The Parochial Church Council in Forncett
Like almost every Church of England parish Forncett has a Parochial Church Council (PCC). Established early in the twentieth century, to give a voice to lay people in the running of their parishes, the PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the parish priest, the Rector, [vacancy at present], ‘in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.’
Forncett was incorporated under pastoral reorganisation into a new parish grouping in 1995 –and the new Benefice in 1998 ; working together as a Group/ Team /Benefice Council has a longish history as a way of enabling cooperation.
The PCC’s powers and duties are defined by legislation, including the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 and the Synodical Government Measure 1969. A helpful publication, the Church Representation Rules (Church House Publishing, ISBN 0 7151 1012 8), gives excellent advice on the law relating to PCCs – each parish should have a copy.
As well as having general responsibility for the parish, the PCCis responsible for the maintenance of the church buildings, Forncett St Peter Church and churchyard and Forncett St Edmund Church, and for managing the church's money and deciding how it is to be spent. PCCs appoint a secretary, to convene meetings and keep the minutes. Forncett PCC’s financial affairs are administered by the Benefice Treasurer.
The PCC must meet four times each year, usually quarterly. In small parishes, the PCC may make all the decisions about the church at its meetings. From time to time the PCC may set up sub-committees; such committees can benefit from the expertise of parishioners who aren’t members of the PCC.
Members of the PCC include the clergy, the churchwardens, the parish’s representatives on the Deanery Synod and the elected representatives of the laity. Members must be on the parish’s electoral roll, be over 16 and must not be disqualified from being charity trustees under the terms of the Charities Act 1993. [www.cofe.anglican.org]
The incumbent is automatically the chairman, but a lay person is elected as vice chair and normally chairs meetings, being referred to as the ‘Chairman’.
The Upper Tas Valley [] Benefice (Ashwellthorpe, Forncett, Fundenhall, Hapton, Tacolneston, Wreningham) is moving towards a united benefice structure, the parishes of the Benefice work co-operatively through a Benefice Council, which has representatives from each of the 6 PCCs, and the Rector attends the Benefice Council meetings as Chairman (four times a year). Forncett PCC is represented by at least two members at such meetings.
Officers elected March 2013:
| Chairperson: | Reverend Suzanne Cooke |
| Vice Chairperson: | Graham Prior |
| Deanery Synod Rep: | John Webster |
| Secretary: | Paul Lanaway |
| Forncett St Peter Church Warden: | Susie Rohde |
| Forncett St Mary Church Warden: | Graham Prior |
| Forncett St Edmund Church Warden: | Margaret Webster |
| PCC Member: | Jackie Scully |