November 2007
Dear friends,

Pastoral Planning of Lyndhurst Deanery Southern Cluster

following are details of the latest proposals regarding the pastoral planning of our area within the Lyndhurst deanery. As you will see this involves significant changes to our parishes.

The PCC has been asked to comment by early January and given the breadth of discussion that this proposal will generate may we invite you to an open meeting of members of St John the Baptist church, which will take place on Saturday 17^th November at 10.00am in St John the Baptist church.

At this meeting I and the PCC will be available to you and it is hoped that this will give you an opportunity to discuss this consultation and for your questions to be raised for the PCC to consider at a special meeting to be held soon afterwards.   

It would be most helpful for us to have an indication of your concerns or questions before the day and to this end there is a box at the entrance to the church into which you may place communication or you may like to email to bsbbchurches@aol.com  marking the item 'St John's pastoral consultation'

In the mean time if you feel it would help you before the meeting to speak to myself or any of the PCC please do contact us and we will endeavour to help.

May I say that this letter comes with my prayers for our parishes and with the hope that we should have confidence in the ministries and talents present in the benefice and be assured that what ever happens the churches are capable of going forward positively and be a blessing to those with whom they work.


Yours sincerely

Camilla Walton, Vicar

on behalf of the standing committee.

December 2007

Pastoral re-organisation
I hope that you are all aware of the discussions that have been taking place at our PCC's and churches resulting from a consultative document written by Bishop Paul, Bishop of Southampton. I hope you also are aware that this involves the suggestion that our parishes will be linked with others, namely Brockenhurst and Sway for Boldre and either Lymington and Pennington for South Baddesley or Brockenhurst and Sway.

After the open meetings in the churches it became clear that it was preferred if our two parishes could stay together. After several individual PCC meetings the combined PCC's met on Monday 10th December to inform each other of the developing thoughts. We found that there was an almost parallel response being that South Baddesley did not see linking with Lymington and Pennington as preferable to being linked with Brockenhurst and Sway, as would Boldre.  The PCC's do however feel that a suggestion should be made to Bishop Paul for discussion at diocesan pastoral planning level that thought could be given to a 'house for duty post' being formed to provide the pastoral care of the parishes. This we intend to do within the letter of response that has to be made by the first week in January.

I am also duty bound to report that subsequent to our original discussions it has emerged that the incumbent of Beaulieu has stated that he would be very willing to look after South Baddesley should the parish prefer this to becoming part of Brockenhurst. However, he is unable to commit to Boldre as well. This is something the PCC would appreciate hearing your views on do feel welcome to speak to your churchwardens, Andy Ward, Jo Husband or to myself, or write to the parish clerk Felicity Pellow.

One final thing is to reassure you that none of this will be happening in a hurry and we will be moving into the interregnum while all the proposals are sorted out.

In the meantime we assure you of our continuing aim to serve the parish; its people, church and schools in protecting the provision of the pastoral care and worship at St Mary's and St John's.
Yours, Camilla.