THE DIOCESE OF BUNBURY
“SOUTHERN RANGES PARISH PROFILE”
Part 1 – who we are and our mission
1. Mission Statement and current vision.
We aim to know Christ and make Christ known
2. Introduction from Priest and / or Churchwardens
We are the Southern Ranges parish, comprising the Districts of St Oswalds, Cranbrook, All Saints Mount Barker and St Werburghs.
Our Parish is situated 350 kms South-east of the state Capital of Western Australia, Perth. It is about a 4 hour drive. A twice daily Airline flight takes 1 hour. Our regional centre is Albany 50 kms South(40 minutes’ drive) of the town of Mount Barker where the Parish Rectory is situated. The Parish has 4 Churches. St Oswald’s, Cranbrook, half an hour North of Mount Barker, where a Service is held each Sunday; St Mildred’s just South of Cranbrook which has a service each 5th Sunday; All Saints Mount Barker which has a service each Sunday; St Warburg’s West of Mount Barker, an historic old church built by convicts, and the oldest church in the Parish, where a service is held each 4th Sunday.
Mount Barker is a town of some 2000 inhabitants and is a farming town with a full set of facilities. The School is a 'Community College that caters for children from preschool to leaving age. There are 4 Doctors operating from a health centre and a full time Hospital . Aged care facilities cater for the full range of care from independent units to frail aged and full care.. A large range of sporting activities are catered for by Shire maintained grounds and a full length half size Olympic swimming pool. The town has a full range of shopping facilities, including a supermarket and two pubs! The region is a general farming region but now tending towards horticulture. Northwards many farming practices such as Beef, Sheep, Crops abound. South East and West there are beef and sheep, Dairies, Vineyards, Orchards. A large part of the area was planted to trees in the late 1900s for wood chipping. Some of this is now being returned to farming.
Albany on the coast to the South is an Historic town being the first European settlement in Western Australia in 1826. It is an important port for grain and wood chip exports, has a small fishing fleet and is a thriving Tourist destination. It is also where the ANZAC tradition of the dawn Service was born, being the port where the 1st fleet of troops congregated before sailing for the middle East. The city has a very full range of shops and services, and the regions only cinema complex.
3. Brief outline of the Parish Council’s plans for the future
Our plan for the immediate future is to keep going in the interregnum and maintain the Parish in the best way we can, so that we are ready for a new Priest to lead us forward.
4. Diocesan focus on “Every Member Ministry” and how it is implemented within this Parish
The “Mission Statement” for the Diocese of Bunbury is:
We are a Diocesan Family
Growing into the likeness of Jesus
All owning the ministry of Christ.
Therefore our “Vision” is to see every Parish transformed into a “Ministering Community in Mission”: where every member is valued as an important member of the body of Christ: and is encouraged to identify their God given gifts, and then step out in faith to use their giftedness as a part of the ministry and mission of the Church.
We have active LLMs in each centre who assist with liturgy, and will lead public worship with Extended Communion. In Mount Barker they visit the hospital and aged homes with Communion by extension. Parishioners from each Centre are rostered as Readers and intercessors for each Service. We also have people in each Centre prepared to lead study groups. Many parishioners minister in other ways, eg: Music, flowers, cleaning, kitchen duties etc. Others at All Saints work tirelessly in the Op Shop for the monthly market in the Church grounds.
1. Brief history of Parish
The Last Ten years
All Saints has seen no major changes over the last 10 years but many small achievements. During this time we have been ministered to by The Revd Joe Sullivan (2 years), 2 years of visiting Clergy, and Fr Roger Wood for 5 years. Recently Father Kevin Callegari has taken over as part time Locum.
In recent years we have had two short-term study groups – one during Advent/Lent, and the SHAPE programme. These have been mostly Lay led.
We celebrated our 100th Anniversary in 2010
We have replaced the Aumbry, Altar and Organ –some painting of the Church buildings and some improvements to the Rectory have been done.
Community Markers are held monthly in the Church grounds. Our Op Shop is open week days, and is well stocked. Both of these activities are a real outreach to the Community.
Men from Pardelup Correction centre come once a month to work in the Church grounds. We are grateful for their keeping the Church and surrounds looking neat.
Saint Oswalds
Highs and lows were largely due to the economic climate. When farming is good people’s attitudes seem to spill over into the whole community – likewise in bad times!
The Tenterden fire was both negative and positive; it pulled the community together but made no difference to Church attendance. The demise of the Tambellup and Frankland congregations and later Pindelup’s move into Katanning seemed to have a negative effect on Cranbrook.
A high was the Church receiving new pews in 2007 and a grant from Bendigo Bank in 2010 for higher chairs with arms for those with back and hip problems.
A low is the generational change. Retirees from Farms move to Albany; their successors in the next generation are not interested in the church, or even in the community at large. The only young people in the congregation tend to be people such as teachers only in the region for a short time.
The two priests over the last 10 years were quite different personalities and, although they visited widely, did not seem to add to the congregation. For some reason the Stewardship programs run for a couple of years seemed to cause a lot of hurt.
There is a perception that things are better (financially) when there isn’t a Priest, and sometimes attendances at services have been better then.
A real high was the wedding of a Parishioner’s daughter early this year – Rachel Smith.
At present people are unsettled – no vibrancy and togetherness as was felt 3 – 4 years ago.
A real low is the non-acceptance of the ‘Southern Ranges’ concept.
Attendance averages:
2002 20
2003 after arrival of Joe Sullivan 18-20
2004 18-20
2005 20-22
2006 20-22
2007 Fr Roger arrives 16
2008 15-16
2009 17
2010 20
2011 dropped as year went on 10-20
2012 started 10-15 rose to 15-20 after Fr Kevin Callegari
started
8am and 10am services have similar numbers. The 4th Sunday Service has a better attendance. The service is LLM lead. This Service is sometimes Morning Prayer and sometimes Communion by extension.
Part 2 – our resources for ministry
6. List of Parish Leadership
Wardens: Tony Smith and Gwen Wright
Parish Council: Tony Rose, Fran Wallace, Bob Olsonn, Ian Bateman (Treasurer)
LLMs: Norma Findlay, Annette McGready, Val Loxton, Glenyse Robertson, Mary Gilbert, Tony Smith, Tony Rose, Ev Climie, John Gillam, Michael Smith, Helen Davis.
7. General information about the Community
Two Shires: Cranbrook in the Southern Wheatbelt suffers intermittent drought years. Its Western end Frankland is an active viticultural sub-region. Plantagenet is a general farming area with an active viticultural sub region and a preponderance of tree farms. Diversification into horticulture is in an ongoing state. The various forms of farming are recovering from economic lows, very slowly. Unemployment is relatively high.
The region has a community college based in Mount Barker and Primary Schools at Cranbrook, Frankland and Kendenup.
8. Map – showing location of Parish and Churches
9. Information on each of the worship centres and Parish buildings
St Oswalds Cranbrook: This centre has a Church with an average weekly attendance to services of 15-20. The Rectory is leased out by the Parish Council, with 2/3rds of the rent going to the District Committee, and 1/3rd being retained by Parish Council for maintenance.
St Mildreds, Tenterden. A small Church in a community South of Cranbrook which has a Service on each 5th Sunday – 10-15 attend.
All Saints, Mount Barker. A Church, Rectory, maintained by Parish Council for the Rector to live in. The old Rectory is used as a Parish Hall. the average attendance is 20+.
St Werburghs. a historical Church built by convicts and founded by the Egerton Warburton Family. It maintains Services each 4th Sunday, with a special Christmas Carol Service on the Sunday before Christmas. Average attendance is 10. The Carol Services draws a congregation of in excess of 70.
Some worship centres are no longer serviced: Perillup, Rocky Gully, Pardelup, Pindalup
10. Parish ministries and groups
Ministry to the Hospital – regular attendance to provide Holy Communion to the Sick.
Op Shop run by the Women’s Fellowship and volunteers at Mount Barker.
Monthly Market run by the Women’s Fellowship and volunteers at Mount Barker. A contribution is given to the Chaplaincy at the Community College.
Women’s fellowship: Mount Barker and Cranbrook.
Local Committees at Cranbrook, Mount Barker and St Werburghs.
SHAPE has 3 study groups and NCD
1. Some Parish statistics
Families on parish Role 190
Weddings 2
Baptisms 4
Funerals 5
Average Age: All Saints 17-91; St Oswalds 8-93; St Werburghs 10-85
2. Current Sunday service programme
Eucharist is held at St Oswalds and All Saints each Sunday ministered by a Priest, except on the 4th Sunday at St Oswalds when the Service is taken by an LLM. Sometimes this is a morning prayer service.
St Mildreds has a Priest lead Service on the 5th Sunday and All Saints has an LLM lead service that day.
1. Parish Budget for 2014
SOUTHERN RANGES PARISH BUDGET 2014.
As at 11/04/2014
ANNUAL INCOME
All Saints 45,600.00$
St Oswalds 21,600.00$
St werburghs 4,944.00$
Total Income 72,144.00$
ANNUAL EXPENDITURE
Stipend (two days per week) 22,116.00$
Assessments 5,256.00$
Insurance 4,500.00$
Motor vehicle replacement 3,000.00$
Rectory Maintenance provision 2,400.00$
Other recurrent expenses 6,800.00$
Total Expenditure 44,072.00$
Annual Surplus 28,072.00$
Reserves at Bank 51,086.00$
Total Accessible Funds 79,158.00$
31/12/2014