St John the Baptist Church Farley Hill, Luton. Profile. Living God s Love

Transcription

1 St John the Baptist Church Farley Hill, Luton Profile Living God s Love Called to be a thriving worshiping community bringing transformation and restoration to the people of Farley Hill.

2 Contents Message from the Minister... 3 St John the Baptist Church... 4 A potted history... 4 Our Church Life and Mission... 5 Kids Can Cook... 5 Garden Project Peace Walk... 6 Schools... 6 Refugee Aid... 7 Other ministry and mission opportunities... 7 Eden Team Leader Accommodation... 8 Farley Hill Estate... 9 Location... 9 Amenities Schools Ethnic Mix Challenges Churches Welcome to Luton! Overview Transport Education Employment Town Centre Hospital Conclusion Living God s Love 2

3 Message from the Minister Thank you for taking time to read this parish profile for St John s, which I hope will give you a flavour of our church community and what God is doing amongst us. St John s is a work-in-progress and we feel privileged to be part of God s plan for Farley Hill. Over the past three years, we have seen the Lord moving in exciting ways as we try to listen to his voice and do what he says. Hopefully, some of that will come through this document. The next phase in the life of our church community is to host an Eden team, for which the funding is now in place. You are possibly reading this because you feel the Lord may be nudging you to be part of this new Eden team on the estate. If that s the case, please read this parish profile prayerfully, listening to what the Spirit may be saying to you. Is God calling you to incarnational ministry, being deeply embedded in a local community? Is God calling you to make a difference in the lives of children, teenagers and young families in Farley Hill? We have tried to pre-empt any questions you may have but if you would like any more information, or simply to talk through any questions you may have, please do contact me by or phone. If you live close enough for a visit, I d be very happy to meet you and take you on a tour around the estate. Every blessing, Revd Rob O Neill, Vicar rob@vicar.org.uk Living God s Love 3

4 St John the Baptist Church A potted history Post WW2: The Farley Hill estate was built. 1949: A new congregation was planted in the living room of one of the newlyerected houses. The mother church was St Saviour s, down the hill on the edge of the town centre. St Saviour s was then, and continues to be, an high Anglo-Catholic church. 1951: A new church building had appeared and this is now used as the church hall. The church was named St Michael & St George. 1965: The church became independent from St Saviour s and became the parish church of the Farley Hill Estate. 1967: The name is changed to St John the Baptist church. 1969: The current church building was erected. 2011: The church had, by this time, been in steady decline and embarked on a journey of renewal, which continues to this day. 2012: A small YWAM team came to join us in our ministry on the estate and one of them still remains, exercising a ministry of peace and reconciliation among the different communities in Farley Hill. This team is more widely known as the Reconciliation Walk Community. 2012: St John s became a member of the New Wine network of churches. 2015: The Lord led us to make contact with the Eden Network and an extended period of prayer and preparation was entered into, bring us to where we are now 2016: We will welcome a new Eden team leader and volunteer team members and work together to live and demonstrate God s love to the young people on the estate. Living God s Love 4

5 Our Church Life and Mission We have seen significant spiritual growth over recent years as we seek to know God more and experience him in our daily lives. Net numerical growth has been modest but people continue to be added to our number. St John s is a very friendly and unpretentious church, welcoming of anyone regardless of age, ethnicity or background. Our Sunday worship is fairly informal. We have become quite liturgy-lite and we have a small band to lead us in our singing. We regularly experience the presence of the Holy Spirit during our meetings and have seen a couple of significant physical healings over the past 18 months which have encouraged everybody in our church family. Our meetings are unrecognisable from what they were three years ago but the Eucharist continues to play an important part in the spirituality of the church. We share bread and wine most weeks, deepening our unity and allowing the sacrament to feed us. St John s is also a Word based church and our preaching and teaching is rooted in scripture. A regular Sunday Club is run by a small team of dedicated volunteers and we regularly see a group of children coming alive in their faith as they learn bible stories in an atmosphere of prayer and worship. We gather for occasional prayer walks and there is a weekly home group meeting in the vicarage. Our philosophy of doing ministry and mission is simple: we move in faith. If we sense God is prompting us to do something, we do it with the people and resources we have and expect to see God provide more people and resources as they are needed. God has been very generous in this regard and has enabled us to do much more than we ought, considering we are a relatively small church. Kids Can Cook The child poverty index for Farley Hill is the highest in Herts and Beds at 35%. This means that at least that amount get free school meals and many don t get to eat regularly during school holidays for a variety of reasons. One day each week during the school holidays, we run a lunch club called Kids Can Cook and this is attended by around 40 children. They come to play games, do craft activities and, most importantly, learn how to make a simple but nutritious meal that is cooked for them on the premises. This empowers young people to become more self-sufficient in often chaotic households. Living God s Love 5

6 Garden Project We began our garden project to teach local people how to grow, harvest and prepare fresh vegetables at affordable prices. Public health and obesity are issues in Farley Hill that have been highlighted by the NHS. Our response is modest but we believe this will grow to be a significant ministry and opportunity for mission over the coming years Peace Walk St John s is committed to building peaceful relations with our neighbours on the estate and in 2014 we hosted the annual Luton Council of Faiths Peace Walk. This was a great success and we continue to support this activity each year in different parts of our town. Our thanks go to the Reconciliation Walk Community for making this happen! Schools Our relationships with the local schools are very good and we host yearly carol services for all the pupils at Farley Junior School. We also work with the Gideon Society to hand out bibles at the Stockwood Park Academy high school. These relationships will hopefully be developed further when an Eden team is living on the estate. Living God s Love 6

7 Refugee Aid Some people at St John s were instrumental in raising awareness and funds to help refugees in the Jungle Camp in Calais. Three trips have been undertaken to deliver winter clothing, medicines and over 1,000 blankets. This is something we are keen to build on in the future. Other ministry and mission opportunities The above activities are only a taster of what we get up to in Farley Hill and we thank God for his faithfulness as he continually leads us forward into new opportunities. We are currently planning to run a regular Start course and increase the levels of discipleship among our church members. Money management courses and parenting courses are prayerfully being considered and could provide a wonderful opportunity to bless the local community and share the Gospel. We would welcome new opportunities to develop our ministry among young people. Living God s Love 7

8 Eden Team Leader Accommodation 47 Rotheram Avenue, Luton, LU1 5PP. The Eden team leader will have the option of living in the Vicarage which is situated next door to the church hall. The house is spacious and comfortable and has a large driveway for at least 3 cars. The garden to the rear is mostly laid to lawn and backs onto the area where we run the garden project. The house is on Rotheram Avenue and is just around the corner from St Margaret of Scotland junior school and Stockwood Park Academy high school, making it ideally located to engage with young people. Upstairs: 4 good sized bedrooms, bathroom and separate toilet. Downstairs: Sitting room, dining room, study, hallway, kitchen, shower room/toilet, utility room, garage. The Vicarage is an ideal family house but is also suitable for multiple occupancy. The owner of the property is the Diocese of St Albans and they are well known for being an excellent landlord! Living God s Love 8

9 Farley Hill Estate Location Farley Hill is situated on a hill top plateau at the southern end of Luton, about a mile from the town centre. It is adjacent to Stockwood Park and junction 10 of the M1. The Diocese of St Albans records the population of the parish to be 6000, whereas the electoral ward (Farley Ward), of which the parish is part, has Stockwood Park forms the eastern boundary of the parish; it is a spacious park containing a municipal golf course, rugby and football pitches and an athletics track. A few years ago the Stockwood Discovery Centre opened, a free museum and activity centre for families. Living God s Love 9

10 The estate was built as a local authority estate just after the Second World War. However, whilst some properties are still council owned, a fair proportion are now in private ownership. Apart from a few blocks of flats, the houses have large gardens as was the custom for properties built in the late 1940s. The layout of the estate is of generous road widths and being on a plateau is flat although there are two hills, one at each end, to reach it from the town centre. Amenities There is a local authority Community Centre but there are few other amenities; the sole remaining pub was recently bulldozed to make way for a health centre and affordable housing. The market square contains a few shops including a Cooperative store, fish and chip shop, post office, pharmacy and community café. There is a second, smaller shopping area on the estate with a convenience store and some takeaway outlets. Schools Education on the estate is provided by Whipperley Infants School, Farley Junior School and Stockwood Park Academy for 12 to 18 year olds which opened in These three schools have recently been inspected by Ofsted and were deemed Good. The Academy is located in Rotherham Avenue 100 yards from the church. A Roman Catholic Infant and Junior School is also located in Rotherham Avenue almost adjacent to the church The King s School, an independent Christian school to the north of Harpenden, also takes children from Luton catchment areas and educates children to GCSE level. A level studies can then be pursued at one of the Harpenden schools if so desired. Living God s Love 10

11 Ethnic Mix Farley Hill is reflective of the wider town in that the ethnic mix is very diverse: ETHNICITY - all residents Number - Farley % Farley % Luton White: English/Welsh/Scottish/N. Irish/British 5, % 44.60% White: Irish % 3.00% White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller % 0.10% White: Other White 1, % 7.00% Mixed/multiple: White & Black Caribbean % 1.90% Mixed/multiple: White & Black African % 0.50% Mixed/multiple: White and Asian % 0.90% Mixed/multiple: Other Mixed % 0.90% Asian/Asian British: Indian % 5.20% Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1, % 14.40% Asian/Asian British: Bangladeshi % 6.70% Asian/Asian British: Chinese % 0.70% Asian/Asian British: Other Asian % 2.90% Black: African % 4.50% Black: Caribbean % 4.00% Black: Other Black % 1.30% Other ethnic group: Arab % 0.80% Other ethnic group: Other % 0.70% There have been some social tensions on the estate in the past and Farley Hill was the birthplace of the English Defence League. In response to this, local agencies including Luton Borough Council, schools and faith groups have been at the forefront of tackling community cohesion issues but there is much more that needs to be done. Challenges Most people living in Farley Hill are proud of their estate and are keen to see improvements made to the community. There are many who have worked all their adult lives in local industry or in the armed services and are now enjoying a reasonably comfortable retirement. Despite relatively high levels of unemployment, most adults hold down permanent jobs and there is a small influx of young professionals moving onto the estate, attracted by the affordable rents and house prices. Living God s Love 11

12 However, despite the many positives to be found in the local community, a look at the poverty indicators provided by the Church Urban Fund show many challenges that we experience daily: INDICATOR Child Poverty (% of children in poverty) Pensioner Poverty (% of pensioners on low incomes) Working age poverty (% of adults receiving key out-of-work benefits) Life expectancy (boys) (life expectancy at birth) Life expectancy (girls) (life expectancy at birth) No qualifications (% of working age adults without any qualifications) Social housing (% of households living in social rented housing) Lone parenthood (lone parent families as % of all families with children) Ethnic diversity (% of population who are not white British) Older population (% of population who are aged 65 and over) LOWEST IN COUNTRY LOWEST IN DIOCESE THIS PARISH HIGHET IN DIOCESE HIGHEST IN COUNTRY 0% 3% 35% 35% 65% 0% 2% 28% 34% 69% 1% 2% 23% 23% 60% 66 yrs 72 yrs 74 yrs 83 yrs 88 yrs 70 yrs 76 yrs 81 yrs 95 yrs 99 yrs 1% 8% 39% 39% 63% 0% 1% 42% 43% 87% 0% 5% 31% 37% 67% 1% 3% 51% 91% 97% 1% 5% 14% 30% 59% In order to break generational cycles of poverty on the estate, we feel the most pressing need is to engage with children, teenagers and young families to raise aspirations and provide coaching/mentoring to enable them to reach their God-given potential. Young people need to be released from the lie that they will never succeed and be told unequivocally, YOU CAN!!. Churches There are three church buildings and four church groups: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist and an independent evangelical church that uses the Methodist church building. The Roman Catholics are fairly high in number as many of the residents are Irish or Eastern European. The ongoing presence of an Anglican church on the estate is important and St John s has seen a lot of support and encouragement over recent years from Luton Borough Council, the police and the local schools. Living God s Love 12

13 Welcome to Luton! Overview Despite some bad publicity over recent years, the people of Luton love their town and rightly so. There is so much good happening here that never gets publicised. People who minister in Luton churches often stay for long periods because of the vibrancy of the town and the many opportunities to see God s kingdom come in wonderful ways. Luton has often been described as a Northern town in the Home Counties. It is a post-industrial town, having been built around hat making, car manufacturing and other industries. It is a town in the process of modernisation and is served by a growing international airport that provides the possibility to expand its influence well beyond its local borders. St George s Square and Town Hall The town is located 30 miles north of London, just off the M1 motorway (Junctions 10 & 11). It merges with Dunstable and their combined population is over 200,000. Luton is very multicultural, which you can see from the statistics taken from the 2011 census data: Living God s Love 13

14 ETHNICITY all residents Number Luton % Luton % East of % England and England Wales White: English/Welsh/Scottish/N. Irish/British 90, % 85.30% 80.50% White: Irish 6, % 1.00% 0.90% White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller % 0.10% 0.10% White: Other White 14, % 4.50% 4.40% Mixed/multiple: White & Black Caribbean 3, % 0.60% 0.80% Mixed/multiple: White & Black African % 0.30% 0.30% Mixed/multiple: White and Asian 1, % 0.60% 0.60% Mixed/multiple: Other Mixed 1, % 0.50% 0.50% Asian/Asian British: Indian 10, % 1.50% 2.50% Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 29, % 1.10% 2.00% Asian/Asian British: Bangladeshi 13, % 0.60% 0.80% Asian/Asian British: Chinese 1, % 0.60% 0.70% Asian/Asian British: Other Asian 5, % 1.00% 1.50% Black: African 9, % 1.20% 1.80% Black: Caribbean 8, % 0.60% 1.10% Black: Other Black 2, % 0.20% 0.50% Other ethnic group: Arab 1, % 0.20% 0.40% Other ethnic group: Other 1, % 0.30% 0.60% Despite being quite a built up area, there are plenty of open spaces and parks. Museums, libraries, entertainment venues and a wide variety of restaurants serve the needs of our diverse community. Luton Town FC is an added bonus for the town and will soon be relocating to a state of the art stadium, thereby increasing its revenue and, hopefully, its success! Transport Luton has excellent transport links. In addition to the motorway, there is the East Midlands railway running from Sheffield to St Pancras and the local First Capital Connect line from Bedford to Brighton. The airport has grown considerably over the last 20 years or so and is now the fifth busiest in the UK. It is the home of Easy Jet, Monarch and Tui (Thomson) and many of its flights are for package holidays. A new 200 million tube-style link from Luton Parkway station to the airport has just been announced, making the airport even more attractive for holidaymakers and business people alike. Living God s Love 14

15 A 24 hour coach service from the town centre and airport takes passengers to London, terminating near Victoria station, and other destinations around the UK. A frequent bus service from the town centre serves Farley Hill and there is a stop next to St John s church. Education Luton operates a two-tier education system. Youthscape, founded in 1992 as Luton Churches Education Trust, is a charity that does a lot of good work in the secondary schools around the town, including Stockwood Park Academy in Farley Hill. Pupils who wish to study A levels go on to Sixth Form College. The University of Bedfordshire has grown over recent years and is now an established feature of the town centre. Other campuses exist as far afield as Bedford and Milton Keynes. There is an Anglican chaplain at the university who runs the Treehouse, a safe place for foreign students who are here alone to make friends with others from different cultures and faiths. University of Bedfordshire, Luton Campus Employment Employment is undoubtedly a challenge within Luton! Following the demise of Vauxhall and other manufacturing industries within the town, and with the on-going austerity cuts within Luton Borough Council, the town is working hard to attract inward investment to restructure its economy. Luton Airport and the university are increasing in size, thereby offering more employment opportunities. Many people within Luton travel to surrounding towns where employment is more plentiful. Living God s Love 15

16 Town Centre There is a large shopping complex in the centre of the town, the Mall, formerly called the Arndale. A town centre chaplain was appointed in 2011 and has since developed a large team of volunteer chaplains that serve in numerous locations. Street Pastors also operate in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights, providing security to vulnerable people until 4.00am. Numerous Christian charities operate within the town centre, reaching out to those at risk of homelessness, street workers, and many others on the fringes of society. Hospital The Luton and Dunstable Hospital is located just off junction 11 of the M1. The L & D, as it is known, is a training hospital for London University and has very good medical facilities. It is currently going through a significant expansion programme. Living God s Love 16

17 Conclusion The leadership and congregation of St John s church believe that we are a work-inprogress and that we have only just seen a glimpse of what God has in store for us if we remain faithful to his guidance. The last three and a half years have seen significant spiritual growth and openness to God s presence in our midst. We have seen modest numerical growth and we are aware that we need to reach a critical mass before we are ready for a larger influx of people, many of whom would be quite needy. Nevertheless, we continue to move forwards, always trying to be faithful in the small things We are convinced that God has called us to work in partnership with the Eden Network and have been prayerfully discerning this for over a year. Our desire is to host a team to begin a process of proactive engagement with children, teenagers and young families on our estate. This would happen with the full support of the whole congregation and would be considered part of the overall ministry of the church. In addition to the Vicarage, accommodation on the estate is varied and quite plentiful. There is the prospect of buying a house, which would be a good financial investment, but there are also plenty of houses and flats around the estate to rent privately. If God is calling you to come here, accommodation won t be something you ll have difficulties with. We continue to pray for everyone reading this profile and who may be considering applying to be part of the Eden Network on Farley Hill, either as the full-time leader or a volunteer member of the team. Living God s Love 17