with the Mayor, Councillors, police, hospital and other faith leaders to strengthen and bind our very diverse community. We take part in an annual Interfaith Forum and Peace Walk and lead the borough’s Remembrance Sunday service and other commemorations. We celebrate the strengths of this community, and we shine God’s light in places of darkness. We have a specific programme of wellbeing and emotional support and inclusion through letting the crypt to community groups, including MIND, Al-Anon and Lewisham Bereavement Counselling Service (NHS Trust run). We work closely with the neighbouring Ladywell Unit and Cygnet Lodge, through our weekly garden days at our Therapeutic Garden. This is maintained by our garden team and provides gardening as therapy for all our volunteers, many who come through NHS ‘social prescribing’, which is for patients living with a range of mental health conditions. We have a large circle of active volunteers, many of whom have long and deep links to our church and Lewisham but like so many churches, we have seen a reduction in the number of volunteers post-covid. This has presented a number of challenges, most notably in relation to our Children and Youth Church Ministries, but we have not let that slow us down. We have shown resilience and remain a vibrant and active church. We are working to expand our number of volunteers given the immense eort that goes into building up-keep, support for worship,

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4 | P a g e events, and community outreach . We have a strong foundation of many committed volunteers and PCC members whose labour and love make St Mary’s a vibrant and active hub. We do face challenges. We are the largest Church in the borough and occupy a prominent position on its high street, next door to Lewisham Hospital with its Ladywell Unit. In a borough with high deprivation and economic and social need increasing year-on-year, we are called on to support a wide range of community members. While we feel it is our calling to be a place of peace and support in a fraught world, providing support to all who need it in our community can be challenging. Our Mission Action Plan can be found at https://simplebooklet.com/stmarylewishammissionplan2025 The congregation was asked to describe St Marys (following consultation on our Renewal Plan/ Mission Action Plan):

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5 | P a g e Vicar of St Mary the Virgin Parish Church Lewisham Our vision for our new Vicar We are looking for a priest who is committed to the Catholic tradition of the Church of England as we value and celebrate our inclusive, modern catholic liturgy and broad music traditions. We have an experienced licensed ministry team with strong lay leadership and support, and we are eager to welcome our new priest who will guide and support us in our growth in mission and discipleship. Qualities and Skills You are someone who: • values the centrality of the Sacraments in our church life and will maintain and value the existing liturgical and spiritual traditions of our parish while introducing us to new possibilities. • is a good team player who will work collaboratively and sympathetically with both clergy and the laity to strengthen and empower us. • has good communication skills and is able to relate easily to people of all ages and circumstance. You are approachable, open and an active listener who can be diplomatic, tolerant and understanding of the dierences among us to develop and strengthen our life together and our outreach to the wider community. • can manage and support the training of others in ministry; we are often a training parish for curates and others on training placements. • will encourage and develop both individuals, and the congregation corporately, helping to further our vision and plans for the future especially in the areas of mission, growth and outreach so that we can continue to ourish. • is committed to helping us build and nurture our children and youth ministries including the participation of children and young people in our worship while developing our dedicated children and youth church leaders. We have strong links with our church primary school of St Mary’s, opposite the church, with regular worship and assemblies and other involvement. We have historic links with Colfe’s School and the Prendergast Academy Trust which are supported by the Leathersellers, a city livery company also with strong links to our church. • will work with and strengthen existing relationships with other churches and faith communities within our borough, the Deanery and at Diocesan level and will be committed to building on these established strong relationships.

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6 | P a g e Accommodation St Marys Vicarage is a ve-minute walk away from the church at 48 Lewisham Park, Lewisham, London SE13. The vicarage is a ve-bedroom red brick 1905 property overlooking Lewisham Park. It has a large established garden at the rear, o street parking at the front of the house and a garage at the rear of the house with access on Fordyce Road. This is a very spacious family home and has been a resource for parish activities when appropriate Key relationships St Mary’s is the historic church of Lewisham and the civic church for the borough, working closely with Lewisham’s Council and its elected Mayor, who look to the Vicar of St Mary’s for support and guidance around national and local events, celebrations and commemorations. St Mary’s is part of East Lewisham Deanery, within the Woolwich Episcopal Area. The Deanery and Chapter are active, strong and supportive. St Mary’s and the incumbent are part of Lewisham Interfaith Forum, working closely with our Area Bishop and Archdeacon, alongside local faith leaders. The Heads and sta of the various schools welcome a close involvement of the incumbent and look to us for guidance and pastoral support. St Mary’s supports two modern alms-houses from ancient church charities. The incumbent is an ex oicio trustee for the Lewisham Parochial Charities (the Lloyd Court almshouse) and of Greenwich Charity 'Estate Charity of William Hatclie. The incumbent is expected to be a nominated director of The Lewisham Colfe and Hatclie Glebe Almshouse Trustee Ltd, which is a Corporate Trustee of the Lewisham Almshouse Charities of William Hatclie and Abraham Colfe. The Vicar is Patron of the Livings at: All Saints Blackheath; St. Hilda’s, Crofton Park; and St. Swithun’s, Hither Green.

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8 | P a g e From: Oice for National Statistics – Census 2021 Our Pattern of Worship and Prayer Our electoral roll for 2024 stands at 127, of which 51 are resident within the parish and 76 outside the parish. Our Sunday Mass is attended by an average of 91 – 102, including those who join us through our live stream from all over the world. The pattern of worship under our former incumbent was: Sunday Services • 10.00am - Sung Mass • 6.00pm on rst Sunday in the month – Choral Evensong Weekday services • Wednesday – 7.30pm Mass and our Mothers Union Mass on the third Wednesday. • Thursday – 9.30am Mass • Saturday – 9.30 am Mass • Daily Morning prayer at 8:30am • Evening prayer at 5:30pm In addition to our regular services, we look for any opportunity for deeper spiritual growth. Under our former incumbent we enjoyed: Lent • a reflective multi-media mass in church at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings in Lent. • Stations of the Cross in church at 6:00pm on Friday evenings in Lent, and in the Therapeutic Garden at noon on Good Friday. • a Lent discussion group after mass on Sundays in Lent. • a film-based discussion group after mass on Saturdays during Lent Advent – We have a discussion group after mass during Advent

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9 | P a g e We see our highest numbers on those occasions that bring families together: • Baptisms: 10, conrmations: 0, 1st communions: 11, marriages: 1, funerals: 13. (2023 data as our curate left in August 2024 and our vicar in October) • Mothering Sunday – we bless and distribute small bouquets of daffodils for the mothers with whom we celebrate the day, and in memory of those mothers we have lost. • Easter Sunday – we share mini-Easter eggs with our young and not so young. • Harvest – we join our harvest gifts at the step to the altar with those from the school harvest mass, at the centre of which is our harvest loaf, which is baked annually by one of our parishioners, Kate Riches. The loaf is blessed and cut up for the congregation to enjoy whilst the harvest gifts are packed up for LewCAS. • Christingle – 80 oranges are given out during the service. Our Music Music at St Mary’s aims to reect our congregation and mission, diversity, and demographic – vibrant, diverse and pioneering, while retaining time-honoured traditions. Our well-established four-part choir leads the hymns, mass setting and oers a communion anthem each week. They also perform more traditional music once a month at Evensong and sing at numerous special services. Our organ is a large and excellent three-manual digital instrument, which is used alongside a small grand piano. Our organist and director of music is Chris Weeks. As our choir builds on this tradition, they look forward to working with our new parish priest to enhance and adapt our music oering throughout the next year.

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10 | P a g e Ministry Team and Lay Participation Our new vicar will be supported by a strong and committed team of volunteers. Over the last 12 years our parish has been privileged to be a training parish and we have been allocated three stipendiary curates following their ordination. It has been a very humbling experience for us to be a part of their journeys and growth in ministry and to be supported by them as we continue in our growth. We hope that we will continue to be accorded this status under our new parish priest. We hosted the Woolwich Area ordination of priests in 2014, 2018 and 2023. Our Ministry Team • Marion Watson – Reader Emerita • Paul Wynter – Reader, licensed for 15 years • Clara Kalu – Reader in training • Wendy Dean, Monica Smith, and Liz Evans – Commissioned Pastoral Lay Ministers (CPLMs). Our Staff • Christopher Weeks – Director of Music • Liz Evans – Our part-time Parish Administrator (PA). Liz is also our PCC secretary, and our Electoral Roll Officer. • Juliet Aketto – Church Cleaner Our Churchwardens – Joy Ivackovic and Paul LaTouche, who are supported by a team of ve deputy churchwardens on a rota to assist the churchwardens during Sunday and midweek services, weddings and funerals. Our Servers – We have 10 servers, which includes our thurifer, Winston Lucas, and our crucifer, Maurice Williams, both of whom are assisted by Juliet and Monica as required. Our servers, led by Marcia McKenzie, work on a rota system with a team of ve at our Sung Mass on Sundays and festivals. Administration of the Sacraments – There is a team of eight communion ministers who are on a rota for Sunday mass and special occasions. Our CPLMs take home communion to those unable to attend masses. Other posts • Verger – currently vacant • Parish Safeguarding Oicer (PSO) – Sonia Stewart • Our Treasurer –Mark Symons is a volunteer • Our Sacristan – John Stenning assisted by churchwardens and servers • Our Facilities Manager – Roy Brown

Website & Live Streaming Manager -- Chris Stringfellow

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11 | P a g e Church Governance and Groups We have strong governance structures in place including our diverse and engaged Parochial Church Council (PCC) that meets approximately six times a year. The incumbent chairs the PCC which operates through a number of committees/ groups: • Stewardship committee, focused on monetary giving and skills • Project group, focused on fundraising for large infrastructure projects • Eco group, focused on guiding St Mary’s to be a greener Church • Renewal group, focused on growing St Mary’s in Faith, Love and Hope • Therapeutic Garden group • Community and events group Safeguarding Our Parish Safeguarding Officer works to ensure that we adhere to the Diocesan Policy on Safeguarding. She has a dedicated Safeguarding notice board in church which she uses to ensure that relevant and up-to-date information is available for our congregation, and visitors. Flowers We use owers and foliage to enhance our worship. Our small team which organise and maintain the owers in church is led by Chris Bond and Kate Richardson who are joined by enthusiastic members of our church on special occasions like Easter and Christmas. Donations are given by congregation members to celebrate anniversaries, remember loved ones and enhance the beauty of our church. Our environmental response is to use articial owers some weeks especially in hot weather. Eco Group Our Eco Group is led by Wendy Dean (one of our CPLMs) assisted by four other volunteers. The group was set up in 2020 with the initial idea of re-wilding part of the north churchyard and improving our Eco footprint. In 2021 we achieved a Bronze Eco Church (AROCHA) award by phasing out single-use plastic and introducing compostable cups, recycling paper, cutting back on laminating, printer and ink usage and increased LED lighting. Our toilets have water saving features and one is twinned with a toilet in Nigeria. Clergy and intercessors celebrate God's creation and raise awareness of environmental concerns through prayer and worship and our Eco Group, in conjunction with our gardening team, are working to encourage further biodiversity in our garden and churchyard. Eco Group have reviewed a recent energy audit which addresses our carbon footprint and advises effective solutions to replace our outdated heating systems to reach net zero by 2030. Therapeutic Garden St Mary’s Therapeutic Garden (https://www.lewishamparish.com/garden) was created in a section of the churchyard in 2017 with Lottery funding. It was established in collaboration with the Ladywell SLAM (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) which is based in Lewisham Hospital next door to the church and garden.

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12 | P a g e The ‘closed’ churchyard is maintained by the local authority and we work closely with their parks department, Glendale. Our garden team have transformed it from a neglected place, plagued by anti-social behaviour, into a place of peace and sanctuary for anyone who needs it. It includes a prayer tree to which people can tie a ribbon and place their troubles in God’s loving hands. Our Therapeutic Garden and churchyard have achieved Arocha Gold standard in the Land, and Worship and Teaching categories; and Arocha Silver for Community Engagement, as well as an international "Green Flag' Award for Community, and recently came first in the 2024 Church Times 'Green Health' award. Our garden team look forward to working with a new parish priest who shares their vision for the therapeutic value of the garden and churchyard for the whole community. Mother’s Union (MU) Our branch of the MU will be celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. It is led by Sue Steel and has 32 members supporting family life both locally and overseas. The MU play an essential part in our church’s pastoral care and community outreach. They have created a creche corner at the back of the church for the under fours who are too young to attend Children’s Church. The MU provide toys, books, crayons, etc. Recently we have seen an increase in the number of families coming to the Sunday Mass, which is one of our aims. Our MU look forward to the support of our new parish priest as they continue their work to grow and strengthen the MU within the church and the wider community. Bells We have 8 bells hanging in the tower. These bells were originally cast at Whitechapel in 1776. The last full restoration of the bells was in 1894. We have an outstanding faculty application for the restoration of our bells. We have a regular team of seven ringers and also have ringers join our ringers from Docklands Ringing Centre (DRC) and occasional visitors to the area. They ring before mass on the rst and third Sunday of the month as well as for special and national events.

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13 | P a g e Children’s and Youth Ministries Our Children’s Church and Youth Church are a prime example of resilience and adaptability. Pre-pandemic our Children’ and Youth Churches met every week during the Sunday mass. These two ministries have been combined under the leadership of Jacqueline Bowens who is assisted by Annette Moses, and two other volunteers. Both the children and youth meet during Sunday Mass on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. Our children and youth are committed, and enthusiastic young Christians and our team of leaders do an amazing job in keeping them engaged in the gospel of Christ. Although we do not currently have the volunteers to return to weekly sessions, we are seeing an increase in the number of young families attending our Sunday worship, which is positive. Occasionally our children and youth have actively participated in our Sunday worship shadowing Churchwardens, reading the scripture, delivering intercessions and welcoming the congregation on the church steps as they come to mass. It is very clear how much they enjoy doing so and it is lovely to see them grow in condence. One of our key priorities is to expand our children and youth ministries and we would like our new parish priest to share this priority. The vision of our children and youth (following consultation with a member of our PCC) Someone who is ‘fun’ Good interaction with teenagers Relatable Someone who is easy to talk to Help Youth Church to lead a service Not frightened of Youths & Children Vicar to spend a Sunday with Youth Church Organize events – Walsingham pilgrimage, day trips, outings etc. Pilgrimages We enjoy the fellowship and worship of pilgrimages. They provide an opportunity to not only grow in faith but to bring us closer to God as a Christian community. We enjoy an annual weekend pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and an annual walking pilgrimage on the Monday of Holy Week from our church to Southwark Cathedral. Our youth attended the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage in 2023 and came back refreshed and energised from their rst experience of pilgrimage. We have strong historical links with the Abbey Church of St. Peter’s Gent. Every other year St. Peter’s hosts our parishioners in Gent and on alternate years we host parishioners from St. Peter’s. Parishioners from St. Peter’s often visit throughout the year and are represented at the Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial on Lewisham High Street. We have in the past done annual day pilgrimages to Walsingham and Glastonbury. We have made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land under our last incumbent and done a walking pilgrimage from Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral followed by a mass in the Crypt. We trust that our new parish priest will support us in our current pattern of pilgrimage and will open up the opportunity for more reflective days away and pilgrimages.

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14 | P a g e The History of Our Church St. Mary’s Church by J.C. Barrow, 1798 St. Mary’s is the Parish Church of the Ancient Parish of Lewisham and the Civic Church of the present Borough of Lewisham. There has probably been a church on the site from the 10th century when Lewisham and Greenwich were owned and administered by the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter’s in Gent. The medieval church, with the exception of the 15th century tower, was demolished when the present building was constructed 1774-1777 to the designs of George Gibson, a local architect. The interior was re-ordered in 1881 and the chancel, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, added. A further re-ordering, designed by Keith Murray and funded by the late Elizabeth Anderson’s generous bequest, took place in the 1990’s. A history and guide to the church by our resident historian, Julian Watson, was published in 2004 and is available on the Church’s website or at https://midd.me/vDfR. Parish Records The parish registers began in 1558 but were badly damaged by a fire in the vestry in 1830. The damaged remnants with a transcript are held, with other ecclesiastical and civil records of the parish, at Lewisham Heritage in Catford and at The London Archives in Clerkenwell. Churchyard St. Mary’s Church, with its medieval tower, is the oldest building in the Borough of Lewisham. The churchyard is a large and tranquil open space next to the River Ravensbourne in the heart of urban Lewisham with identiable burials from the eighteenth century to 1856 when the churchyard was closed.

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15 | P a g e Church Fabric St. Mary the Virgin is a grade II listed building. The main body of the church was rebuilt 1774-77 by George Gibson Jr. The building and grounds are full of historic and signicant monuments and memorials, but the upkeep of our building is a challenge. We have recently carried out the following as part of a series of work to be completed: • Re-roofed our Chancel and associated transept roofs • new lead gutters • cast iron gutters • rainwater pipes • removed plaster from the walls which were damaged as a result of the previously leaking Chancel roof so that they can dry out. We need a parish priest with an interest in our historic building who can work with our project group to continue our vision for its future maintenance, development and preservation.

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16 | P a g e St Mary’s Centre – Our Parish Hall Our Parish Hall, St. Mary’s Centre, is located on Ladywell Road. Its halls and rooms are hired by a number of local charities and support groups on a regular basis. It is also hired for one-o events such as funeral receptions, birthday and wedding celebrations. The Centre is owned by the Diocese of Southwark and was managed under licence by the Centre Management Committee. The licence expired in 2006 and negotiations with the Diocese about its future and development remain unresolved. St Mary’s Church of England Primary School The parish school, located opposite the church is one-form entry (https://st-marys.lewisham.sch.uk/). The vision of the school is to be a learning community that promotes the unique gifts, wellbeing and potential of every person. Their work is founded on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, building on His message of equality, peace and justice, guided by His words, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 St Mary's School has achieved a Values Based Education Quality Mark in recognition of the central role that vision and values play in all aspects of the school’s work in promoting the education and wellbeing of all members of the school and wider Community. The six Christian values were chosen by all members of the school community and are rooted in the Bible. The school attained an “Excellent” award for their SIAMS inspection in 2019 and were awarded a Gold R.E. Quality Mark in 2018. St Mary’s School is a vibrant, multicultural school that celebrates the dierent nationalities and traditions of its pupils. It holds an Inclusive Quality Mark and was also nominated as a Centre of Excellence. St Mary’s became a Sanctuary School in May 2021 and only the third school in London to achieve this status. The award was made in recognition of the school’s work and ongoing commitment to the City of Sanctuary vision of being a welcoming place of safety for all. Christine Graham is the current Headteacher. She has signicantly raised

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17 | P a g e academic achievements in the school. The school attained a Good Ofsted in December 2021 with outstanding features. The school also has a very active Governing Board who hold The Bishop’s Certicate in Church School Governance. The incumbent is an ex oicio governor. The governors are very committed and enjoy good relations with the Headteacher and sta. The Head Teacher, sta and Governing Board have the following expectations of the new parish priest: • Someone who is child friendly in terms of sermons, assemblies and collective worship; • Prepare children for First Communions held annually over at the church; • Support in R.E. and in raising standards in R.E.; • Work in collaboration with the Headteacher to promote the school’s Christian ethos; • To be part of the governing body. Outreach and Community Activities We are an active member of LewCAS (https://www.lewcas.org.uk), which is a registered charity that supports asylum seekers in our community. It runs a foodbank on Tuesdays from St. John’s with Holy Trinity, Deptford. We have a drop off box for food donations at the back of our church. Four of our parishioners are regularly volunteers. We have an Events Committee which organises a mixed programme of events and fundraising activities using the church buildings and grounds designed to engage the wider local community such as: • An annual concert and reworks display with soup on 5th November • Annual Christmas Market with 50+stalls showcasing local traders • Annual Family Carol Concert involving local schools • Monthly cheese and wine concerts after Evensong Our gardening team run weekly gardening sessions in the Therapeutic Garden which are attended by patients from the Ladywell Unit, SLAM patients who live in the community, and residents who live in local secure supported housing. Our gardening team run monthly

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18 | P a g e Community Garden Days in the church yard on a Saturday for the whole community. Children from St Mary's Primary School also enjoy coming to the garden for regular gardening activities. These activities, among others, secured our team a prestigious ‘Green Flag for Community’ award in 2023 and 2024 and the Church Times ‘Green Health Award’ in 2024. We hire out the crypt to local support groups including MIND, Al-Anon and Lewisham Bereavement Counselling Service (NHS Trust run) Our Mother’s Union collect items on an annual basis for the MU in Zimbabwe. They also as part of their outreach programme hosts: • Knit & Natter which meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 2.15pm • Crafty Chatter which meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 10.15am We also support a range of charitable causes through regular collections, including Bishop’s Lent Appeal, LewCAS, Children’s Society, Christian Aid and hosting a TraidCraft stall. Our volunteers support St Mary’s Primary School in a range of ways, including reading practice, music and prayer. We host special weekday worship services in school and in the church and the children have their 1st communions at St Mary’s Church in our Sunday worship. We also host the Founder’s Day service and annual Christmas carol service for Colfe’s School and Prendergast Academy. Our Financial Position A copy of our draft accounts for 2024 are subject to Independent Examination and then approval at the APCM in May. Our total turnover in 2024 was £105 404 and the expenditure was £101 378. We also received large grants in 2024 amounting to £336 751 for capital projects or restricted causes, £311 813 of which relates to structural repairs. We are in the middle of a Stewardship drive designed to encourage our congregation to increase their giving, and/or to give by standing order or direct debit.

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19 | P a g e Appendix 1: Aspirations Some of our congregants shared the following aspirations for the development and growth of St Mary’s in the future, for discussion with our new parish priest. Update our heating system Update our PA system To encourage and support more young people to come to the church. Increase the number of volunteers We open the church on heritage days, but we would like to have the church open more often. The challenge is nding volunteers who would enable that to happen See better links between the church and the school See more servers The choir is quite small at present and there is a particular need to widen its membership Return of the summer bar-b-que, and Christmas dinner/cabaret More communion ministers and home communion ministers See the return of an 8:00am Said Mass on Sundays. See the return of the mini parishes/ house masses. Historically we have had mini parishes in Mount Pleasant, Lewisham Park, Slaithewaite and Ladywell/ Lloyd Court. Mini parishes would meet in the home of the leaders for a mass once every four weeks. Return of bible study groups Our children and young people have shared the following aspirations for the growth of our children and youth ministries. Resumption of the Youth Church Vicar to invite the Youth members to the vicarage for a lunch, talks/meetings, lm night in relation to the gospel/ readings or special events in the church calendar. Same for the Children’s Church. Teddy bear picnic, easter egg hunt, storytelling etc. Encourage more parents to bring their children to church, not just for baptisms / communion, Mothering Sunday and Easter! It is important for the new priest to be friendly, approachable and get to know the children individually. Involve them in the mass sometimes e.g., a time to share what they have learnt, singing songs, readings for the older children, etc., so they feel part of the church. Ensure that we have age-appropriate, relevant and up to date resources such as bibles, books etc. to use in the sessions and /or at home. Join children and youth from other local churches for a fun day in the summer holidays. Create a children's choir if there are sufficient numbers - this could also include children from St Mary's School. Could sing at family services and/or special events

St Mary the Virgin Lewisham Pari

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