THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR MISSION PARISH PROFILE 2016

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1 AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR MISSION Thank you for taking an interest in our Parish and this exciting Pioneer role at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Sandhills, Leighton Buzzard. We do hope this Parish Profile answers many of your questions regarding the role and our vibrant young Church. We are sure that you will have your own questions too so please do contact us if you would like any further information. THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH PROFILE 2016 God Bless Team Rector, The Revd Canon Grant Fellows

2 CONTENTS CONTENTS... 1 WELCOME AND OVERVIEW... 2 Our Story... 2 WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?... 3 WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU?... 4 FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE CHURCH... 4 WORSHIP AT THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD... 6 Our Services held at Greenleas Lower School, Kestrel Way... 6 Communion with Junior Church... 7 Messy Church... 7 All Age Worship... 8 FUTURE PLANS FOR THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD... 9 ENCOURAGING AND EXPLORING OUR FAITH... 9 GROWING CHILDREN AND YOUTH WORK IN THE COMMUNITY Outreach in the wider Community ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS, BILLINGTON MINISTRY TEAM Parochial Church Council The Ouzel Valley Team Ministry LEIGHTON BUZZARD A GROWING TOWN NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN A GROWING TOWN The vicarage CONTACT DETAILS

3 WELCOME AND OVERVIEW Welcome to The Church of the Good Shepherd. We are a relatively new but established family friendly, Pioneer Church based in a modern lower school building in the heart of a growing community in Leighton Buzzard. Under the leadership of our previous minister, we have created something very special with our contemporary approach and informal worship style, which thrives and benefits from involvement across the broad congregation in all areas of church. We have a very strong focus on the development of our young children as they grow in their faith with God. The main focus is on mission to the new estates and to develop this through The Church of the Good Shepherd. In addition, pastoral responsibility for the small village of Billington, with its delightful medieval church, provides another opportunity for outreach as a venue for the occasional offices. OUR STORY Church of the Good Shepherd started four years ago with a regular 'Messy Church' in the Community House of the new Sandhills estate in Leighton Buzzard. A strong core team of leaders and regular families was quickly established, and within a year, the new church was formally launched. Over the course of the last three years, we have grown as a Church, and as individuals in our personal relationship with God, which The Church of the Good Shepherd continues to nurture. We have celebrated three birthdays, and welcomed new members through Baptisms and Confirmations. This role marks the next chapter in our story, with an amazing opportunity to be part of the continuing journey of a vibrant, young and forward looking Church. 2

4 WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR? This Pioneer role requires a person that can demonstrate the following attributes and personal skills: You have a tremendous passion for people and are an excellent and enthusiastic communicator. You have a natural gift for evangelism and are able to engage with people of all ages especially our children whom are an essential ingredient of our success and what contributes to making The Church of the Good Shepherd so special. You have real vision for mission and can continue to build upon an already established team committed to it to develop an integrated and sustainable vision for mission across the Town. You are comfortable with an informal and contemporary style of praise and worship. You will enable and foster a growing faith and deepening spirituality across the Church and the people within it to continue their personal journey with God. And you must like cake! Messy Church building Noah s Ark 3

5 WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU? We are a young Pioneer church with many opportunities for mission, ministry, outreach and growth. Our congregation is all age, friendly, very engaged and welcoming. Our weekly worship is based in a modern lower school building, Greenleas, whose leadership, from inception, have been hugely supportive of our church. Members of our congregation are actively involved in aspects of weekly worship such as Junior Church, Messy Church, music, leadership, welcoming the congregation and intercessions. The church forms a Conventional District within the Parish of All Saints Leighton Buzzard, part of the wider Ouzel Valley team of churches. The team churches offer a variety of support and opportunities ranging from joint mission through to shared administration. A very supportive PCC receptive to change and new ideas. Leighton Buzzard is a fantastic historic market town in Bedfordshire located in the midst of the beautiful Chilterns an area of outstanding natural beauty. We have a variety of good schools serving the town. A rapidly growing town, with huge opportunity to expand the message of God s love into new housing areas. FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE CHURCH Financially we are in a good position and able to meet our Parish Share and other responsibilities. Currently we benefit from a discretionary adjustment to our Parish Share that will taper out over the next 2/3 years. The PCC consider that at some time in the future it would be beneficial to implement a stewardship campaign to raise awareness of church finances and help put us in a stronger position. Our aim is to be fully financially independent in the future. Expenses are paid in full by either the Team or Church Treasurer. 4

6 5 Celebrating the 2 nd birthday of The Church of the Good Shepherd

7 WORSHIP AT THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD We are a newly established Church, part of the Ouzel Valley Team, in the Diocese of St Albans. We are only three years old, but have grown to be a thriving, worshipping community in the heart of a growing housing estate. Our worship is informal, contemporary and accessible to all; liturgically structured, but relaxed and friendly. We offer a wide variety of differing opportunities to respond to the love and generosity of God. Our services are bookless and are led by the vicar but supported by a huge and extremely talented group of volunteers that on any given Sunday, set up and take down the church, meet and greet, provide music accompaniment, AV support, refreshments, Junior Church etc., the list goes on. OUR SERVICES HELD AT GREENLEAS LOWER SCHOOL, KESTREL WAY 1 st and 3 rd Sunday Communion with Junior Church 2 nd Sunday Messy Church 4 th and 5 th Sunday All Age Worship Greenleas Lower School where The Church of the Good Shepherd meets every Sunday 6

8 COMMUNION WITH JUNIOR CHURCH On 1 st and 3 rd Sunday mornings, we offer a Communion Service at 09:45, during which our children have the opportunity to engage in Junior Church. Junior Church During the service, our children enjoy their own teaching, suitable for various age groups from four years old upwards. Our team of leaders use Scripture Union Mosaic materials and all return to join the service at the point where we share the Peace, thus enabling both children and leaders to share in the Communion. Parents attend the service as the children enjoy separate activities. MESSY CHURCH The Church of the Good Shepherd was born through Messy Church at the Sandhills Community House. More than 100 people have enjoyed a regular diet of: breakfast, songs, bible story, craft activities, prayers, confession, blessing, more songs and second breakfast. Christian Worship For all the family Multi sensory Interactive Engaging Fun! Our children learning about the seven days of creation through craft and fun 7

9 ALL AGE WORSHIP Everyone is welcome to worship together as God s family. This service sees the whole church stay together to praise and worship God with modern songs and an interactive talk suitable for all ages. All Age Worship on 4 th Sunday 8

10 FUTURE PLANS FOR THE CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD The Church faces four key challenges over the next few years: 1. Encourage and explore our faith 2. Expand the provision for youth 3. Reach out to new communities 4. Grow our church Consolidation is needed to provide solid foundations for the faith of the Church with significant numbers of new Christians, coming from a variety of differing Church backgrounds and traditions. Expansion of youth provision is required in order to meet the needs of our young people as they grow. Reaching out to new communities as the Sandhills estate and the town grows will be a key part of the role, particularly in the Eastern Region development. ENCOURAGING AND EXPLORING OUR FAITH Baptism and confirmations are held regularly. Home Bible study and discussion group meets frequently. 4Taste Introduction to the Christian faith, with a short course of four weeks. Four chats: Father, Son, Holy Spirit and Church, and four chances to ask questions and reflect. Lent and Advent reflection An opportunity to reflect on the coming Christmas or Easter season. The teaching within services, including Messy Church, is structured and aimed at growing the faith of young Christians, both children and adults. Our knitted travelling nativity made by one of our talented congregation We aim to bring variation to Sunday services this has included regularly visiting preachers, with a desire for more lay leadership involvement in the future. 9

11 GROWING CHILDREN AND YOUTH WORK The current children s work is via Sunday services of Junior Church and Messy Church. This has been very effective in building a base of children and young families. However, the Church faces a challenge over the next few years to grow youth provision, particularly for older children and teenagers, both to meet the needs of our children as they grow up, and throughout the wider community. Leighton Buzzard as a town is growing rapidly, but many of the new developments fail to provide adequate community and youth provision; we believe The Church of the Good Shepherd can play a part in meeting this need. Some work of our children in the Junior Church breakout session 10

12 IN THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY There are many opportunities for the Pioneer Minister to engage with the wider community. These include: Assemblies and other involvement in local schools, especially those which draw from the new residential areas Church/Community liaison with the local police Churches together and the ecumenical ministers lunch Town Council Prayers and involvement in local community forums on specific topics Carols on the Green Forging links with the new sheltered housing development nearby 11

13 ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS, BILLINGTON Although the main focus of the Pioneer Minister s role will be within the new estates, the person appointed will also have pastoral responsibility for St Michael and All Angels, Billington which is a small medieval church set on a hill that overlooks the new estates. The village population is approximately 290, with 130 households. There is no pub, school or shop in the village, so the church and the Village Hall tend to be the focal points. The Electoral Roll is 24 and the weekly Sunday service is Parish Communion which happens late morning. An active retired priest lives in the village and there is significant support from other clergy and lay ministers within the Team. Most of the congregation are of pensionable age (which reflects the age profile of the village), but are vigorous and fully committed in worship and social activities. Nearly everybody has a role to play in maintaining the life of the church. There are a few younger members of the congregation, some with families, and three of these people serve on the PCC. The fabric of the church is in good order; the churchyard is well kept, and is still open for burials and the disposal of ashes. The financial situation is sound. The atmosphere amongst members of the congregation is supportive and caring; and the attitude towards St Michael and All Angels in the wider village is friendly and appreciative. There is a Friends of St Michael and All Angels group, some of whom are supportive financially, and some who help with upkeep. St Michael s will provide the opportunity for the pioneer minister to carry out baptisms, weddings and funerals in a local parish church when it is required. It is also a beautiful setting for those festive occasions when the school is not available for use by the Church of the Good Shepherd. 12

14 MINISTRY TEAM The ministry team looks forward to working with our new vicar. PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Church Wardens Stuart Lay Chris Myers Treasurer David Stephenson Secretary Kim Lay PCC members Stuart Blofeld Hazel Farlam Louise Myers THE OUZEL VALLEY TEAM MINISTRY The Church of the Good Shepherd is in a Conventional District within the Parish of Leighton Buzzard, which is part of the Ouzel Valley Team Ministry. This comprises the parishes of Leighton Buzzard, Linslade, Egginton, Billington, Hockliffe and Heath and Reach. The population of the team is around 45,000. The other parishes within the team have a listed church building as the focus for worshipping life, and each retains its own PCC with their accompanying rights and responsibilities. All Saints Leighton Buzzard and St Barnabas Linslade are the largest churches in the team and are based in the town. Their style has been shaped within the catholic tradition. The other churches are of central churchmanship. The churches of the Ouzel Valley Team are eager to support those living in the new housing areas and to share with them the good news of the kingdom of God in real and practical ways. The churches of the Team co operate is various ways which are mutually beneficial such as centralized administration for weddings and funerals, bereavement visiting, Christian nurture courses, etc. The unique status of The Church of the Good Shepherd is recognized and respected. The extent to which the newly appointed Pioneer Minister wishes to engage with Team activity will be open for discussion with the Rector. 13

15 LEIGHTON BUZZARD A GROWING TOWN Leighton Buzzard is a market town in Bedfordshire, near the Chiltern Hills and lying south of Milton Keynes. It has a population of 42,000 and is a growing, vibrant town. The town is part of the Central Bedfordshire district and is administered jointly with Linslade as the civil parish of Leighton Linslade. The town is served by Leighton Buzzard railway station, with frequent trains to London, and northwards to Milton Keynes, Northampton and Birmingham. Leighton Linslade is equidistant from Oxford and Cambridge with the M1 just 8 miles to the east of the town (Jcts 12 and 13) with a new M1 link road opening in spring NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN A GROWING TOWN Leighton Buzzard operates under a three tier education system. There are two upper schools both of which have good Ofsted reports along with four middle schools and twelve lower schools, a number of which are outstanding. Over the next ten years, the population of Leighton Linslade will rapidly expand, with several new developments to the East of the town within the area covered by the Church of the Good Shepherd. This offers a great opportunity to expand the outreach of the church into these new areas, and spread the message of God s love. It is hoped that the provision of new lower schools will include one under the auspices of the Church of England. If the bid is successful, this could form a further missional hub and worship center within the new estates. Community support for a faith school is vital and the Pioneer Minister will have a vital part to play in this exciting initiative. 14

16 THE VICARAGE The vicarage is a modern, three storied home set on one of the newer estates within the town. It has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, with two reception rooms, a large conservatory to the rear, and double garage. The Vicarage 15

17 CONTACT DETAILS Team Rector: The Revd Canon Grant Fellows Church Wardens: Chris Myers Stuart Lay If you would like to have an informal conversation about this post please contact the Team Rector, the Revd Canon Grant Fellows Application form from: Archdeacon of Bedford The Venerable Paul V Hughes 17 Lansdowne Road, Luton, LU3 1EE archdbedf@stalbans.anglican.org (for Ouzel Valley Team website) tc.gov.uk buzzard.co.uk 16