Latest NewsSt Edmund & St George PCC have won a Bronze Eco Church Award for its efforts towards caring for the natural environment in worship and teaching, management of land and buildings, community and global engagement and lifestyle.If you would like to be involved in any way in how the church and village can help to alleviate the affects of climate change please let us know – hethenews@outlook.com.https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/There are now three bird boxes installed in the churchyard. We are also looking into the possibility of installing a waterless composting toilet for the church.Thanks to Lisa and Ian Soper for donating the bird boxes which were fixed to churchyard trees at the Harvest Festival. Also thanks to Lisa and Mary Evans for donating wild flower seeds.We are looking for someone to lead in how we make the church and churchyard more environmentally friendly. We have already made a start but a volunteer to manage this would be the best way forward for the church and the village. St Edmund & St George Church is registered under Eco Church which is the award scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that they can manage their church to help conserve the natural environment. Areas to be covered could include worship and teaching; buildings; land; lifestyle and community; and global issues. Volunteers do not have to be an active worshipper in the church - applications from anyone will be considered.British Native Flowers to watch out for in the Churchyard in July and August (thanks Pauline):Buttercup - Common Red Poppy - Shepherds Purse - Red Clover - Bramble - Goose Grass - Daisy - Ox-eye Daisy - common Yarrow - Long rooted cats-ear - Field Bindweed - Self-heal - Red Dead-nettle - Plantain.A representative of “Wild Oxfordshire” visited the churchyard in March to advise us on how best to proceed with turning parts of it into “wild” areas.In the first year the grass in the designated areas will only be cut and then raked off at the end of August. This will encourage native flora and fauna. The PCC will be maintaining a record of flowers, plants, insects, reptiles and animals using the churchyard – so please let us know if you spot anything. The representative of “Wild Oxfordshire” pointed out yellow meadow ants and solitary bees during her visit.There are other maintenance tasks, so if you would like to be involved in any way please let us know.Thank you to Peter Allen for continuing to mow the other areas of the churchyard, Pauline O’Gorman for producing a comprehensive list of wildflowers and Flora for the signs.Our Aim Our aim is to turn part of the churchyard into a natural, flowery space, to encourage wildlife and make it more attractive and interesting for visitors. Our long-term vision is to preserve the churchyard as a special, sacred place, remembering that if we turn it entirely over to nature we forget the work of past generations who cared for it and we could impede access to graves and for on-going burials. It would be good to involve local families/children making bug hotels, etc. If you would like to be involved in any way (practical, guidance or funding) please let us know.
The church is open every day for private prayer and meditation. Sanitising spray and gel are available, and we ask that visitors respect others and maintain personal safety.
The image reminds us of some of those in past years who have supported and helped to manage St Edmund & St George Church and Hethe Parish. The memorial is for Isobel (Margaret) and Raymond Allen who lived in what was then “Caberfeidh” and is now the Old Stone House. There is a seat in the churchyard donated in memory of Robert Morton Saner who lived in Hethe Cottage (originally Hospital Farmhouse). Robert received an MBE in the 1942 Honours for his service in the Indian Civil Service as Under-Secretary to the Government of India in the Defence Department. He later received an OBE followed by a CBE in the 1962 Honours for his service as Counsellor for Her Majesty's Embassy, Buenos Aires.At the time that Mr and Mrs Allen and Mr Morton Saner were members of the PCC there were a total of 13 members. Meetings were often held in member’s houses - the meeting of 3rd February 1987 was held in Hethe Cottage.Do you know that Parochial Church Councils (PCCs), originally known as the Vestry, are the oldest form of local governance? They evolved from Anglo Saxon meetings of selected local people who would administer the law in their parish - both civil and ecclesiastical. They later took responsibility for supporting the poorest local people. In the early 19th Century, it is said that they “spent not far short of one-fifth of the budget of the national government itself”! If only that were true for today’s PCCs!According to Wikipedia the vestry committee were responsible for “the maintenance of the church and its services, the keeping of the peace, the repression of vagrancy, the relief of destitution, the mending of roads, the suppression of nuisances, the destruction of vermin, the furnishing of soldiers and sailors, even to some extent the enforcement of religious and moral discipline”.PCCs are now recognised as charities responsible for supporting the local clergy in the running and management of the ecclesiastical parish. Civil responsibilities are shared by the District and Parish Councils.Our current PCC is chaired by the Revd Alice, Flora is the Church Warden, Helen Pritchard the Deanery Synod Representative, Mike the Secretary and Treasurer. There are three other members - Pauline O’Gorman, Helen Wood and June Nisbet. Six short of the membership in 1987! The roles of PCC church warden, secretary and treasurer are vital for the successful running of our church and parish and, following over a year of unprecedented disruption, there are opportunities to serve as a second churchwarden or take over as secretary or treasurer.Please let one of the PCC members know if you are interested in becoming a PCC member and/or taking on any of these roles.
You may contribute to general funds through the on-line giving page featured on the home page or through Hethe St Edmund & St George - Parish Giving Scheme. Alternatively, you may phone 0333 002 1271. This line is open Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 5.00pm. You will need to have your bank account details, our church/parish name (Hethe St Edmund & St George) and our PGS parish code (270627041) to hand. For other ways of contributing to the running costs of the church, please contact hethepccsecretary@outlook.com.
