Parochial Church Council

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) meets regularly to oversee the governance and running of St Mary's.

Here is the November newsletter, reporting on our most recent PCC meeting:

General Topics

Rev’d Patricia Brenton - the PCC agreed to extend her term of office until the end of her curacy or the 31st July 2025 - whichever is later. They also offered to pay for her to attend the annual clergy conference if she wished to go.

Electoral Roll update - currently there are 126 people on the electoral roll.

Ringmer Food Bank - The Ringmer Baptist Church will no longer be running the food bank due to reduced uptake by clients and fewer helpers.

Website - this is a work in progress and the website should soon go live. There will be links to iKnowChurch.

The organ - The organ tuner has resolved the problem of certain pipes making random noises. He recommends providing a more equal temperature during the winter by installing small heaters under the front of the organ.

Church heating:- In response to correspondence concerning the inadequacy of the heating in cold weather, we heard that our electrical supply is at its maximum capacity making it impossible to add further heating units. The issue of heating remains under discussion and, as technology improves, it is hoped that a more satisfactory solution may be found. Until then, the congregation should dress appropriately and make use of the hot water bottles and blankets provided in the church.

Finance and Budgeting

Expenditure for the year has remained within the projected budget with the major sources of income being the Parish Giving Scheme; recovery of tax via Gift Aid; recovering VAT on major repairs and fees from weddings and funerals. Major expenditure includes the Parish contribution; church repairs and maintenance and electricity.

The Friends of St Mary’s - We are hoping to re-establish this fund-raising group, encouraging involvement of both members and non-members of St Mary’s who value Ringmer’s only Grade 1 listed building. Gus Christie has agreed to be patron. A re-launch, hopefully, is planned in early 2025.

Loan of £10,000 to East Sussex Credit Union (now Wave Community Bank) will not be re-invested with them after October 30th 2024. It is to be decided whether this sum is invested locally or in a developing country.

Treasurer - Sadly our Treasurer, Richard Vincent, is resigning immediately due to ill health. Jonathan Franklin has kindly offered to hold the fort until a new Treasurer can be found but he is not assuming the role himself. We should like to thank Richard for all his hard work.

Reports from Working Groups

Children, Families and Youth - We are trying to secure funding to start the process of recruiting a youth leader. A Christmas appeal shoe-box-making afternoon is planned for November 3rd. The Christingle service will be on December 1st.

Pastoral Care:- The monthly Sunday teas are being replaced with the Winter Warmer lunches on the second Friday of the month. The Bereavement Journey course at Trinity Churches has finished and pastoral follow-ups are being arranged where appropriate.

Worship - Services have been planned in details until the end of the year and added on to iKnowChurch. There are plans to run an Advent course entitled “Follow the Star: Calm and Bright;” a series on the Lord’s Prayer in January 2025 and a Lent course in March.

Welcome & Events:- The Christmas Fair is being held in the Village Hall on Saturday 7th December from 10am to 12.30pm. The Summer Event will be on 12th July 2025.

Fabric & Facilities:- A tender for stonework repairs to the Springett Chapel have been accepted and work should begin in 3-4 weeks time and take a week. Outstanding work to be done include repairs to the church clock and a curtain hung over the main door of the church. Completed work includes the church room being redecorated and renovation to the Church Notice Boards.

Eco Church:- Much work has been done in the churchyards and discussions taken place with the Parish Council over the management of the overgrown areas which make the path to the Green very slippery. Two out of three Eco talks have been successfully held in the village hall and plans for a Repair Cafe are progressing.

Parish Magazine:- Extra income has been raised by adding four more pages for advertisements. However, further finance is required. The PCC praised the quality of the magazine and its cover photographs.

These notes were compiled by Margaret Sweatman

The archive of our monthly newsletters can be found here.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect.

Where and When

Our Church is open everyday between 8.30am and 4pm. Do just drop in, whether for a time of quiet and prayer, or just to enjoy the historical richness and beauty of the building.

On Sundays we meet, in the Church (details here), for our Sunday Service, which starts at 10:00am. When you arrive you will be given a warm greeting by our sidespersons (who will be wearing lanyards, so you can spot them). They will give you the hymn book and service booklet, and will happily help with any queries you might have. Do sit wherever you like!

By the way, there is no need to dress up (unless you want to). Informal, comfortable, clothes are very acceptable... but do wear warm clothes on cold days. Our pew seats are heated in winter, but we no longer heat the church itself, only the congregation, so the building can be chilly on frosty days.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it.

Our Services

The service begins at 10am. On the first Sunday of every month we hold an informal family service, with hymns, talks, prayers, and activities (for everyone who wants to join in). Other Sunday services are more traditional Eucharists. We follow the modern Anglican liturgy, with hymns, readings from the Old and New Testaments, a sermon, and prayers. The choir will sing an anthem.

At the end of all our services there is an opportunity to meet and chat with members of the congregation and the clergy over a tea or coffee (and biscuit or two).

We also hold weekday prayers and services, with a spoken Eucharist on Thursday at 10, and prayers at 8.30 every day of the week. (For more details, click here.)

Groups and Volunteering

You might like to join one of our groups, or becoming involved with our activities for young people. We also welcome volunteers to help with everything from flower arranging and cleaning to being a sidesperson. If you are interested, do get in touch using the form below.

Getting Connected

Get in touch with us to plan your visit or make any other inquiries

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Our Clergy


Rev'd David Bouskill		Rev'd Pat Benton
David has been the Vicar in charge of St Mary the Virgin since 2022.		Pat is the Curate at St Mary's as well as being a hospital chaplain.

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Revd David

Rev'd David