Godalming Minster News

A Special Parochial Church Meeting (SPCM) will be held on Sunday 7th January 2024 at 11.30am in Busbridge Church.
At this important meeting those people present, who are on the current Electoral Rolls, will vote in the Godalming Minster Officers and PCC members.

 Three representatives from St Peter and St Paul’s Church and one from St Mark’s Church will be elected to serve on the Minster PCC.
Any person who is on the current Electoral Roll is eligible to be nominated USING THIS FORM.

 The voting procedure for the Minster PCC representatives will be as follows:

  • If precisely 1 nomination for St Mark’s and 3 nominations for SSPP are received, no voting will be required. 
  • If the number of nominations exceeds this, there will be a vote at the SPCM on 7th January which, for a vote on SSPP nominations, will be restricted to SSPP Electoral Roll members present, and for St Mark’s nominations will be restricted to St Mark’s Electoral Roll members present.
  • If there are fewer than 3 nominations for SSPP and/or 1 for St Mark’s, vacancies will be filled by anybody on the Electoral Roll of Busbridge or Hambledon, voted by all people on the Electoral Roll of those old parishes and present at the SPCM on 7th January.

In addition Deanery Synod members will be voted in, 9 (maximum) including 3 from St Peter and St Paul’s Church and St Mark’s Church.

Anyone who wants to be added to the Electoral Roll in order to attend/vote/stand at the SPCM should complete an ER Form and return it to Hilary Reeve by Monday 18th December; after that, the new Roll will be published on Sunday 24th December (two weeks before the SPCM).

We are also seeking a Deputy Churchwarden for each of our churches, whose role would be to work with others to advise on the maintenance and improvement work for their church and help set a budget for the year. They do not have to be on the PCC and have no other responsibility other than to the one church.

You are urged to pray about whether God is calling you to serve Him in any of these roles.

Hilary Reeve
PCC Secretary


On Sunday 2nd October 2022 and 16th October 2022 Extraordinary Parochial Church Meetings (EPCMs), chaired by the Archdeacon of Surrey the Venerable Paul Davies for members on the Church Electoral Rolls, were held to consider the following motion:

To unite the parishes of St Peter and St Paul with St Mark’s, Busbridge and Hambledon to form Godalming Minster, which will be committed to the following principal goals and parameters:

  • Introduce a more coherent strategic approach to mission across the Greater Godalming area.
  • Create a united and mutually supportive clergy leadership team across four church locations.
  • See more people coming to faith in each of our churches by offering a variety of distinctive service styles.
  • Maintain and develop the choral tradition at St Peter and St Paul’s Church.
  • Introduce a contemporary service at St Peter and St Paul’s Church to create informal family worship with associated children’s ministries.
  • Build more effective relationships with local schools, the Town Council and local businesses.
  • Strengthen our commitment to those in need.

After much prayer and discussion, the votes were as follows:

St Peter and St Paul’s Church with St Mark’s Church
36 in favour, 5 against, 1 abstention
Hambledon – 26 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions
Busbridge – 86 in favour, 3 against, 2 abstentions

We are thrilled that such a significant majority believe this is God’s will for the parishes
and are excited about the privilege of the potential partnership of sharing the good news of the gospel.

A VISION FOR GODALMING proposed by the Bishop of Guildford

GODALMING MINSTER EVALUATION UPDATE 1

GODALMING MINSTER EVALUATION UPDATE 2

GODALMING MINSTER EVALUATION UPDATE 3

GODALMING MINSTER TRANSITION UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2022

GODALMING MINSTER TRANSITION UPDATE – JANUARY 2023

GODALMING MINSTER TRANSITION UPDATE – MARCH 2023

GODALMING MINSTER TRANSITION UPDATE – MAY 2023

GODALMING MINSTER TRANSITION UPDATE – JULY 2023


8th June 2023 – DRAFT Pastoral Scheme and Glossary for Godalming Minster

The Diocese of Guildford published the draft Pastoral Scheme in respect of the pastoral proposals affecting the benefices of Godalming, Busbridge, Hambledon and Farncombe.

EXTRACT FROM THE DIOCESE LETTER TO INTERESTED PARTIES 8TH JUNE 2023

Anyone may make representations for or against all or any part or parts of the draft Scheme (please include the reasons for your views) by post or, preferably, by email to the Church Commissioners at the following address no later than midnight on Monday 24th July 2023.

Rex Andrew
Church Commissioners
Church House
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3AZ
(email rex.andrew@churchofengland.org) (tel 020 7898 1743)

If they have not acknowledged receipt of your representation before this date, please ring or e-mail them to ensure it has been received. For administrative purposes, a petition will be classed as a single representation and they will only correspond with the sender of the petition, if known, or otherwise the first signatory for whom they can identify an address –

“the primary petitioner”.

If the Commissioners do not receive representations against the draft Scheme, they will make the Scheme and it will come into effect as it provides. A copy of the completed Scheme will be sent to you together with a note of its effective date.

If the Commissioners receive any representations against the draft Scheme, they will send them, and any representations supporting the draft Scheme, to the Bishop whose views will be sought. Individual representors and the primary petitioner will then receive copies of the Commissioners’ correspondence with the Bishop (including copies of all the representations). They and individual petitioners may comment further. Copies of all of the representations received and associated correspondence will normally be published on the Commissioners’ website if the matter needs to be considered by them.

Those making representations should indicate whether they would like an opportunity to speak to the Commissioners regarding their representations in the event the Commissioners decide a hearing should be held. Their meetings are normally held at Church House, Westminster, but during the current circumstances they may need to be held virtually via ‘Zoom’. If a hearing is held, they will let you know the arrangements for attending (in person or virtually) and details will also appear on their website. Otherwise, if a hearing is not to be held, the case will be considered in private and you will be informed accordingly.

When the Commissioners acknowledge representations they will let individual representors (and the primary petitioner) know the next few dates of their Committee’s meetings. They will confirm the actual date of any hearing nearer the time. The Commissioners will decide if the draft Scheme should proceed when they consider all the representations on the basis of a paper prepared by their staff and any points raised at the meeting. If the Commissioners do so decide, any representor or petitioner against the draft Scheme may seek leave from the Privy Council to appeal against the decision.

You will be informed of the Commissioners’ decision and the reasons for it.

Please see www.churchofengland.org/consultation for further information about the procedure.

PCC Secretaries, incumbents/priests-in-charge/rural deans, persons taking services during the Notice Period and local planning authorities should refer to the relevant notes below for important additional information concerning them.

Wendy Harris
DMPC Secretary
Diocese of Guildford

 

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