The Parish of the Holy Redeemer, Lamorbey

Transcription

1 The Parish of the Holy Redeemer, Lamorbey Parish Profile - April 2017 Holy Redeemer Church, Days Lane, Sidcup, DA15 8JR office@theholyredeemer.co.uk

2 Welcome to the Parish of the Holy Redeemer in the Deanery of Sidcup, Archdeaconry of Bromley and Bexley and within the Diocese of Rochester. We have set out below our Church profile which we hope will give a sense of who we are and how we seek God s guidance and leadership for our Church and Parish. INDEX: 1. WHO WE ARE AS A CHURCH OUR NEW VICAR WHAT DO WE OFFER OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE THE CHURCH AND VICARAGE OUR LOCATION OUR FELLOWSHIP THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT BY THE AREA DEAN Page 2

3 1. WHO WE ARE AS A CHURCH We are a vibrant and caring fellowship covering all age groups and are centred in the community both geographically and spiritually. We are an inclusive church, welcoming into our midst those who come to explore and share their faith in Jesus Christ with us. The spiritual and social life of our church are very important to us as we try our very best to follow the model of the Gospels. We pride ourselves as being neither too high nor too low an Anglican Church and visitors often mention how welcome they feel with the approach to our services. The Church's location puts us in a great position to engage with the community and over the years we have embraced this opportunity by organising events which bring families, friends and neighbours together. We have a very active community engagement team whose aim is to reach out to the local community using various medium, e.g. social networks. The Church provides a focal point for various community activities, including a cross-stitch club, a Wednesday café and a police surgery for safe neighbourhood teams (see section 8 below for more information). We particularly focus on the lonely and isolated, ensuring age and mobility are not barriers to enjoying and being part of the events we organise. We are also a dementia friendly church and a registered Eco-Church with A-Rocha. We have a hugely successful Holy Redeemer Playgroup for children aged 3 to under-five that is overseen by the PCC. The playgroup was recently awarded 'Good' by Ofsted which is the first report published since the Church took over in July 2016 (see section 8 Queen's 90th Birthday Page 3

4 2. OUR NEW VICAR We are looking for a Vicar who believes they have the vision, energy and enthusiasm to lead us as we respond to the opportunities God has given to us to grow as a Church and reach out further into our local community. We seek a Vicar who: is confident in leading a variety of worship (from Sung Eucharist to a non-eucharist all age worship); will be a collaborative leader and work closely with the PCC; is prayerful, spiritual and demonstrates the outworking of their faith through their life; enjoys music and is able to oversee hymns and music, ensuring we have a mixture of traditional and modern uplifting music; is keen to develop our existing relationship (and foster new relationships) with local schools and other institutions within the community; can preach the gospel with enthusiasm and relate their teaching to our everyday life; will be a proactive member of the local clergy chapter and work closely with the other clergy and churches in the Deanery to accomplish the Deanery mission and ministry plan; will support the development project and embrace the challenges and opportunities it presents; will support and encourage lay ministry training supporting those who want to develop their spirituality, ministry and service and inspiring all members to feel engaged and involved in the life of the Church; and Page 4

5 3. WHAT DO WE OFFER A welcoming and social congregation. We have members who read lessons, serve and administer the chalice, lead intercessions, welcome visitors as sides people and run church activities, such as advent workshops. In addition, we have volunteers who organise rotas, clean and set up the Church and prepare refreshments after services. A dedicated ministry team currently comprised of: We are in an area with great Schools and excellent public transport links to central London (station is approximately 15 mins walk from the vicarage). A dedicated and supportive PCC. An opportunity to partake in the development project and explore the new opportunities it will create within the local community. An opportunity to build long lasting relationships. Roles: Church Warden Church Warden Deputy Church Warden Deputy Church Warden Sacristan Deanery Synod Rep Names: Eileen Vamplew Sarah-Jane Brown Mike Riches Barry Stone Anne Wallace Brian Ayto A parish with a population of approximately 14,500; with 89 on our electoral roll. Holy Redeemer Playgroup Page 5

6 4. OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE Grow in numbers and develop faith of the congregation with a particular desire to reach out to young people and young families. Encourage members to take up Licensed Lay Ministry, e.g. reader, pastoral workers etc. Rejuvenate the Children's church and make it a central part of our worship. Develop the Choir and have live music during our Services to enhance our worship. Thrive as an all-inclusive and dynamic Church that actively welcomes a mixture of ages and ethnic groups into the congregation. Become a hub for the local community making the hall facilities available to different groups of the community. Encourage members to take stewardship more seriously. 5. THE CHURCH AND VICARAGE Our Church was built in the 1930s and was dedicated on 21st October It was the first church built entirely of steel and concrete. We have recently reordered the Church, such that the congregation does not sit 'facing East'. The reason for this change is to provide a more inclusive and intimate worship space and we have received very positive feedback from both guests and Church members. However, we have retained the flexibility for more formal events (e.g. weddings) to be conducted with the Church facing East. The Church is set back from the road with a garden in front of the Church, which provides versatile additional space for various church and community events. The Church also has a hall within its grounds which provides facilities for various organisations both connected with the Church and outside groups who hire it for meetings, dance classes, slimming world etc. ECO CHURCH We registered with Eco Church in 2016 based on a growing concern for what is happening to our planet and wildlife. This gives us hope for the future of our local community and the wider environment. Since our membership, we have engaged people of all ages and different backgrounds. For example, children at the Playgroup were encouraged to make their own feeders for birds, which was amazing to observe as they were keen to help the tiniest of creatures. We have raised funds to purchase bird feeders, hedgehog and insect houses and nest boxes. Page 6

7 As a Church our aim is to be green; for example, we use green stationery, low energy bulbs, garden composting and recycle food waste. This is an on-going venture, many ideas are forming as we realise that if we all do a little it can make a difference. DEVELOPMENT PROJECT We have embarked on a 1 million refurbishment project for the Church. The proposed development comprises of internal refurbishment of the Church (including a new heating system) and the creation of a modest link between the Church and the hall. The hall will also be fully refurbished with changes to its openings and windows, providing a modular hall space, new WCs, an industrial sized kitchen and multiple meeting rooms. There will also be alterations to the roof and grounds, including a wider entrance pathway to the Church and hall and relocation of the existing war memorial. The development project will be completed in two phases. The first phase, which relates to refurbishment of the hall and construction of the link, will commence shortly and is expected to be completed in early The second phase, which relates to refurbishment of the Church, is scheduled to commence in early 2018 with a scheduled working period of approximately 3 months. We understand from the Architect that it is likely for the development project to be completed ahead of schedule. DIOCESE The Church is part of the Deanery of Sidcup which is within the Diocese of Rochester. Our Diocese is the second oldest diocese in England and it is divided into three archdeaconries: (i) Archdeaconry of Bromley & Bexley, (ii) Archdeaconry of Rochester and (iii) Archdeaconry of Tonbridge. We are part of the Archdeaconry of Bromley & Bexley and our Archdeacon is Paul Wright. Page 7

8 The present Bishop is The Rt Rev James Langstaff and there are 270 parish churches in the Diocese that he oversees. The Diocese website provides details of its structure and policies that the Church is subject to. Please see for more details. PCC The PCC consists of the Vicar, 2 Church Wardens, 2 Deputy Wardens, 4 elected members, the PCC Secretary and the Parish Administrator. The PCC is supported by the Standing Committee, the Fabric Committee and the Community Engagement Team. Other working groups are convened when necessary to head certain projects. STANDING COMMITTEE The Church also has a Standing Committee who usually meet every other month (rotating with the PCC meetings) in place of the PCC. However, due to the building project, the PCC have been meeting monthly and as a result the Standing Committee meetings are suspended temporarily. Once the building project is completed, the Standing Committee will restart. heated and double-glazed. It has a good sized garage to the side of the house providing off street parking for several vehicles. The vicarage is ideally situated close to both Days Lane and Our Lady of the Rosary primary schools, local shops, bus routes, Hollyoak Wood park and a full range of other local amenities. PARISH OFFICE The Parish office is situated above the hall, but as part of the development project the office will be moved to the ground floor providing disabled access. We have a Parish administrator that works from the Parish office Mondays to Fridays, mornings only. There is an office telephone and address for receiving messages outside office hours. THE VICARAGE The vicarage is a spacious family home on Days Lane, in Sidcup. It is a detached 1930s house, consisting of 4 bedrooms, two reception rooms, a study, a large sized kitchen, a cloak room, a separate toilet and a large family bathroom. It is centrally Vicarage front view Page 8

9 6. OUR LOCATION Sidcup is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley, and a small part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It borders the London Boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich. Sidcup has a mixture of large Victorian and Edwardian properties alongside typical 1930s suburbia. It retains many parks and open spaces, including green chain walks that come through the Parish. There are a number of preschool nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools (including grammar schools) within or on the parish boundary, all of which are rated at least 'Good' by Ofsted. We have a strong relationship with Days Lane Primary School, lying within the parish and where many of our children attend. Sidcup town centre is the local high street and it was recently the subject of a 1.8 million regeneration scheme under the banner 'In Store For Sidcup'. The regeneration has attracted more people to the town centre and provided a better shopping experience both visually and through shopping choice. Sidcup is also just a 20 minute drive to Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, Kent. There is also a large leisure centre on the Parish border offering swimming and gym facilities. Our local hospital is Queen Mary's Hospital, which is within the Sidcup Deanery and has been supported by our incumbent and members of the Church. Sidcup station serves the area with services to London Bridge, London Charing Cross, and London Cannon Street as part of a loop service operating via both Lewisham and Woolwich Arsenal. Fast trains take as little as 20 minutes to get to London Charing Cross. There are also services to Dartford, Gravesend and Barnehurst. The Church is approximately a 15 minute walk to the station and there is also a direct bus to the station. Due to the increasing cost of living in central London, the area has seen a growth in the number of young professionals and couples with young families moving into the area. Sidcup High Street Sidcup Golf Course - Page 9

10 7. OUR FELLOWSHIP The pattern of services can be described as middle of the road Anglican with our main service of worship being the parish Eucharist. We structure our worship around Common Worship and the revised common Lectionary. We try to acknowledge the inheritance of our past while at the same time, being open to renewal in structure and worship. Our current pattern of services is as follows: Day of the Week Every Sunday 1st, 3rd & 4th Sundays Time 8.00 am am 2nd Sunday am 5th Sunday am Thursdays am Service Said Holy Communion Service (suspended during the interregnum) Sung Eucharist All Age Worship (a more relaxed non-eucharist service; sometimes in the form of café style where clergy do not robe) A less formal Sung Eucharist (designed to encourage families and children to participate e.g. Brownies and Guides read the lessons and lead the intercessions) Said Holy Communion Service (suspended during the development project) In addition to our regular services, we also celebrate festivals that are common to the Anglican Church and other events that we have developed over the years. For example: Advent Workshop for children and their families run as Messy Church in children and 41 adults attended; Good Friday workshop for children and their families in children and 65 adults attended; Christingle one evening prior to Christmas; Silver Sunday; Harvest Festival; and Remembrance Sunday. We also host Baptisms, Weddings, Confirmations and Funerals at the Church. In 2016 there were: 15 Baptisms; 1 Wedding; 1 Confirmation the person was presented for confirmation in Rochester Cathedral; and 22 Funeral services - 4 of which were held at the Church and 18 at the crematorium. Multicultural Service Page 10

11 8. THE CHURCH AND COMMUNITY CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE Children s welfare and education is one of the Church's main objectives and it is an area we feel could and should be built on. Currently the number of children attending regularly is low but since the introduction of the All Age Worship, numbers are beginning to increase. We have good attendance of both children and adults at our special events e.g. Christingle, Crib service and Good Friday workshop. Children's Church The Children meet every Sunday morning in the Church hall at 10am during the Sung Eucharist in the Church. The service is an adaptation of the Sung Eucharist in the form of opening worship, followed by teaching and related activities before the children are taken into the Church to join their families for communion and receive a blessing. For the teaching and activities, the Children are divided into 2 groups: ages 0-7 and 8 15 to ensure each child is taught at the right level. On the 2nd Sunday and 5th Sunday of the month, there is no Children s Church as we hold the All Age Service and the less formal Sung Eucharist, both of which are designed as family services. We have suspended the Children Church as part of the development project, but the aim is to reinstate it once the development project is completed. The Pre-school Praise Group This was started over 10 years ago to provide fellowship and teaching for very young children and their parents or carers. All children are welcome from birth until about 5 years old when they go to school. The activities are arranged to suit the different ages. We have also suspended this group for the duration of the development project, but the aim is to reinstate this as part of the parish development / outreach work. Holy Redeemer Playgroup The Holy Redeemer Playgroup opened in 1972 and was separate from the Church until July The PCC unanimously decided to take over the Playgroup in July 2016 when the then Manager and owner retired. The PCC are trustees of the Playgroup and together with the Vicar, they regularly volunteer to help out with activities. The Playgroup has had very successful Autumn and Spring terms, with new Children joining in January. The Playgroup is considered an integral part of the community and has become an effective outreach to the community. For example, the annual Nativity was a huge success with the Church full of happy parents and carers. In addition, since coming under the management of the PCC, the Playgroup has Page 11

12 received very positive feedback from Bexley council and was also awarded 'Good' by Ofsted. We are confident that the reputation of the Playgroup will continue to grow as it is managed by one of the Church Wardens, Sarah-Jane Brown, who is working really hard to introduce new concepts to the Playgroup. We are also considering as a Church how to expand the Playgroup to cater for the 30 hours of free childcare that the government introduced in Guides and Brownies The 2nd Lamorbey Holy Redeemer Brownie Pack is a lively unit of up to 24 girls aged 7-10 years and 2 qualified leaders. The 2nd Lamorbey Holy Redeemer Guide Unit has been attached to the church since 1935 and currently has an average membership of 14 girls and 2 leaders. Both groups meet in the Church hall once a week during term time and attend the Church parade once a month. At the Church parades they take part in various activities, such as readings, intercessions and Crucifer. CHOIR We choose our Service songs from the Common Worship and Songs of Fellowship. We have a very small choir who are taking a sabbatical during the interregnum. At present, a music machine is used for worship twice a month and we have two pianists that attend two other Sundays of each month one attends the All Age Worship and the other attends an alternate Sunday. Recently, a guitarist also attends occasionally to help with the Service. One of our aims (funds permitting) as part of the development project is to buy an organ or an electric Piano to enhance our worship. Good Friday Workshop PARISH MAGAZINE There is a monthly Parish magazine that can be purchased in Church and is also delivered to 200 houses in the Parish. The magazine includes adverts which keep the costs down to 30p an issue and is published, printed and distributed by members of the Church. Church members and parishioners are encouraged to contribute to the magazine. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM AND GROUPS Community is about a group of people with shared values and interests; therefore, we organise diverse activities that offer something to everyone and which draws together different groups in the community. The core of the Community Engagement Team is renewal holding each individual Page 12

13 into a heartfelt community and being a listening ear to all. Below are some of the activities and groups that are now part and parcel of the Church. Wednesday Café We run the Wednesday café every week and membership has grown (through word of mouth) from 3 to 25 regular members. Attendees regularly commend the level of care given as amazing and mention that they find the lively chatter a joy to hear. This is now a very strong group and has seen a number of other clubs spin out of it, such as the Book Club and the Art Group. Book Club The book club meets every first Wednesday of the month. It is open to members and non-members, with an aim to discuss books that are chosen in advance by members. Art Group The Art group meets weekly and is a spin off from the Book Club with regular members. Feedbacks are always positive and we understand that it has reawakened past hobbies for some of our older members, stimulating their attention. It is also open to members and non-members. The Cross-Stitch Club The club, currently comprised of 18 regular members, meets on Tuesday afternoons to produce kneelers, altar frontals and items for the Summer and Christmas fayres. To date, the club has produced more than 200 kneelers. Blackfen and Lamorbey Safer Neighbourhood Team The team holds a police surgery in the Church hall on an ad hoc basis where parishioners and residents are encouraged to raise concerns. The team offers appropriate crime prevention advice. The team and the Church have built an excellent relationship which we hope to continue. The Blackfen and Lamorbey ward, of which the Church is a part, is a very quiet ward with low levels of crime. Examples of common priorities set to the team include Road Safety/Traffic matters and Anti-Social Behaviour by youths. Silver Sunday Norfolk Women's Club This is a registered charity that meets in the Church hall every Wednesdays at 7.45pm. It often acts as an intermediary with Government departments regarding resolutions debated at their annual general conference. Although the club is independent from the Church, the members requested that our Vicar hold a service for them. This gesture gives us confidence that the Church is regarded as a key influence in the community. Page 13

14 Other Events The Community Engagement Team has also reached out to the community through charity coffee mornings, lunches, outings, autumn fayres and the annual Sir Simon Milton Silver Sunday. The events are always evolving to reflect our desire to fulfil a need that is wanted in the community. Below are some of the events we frequently organise. Silver Sunday: For the Silver Sunday in 2016, we brought in people and their carers via Age UK for afternoon tea and entertainment. Parish Lunches: We aim to have several Parish lunches each year for the congregation and community. Frugal Lunch: During Lent, we hold a Friday frugal lunch to raise money for various Christian charities. Fayres: We hold annual autumn fayres, which have become a go to event for the community. In 2016 we raised 1, Page 14

15 9. STATEMENT BY THE AREA DEAN Statement by the Area Dean Dear applicant, The Deanery of Sidcup consists of eleven parishes which are served by nine stipendiary clergy. Additionally, there are currently two training curates within the deanery. Our relatively compact geographical size means that there are plenty of opportunities to collaborate between parishes. For example, in recent years some parishes have held joint confirmation classes in preparation for the Deanery Confirmation Service, as well as other courses and activities. There is further scope for sharing resources across the deanery. We look for opportunities to worship together as a deanery and last year we held a harvest Eucharist in a marquee on a local farm, the focal point of a weekend of celebrations. We recognise that in our suburban context parish boundaries can mean little to many of those requesting occasional services and we therefore try to meet people s needs wherever possible, whilst maintaining the etiquette of seeking the goodwill of the relevant incumbent. The chapter meets approximately six times a year, including a corporate meal in January. We meet over lunch and take quite an informal approach to chapter meetings using them as an opportunity to share news, challenges and provide mutual support. Occasionally we invite an outside speaker, and we recently held a meeting at one of the two church schools in the deanery. We do hope for a colleague who would give priority to chapter meetings. The deanery synod meets three times a year and we have recently made an effort to refocus meetings to provide mutual support and the opportunity to share good practice across the deanery. More widely, we have excellent support from our Archdeacon who is very much present to us. We have the opportunity to meet together as archdeaconry clergy for two days a year. In addition the Archdeacon hosts a free annual mini-residential conference in Woking with a variety of different speakers and input. These are excellent opportunities to meet with colleagues ministering across the archdeaconry. You will find that the Bishop is easily accessible and the Diocesan staff respond to enquiries promptly and helpfully. Please be assured of my prayers and best wishes as you discern whether to apply for this post. Yours sincerely, The Revd Philip Wells Area Dean Page 15