May 2025 - E-Magazine
- The Team at Yate Parish
- 20 hours ago
- 9 min read
Please click below for a printable copy of the magazine:
Yate Parish Annual Report 2025
2024 through to 2025 was a year of continuity and transition. Throughout 2024 we continued with most of the usual pattern of parish life.
¨ We held a Lent course in 2024 considering the Easter services, which led to an increase in attendance of the Holy Week services. ¨ We continued with Thy Kingdom Come where we published Morning and Evening Prayer booklets for the whole year, many of which are used regularly by the congregation. ¨ We continued with the various parish events such as coffee mornings, breakfasts, concerts and the Christmas tree festival. ¨ As always, the daily round of pastoral visiting, Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals.
2024 through to 2025 was also a year of transition. Charlie Blackett moved on from being our youth and families worker to begin her training for ordination. Ian and Ruth retired from parish ministry in September, Jean moved back to Gloucester diocese and Joanne moved to Fromeside to widen her ministerial experience. This reduced the ministry team from ten to six. In order to meet this challenge, we have had to change the service times at St Nix and St James and we are very grateful for Malcom and Ben from Fromeside for stepping in and covering services on Sunday.
In the face of these challenges, we have not just sat back and kept things going. We have embraced transition and seized the opportunity to improved our facilities and our life together. In 2024 through to 2025 we have improved our church buildings in significant ways.
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We have improved St Peters with:
¨ New lighting and heating systems funded by the eco grant from the diocese.
We have improved St Nix with:
¨ New CCTV to protect us from vandals and allow us to feel safer. ¨ New carpets and signage for the church. ¨ New lighting in the main church, paid for by the diocese eco grant. ¨ Three clean up days which have improved the look and feel of the exterior and interior of church. ¨ The great unlocking where we removed many unnecessary locks from church cupboards and doors. Because we are a family and can trust each other. ¨ A full set of service templates for the whole year, giving consistency in worship and reducing the preparation time for services dramatically.
We have improved St Mary’s with:
¨ Moving the screens to open up the transept which can now be used for meetings and is now used by the craft group every week. ¨ Holding a cleanup day where 10 car loads of rubbish was taken to the tip, dramatically improving the look and feel of the church. ¨ Creating a chapel space for quiet prayer and services on a Thursday. ¨ Creating a sanctuary space and choir. ¨ New service sheets for the whole year, reducing clergy preparation time and making worship easier for all. Done in consultation with the choir and musical director. ¨ Upgrading the AV system to high definition enabling us to use modern videos and improve picture quality.
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¨ Removing and repositioning screens which the DCC decided to move in consultation with the congregation. ¨ Installing a combination lock on the kitchen and sound system enabling ease of use by volunteers. ¨ Responding to the DCC and congregation’s views in all these improvements.
We have improved St James with:
¨ A clean-up day which dramatically improved the look of the church. ¨ Installing new curtains in the vestry.
At the last APCM in 2024 Ian published the PCC & DCC handbook which detailed the responsibilities and decision-making processes of Yate Parish. This was the cumulation of years of work bringing our parish partially in line with church and charity law. It also gave us a framework for making decisions. We were aware that much of Ian’s time was taken up by governance matters and that in the past we had tried to embark on mission and ministry only to be thwarted by unclear and sometimes dysfunctional systems.
Before Ian’s departure Hywel asked the Archdeacon to undertake a governance review of the parish. He did this because he was concerned that when the new rector is appointed, she or he will find themselves in the same position as Ian did. Keen to work in mission and ministry but thwarted by poor governance. In November 2024 Archdeacon Christopher undertook his review which was published in February 2025. (The review is available online via our website).
The report calls for us to increase Transparency, Clarity and Accountability in our decision making. Also, for us to come in line with church and charity law. In the February and March PCCs we passed various resolutions to make this a reality. Full details can be seen in the PCC minutes published on our website.
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In response to the review, we have:
¨ Reformed the budgeting system to allow the PCC to be responsible for all parish expenses with the exception of sacristy and maintenance budgets for each church. These will be administered by the DCC. ¨ Taken various actions to bring Yate parish in line with church and charity law. A full list of these actions is available in the PCC minutes for February and March 2025. ¨ Published summary DCC and PCC agendas and minutes online, in church and in the magazine. This has increased transparency of decision making and allowed everyone to have a voice.
The governance may seem immensely boring and unimportant it is however vital to our life as a parish and how we relate as a family. Dave Jones put it best. “In the past we have spent lots of time and energy sowing seeds hoping they will grow, but like the Parable of the Sower we were sowing on stony ground. People would receive the word with joy and begin to grow, but because the ground was stony they withered. What we are doing now is tilling the soil and making it fertile so when we sow there will be fruit.”
This is true if we look at the work done in each of the churches, detailed above. None of this work would have been possible without getting real agreement and ownership from the people. We have made decisions in a transparent, accountable and clear way. This is the tilling of the soil which enabled the shoots of growth to begin.
We have also undertaken two ministry projects since October. We are Family, emphasising how we can better work together as a parish. Building Jesus to make him visible this Lent. Where we gave everyone a puzzle piece to show that it is only in working together that we will make Jesus visible. Apart we are |
incomplete it is only by working together that we become whole. There have been many encouraging signs of work across the parish, with people supporting churches in the clean up days and plans for a Christmas tree festival across the whole of Yate Parish.
For the future:
In June the position of Rector will be advertised and if the right candidate applies, they will be appointed at the end of July. We are currently recruiting a Transitional minister who will start in September to take the pressure off the ministry team. Paul Belcher will God wiling be licensed as an LLM in October and Claire Haywood is going forward for LLM selection in June. It is our hope that when the new Rector arrives, she or he will find a parish which is functioning well together where the soil is tilled and ready for Mission and Ministry. |
Services throughout the Parish
Sunday 4th May 3rd Sunday of Easter—White Acts 9.1-20 Revelation 5.11-end John 21.1-19
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am All Age Service 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 9.30am Communion
St James
11.00am Communion
St Peter 6.30pm Evening Worship (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 11th May 4th Sunday of Easter—White Acts 9.36-end Revelation 7.9-end John 10.22-30
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Communion 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 9.30am NO SERVICE
St James 11.00am Morning Worship
St Peter 6.30pm Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
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Sunday 18th May 5th Sunday of Easter—White Acts 11.1-18 Revelation 21.1-6 John 13.31-35
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Morning Worship 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 9.30am Communion
St James 11.00am Communion
St Peter 6.30pm Evening Worship (Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 25th May 6th Sunday of Easter—White Acts 16.9-15 Revelation 21.10,22-22.5 John 14.23-29
St Mary 8.15am Communion 10.30am Communion 6.30pm 630 Praise
St Nix 9.30am Morning Worship
St James 11.00am Morning Worship
St Peter 6.30pm Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
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Celebrate VE Day on Sunday 11th May
This year it is the 80th anniversary of VE day. To celebrate the occasion we are holding three special services in the Parish.
At St Mary’s and St Peter’s we are offering an opportunity to pray in the same way as they did in 1945, using the Book of Common Prayer. We are asking everyone to bring in their old prayer books for the service too. Some of these books may even have been used on VE day in 1945. The services will be at the usual times, 10.30am in St Mary’s and 6.30pm in St Peter’s.
In St Nix we are holding a special Messy Church VE Day picnic starting at 4pm. We will gather to do VE day-related crafting and hold a picnic in the grounds or in the hall. (This is England after all, and the weather is not guaranteed!) There will be no service in the morning that day at St Nix.
Come along, and invite your friends, to celebrate VE Day in Yate Parish.
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Mothers’ Union Yate
This month our meeting will be at St Mary’s Church on Thursday 15th May at 2pm
We will be welcoming Amanda Leonard from The Children’s Hospice South West
Amanda will be speaking about their work and how they have adapted since the pandemic with a new approach.
We look forward to hearing about the fantastic work supporting families with seriously ill children.
All members and visitors will be welcome to join us for an interesting afternoon which will include prayer and worship, and, of course, tea, coffee and biscuits!
For more information about this event, or Mothers’ Union in general please contact: Jacky Fredrickson 07501670265 |
This year sees the 80th anniversary of V. E. Day, and Yate Parish is having a picnic to celebrate.
Where? In the garden at St Nix (or in the church hall if it’s raining).
When? On Sunday 11th May from 4-6pm.
Who can come? Everyone! We will be joining with the Messy Church family to make this a celebration to remember.
What do I need to bring? Bring your own picnic and maybe one thing to share. A rug or a picnic chair would be good or you can use a chair from the hall. Hot drinks will be provided.
What will be happening? There will be plenty of time to enjoy each other’s company and eat together. There will also be some activities to join in with if you would like to experience the creative side of Messy Church.
Hope to see you there! Helen Belcher |
Date for your diary
Friday 18th July
After their very successful concert at St James in March, we are pleased to welcome the Avon Fire and Rescue Band to St Mary’s on Friday 18th July. They will be playing a selection of music from classical to film to pop, something for all tastes.
Tickets will be £8.00 which will include a drink and nibbles in the interval, children under 16 go free. They will be available to buy on line or in the coffee bar at St Mary’s shortly. Look out for the poster or contact the Parish Office on 07928 962 000.
Proceeds from the event will go to St Mary’s ensuring its ongoing use for and by the wider community for many years to come. |
Find out more
about The
Connection and Those Vicar Blokes on our website at yateparish,org
under the heading
Explore our Faith
A Weekly Group at St Nix Friday Re:fresh runs from 09:30 - 10:30 on a Friday during term-time held at St Nix.
A warm and welcoming group for adults and children (babies to school age) to spend time together chatting, playing, singing and pondering a spiritual thought of the day.
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Morning prayer in Yate Parish
Do you find prayer a little difficult? Would you like some inspiration? Go to the Yate Parish Facebook page to join in Morning Prayer led by our ministry team. You can watch live at 7.30am Monday to Saturday, or watch at any time later in the day. Many people have found it a great start to their day.
Weekly at St Mary’s
Thursday Communion at 10.00am
Compline @8pm
Before the lockdown happened, we had recorded the saying of Compline. We ask that each evening at 8pm we light a candle in our window and pray together for our nation using the words of the Compline service - it takes just over 5 minutes.
Visit the parish website and click on the recordings to listen; you will find the words of the service there too.
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