St. Alban's Church, Wickersley
'I worship and adore the true and living God'
Holy Week & Easter at Saint Alban's.
Churchyard
Maintenance
Recent activity in the churchyard has brought about some noticeable changes. During the latest churchyard work morning, volunteers uncovered a cross that had previously been completely obscured by ivy and surrounded by dense vegetation. In addition, a tree in the churchyard was recently felled upon expert advice; images document the process, including its condition beforehand and various stages of the work as it progressed.
Preparing to welcome the Revd Beccy Allen as Interim Minister
You will have heard the recent announcement that the Reverend Beccy Allen will be coming to serve the parishes of Wickersley, Ravenfield, Braithwell and Hooton Roberts as Interim Minister. As interim ministry is likely to be new to you, I thought it might be helpful to provide something in writing which I hope will answer at least some of the questions you are likely to have.
What is interim ministry?
Interim ministry is a shorter, time-limited appointment (usually of up to 3 years) of a clergy person who is tasked to work with the parish(es) to bring about strategic change. They have a number of specific objectives agreed with the PCC(s) which will be the focus of their work during the time of their appointment, alongside the normal work of mission and ministry.
How does interim ministry differ from a regular clergy appointment?
Unlike normal parochial appointments, where the clergy person is licensed as Vicar (or Rector, or priest-in-charge) of one or more specific parishes, Revd. Beccy has been appointed to be a diocesan Interim Minister. It is expected that she will carry out further interim roles elsewhere in the diocese once this first appointment comes to an end, and so she is not expected to live in the parish(es) where she is working, as this will change in time. During this first appointment, she will be working full-time across the parishes of Wickersley, Ravenfield, Braithwell and Hooton Roberts.
Why is interim ministry appropriate here?
The parishes have advertised twice for an Oversight Minister, so far with no success. An interim appointment provides an opportunity to shape the role in a way that is attractive and do-able to enable a future permanent appointment.
When will Revd. Beccy start?
Revd. Beccy is currently finishing in her present role in Birmingham diocese. She will be licensed to Bishop Pete at the diocesan conference, which is taking place 14th-16th July. She will be starting work from that time in the parishes, getting to know people and the parishes. A formal welcome service is being arranged for a date in August (to be confirmed), to which everyone is invited. To allow Revd. Beccy time to visit each of the churches on a Sunday, they have been asked to continue to invite others to lead and preside at services until the end of August.
I hope that this information is helpful. If you have additional questions, please contact me on julie.bacon@sheffield.anglican.org.
With every blessing
Julie
The Reverend Julie Bacon
Project Lead for Interim Ministry, and Associate Archdeacon-Transition Enabler
Appointment of Interim Minister
The Bishop of Sheffield is delighted to announce that, following a thorough interviewprocess and her appointment as a Diocesan Interim Minister, the Reverend BeccyAllen will initially be deployed to the parishes of St Alban’s Wickersley,St James’ Ravenfield, St James’ Braithwell and St John the Baptist Hooton Roberts in the Silverwood Mission Area of Rotherham deanery.Beccy, who is currently serving as Vicar of St Columba’s in Sutton Coldfield and as MissionPlanning Lead within the Mission Support Team will start her role in the diocese of Sheffieldin July. It is expected that this first deployment will be for a period of three years, as Beccysupports the parishes in preparing themselves to appoint a new permanent OversightMinister.Beccy (currently on sabbatical) says, ‘I am looking forward to beginning my role as DiocesanInterim Minister working with the parishes of Wickersley, Ravenfield, Braithwell and HootonRoberts. I hope to be able to visit the parishes before July, so that we can start to get toknow each other and prepare for the exciting journey ahead.’