Church could be closed due to small attendances and big maintenance bill

AN historic church in Nettlebed could be forced to close.

St Bartholomew’s has a tiny congregation and no governance and the building needs a huge amount of repairs.

The problems were laid bare at a meeting of Nettlebed Parish Council attended by priest-in-charge, Rev Mark Ainsworth, who has been in the job for 18 months.

The meeting heard that the St Bartholomew’s congregation averaged just 12 people and that substantial work was needed to the roof and tower of the church within the next two years.

The church also did not pay the “parish share” for the five years before 2020. This is the money that each parish is asked to contribute to support the mission and ministry of the church in the Diocese of Oxford.

In addition, at the last meeting of the parochial church council, the members did not stand for re-election and the two churchwardens stepped down.

This means that the Bishop of Dorchester can close the church without Rev Ainsworth’s permission as he is not the incumbent.

Rev Ainsworth told councillors that he was appointed only priest-in charge of the benefice, not the rector to replace the previous incumbent, because of issues concerning the boundary of St Nicholas Church in Rotherfield Greys, which is also in the benefice.

As the priest-in-charge, he was allowed “no say” in the future of St Bartholomew’s.

Rev Ainsworth plans to follow the guidance of the diocese and set up a small parochial church council of initially two people and report back to the parish council.

Barbara Lewis, vice-chairwoman of the council, told the Henley Standard that while the day-to-day management of the church was not the remit of her council, she believed the church was a “community matter” that required its support.

She said the threat of the church closing was a “great shock,” adding: “We never thought that could happen. If the diocese decides to close one of the five churches in his benefice, as a vicar or rector he could say ‘you can’t do that’ but as a priest-in-charge he has no legal defence to stand up for the churches he’s responsible for. That seems very strange to us.

“Another aspect is the Zoom services have actually attracted more people than physical congregations.

“The Church of England is saying, ‘This is quite good, maybe this is the way to go’ but if you like being part of a church there’s something nice about being in the building.”

Cllr Lewis and her husband Malcolm have offered to rejoin the parochial church council, having been members some years ago, and Rev Ainsworth has another volunteer who is willing to be treasurer.

An email signed by 30 parishioners in support of Rev Ainsworth was sent to Judy French, Archdeacon of Dorchester, in November.

It said: “Unfortunately, Nettlebed has had a chequered past and in fact at one stage quite a number of parishioners left and went to other churches in despair.

Although this was a while ago now, its effects are still felt. The congregation again dwindled considerably during the years before Mark arrived and was demoralised.

“A few mainly elderly parishioners had taken on the running of the church and have recently resigned for various reasons, including infirmity.

“Since his arrival, Mark has breathed new life into the church. He began to introduce monthly Sunday afternoon family services to bring in the younger generation.

“These were proving to be a great success and were growing and we felt that some of the young were on the verge of helping to run the church. Attendance at our weekly services was also growing, slowly but surely. We think this was due to Mark actively engaging with parishioners, which nobody had done here for years. Then covid hit.

“Mark has continued to offer comfort and support for everyone, including the sick and dying. This has been greatly appreciated in the village.

“He has also offered Zoom services, which have provided spiritual support in these difficult times and have kept us in touch with each other. His regular emails with prayers and writings also help to sustain us through the weeks.

“We want to let you know that the rather bleak situation in Nettlebed is through no fault of Mark’s but rather with our past history.

“The loss of PCC members and churchwardens was about to happen anyway and there has been no secretary or treasurer for more than two years.

“Mark was, however, starting to turn things around and fill us with enthusiasm and hope when covid struck.”

The archdeacon replied, saying the diocese was “actively seeking” to support Rev Ainsworth in discerning a way forward.

“What will be crucial in any possible solution is your continued support as much in practical ways as personally for Mark,” she added.

Rev Ainsworth, who oversees five churches in the benefice, wouldn’t comment other than to say he was working on a solution “very vigorously”.

He joined the ministry in June 2019 after spending 26 years in parishes in America.

He succeeded Rev Brendan Bailey, who retired in 2017 after about 18 years, and is also responsible for Highmoor, Bix, Pishill, Rotherfield Greys and Nuffield.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Oxford said: “St Bartholomew’s Nettlebed is one of four churches in the benefice overseen by Rev Mark Ainsworth.

“Like many churches, it has had to close its doors during the pandemic but a regular benefice congregation of around 70 people meets online each Sunday and, prior to covid, a new 4pm Sunday service attracted 50 people.

“It’s clear that the church has a vital role to play at this time when many people asking deep questions of faith.

“The Diocese is working closely with Rev Ainsworth and, while there is certainly no move at present to close the church in Nettlebed, support from the local community is vital if the church is to flourish in future.”

St Bartholomew’s, where parts of the tower date back to Norman times, was rebuilt in 1846.

It features two stained glass windows designed by John Piper. The south window is in memory of Peter Fleming, a writer, traveller and soldier.