![[Saint Laurence]](/saintlaurence.png)
Parish Organisation at Saint Laurence’s
In May 2024, our Open Meeting approved new arrangements for parish organisation.
Our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is now the main focus for helping the Parish Priest with day-to-day running of the parish. The PPC has a membership of parishioners who are committed to regular meetings and to help get things done. Membership will be refreshed annually. PPC meetings will primarily focus on managing the work of the PPC and related core teams. Dates of meetings will be publicised, and parishioners who are not members are welcome to attend.
Parishioners' Open Meetings will remain as a venue to update the whole parish and enable broader discussion of significant issues or ideas. Open Meetings may be called as required, and there must be at least one Annual General Meeting per year.
Parish Open Meeting, March 4
Bishop Peter Collins will be visiting us on March 7th to discuss the future structures and policies of our Parish. To prepare for this important visit, a hybrid meeting will be held in the Parish Hall and via Zoom on Tuesday, March 4th, at 7:30 PM. This meeting is open to the entire Parish and will be a conversation in the Spirit led by Kay Dodsworth. If you would like to participate via Zoom, please join us through the following link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87282843707?pwd=lO0bx57aucAuMMYyd7W4Ig6g3K59L5.1
Further information on Open Meetings and the PPC
Dates and details for future Open Meetings will be publicised here. Meetings are usually hybrid in style - participants can attend in person in the parish rooms or via Zoom. If you have a question about or agenda item for an Open Meeting, or wish to request an Open Meeting (as detailed in the Open Meetings constitution), please email openmeetings@saintlaurence.org.uk or talk to the current chair of the PPC or Parish Priest
- The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)
- History and background to the Parish Open Meetings and Forum
- Constitutions of the Parishioners' Open Meeting and of the PPC
St Laurence's Parish Self Appraisal
As part of our response to the change in Parish Priest in September 2024, the Parish Pastoral Council agreed to create a 'Self Appraisal' document summarising the state of the Parish. Our hope is that this will be valuable information for our incoming priest, but also that it will become a 'living document' that we can regularly review and update, helping us to identify parish priorities.
We would like to involve the whole Parish in continuing to review and update this document. Version 1 is available below (dated October 2024). Please read it and let us know what is missing or could be changed? We invite people to think particularly about what the strengths of our Parish are and what challenges we face that we need to work together to overcome.
READ THE SELF APPRAISAL (PDF) >
Send your comments to ppc@saintlaurence.org.uk.
Bishop's Consultation
Bishop Peter sent a series of questions to parishes late last year, inviting us to respond by the end of January 2025. This consultation forms part of preparing a Diocesan strategy for Autumn 2026. A key focus is how pastoral provision can develop given the shortage of priests and aging clerical population in the Diocese. Our PPC formulated some initial thoughts which were then opened up to the wider Parish for input and suggestions. The resulting response can be accessed below.
St Laurence's response to Bishop Peter's consultation (PDF) >
Supporting information for the consultation from the Diocese (PDF) >
Minutes of meetings
Minutes of the most recent PPC meeting(PDF) - for all PPC minutes, see here.
Updates on change of Parish Priest, including notes from emergency PPC meetings.
Minutes of the most recent Open Meeting - 21 May 2024 (PDF) - Finance summary (PDF)
Full archive of Open Meeting (and Parish Forum) minutes since 2007.