This is a page specially for people who like to know what goes on behind the scenes…

St Mary’s is a community of people, each with different needs and gifts. To ensure the smooth running of the church we have a number of committees with different responsibilities.

The key committee is the Church Council (also known as the Parochial Church Council or PCC for short). This is chaired by the Rector, and includes ex officio all the Wardens, the Secretary and the Treasurer.  However most of the members are elected by the Annual Meeting held in April, for a period of three years. The three-year terms of office are staggered, so that there is a partial change of membership every year. There is also an agreement that PCC members take a break of at least one year when their three years are over, so that there is always scope for new people to have a chance. The Church Council meets six times each year, usually on the first Thursday evening of each odd-numbered month.

At the beginning of each even-numbered month we have a meeting of the Standing Committee, comprised of the Rector, the Wardens, the Secretary and the Treasurer. This committee deals with matters too urgent, too detailed or too confidential to be discussed at PCC. Sometimes decisions are made by email.

Details of the various sub-committees are shown in the next box. The sub-committees usually include both PCC members and other members of the church.

If you have any questions or concerns about our committees please contact the Church Office in the first instance.

  • The Fabric Committee meets regularly to discuss the maintenance of our church building and grounds.
  • The Events Committee is responsible for some major events in our church calendar: the Food and Fun Day, the Bazaar, the Race Night and an autumn live music event (most recently known as the Soul Party).
  • The Mission Committee maintains links with various mission organisations and charities supported by the church, and organises some fund-raising events for them, as well as sharing out the proceeds of the Bazaar.
  • The Growth Committee organises and develops ideas for the growth of the church through mission, pastoral and spiritual activities with reference to the diocesan Transforming Presence initiative.
  • The Communications Group oversees the quarterly magazine and other periodicals, the website and other publicity as required.

From time to time the PCC sets up working parties to explore or review particular issues.

The Memorial Hall is a charity separate from the church, and is governed by its own Trustees – most of whom are appointed by the church in one way or another.  An annual report is shared with the PCC.

The West Roding Mission Partnership has its own Partnership Committee, on which St Mary’s is represented by the Rector and two representatives appointed by the PCC (who need not be members of the PCC).