We
are part of the South West Hants Group of Churches, comprising
three other Southampton URC’s: Avenue St. Andrew’s, Isaac Watts
Memorial and Freemantle, along with associate members,
Lordshill Ecumencial Church, Southampton, and an
Anglican-Methodist-URC Ecumenical Partnership at St. Francis
Church, Valley Park.
There is an Anglican Minister at the latter church, and he, and
our Group Minister have exchanged pulpits on several occasions,
working towards a more ecumenical group.
Currently we have one Group Minister for the four United
Reformed churches, with preparations in hand for declaring a
vacancy for a second minister. When the vacancy is filled each
minister will then provide leadership for two of the churches
each.
We
are in our sixth year of Ministerial Deployment Grouping, which
was particularly valuable in giving us a Minister to guide us
through the first vacancy. As well as the exchange of pulpits,
we are sharing Elders’ Training, Bible Studies and Social
events, but at this stage remain financially independent. The
new way forward for the Group’s Ministry
and budgets has been approved
by our own Church Meeting, but there are still further details
to be worked out and approved by each church, before it comes
into effect . Revd. Tim Searle
and the incoming incumbent will then concentrate on future
integration, Mission and Finance. |