Parish Profile

Benefice of West Meon and Warnford

Deanery of Petersfield

Archdeaconry of the Meon

Diocese of Portsmouth

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The Parishes

The two villages of West Meon and Warnford are situated two miles apart in the much sought-after beautiful rural setting of the Meon Valley; within the Winchester City Council district of Hampshire.

There is a longstanding close relationship between West Meon and Warnford which have shared a priest for nearly 50 years and also have close links in sharing amenities in the community. There is also increasingly a crossover of church attendance.

The River Meon runs through both villages alongside the A32. This road runs from Alton south to Fareham and Gosport. Just to the north of West Meon, the A272 runs east from Winchester to Petersfield and West Sussex. Much of West Meon is in a Conservation Area (church but not rectory) and both villages are within the recently designated South Downs National Park so that there are many visitors who enjoy passing through.

Several small towns within easy reach include Petersfield, Alresford, Bishop's Waltham, Fareham, Alton and Winchester. There are bus services to Petersfield, Winchester and Bishops Waltham and there is also a community minibus that takes shoppers to Fareham, Hedge End and Waterlooville.

The area is rural and there are some large farms but only a comparatively few people are now engaged in agriculture. Many people work from home or locally and a proportion commute further afield to work. There are some flourishing small businesses in both parishes providing local employment.

There is a mix of traditional and modern housing, with most being owner-occupied. Housing costs are high. West Meon has five social housing schemes including one for older residents. The most

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recent scheme completed in 2012 offers affordable housing to people with strong local ties. West Meon has a small educational charity which still retains one property which it lets. Warnford has a group of five social housing units and a terrace of six houses primarily reserved for local pensioners.

While both communities have many retired people, there is a well-balanced mix of ages including many young families. This is not surprising as the excellent local schools and amenities make it a wonderful location in which to bring up children.

Amenities

West Meon Church stands near the centre of the village in a site shared with the village primary school (Controlled Church of England).

There is one popular public house although a second one has recently been closed. There is a successful butcher and a prize-winning community shop that hosts the post office twice a week and still provides deliveries over a wide rural area and is a tribute to the vigorous community spirit in the village.

By the crossroads, about a mile to the north of the village, there is another public house, café and garage with a Budgens shop.

West Meon High Street is often busy with shoppers, children going to school, patients attending the doctors' surgery and those catching buses. This is where the rector, on the way from rectory to church, has the opportunity to meet people casually.

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West Meon also has a sizeable and well-used village hall with adjacent children's playground and sports fields and pavilion. It is appropriate that cricket is well-supported as Thomas Lord, the founder of Lord's Cricket Ground, is buried in the churchyard and commemorated in the pub. The village also has a day nursery and Montessori nursery school. Residents of Warnford and the surrounding area use these facilities.

However Warnford has its own charming village hall converted from a farm building and a friendly public house. It no longer has a shop but it has a children's playground by the river and a cricket ground that is the home of the Hampshire Hogs cricket club. It has a very strong community spirit of its own.

Recreation

West Meon hosts wonderful community entertainment with the West Meon Players putting on plays and pantomimes of a very high standard in various venues and encouraging young people to take part in a separate youth theatre. Diamond Jubilee celebrations were well-supported in both villages. West Meon Parish Council hosts the parish website and there is also a website 'Along the Meon' that seeks to provide a calendar of events in several neighbouring villages.

The two villages form a social unit together. There are many shared clubs and facilities such as the sports of cricket, football, hockey and tennis; beavers and cubs; dance and fitness. There is an active garden club and a separate allotment association. The flourishing WI holds monthly meetings and a well-supported Harvest Supper. There is a joint over 60s club and a very effective care group that provides transport

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for hospital and surgery appointments. The two villages complement each other and enjoy good co-operation and there is much friendship between them.

The Church Buildings

The church of St John the Evangelist in West Meon is the second church to be built on this central site; consecrated in 1846, it was an early design of George Gilbert Scott with particularly unusual knapped flintwork .

A re-ordering in the 1920s included the addition of an attractive reredos. The organ (Brindley and Foster, 1877) is a fine instrument, now listed, that attracts visiting choirs and organists.

In recent years major works have included restoration of decayed exterior stonework, reroofing and provision of improved drainage. This has depleted reserves but put the church in a better position to raise funds from grant-giving bodies and local appeals in the future.

The Church of Our Lady Warnford stands in a beautiful setting in Warnford Park, half a mile from the village.

The existing building has stood on this site, alongside the River Meon, for nearly 1,000 years. It is built in the simplest Early English style, with a distinctive Norman tower and Jacobean screen separating the chancel.

There are remains of an earlier Saxon building incorporated within it and there is a strong tradition that St Wilfrid founded a church here in 682 AD. The church can be visited on foot at any time but vehicular access is limited to advertised times. Recently a toilet has been installed in the grounds after

considerable negotiation over planning constraints.

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Church Activities

Each church has a ring of bells (8 in West Meon and 6 in Warnford) with a keen combined band of ringers and a network of visiting ringers.

In West Meon worship and ministry is supported by a dedicated organist, teams providing refreshments, flower arrangers and regular working parties in the churchyard.

Warnford also has a dedicated team who decorate the church, some of whom come from West Meon. Refreshments are provided with a welcome after services and the churchyard is beautifully maintained.

Special events

West Meon church is a sizeable building which provides a good rectangular space for a large gathering and has excellent acoustics for performance from the crossing (and recording) as well as kitchen and toilet facilities. Following a parish plan in May 2007 (recorded on Winchester City Council website) and a public meeting about the use of the church building in May 2009, efforts were made in response to a

strong message from the community that more use should be made of the church building for performances. This has led to weekend festivals of books and of chamber music over the past three years. These events bring in

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many from outside the village. A Christmas tree festival has also taken place three times and this event encourages participation by many groups within the village and also local businesses and has succeeded in bringing increased numbers into church at Christmas time.

Finances

The two parishes have separate church finances; both have a good record for paying all their parish share in full and on time. In West Meon the running expenses and parish share are paid for from income from donors supplemented by special events such as the village fête, which has raised £5-6,000 per year lately, and the Christmas tree festival. As reserves have been reduced and as investment income has not been productive recently, in the current year there has been a new initiative to provide Sunday teas in August in order to be able to continue charitable giving.

Warnford church is in a sound condition and its finances are assisted by the annual fête and highly popular ‘Snowdrop Sundays’ every February. On these occasions the park is open to the public for walks through woodland carpeted with ancient drifts of snowdrops. This attracts as many as 3,000 visitors over the month and makes a major contribution to

church funds and involves about 70 people from both villages working together.

The fêtes also involve many in the community: in West Meon, 100 people can be involved in the organisation and in Warnford, about 60.

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The Rectory

West Meon Rectory is an attractive modern purpose-built rectory. It is economical to run and has the benefit of new windows and solar PV heating system provided under the Diocese’s initiative in 2011. It is in good condition throughout with a manageable garden. It has four bedrooms, bathroom and shower room and a very

large secure double garage. There is plenty of parking space in the drive. The Rector’s study is an excellent spacious triple aspect room with generous fitted shelving but it is not overlooked and provides room for both meetings and office space.

The Rectory is not adjacent to the church but it is central to the village, lying between the doctors’ surgery and a close of social housing for the elderly.

The PCCs

West Meon and Warnford currently have separate PCCs with two joint meetings each year to discuss the programme of church worship and social events.

Warnford has two churchwardens and West Meon currently has only one but there are several who lend a hand to help carry out the warden’s duties and there is excellent co-operation between the two parishes at many levels.

There are 95 people on the West Meon electoral roll and 48 on that of Warnford.

The ‘Parish News’ is a church initiative, delivered free eleven times a year to all the households in the two villages. It covers local social and sporting activities, the Rector writes the front page article and the back

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page details times of church services. The cost is met by advertising and appeals for donations.

Cluster group with East Meon and Langrish

Over the last five years there has been increasingly closer working with the adjacent benefice of East Meon and Langrish, the other two parishes in the Deanery Cluster. The agreed Deanery Plan has clearly indicated that these four parishes were likely to combine in one benefice within the foreseeable future. This merger is now planned to occur after the retirement of the present incumbent of East Meon and Langrish, Canon Terry Louden. It is envisaged that the priests will be appointed and subsequently the necessary legalities for reorganisation will take place. Thanks to the generosity of spirit of Canon Terry Louden, currently in East Meon and Langrish, the plan is that from the appointment of the new priest-in-charge in West Meon and Warnford, the developing relationship should be reflected in a tangible way from the start. It is proposed that at his or her induction the new priest-in-charge of West Meon and Warnford would also at the same time be co-licensed as “Assistant Curate to East Meon and Langrish”. And at that same point, Canon Terry Louden would also be additionally licensed as “Assistant Curate at West Meon and Warnford”. This would reflect the commitment to work together and develop ever closer links.

A pattern has been established of joint cluster services on an alternating basis for the main service on every fifth Sunday, monthly evensong and special services in the evening as well as shared Lent discussion groups.

The congregations in West Meon and Warnford are excited by the prospect of sharing worship and ministry with a larger group.

Church Services

The current pattern of worship in the two churches is:

1st Sunday: 8am Warnford : Holy Communion (Order Two)10am West Meon: Family Service6pm Cluster Evensong (not in July/August)

2nd Sunday 8am West Meon: Holy Communion (Order Two)*10am Warnford: Holy Communion (Order One, traditional)

3rd Sunday 8am Warnford: Holy Communion (Order Two)*

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10am West Meon Parish Communion (Order One)

4th Sunday 8am West Meon: Holy Communion (Order Two)10am Warnford: Matins (Morning Prayer, BCP)

5th Sunday 10.30am Cluster Communion Service

* Services suspended in vacancy

Until the current vacancy there has been a Holy Communion service at 9.30am on Thursdays in West Meon but several of the regulars have ceased to attend and its viability is in doubt. The Sacrament is reserved at West Meon for use when communion is taken to the sick and frail.

Our two churches are the only places of worship in West Meon and Warnford so that we try to provide accessible worship for the range of people’s spiritual preferences and needs – from special healing services to a pet service. Likewise the occasional offices are aimed to be inclusive and accommodate

the wishes of those involved.

Some of the distinctive special services that have become traditional include a Palm Sunday procession with donkey, Easter Dawn service with bonfire, Rogation Service, Harvest Festivals with brunch or a picnic afterwards, a devotional Advent evening service, Warnford Carol Service and a crib service on Christmas Eve as well as Midnight

Mass.

The combined population is 977. Sometimes the congregations may seem small but expressed as a proportion of the residents, it is more encouraging.

Ministry

An important part of the ministry in West Meon is the link with the primary school. It is very highly regarded and sought-after school, with

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currently 84 children on the roll. The church has an excellent relationship with the head teacher, Mrs Julie Kelly, who attends the family services each month and is helping lead them during the vacancy.

The school uses the church for some assemblies, plays, and services such as harvest festival and the leavers’ service. Members of the church congregation are foundation governors and many others help with school activities. The Rector is welcomed in to the school on a regular basis to take assemblies and lessons. The recent Messy

Church initiative has been a joint venture between church and school and has attracted many younger children to come in to church on a Friday afternoon.

There are no lay ministers or readers in these parishes and lately there has been a slightly unsettled pattern of ministry in West Meon and Warnford. Most recently the Reverend Caroline Sackley was licensed as part-time (.5) priest-in-charge in 2008 with the remaining .5 in a Deanery post. Unfortunately her ministry was punctuated by several periods of ill-health. Prior to that the Reverend Carolyn Headley was licensed as priest-in-charge in 2005, again half-time, with the remainder as co-ordinator of education and training in the Deanery. She had a background in the health service and ultimately felt called to leave the parish and join the hospital chaplaincy team. The previous priest, Humphrey Prideaux retired in 2003 after nearly nine years as a self-supporting (house for duty) priest. We have been fortunate to have had regular help from retired priests in the area but the congregations are keen to take part in a ministry shared over an enlarged benefice.

The PCCs have supported the priests with a paid parish administrator for a few hours each week.

Relations with the Deanery of Petersfield are good and the parishes have supported their activities and the increasing co-operation in clergy working.

Portsmouth Diocese has longstanding links with West Africa and over the last 15 years this has primarily focused on the church in Ghana. Our current Bishop has demonstrated that this relationship is important to his ministry and Canon Terry Louden has deep and lasting links with Ghana

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as he is Diocesan Chair of the Inter-Diocesan West Africa Link (IDWAL) and has recently been installed as Canon in Cape Coast Cathedral. West Meon and Warnford have active links with the priests and schools in the parish of Winneba (and its daughter churches) near Cape Coast. Some parishioners have visited the link parish and also welcomed visitors from Ghana to West Meon.

The parishes of West Meon and Warnford are ready to move forward to a new stage of their life together and are open to be led, with others, into a changing pattern of ministry and initiative for mission. They welcome the prospect of joining an enlarged benefice in due course and preparing for that with the development of ways of working together.

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The Person We Are Looking For

Your role will be to balance your ministry in the two parishes of West Meon and Warnford with working with the incumbent of East Meon and Langrish towards a combined benefice.

This list is not meant to be daunting but a guide to the sort of person we seek. We do not expect you to achieve it all at once and want to support you in setting boundaries on your availability beyond your contracted two days plus Sundays.

We are hoping and praying we will find someone who will enable us all to feel our church is part of the body of Christ and to :

Be a good communicator and listener; friendly, approachable and discreet

Work as a team and collaborate openly with lay volunteers; help discern, value and exercise the gifts and ministry of all; and encourage the church community to look outwards

Be willing to engage energetically with :

o the pastoral needs of the community

o the children and young families to build on our family services and messy church

o our church school, taking assemblies and acting as governor

o both the established congregation and others in the community

In leading worship

o challenge us with sermons of spiritual depth and biblical study

o both support traditional services and explore more contemporary and informal worship

o lead by example in a life of prayer

Gradually develop ministry over the four villages in co-operation with the incumbent of East Meon and Langrish

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Support closer partnership with the rest of the Deanery

Continue to promote the relationship with our link parish in Ghana

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ROLE DESCRIPTION

Details of Post

Role title as on licence: Priest-in-Charge (House for Duty)

Name of Benefice: West Meon and Warnford

Deanery: Petersfield

Archdeaconry: The Meon

Initial point of contact on terms of service: Archdeacon of the Meon, Ven. Gavin Collins

Signed by licence holder:

Signed by Bishop/Archdeacon:

Date:

To be reviewed: 6 months after commencement of the appointment and at each Ministerial Development Review

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Role Purpose

General To share with the Bishop both in the cure of souls and the

responsibility for co-operating with the Holy Spirit in growing the Kingdom in the parishes. This particularly involves working with other parishes and colleagues in the deanery/Island to develop the deanery/Island plan for mission and ministry (the development of the plan is the responsibility of the Area Dean and Deanery Pastoral committee and Synod)

To have regard to the calling and responsibilities of the clergy as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Code of Professional Conduct for the Clergy and other relevant legislation, such as the Declaration of Assent

To be rooted in the community, to offer pastoral care to all, and to show the love of God by responding to local needs

To nurture the congregations through a ministry of word, sacrament, prayer and service

To oversee the organisational life of the churches by attending to matters of health and safety, finance, legislative requirements, administration and people management

In your office as a priest you are called To say Morning and Evening Prayer daily To be servants and shepherds among the people to whom you are sent To be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord To teach and to admonish To call your hearers to repentance and to declare in Christ’s name the

absolution and forgiveness of their sins With all God’s people, to tell the story of God’s love. To baptise new disciples in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit To unfold the Scriptures, to preach the word in season and out of

season, and to declare the mighty acts of God. To preside at the Lord’s table and lead his people in worship To bless the people in God’s name. To resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor and intercede for all

in need. To minister to the sick and prepare the dying for their death. To help discern God’s will for the churches and people whom you

serve through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to release and foster the gifts of all God’s people that the whole church may be built up in unity and faith

To prepare couples for marriage and conduct wedding services To prepare parents of young children for baptism

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To prepare for and conduct funeral services

Specific responsibilities To co-operate with the PCC in the whole mission of the church,

which is spiritual, legal, financial, Synodical, pastoral and missionary

To encourage and enable clergy and lay colleagues, churchwardens, PCC, parish staff and volunteers, to participate fully in planning and decision making, tasks and activities to ensure that gifts and talents are identified and used effectively

To oversee the planning, organisation and conduct of worship, making appropriate use of available resources to give glory to God and to nurture the faith of all within the life of the Church

To inspire, motivate and empower all members of the Church in their own discipleship, and where appropriate use and develop classes and courses

To oversee preparation for confirmation, marriage and baptism To identify pastoral care needs within the parishes’ communities

and ensure appropriate structures and people are in place to provide the necessary support

To nurture and develop relationships with all local schools, To support and ensure the fulfilment of key responsibilities

towards the Church of England School in the Parish To nurture and develop relationships with community groups and

other Christian communities within the parish as appropriate To support discussions within the deanery in the light of future

plans for pastoral reorganisation To make full use of resources and buildings in order to develop

the mission and outreach of the parishes To find ways of attracting those on the fringe, to draw them into

the life of the church To develop own faith and that of those within the congregation

through regular worship, prayer, reflection and study To make time for yourself and God, and for yourself and your

family To maintain a balanced and healthy life style by attending to

personal physical and spiritual well being and needs To build a greater sense of unity, common purpose and co-

operation between the parishes in the benefice

Key contacts and relationships

Diocesan and Deanery

The Bishop and Archdeacon The Area Dean, Deanery Chapter and Deanery Synod Canon Terry Louden, vicar of East Meon and Langrish The Diocesan Secretary and Diocesan Staff

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The Cathedral and its staff Local Ministers of other Christian traditions – none at present in

parishes

Parishes

Licensed and authorised colleagues (eg Readers, assistant clergy) – none at present in parishes

The Churchwardens, Treasurers and PCC members of the parishesWarnford : Churchwardens Peter Short and Andrew Sellick

Treasurer: Peter ShortWest Meon: Churchwarden: Louise Clay

Treasurer: Nigel Slater, Assistant: Audrey HiggsPCC members: West Meon, Barbara Shaw (vice chair) Louise Clay, Pat Thompson (secretary), Nigel Slater, Chris Waller, Audrey Higgs, Edwin Grimshaw, Richard Downer, Sally Williams, Heather Tapp, Jane WillcoxWarnford: Peter Short (vice chair), Andrew Sellick, Gerry Corden (secretary), Dorothy Thomas, Jenny White, Bob Hutchings, Stephen Short, Amie Boyes, John Larrett

The Parish Safeguarding Adviser : West Meon, Barbara Shaw; Warnford, Amie Boyes

Organist: West Meon, Pat Matthews; Warnford, Julian Macey and Richard Martin

Parish Administrator, Jane Willcox West Meon C of E Primary School Messy Church, Tracy Downer and Julie Kelly (head teacher) West Meon Parish Council : http://www.westmeonpc.org.uk West Meon and Warnford Sports Club

http://www.westmeonpc.org.uk/directory.php?template=_category&id=83&category=Sports%20Clubs&focus=here

West Meon Surgery http://www.westmeon.gpsurgery.net/

Role Context and any other relevant information

Along the Meon www.alongthemeon.co.uk/

West Meon Parish Plan: http://www.winchester.gov.uk/search?gsq=west+meon+parish+plan

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West Meon Design Statement: http://www.winchester.gov.uk/planning-policy/village-design-statements/west-meon-village-design-statement/

The Deanery Plan (appended)

Diocesan context: Ministry for Mission, http://portsmouth.anglican.org/information/ministry_for_mission_framework/

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Benefice summary

Parishes: 2 : West Meon and Warnford

Patrons: The Bishop of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Patronage (alternate during plurality)

Licensed Ministers: None

Number of PCCs: 2

Number of Churchwardens: 2 in Warnford; 1 in West Meon

Buildings :

West Meon Church listed Grade II (with railings separately listed Grade II)

Warnford Church listed Grade IWest Meon Rectory

Churchyards – both open

Average Sunday Attendance: 12 in Warnford; 18 in West Meon

Number of occasional offices per annum:

Weddings Warnford 2 West Meon 3Funerals Warnford 1 West Meon 4Baptisms Warnford 2 West Meon 3

Parish Share: Warnford £8470 West Meon £10,251

Resolutions if passed: None

Church tradition: Generally traditional

Pastoral Reorganisation: see agreed Deanery Plan

Population: Warnford: 242 West Meon: 735 Total 977

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Model for Ministry and Deanery PlanPetersfield Deanery

Proposal for Deanery SynodRevised 13th September 2012

Model for MinistryThe model for ministry currently employed in the Petersfield Deanery is based on the benefice model, with stipendiary clergy serving benefices of between one and four churches. Self-supporting clergy are deployed in different parish and sector roles, and there is a degree of support between the parishes, with people and resources moving across parish boundaries on an occasional basis. The effectiveness of mission and ministry is thus dependant on the teams within each benefice, and the opportunities for mission, training, discernment and deployment depend on the circumstances of each.The Deanery consists of a number of town benefices in a line down its eastern edge, and a number of larger and less populated rural and village benefices in the centre and west. This diversity means that there are distinct and different types of ministry across the Deanery, and so the benefice model of ministry, linking particular clergy with particular areas, defined by geography, community or ministry, is particularly appropriate to the Deanery.The benefice model of ministry is largely effective, and given the high ratio of stipendiary clergy to parishes, it is not at a level of stretch where a new model need necessarily be implemented. It is believed that the benefice model can usefully be applied to the Deanery down to the diocesan target of 8.4 stipendiary posts, (under the diocesan model of a full time post counting as 1, a half time post counting as 0.6 and a house for duty post counting as 0.4). Other models (including Minster, Group and Team Ministry models) have been considered but it is believed that their benefits do not outweigh their costs while numbers of stipendiary clergy remain at this level. It is recognised after considerable research, that if the number of stipendiary clergy is to be less than seven, the benefice model can no longer be applied, and a different model must be found.

In order for the benefice model to continue as the model for ministry in Petersfield Deanery, the following concerns must be addressed:

1. The imbalance of stipendiary deployment2. The lack of strategy to the deployment of non-stipendiary clergy3. The need for greater working relationships across the Deanery4. The need to use skills and vocations of lay and ordained, across

parish boundaries.

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Deanery PlanThis plan primarily addresses concern 1 above, as this most clearly affects the structures for growth within the Deanery. Once this plan is in place the Deanery Pastoral Committee will continue to meet to consider the strategic deployment of SSMs, readers and lay ministers, and ways of building on the relationships of clergy and lay people across the Deanery, which come more under the remit of support and training for growth. To clarify the proposals, a map of the Deanery is included as an appendix.

Proposal

The northern aspect of the proposalThe constituent parishes of Greatham, Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean, when their benefice becomes vacant, would be realigned with neighbouring parishes. Greatham should be joined with the benefice of Blackmoor and Whitehill. The parishes of Hawkley, Priors Dean and Empshott will either:

become a separate benefice with a half time incumbent. This benefice would become part of a group ministry with the benefice of Steep and Froxfield with Privett. This proposal received 17 votes.

be joined to the benefice of Steep and Froxfield with Privett. A half time priest would be appointed to the new benefice with a particular focus on ministry in Hawkley, Priors Dean and Empshott, and living in that area. This proposal received 9 votes, none of which were from the affected parishes.

The parishes of Greatham, Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean accept the need for this change.Blackmoor and Whitehill PCC has voted in favour of joining with Greatham, and the new incumbent was appointed with a mandate to carry this out.

This part of the proposal can only take place on the retirement of the incumbent of Greatham, Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean. Before this event it will be important to develop the relationships between Blackmoor and Whitehill and Greatham, and to begin to explore the structure of this new benefice.

The parishes of Empshott, Hawkley and Priors Dean will be less affected by the change, but need to explore the practicalities of half time ministry, and the nature of their relationship with Steep and Froxfield with Privett. Clergy will need to provide ministry to some extent across all the parishes, and this should be explored and agreed as soon as possible through discussions with the church wardens and the current incumbent of Steep and Froxfield with Privett.

The southern aspect of the proposal

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The benefice of West Meon and Warnford would combine with the benefice of East Meon and Langrish, to form a single benefice. This benefice will be served by a full time stipendiary incumbent and a house for duty priest.

Given the retirement of the incumbent of West Meon and Warnford, the considerable pastoral need in these parishes and the fact that there is an excellent house in West Meon, it is desirable that the appointment of a house for duty priest be made as soon as possible. It is therefore proposed that the process of appointing a house for duty priest should begin immediately, with a view to their starting as soon as the house becomes vacant in Lent 2013. Although this would briefly take the number of clergy in the Deanery above the level of the moratorium, it completes one part of the Deanery plan, rather than being another step in the chain of parishes waiting for an incumbent. Another incumbent in the Deanery has expressed the intention of retiring in the middle of next year, so the Deanery will soon return to its target number of posts. As the house is already in place, the cost to the diocese is minimal. This postholder would therefore live in West Meon, so the stipendiary incumbent of the combined benefice would live in East Meon. The creation of the single benefice could happen before or after the appointment, with the two priests working immediately with each other.

Implications for the DeaneryThe target number of full time stipendiary clergy allocated to the Deanery is 8.4. Under this Deanery plan this is achieved as follows:

1. Blackmoor and Whitehill with Greatham 1 full time2. Bramshott and Liphook 1 full time3. Steep and Froxfield with Privett 1 full time4. Hawkley and Priors Dean with Empshott 0.6 half time5. Liss 1 full time6. Sheet 1 full time7. Petersfield with Buriton 1 full time, 0.4 house for duty8. West Meon, Warnford, East Meon and Langrish 1 full time, 0.4 house for duty

APPENDIX – Map of the Deanery

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