St Peter's and St Francis'

Sharing our Experience of God's Love

Church Wardens Update – Summer 2023

Download letter with photographs

It was a long wait, but we are all delighted that we will be welcoming the Reverend Sean Beagley and his family to Frimley.  Sean’s ministry in Frimley begins on September 26th when he is inducted by Bishop Andrew and installed as Rector of Frimley.  The service will be in St. Peters Church at 7.45pm followed by a reception in the Parish Hall.

We hope that as many as possible of our congregation will be present along with Sean’s family and friends, representatives of our local community, the clergy of our Deanery and members of Sean’s current parish, St. John’s Windlesham.  The service will be live streamed so that people can take part from their homes.

Please pray for Sean as he takes up his ministry; for Sean, Jen and the girls, Ariella, Emme and Hermione, as they move into their new home and the girls start at new schools and for ourselves that we can, together, grow in faith and witness to our community.

During the vacancy many people have contributed to ensure that the church family has continued in faith and worship and maintained our community activities.  But we don’t only want to thank them but to thank all of you.  As members of the church family, you have prayed faithfully that the right person will come forward, supported the weekly life of our parish, and continued to care for each other.

We also need to acknowledge, and thank you, as you have continued to support the parish financially, even though many of us are squeezed by the rise in the cost of living.  Firm stewardship of our resources has enabled us to mitigate the impact of huge rises in our costs.  If you are a taxpayer, please consider gift aiding all your donations as this increases their value to the parish by 25% at no cost to yourselves.  If you are able to donate through the Parish Giving Scheme, the Gift Aid is automatically calculated and returned to the Parish in a timely way.  The scheme allows for an automatic annual inflationary increase to be applied to your giving, but this is at your discretion.

Energy Action
We are waiting to hear imminently about our bid to Your Fund Surrey for the balance of finance needed to put our plan for solar panels and infrastructure on the Church Halls into action.  The bid has the support of our County Councillor, David Lewis, and Ward Councillor, Alan Ashbury.  As soon as we hear we will be able to schedule installation for this year.

Churchyard 
PCSOs Vincent Wakeling, and Arslan Tariq and a Church Warden have cleared the east end of the Churchyard around the area where there has been a break in the fencing repaired by Accent Housing Association.  This has given transparency to the area for security and makes the area amenable to improvement and planting. The area either side of the cleared ground still needs to be cleared, but the splendid work undertaken by our PCSOs has set a standard for completing the clearance this summer. 

Memorial garden 
The ground for memorials in front of the wall has been bordered and covered with light coloured Cotswold Stone to give a uniform and dignified appearance to the area.  The remaining area beyond the oak will be similarly covered at the next gardening morning on the 5th August having received appreciative comments. 

Finally, some practicalities:

·        If you have been using the Rectory driveway as an overflow for our car park, can we politely ask that you stop from 31st July.

·        We shall be welcoming many visitors to the induction service.  Parking will not be possible in our carpark unless prearranged for people with mobility issues.  Father John has kindly opened the carpark of Our Lady Queen of Heaven for us, but it will not be available until AFTER 7.15 pm.

·        To help our planning, there will be signup sheets in the church, so that you can indicate that you plan to come and whether you have any special mobility needs.  (Attendance isn’t restricted to those who have “signed up”).

·        Thank you to those who have already offered to help with catering, but more help is always welcome.

·        The next gardening mornings are on Saturday 5th August and 2nd September with the priorities being to complete the renovation of the Memorial Garden and finally clear the East end of the churchyard.

·        Becky has a number of Children’s and Youth activities over the summer, which are advertised in the newsletter, if you are able to help with any of them, please let Becky know.

Matthew and Thora

Christms Message
As we 
approach Christmas and the New Year it is always a time for reflection.  This last year has probably tested our faith in many ways, not least the challenges we are all facing with the cost of living, energy crisis and the uncertainty of what the new year will bring.

For Christians the birth of Jesus reminds us of the Hope we have in God. Here in Frimley Parish this is something we must hold on to. We said goodbye to Rev Stuart Thomas and Heather at the start of the year when he took a well-deserved retirement and more recently, we said farewell to Rev Ghislaine Shortland who moved down to the West Country. Whilst we have advertised and interviewed for a new Rector, we are still waiting in Hope for the right person God is calling to Frimley – we must be patient!

However, that has not meant we here in Frimley have stood still, once again we are overwhelmed by the sheer generosity and kindness of so many people within the Parish and the local community who continue to support us.  There are so many people to thank personally but our churches St Peter’s and St Francis’ would not operate without the dedication from our Parish Administrator Clare, Facilities Manager Leola, Rev Joy Lievesley and our Ministry Team, Jennie, Sharon, Susan and Carol.  Our Assistant Churchwardens Mick and Alan, Youth Co-Ordinator Becky, PCC and all the volunteers who give up their time to help.

Reflecting back, we have achieved so much in a time of uncertainty, we welcomed two local schools for their Harvest Festivals and Christmas productions, we introduced a weekly Winter Warmer Hub, we held our first Winter Sale as well as our traditional Spring Sale.  Open Church continues on Tues and Sat mornings with our monthly Charity Coffee mornings. Open the Book has grown with our local schools, Youth Café remains, and Toddler Fun, Bumps and Babies have expanded. Our Choir are now singing twice a month as well as our regular Music group and singers. 

This has all been on top of the challenges we also face as a church not least the Energy Crisis that has impacted us severely. As a result, the PCC introduced an energy action plan - details of which are in this magazine.

As we start the new year let us remind ourselves of what is most important -taken from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians  “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 CORINTHIANS 13:13

Remember:

Love is kind, even when you feel frazzled.
Love is patient, even when queues are long.
Love helps others, even when it makes you a few minutes late.
Love doesn’t envy, even when the neighbours' light display is better.
Love will endure, even beyond the Christmas season.                Leslie L Mckee

We wish a very Merry Christmas and joyous New Year to you and your families.

Terri Ferro and Matthew Sleap
Churchwardens, Frimley Parish 

17 December Message

The Churchwardens, Terri and Matthew, would like to say a huge thank you to the congregation of Frimley Parish for their sustained and generous support during this year of Vacancy.  Your loyalty and good faith has encouraged us to take bold initiatives for the mission of the Church to secure our future. Thank you, too, for all you do and the goodwill you show towards those in the community.  A very happy Christmas to you and your families and a joyous New Year for 2023.

Download 27 October message

27 October

Dear Parishioners,

Firstly, Matthew and I would like to thank you for all the support you have given us through the vacancy. It has been a very busy and testing time, but we are delighted to confirm that we will be conducting interviews for a new incumbent on November 19th, 2022. I am sure you will all join us in praying for a successful outcome.

We are delighted to confirm that we will be holding our Frimley Parish Gift Day on Sunday 30th October 2022. Bishop Andrew has kindly agreed to conduct our 10am service on this day, and we all look forward to welcoming him to our Parish.

Gift Days are a key part of our raising funds to help our Parish deliver on its mission. The past two years have been particularly difficult, given the covid pandemic head winds. In this time of hardship and austerity, we feel it is important Frimley Parish can continue to deliver on its mission both with our parishioners and community.

Our parishioners responded so positively to the Parish Chair appeal , that we have been able to fully fund the chair purchases without needing to use any parish funds. A big thank you.

This year’s Gift Day will support the ongoing work of the Parish to deliver on its mission and development plan.

Whilst we know everyone is concerned about the economic challenges that are impacting on our society, generously supporting our Parish Gift Day will be the best way to improve our Parish’s ability to deliver our mission.

Thank you for your kind attention and support.

Terri Ferro and Matthew Sleap
Churchwardens, Frimley Parish

03 August 2022

Dear Parishioner

As we have recently announced, general inflation, overwhelmingly driven by rising energy costs, has sharply increased the running costs of our Parish.  These increases are sapping our financial reserves:  currently excess of expenditure over income is around £3500 per month.  Although we are now on a two-year fixed price tariff for energy, the increases are likely to persist and soon our reserves will become exhausted.  The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has agreed an increase in hall hire charges and is reviewing energy use throughout our facilities.

The PCC is also developing a three-year plan that will review the way the Parish operates including the transformation of energy usage to a minimal carbon footprint.  The vision is to be largely self-sufficient for energy at both St Peter’s and St Francis’ within the next three years. In the short term we are doing all we possibly can to cut costs.  Our light fixtures support low energy bulbs and tight procedures for use of all energy sources will be observed. Within 18 months we plan to install solar panels at the Church Halls. A recent survey of the solar energy potential of the Church Halls indicated that using solar panels would give significant relief to energy consumption from the grid.  

To achieve this ambitious but necessary target, we require regular giving from our congregation. Parishes are self-supporting: we receive no income from the Church of England, nor do we receive income from the Diocese of Guildford.  In fact, we are required to support the Diocese through Parish Share, a contribution that each Parish is committed to give (our parish share for this year is £88,000). 

Your commitment will give the PCC confifence to put in place changes required to continue our mission in this Parish. We ask you prayerfully to consider your ability to support the Parish by regular donations.  If you already give regularly, we ask that you consider increasing the amount you give.  Please see over for ways to donate.

With our thanks and all good wishes

Yours sincerely

Matthew Sleap and Terri Ferro
Churchwardens, Parish of Frimley

30 May 2022

Dear Parishioner

It is hard to believe that we are now heading into June and six months of the year have passed. I am delighted however to welcome on board Matthew Sleap as our new Churchwarden. It will be a privilege to work alongside Matthew and I’m sure you will all continue in your support for both Matthew and I.

We held our APCM earlier this month and as well as Matthew being elected as Churchwarden, we welcomed Caroline Osborne as our new PCC Secretary, she will be taking over from Sophie Gaw who has done a tremendous job over the years. Sophie will continue as PCC member for the coming year.

Parish Vacancy

The PCC held the Section 11 meeting at the end of April and the Parish profile and job advert were approved. The PCC elected Mark Russell and Terri Ferro as the Parish Reps for the interviews.

The advert for the new Rector was placed in the both the Church Times and on the Diocesan Website at the beginning of May with a closing date of the 1 June. Please continue to pray for the parish during the vacancy using our prayer at the end of this letter.

Chairs

We have now ordered a total of 80 chairs which will be arriving late June.  Thank you to all who have donated towards a chair, it is not too late if you still wish to donate, please contact our Parish Administrator, Clare Peel, and she will provide you with the details.

Fundraising and Charity Coffee Mornings

Our Spring sale was back this year after a 3-year break. It raised over £1100, many thanks to Clare and her team of volunteers who made the day a success. Also, to everyone who came and supported it was lovely to see you all and we hope to see you again at the planned Winter Sale on 19 November.

The Charity Coffee mornings continue to be an enormous success and to date we have raised over £1800 for our nominated charities.  I received a lovely letter from one local Charity who put into context the difference the money donated can make to people’s lives: ‘96 hours of happiness for families’. In addition to this we also raised £1209 for the Christian Aid Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Please continue to support these events - the next one is Friday 3 June.

 

Stewardship & Energy Action Plan

As always Churches are constantly in need of funds to be able to support the ongoing worship and running of the church. It is no surprise that the energy costs have also impacted us severely. The PCC are looking at this in more detail drawing up an Energy Action plan to manage the immediate but persistent crisis of large and volatile energy price increases. Long term the PCC are looking to establish an energy strategy to reduce the Parish carbon footprint. We are investigating grants for the longer-term strategy and will be providing details of how you can support us through stewardship over the coming months.

 

Churchyard

Sadly, the time has come to officially close the Churchyard for burials as there are no longer any available spaces. The PCC formally wrote to the Ministry of Justice and the Surrey Heath Borough Council. A notice is up outside the church and will be there for 4 weeks. Plots for ashes are still available and the PCC approved for a Rose Garden to planted in the memorial garden.

Although the Churchyard will be closed is will still be maintained by the Parish overseen by our Churchyard Administrator Mark Russell.

 

Young Leaders

We are delighted two of our young people have been part of the Diocesan Young Leadership Team and have been meeting with Bishop Andrew along with other young leaders to look at how the church develops for the future. Frimley Parish has now been asked to host the first ‘on the road’ Young Leadership Team meeting and we look forward to welcoming young leaders from the across the Diocese later in June.

 

Dates for your Diary

·        Charity Coffee Morning for Marie Curie Fri 3 June

·        Jubilee Weekend - Sat 4 June Count on Nature followed by our Jubilee Picnic.

·        Pentecost Sunday – Sun 5 June

·        St Peters Patronal Service – Sun 26 June

·        Churchyard Gardening Mornings – Sat 16 July and Sat 20 August

 

Future Charity Coffee Mornings:

·        July - Step by Step

·        August - Mustard Seed

·        September - Macmillan

·        October – The Grove Primary School Music Room Project

·        November – The Hope Hub 

·        December – Children’s Society

 

Thank you for your continued support

 

Yours sincerely

 

Terri Ferro and Matthew Sleap
Churchwardens, Parish of Frimley

Terriferro@frimleyparish.org.uk
matthewsleap@frimleyparish.org.uk

 

Parish Vacancy Prayer

As we serve you in this vacancy, open our eyes to all you are doing in our community and our lives, open our hearts to be constant in faith and committed in service, open our arms to welcome whoever you send as our next incumbent to Frimley.   Bless and guide the one called to serve you and us here in the coming years; bless and guide those who will make the decision to appoint them, so that in joy and collaboration we work together to build your kingdom here for the growth of our church fellowship and the blessing of our wider community. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 


13th April 2022

Dear Parishioner

This is my second update to you all about what is happening across the Parish, and I do hope you are finding it useful.

Parish Vacancy

We are moving ahead with the vacancy process.  Following a productive PCC meeting with the Diocese’s Mission Enabler Team, to look at our Statement of Needs and Person Specification, a small team have been putting together the Parish Profile.  I would like to thank you all for your helpful input, in completing our comment slips.  These will be used within the profile.  The profile will be signed off by the PCC on April 26th at our Section 11 meeting at which we will also appoint our two parish reps for the interviews.  The Area Dean and I, as the Sequestrators, have put together a Leadership Team, who meet regularly.  This team is made up of David Harrison, Matthew Sleap, Clare Peel and John Ray.  The next step will then be to place the advert in the Church Times which we anticipate will be at the beginning of May.

Chairs

Thank you to all who have made their pledge a reality and we are pleased to say that the first part of our order has been placed and we hope to take delivery of 60 chairs in late June.  If you would like to donate towards a chair please contact our Parish Administrator, Clare Peel and she will provide you with the details.

Magazine

Huge thank you to Anna Mansbridge our new Magazine Editor on her first bumper edition!  Her and the team have worked hard to pull this together and thanks must go to all those who contributed towards it.  If you would like a copy, you can either download from our website or alternatively if you would like a hard copy, please contact the Parish Office.

Future Events

I would like to draw your attention to a few events we are running in May and June. We do hope you will be able to support these -  7th May – Spring Sale and 4th June – Count on Nature followed by our Jubilee Picnic.

I would like to thank the Ministry and Worship Team for the variety of services and events we have been able to offer during Lent and Holy Week.

A Vacancy is a challenging time for any Parish, and I would like to personally thank you for your continued support for me as we all pull together over the coming months.  I wish you all blessings over the Easter Period and that you are able spend time with those close to you.

Yours sincerely

Terri Ferro, Churchwarden


9th March 2022

Dear Parishioner

Welcome to a new parish comms which I will issue throughout the Vacancy to keep you all updated on developments, events, and general communication.

I would like to thank everyone who came and helped us during Stuart and Heather’s last weekend to show our appreciation for everything that they have done for us during their time in the Parish.  I think we can all agree it was lovely to see everyone all together in the Church.  A personal thanks to Clare and her team of volunteers who organised everything.  I am pleased to report that they have now settled into their new home in Dorset, although still surrounded by boxes! 

Parish Vacancy

Last Sunday Archdeacon Paul joined us for our service and helpfully talked us through the Vacancy process and issued a Newsletter which included a framework for how the Parish will operate during the Vacancy, as well as a timeline for the recruitment of a new incumbent.  We now have an updated copy, with all the correct dates, which you will find attached to this email.  If anyone has any questions regarding the process, please let me know.

Faculty Update

You may have heard by now that the Chancellor has given his approval of our faculty to permanently remove the pews in St Peter’s Church and replace them with chairs.  The Chancellor’s judgement is available for you all to see. Please contact our Parish Administrator, Clare, if you wish to see a copy.  The Chancellor has been thorough in his response, specifically emphasising that we continue in Frimley Parish with our mission work supporting the local community and those most vulnerable.  We understand that for some of you this will be disappointing news, however, we are one Church Family, and we are all there to support and pray for each other.

Chairs

The Chancellor has approved our preferred choice of chair design and colour and we will now move forward in ordering the new chairs.  If you have previously pledged a chair or would now like to buy a chair, please kindly contact our Parish Administrator Clare and she will provide you with the details.

Pews

The Chancellor was specific in his statement about how we should dispose of the existing pews.  We have already received expressions of interest for the pews. If you are considering rehoming a pew, please speak to me.

Yours sincerely

 

 Terri Ferro

Churchwarden, Parish of Frimley