St. Margaret's
Church, North Lane, West Hoathly, West Sussex,
RH19 4PP
The
Practical Things
The Practical Things
The Vicar of the Parish The
Reverend Alan Carr
The Vicarage, North Lane, West Hoathly, West Sussex, RH19 4QF 01342
810494
The Churchwardens Valerie
Fyans, The Garden House, Broadhurst Manor, Horsted Keynes,
RHI7 7BG
Derek Shurvell, Courtlands Nurseries, Chilling Street, Sharpthorne, RH19 4JF
The Parish
area
The Parish of West Hoathly lies to the south of East Grinstead, to the east
of Crawley, to the north of Haywards Heath and to the west of the Ashdown Forest
in an area of countryside still referred to as 'The Weald.' The boundaries of
the (church or ecclesiastical) parish - which are not the same as the civil
parish, see Parish Council for more details - cover the communities of
West Hoathly and Sharpthorne and surrounding farmland.
The
Benefice
The ancient church of the parish is dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch,
virgin and martyr - see St.
Margaret of Antioch for more about the legend of her life. The
parish is twinned with a neighbouring parish centred on the parish church of All
Saints in the community of Highbrook, 2 miles away towards Ardingly and Haywards
Heath. Together the two parishes form what is called a Benefice, which means
that the ministry of both parishes is united in one vicar or incumbent. Formally
the parishes have the title of 'The Benefice of Highbrook and West Hoathly.'
The Parish
within the Church of England
The benefice of two separate parishes is part of the parish network of The
Church of England - see
The Benefice is grouped with neighbouring Church of England parishes in what is
called a 'Deanery,' which, in our case is centred on Cuckfield. The Deanery, in
turn, falls within the wider ministry of the church within the Diocese of
Chichester - see Chichester Diocese where you can find
details of all contacts. The Bishop of Chichester has overall responsibility for
church life within the whole diocese but in view of the size of the diocese,
covering both East and West Sussex, part of this leadership is devolved to
Assistant Bishops. For practical purposes our local Bishop is the Bishop of
Horsham, based in the town of Horsham itself. Also involved in the wider care
and governance of the church is the Archdeacon of Horsham who has special
responsibility regarding the care of the fabric of the church. The
administration of the Diocese is centred on the Diocesan Secretary and his/her
staff at Church House, Hove.
The
governance of the Parish
Being a separate parish means that St. Margaret's has its own Church Council
(called a 'Parochial Church Council' or PCC, not to be confused with the civil
Parish Council). The PCC operates within the jurisdiction of the Church of
England and has charitable status. Together with the vicar, the PCC is charged
to care for the finances and fabric of the church and churchyard in such a way
that the Christian faith is promoted within the parish. Each year at its Annual
Meeting (the 'Annual Parochial Church Meeting') the Church accounts for the
preceding year are published and a report given of the life of the church. The
PCC is drawn from the membership of the Church which is held in an Electoral
Roll (again, not to be confused with a civil list of electors). The PCC is
composed of 18 people.
The
religious life of the Parish
The worship and missionary life of the parish and its church is promoted in
a great variety of ways through the year and seeks to reach out to, and include,
as wide a cross-section of the community as possible. Within this work, the
pastoral offices of the church - baptism, marriage, the visiting of the sick,
counsel, care for the dying and bereaved - are open to all the people of this
parish by virtue of their residence and to any others who seek and make enquiry.
In all cases please contact the vicar or the churchwardens. Applications for
weddings at St. Margaret's can be received from those who are not resident,
though it is generally more involved and takes a little longer to arrange.
Requests for burial space in the churchyard can also be received and
occasionally grave-spaces are legally reserved, but this is a complex process
and does require a long-standing connection with the parish and church.
Other
Christian traditions
Two other Christian traditions are represented in the parish - the Catholic
tradition, which meets at St. Dunstan's in North Lane and is led by a
monk/priest from Worth Abbey - see Worth Abbey
and the Free Church and Evangelical tradition, which meets at the New Connexions
Church in Station Road, Sharpthorne, and has strong links with The Countess of
Huntingdon Connexion Church in Turners Hill.
The Village
School
There is a Church of England Voluntary Controlled School in the Parish. The
PCC nominates three people to serve on the governing body as 'Foundation
Governors' and the Church seeks to play an active role in the life of the
school.
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