New Electoral Roll of Members of the Parish Church
Around our beautiful green stand some of the pillars of traditional village life: pub, primary school, shop, institute, and church. In my early months here, it has become quickly apparent how much All Saints matters to so many people. A church, just like those other special places, is at the heart of a community, even for those who do not visit it from one week to the next. It is of course a place of worship, but more than that – it is where we baptise and bury family members, where we come together in joy and grief, where we hear concerts and sing Christmas carols, play with our toddlers and walk our dogs.
At a time when so many of those pillars of rural life are under threat, keeping our Church alive and active is key, whether we consider ourselves Christians or not. This year, we are renewing our Church Electoral Roll, the official list of those people who feel that All Saints has value to them and to our communal life. Anyone who lives in the parish can join the Electoral Roll. There is no fee, no expectation, no attendance requirement – nothing – it is simply a way of saying “this place matters to me, and I want to see it thrive”. Being on the Electoral Roll, while obligating nothing, does entitle you to vote at our Parish Annual Meeting, and the more people on the Roll, the more voice we also get in the governance of the wider Church of England. So the Electoral Roll, while sounding like a rather dull piece of ecclesiastical admin, really is important.
If you want to see All Saints continue to be at the heart of our community (and, indeed, want it to do more and be more present, as do I) then please consider joining the Electoral Roll.
With thanks,
Ben Cahill-Nicholls (parish priest)
You can download the very simple form from our website and copies are available from the church and in the porch and from various sites in the village. Alternatively, if you e-mail Ben (tilfordpriest@gmail.com), or me (brynmorgan@hotmail.co.uk), I will post or deliver a copy to your home address or e-mail address. It’s an opportunity to show that, in Tilford at least, those pillars of traditional village life really do matter, and that together we want to support them and see them thrive!
Bryn Morgan (Electoral Roll Officer)