House for Duty Team Vicar for the Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen PARISH PROFILE MAY 2014

Transcription

1 House for Duty Team Vicar for the Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen PARISH PROFILE MAY 2014

2 House for Duty Team Vicar for the Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen In the Risborough Team MAY 2014 Parish Profile Contents 1 Cover 2 Parish Map 3 Introductions re: from the Team Rector and the Parish 4 Mission of our Church and Worship 5 The Church 6 Church Finances and Person Specification and Support 7 The Vicarage and Parish details 8 The Risborough Team 9 The Parish of Princes Risborough and The Parish of Monks Risborough 10 The Parish of Bledlow and useful websites 11 The Aylesbury Deanery 12 Location of Churches in the Aylesbury Deanery and The Diocese of Oxford 13 Appendix 1: Section One: Role Description and Section Two: Role purpose and key responsibilities 14 Section Three: Parish Summary and Relevant documentation Parish Map Profile / May 2014 Page 2

3 SECTION 1 Introduction from the Team Rector Thank you for your interest in this role. As the Team Rector, I am looking forward to welcoming someone wanting to join a team and be a prayerful team player ; someone who s primary focus will naturally need to be on the work of their parish, but will also want to work with, and find support from, the rest of the team clergy; someone who will contribute to and complement the strengths of the others within the Risborough Team Ministry, thereby enabling us all to grow and develop in new ways. Whilst recognising the challenges of a house for duty post, and realizing that there will be only limited time available beyond immediate parish priorities, a new house-for-duty colleague, who is based in Lacey Green, will be warmly welcomed to bring their particular gifts and play their part in helping this Team. Together we shall look forward to exploring the 3 C s of our calling, competence and chemistry, as we seek to serve God and the people of this area. Please do not hesitate to contact me for an informal conversation about the role ( / rector@stmarysrisborough.org.uk ). David Introduction The Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen, as part of the Risborough Team, is seeking a Housefor-Duty Team Vicar, following the retirement of the previous post-holder. Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen are three separate but nearby villages with a population of approximately 3,043 persons set in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside. Lacey Green and Loosley Row are immediately adjacent to each other about 600 feet up on the edge of the Chiltern Hills. Speen is about two miles further east into the Chilterns and the Parish also contains part of the village of Walters Ash, the RAF Headquarters at Strike Command. The parish became part of the Risborough Team (Princes Risborough, Monks Risborough, Lacey Green and Bledlow with Saunderton and Horsenden) in We have two Church schools; a combined school in Lacey Green and a first school in Speen. The parish is well placed for good communications, with London 35 miles to the south-east and Oxford 16 miles to the west. There is an excellent train service from Princes Risborough to London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill. The journey to London takes approximately 45 minutes. Access to the motorway network is good, with junction 4 on the M40 just 8 miles away. Following a re-appraisal by the Aylesbury Deanery and Team Rector, it has been agreed to appoint a House for Duty priest, working the equivalent of two days a week and Sundays, to replace a fulltime post in the Parish. This will strengthen the team dimension of the post, and a sharing of responsibilities for all the parishes in the team amongst two full-time and two house for duty priests. The Team Vicar therefore will also play an important part in encouraging further outreach to the wider community and share their skills and gifts, within the limited time available, across the whole Team, contributing to the complementary strengths of the Team. Team Clergy The Revd David Williams (appointed in stipendiary post) Team Rector of St Mary s, Princes Risborough and St Peter s, Ilmer The Revd James Tomkins (appointed in stipendiary post) Team Vicar of St Dunstan s, Monks Risborough, with St Peter s Chapel, Owlswick with additional responsibilities across the Risborough Team. Profile / May 2014 Page 3

4 Vacant (to be appointed (House-for-Duty post) Team Vicar of St John the Evangelist, Lacey Green The Revd Jennifer Locke (appointed in 2011 House-for-Duty post) Team Vicar of Holy Trinity, Bledlow with St Mary & St Nicholas, Saunderton and St Michael & All Angels, Horsenden SECTION 2 The Mission of our Church We see our House-for-Duty priest as providing the essential continuity for the spiritual and pastoral care of the people of our parish. We wish to build on the achievements of the past, taking forward the strengths of our traditional forms of worship, while seeking to reach out to all generations through dedicated mission and pastoral care. Like most rural communities, a call to serve our parish will mean being willing to become involved in the life of the church and the three villages, enabling the church to play its part at the heart of village life. Our strong desire is that the new House-for-Duty priest should give leadership to enable St John s to grow, drawing in new and returning members into regular members of the congregation. We believe that our relationship with our two local Church schools could be key to this vision. Historically, the Vicar has had active involvement with the two schools, taking assemblies and termly church services and establishing good relationships with the Head Teachers. It is appreciated that time constraints will dictate availability but there are skilled people in the congregation who could be encouraged to be involved. Our monthly All Age Communion service is well attended (approximately 42 adults and 16 children), and we want to continue and further develop this. Our Junior Church group (approximately 12 children), attended by children of reception age until around age 11 is well attended and well lead. We have very few members of secondary school age and this is an area we would particularly like to develop, perhaps by reinstating our Youth Bible Study and Youth Fellowship groups. Good pastoral care has always been a hallmark of St John s and in the past has been shared by the Team Vicar and the Home Groups. With a growing elderly population, we are committed to continuing this quality of care, but realise that will require the formation of some form of pastoral care team which we hope the new House for Duty priest will help us to grow and train. Anyone who is considering applying for this vacancy is warmly invited to come for an informal visit to the church and the area. The Worshipping Community The Church Electoral Roll stands at 92. There is no other staff but some Parish Office work is done by the senior Churchwarden. Profile / May 2014 Page 4

5 The Church The Parish Church of St John the Evangelist, is situated in Lacey Green, at the southern end of the Main Road. Established and consecrated in 1825, the Church celebrated its 125 th birthday on the 2 nd July Described in the Church history as a Chapel of Ease, it was built for the three growing eastern villages to accommodate their needs out of the Parish of St Mary s, Princes Risborough: hence the patronage. The Church has a seating capacity of about 250. It comprises a central nave, with two small side aisles; one is a Lady Chapel with about 16 seats. The Chancel contains the choir stalls, a rare Samuel Green organ built in 1792 and the High Altar capable of accommodating about 12 communicants across. There is also an Upper Room created from a balcony at the back of the Church, which is used for meetings, crèches, Sunday Schools and other functions such as meetings of the PCC. It also has a number of storage cupboards. At the rear of the Church downstairs there is a Choir Vestry and a Vicar s Vestry. There is a wooden building in the Churchyard, which has been fitted out with mains drainage to a toilet and hand basin and some heating. There is no Church Hall but the School Hall is available for larger functions. The Church is in good order and decorative repair. The majority of the repairs highlighted in the last quinquennial report (2011) have been addressed. Four teams from the congregation clean the Church on a weekly basis and the Church is always well decorated with flowers. The Churchyard which is open consists of two sections; one with the very old graves and a newer section which has approximately 7 grave spaces remaining. There is also an area of Remembrance. The Churchyard is largely maintained by working parties of parishioners and currently is in good condition. Worship 8:00am Holy Communion, BCP said, on the 1 st,2 nd and 4 th Sundays; attendance :00am *Holy Communion on 2 nd, 3 rd,4 th and 5 th Sundays sung by Choir accompanied by organ; attendance st Sunday only, All Age Communion as above 6:00pm Evensong BCP on major festivals, sung by Choir accompanied by organ 9:30am on Tuesdays there is a *Holy Communion service. *The Order 1 form of the Holy Communion Services from Common Worship is used at these services. At Christmas there are a series of major Services; Crib Service [2013: 136, 2012: 111], Midnight Mass [2013: 100, 2012: 63], Christmas Day [2013: 62, 2012: 59]. There are regular Baptisms [2013: 2, 2012: 11], Weddings [2013: 1, 2012: 2]:and Funerals [2013: 3, 2012: 7]. An annual Team Confirmation (rotated in the Team Churches) was held at St John s in November St John s had 10 children and 1 adult confirmed last year. Home Communions are currently taken to parishioners monthly by two lay persons. All major festivals are celebrated usually with a choral service and/or a said service in the evenings. There is lay participation in lesson reading, intercessions and in the administration of the Chalice at Holy Communion. On the first Sunday in the month one of the children reads the Gospel. There is a Toddler Praise group which meets on Tuesday afternoons in term time. Three House groups take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in the Parish. There is an after school Splash Club in St John s School which is currently led by the Revd James Tomkins from Monks Risborough. Ceremonial and vestments: there is an excellent collection of vestments and Altar frontals for all seasons of the Church s year. The tone is middle of the road Anglicanism, catering for and respecting all shades of tradition. Chasubles are available to be worn by the Celebrant at the Sunday and Tuesday Holy Communion services and that Choir Dress is normally worn for Evensong. There is an experienced server who assists the Celebrant at the Sunday 10:00 Services and on some other occasions. St John s is currently looking to recruit additional servers to form a Serving Team. The local Profile / May 2014 Page 5

6 Chapter of the Guild of Servants of the Sanctuary occasionally visits St John s, typically around once every two years to sing its Guild Office. Choir and Music: there is a well established and active choir with a current membership of about 10 Adults, 10 children and 4 casual members, organized by a choir leader. It is affiliated to the RSCM and follows their training programme. There is a head chorister. There is an extensive library of music and the choir has a good repertoire. There are various sets of hymn books: Hymns Ancient & Modern, Let s Praise, Hymns for Today s Church, and Come and Praise. There is a regular and experienced group of organists; we currently lack a full time organist. We share a magazine with St Mary s at Princes Risborough in which we have our own section. The printing is organized by St Mary s for which we pay a contribution for the magazines we take. The Church participates in Village Events where possible and we have assistance from other organizations from time to time. We normally have a Christmas Fayre in the Village Hall and in some years Summer Fetes and Flower Festivals. Church Finances Although we are solvent, our finances are never easy. We have run a deficit budget on the general account for several years, drawing on our cash reserves to cover the deficit. Encouraging our congregation to commit to regular planned giving remains a challenge, so we are extremely dependent on regular fundraising events during the year to help us pay our expenses and our contribution to the Team s Parish Share, which for 2013 is 30,668. The church has always paid its parish share in full. St John s Financial Breakdown 2013 Income 46,886 Expenditure 15,662 Parish Share 30,668 Surplus for year 556 Cash balance at end of year 8,875 St John s Financial Breakdown 2012 Income 41,706 Expenditure 47,040 Parish Share 29,874 Deficit for year 5,334 Cash balance at end of year 8,320 The church has a healthy cash balance of 18,000 in its restoration fund, which is allocated to 6,500 to organ restoration and 11,500 to general restoration as and when the needs arise. It is not the intention of the PCC to draw on these reserves for general purposes. SECTION 3 - Person specification We are looking for a house for duty priest who: Will develop Sunday worship, outreach and mission to reach local families, youth and children; Will welcome and encourage newcomers while continuing to nurture and develop existing members Will preach compellingly, connecting with the all age groups within our congregation; Will have a good profile and involvement within the villages Exercises pastoral care and relates well to people Will encourage the growth of skills, gifts and vocations within the church community, developing new leaders in the congregation and encourage delegation so that home groups; pastoral work and teaching of the children in the congregation can thrive under their spiritual direction Profile / May 2014 Page 6

7 Demonstrates very strong inter-personal skills and a high level of self-awareness Will collaborate with the other members of the Team as well as the congregation under his/her pastoral charge SECTION 4 Support we will offer Our house for duty priest can expect: our encouragement to maintain a sustainable ministry, including days off, holidays, retreats, opportunities for learning and development, adequate time for family life, friendship and recreation shared commitment to meeting the challenges identified prayer, friendship and fellowship SECTION 5 The Vicarage was built in 1982 when the former one was sold. It lies in part of the former Vicarage garden in sizeable, mature grounds, with plenty of lawn. It comprises 4 bedrooms, lounge and separate dining room, kitchen, utility room, downstairs cloakroom and family bathroom. There is also a generous study which can be separated by a lockable door from the remainder of the house. It is a family detached house built in brick and flint, accessible by its own driveway and connected by pathway and gate to the Church and Churchyard. It has gas fired central heating, a security alarm (maintained by the Diocese), security lighting and a separate spacious garage. The views from the house are of rural countryside and farmland. The Vicarage garden has been occasionally used in the past for Church events during the summer months. SECTION 6 The Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen The semi-rural parish on the top of the Chiltern Hills covers three villages. Many long-standing families still live in the villages but some have had to move on as property prices have escalated. St John the Evangelist is situated in the village of Lacey Green and is the only Church left in the Village following closure of the Methodist Chapel and Baptist Chapel in recent years. Speen has a Baptist Church. Profile / May 2014 Page 7

8 St John s Church of England Combined School is situated on the opposite side of the road to the Church, is voluntary-aided and has about 250 pupils. Speen Church of England School is situated on the edge of the village of Speen, is also voluntary-aided and has 40 pupils. There is a very good partnership between the church and the schools in both Lacey Green and Speen. Lacey Green has a small shop and Post Office operating from the Village Hall. The town of Princes Risborough is situated approximately 2 miles from Lacey Green and High Wycombe 5 miles. Both towns have a wide variety of shops and facilities. There are three public houses in Lacey Green and two in Speen. Both Lacey Green and Speen have Sports fields and Village Halls. Much of the surrounding countryside is deservedly designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with plenty of footpaths, bridleways and cycleways to encourage exploration of the great outdoors and country pursuits. Further afield, there are public swimming pools and leisure, gym and sports centres in Princes Risborough and High Wycombe. There is a theatre complex in High Wycombe offering a wide sphere of productions along with two cinema complexes. In addition there is the new Waterside Theatre situated in Aylesbury. There are two hospitals; one in High Wycombe and the other in Stoke Mandeville. A number of medical practices serve the three villages. There are also veterinary practices locally. The villages comprise a mix of mainly middle income families, including the local farming community, a Service presence at Strike Command, and retired people. There is little local employment and most people commute. Housing is mainly privately owned, with an abundance of 17 th, 18 th and 19 th century cottages. In the 20 th century there were some infilling and small developments. There are two small Local Authority Council estates, one reserved for the retired. St John the Evangelist was built in 1823 as a Chapel of Ease church plant from St Mary s. It is a Grade IIlisted building. The Risborough Team The Risborough Team was formed in 1998, and whilst working together where possible, each parish works independently, with its own finances and PCC. There is a Team Forum, comprising the clergy and two representatives from each parish, which meets to exchange good news and consult on matters of shared Profile / May 2014 Page 8

9 importance. The clergy meet for business, fellowship and prayer, and there are occasional social gatherings. A number of successful initiatives, including Team /Deanery Confirmations, a Team Marriage Preparation Day, and Team clergy retreats, have been developed over the years. There have also been occasional exchanges of pulpits in recent years and joint services such as an evening Choral Eucharist for All Saints; and opportunities to say morning prayer with the other Team clergy; and a prayer diary is produced annually to unite us daily in prayer. Following a Consultation in the autumn of 2013 and subsequent meetings, the Team clergy and laity will be working in 2014 on developing working relationships and communication across our parishes and supporting one another in the kingdom work that God has called us to do in this Risborough area. Pastorally, there is a strong Christian presence in the local schools, where both clergy and laity help with governing bodies, assemblies, termly services, and two after-school clubs called Splash. Early in 2012, a youth group called Later was established for young people aged across the Team. There are strong links with local Scouting and Guiding Groups, and with the town and civic authorities in Risborough. There is also a strong Christian presence in the local nursing homes, and regular visiting and services take place within them. There are also a number of the laity in the parishes who help with pastoral visiting. Members of the team clergy and laity take a leading role in Churches Together in Risborough; a children s summer holiday week called Lighthouse and ecumenical initiatives, such as ecumenical Lent Courses which have been run in Costa Coffee in recent years; a number of joint services through the year; and the Christian theatre group Searchlight has put on two productions recently and there is a prospect of another planned for July The Parish of Princes Risborough with Ilmer and Longwick village The town has two medical practices, a good range of local shops and two supermarkets. There is a leisure centre with a swimming pool, library and community centre. The ecclesiastical parish has a population of about 7,000 and includes the village of Longwick and hamlet of Ilmer, which have a combined population of about 1,300. The civil parish includes Monks Risborough and the combined population is nearly 9,500. The town has a primary school and an upper school. Eligible students from Princes Risborough attend the grammar schools in Aylesbury. St. Mary s has a voluntary-controlled primary school, Longwick CoE Combined School, with just under 200 pupils. The Church Electoral Roll stands at 218. St Mary s plays an active part in Churches Together in Risborough (CTR), which is formed from the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Christian Fellowship Churches. CTR arranges joint public acts of worship, such as a Good Friday Procession of Witness, and a carol service in the Market Place. There are also joint services during the year. There has been a church in Princes Risborough since Norman times and the present St Mary s is a Grade II*-listed building, dating from about There is seating for about 250. In 2008, after 20 years of planning and fund-raising, a Chapter House was added, providing a parish office, clergy vestry, and toilets on the ground floor, with a meeting room seating about 50 and a small servery on the first floor. The Chapter House was the first part of the plan to create a church open to the community. The second part; a major renewal of the interior of the church, involving replacement of the floor and new access and seating was completed in The Parish Hall, opposite St. Mary s, can accommodate about 100 people and is used for a variety of church and community activities. St Peter s Church, Ilmer is a small, interesting church, with a timber spire and bell-turret. It is one of the oldest churches in the diocese, the original building dating from Norman times but it was rebuilt in about It seats a maximum of 70 people. There is a small congregation, drawn from Ilmer, Longwick and beyond. The Parish of Monks Risborough Monks Risborough and the hamlets of Askett, Whiteleaf, Owlswick and Meadle make up the parish of Monks Risborough. With a population of 2,350, the parish is the oldest recorded ecclesiastical parish in England, receiving its name from the monks of Canterbury, who owned it before the Reformation. St Dunstan s is a Grade I-listed building with a new church hall opened in 2006 which is used for a variety of church and Profile / May 2014 Page 9

10 community meetings. Monks Risborough Combined School has just over 200 pupils and is voluntarycontrolled. The Church Electoral Roll stands at 182 with an average Sunday attendance of 104. There is a growing choir of both adults and children and six bells are rung at the main Sunday service. There is also a small chapel of ease at Owlswick (St Peter s) where services are held twice a month. The church and chapel worship within the broad catholic tradition of the Church of England Over the past year under the heading 'Going for growth' the PCC has been working through the following areas as part of the Deanery Mission Action Plan: o Providing groups so that all ages and all sections of the parish can explore their faith and discover friendship o Creating a network of pastoral care through regular visiting and home communions so that the church keeps in touch with all individuals o Ensuring the church buildings and churchyard are well maintained and the churchyard is extended for the benefit of the local community o Making the most of the occasional offices i.e. Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals and other special services/events e.g. 'Time to Remember' o Creating a stronger choir that continues to enhance the worship of God o As part of the body of Christ, encouraging others to use their gifts and talents in the service of God The Team Vicar at Monks Risborough has, as part of his role, responsibility for enabling mission throughout the team. This ranges from schools work, to work with the uniformed organizations. The Parish of Bledlow with Saunderton and Horsenden The Parish of Bledlow with Saunderton and Horsenden serves a population of approximately 1600 people. Churchmanship in the parish is fairly central, with a mixture of Common Worship and BCP services. Monthly, one main Sunday service is a Family Praise service, aimed particularly at the children; another is a CW Family Communion with a children s slot, before the children join their leaders at the back of the church for Explorers. A monthly service of Holy Communion is held at Cherry Tree Nursing Home in Saunderton. Bledlow Preschool, the only school in the Parish, has services to celebrate major festivals at Holy Trinity, Bledlow. The Parish has a part time (two days plus Sundays) house-for-duty Team Vicar and an active laity. Our parish magazine The Messenger is delivered free to every home in the parish and our website, is updated weekly. In keeping with the nature of the parish, our mission style is gentle and welcoming, stressing the personal approach and the need to maintain an enquiring mind and an openness to God s touch upon each of us. The parish system is important to us and local people know that the church is here for everyone, not just the regular worshippers. There is strong pastoral support in the parish both within the church and in the wider community. We have a thriving, self-supporting choir, with members from within and beyond the parish, led by a professional singer and organist. The choir leads worship at major festivals and monthly at other times. It also sings at a variety of cathedrals, often when the cathedral choirs are on holiday. Our three churches are all listed buildings with limited facilities. The main church is Holy Trinity, Bledlow where most services are held. Each Sunday a second service is held either at St Mary and St Nicholas, Saunderton or at St Michael and All Angels, Horsenden. Services which are more suitable for children are always held at Holy Trinity, Bledlow, where there is a w.c and a gathering space under the bell tower. We hope eventually to be able to put in a mezzanine floor in the bell tower suitable for meetings, the children s Explorers etc. Fundraising is underway. St John's Church Website Your link to more information about our church - Profile / May 2014 Page 10

11 The Risborough Team Ministry Links to the websites of the churches in the Princes Risborough Team Ministry - Lacey Green and Loosley Row Website For village news and information - The Speen Village Website The village community website Princes Risborough Town Council Website Community information for Princes Risborough and the surrounding area Holy Trinity, Bledlow Website St Dunstan s Church, Monks Risborough Website The Aylesbury Deanery Buckinghamshire is a large mainly rural county which stretches from the outskirts of London northwards towards the Midlands. To quote the websites: It is a home to the rolling Chiltern Hills and the meandering River Thames. The Aylesbury deanery is one of ten within the Buckingham archdeaconry of the Diocese of Oxford. The deanery serves Aylesbury town itself, a rapidly expanding urban centre of 70,000; Princes Risborough, a small country market town, and its surrounding communities to the south; and four distinctively rural benefices to the west towards Thame, which include the larger villages of Brill, Haddenham, Long Crendon and Worminghall and smaller community centres and hamlets. The diversity and richness of life in the deanery offers many challenges and opportunities. Working in partnership, we are seeking to engage with the evolving mission in our existing rural and urban communities. We must also respond to the new mission needs of large scale developments around Aylesbury which will eventually house 10,000 20,000 more people. One phase has already been completed (Buckingham Park), a second is underway (Berryfields) including a new school Academy sponsored by the Diocese of Oxford and a third (Broughton Crossing) has just recently received planning permission. All new clergy appointments arise from and reflect, the deanery s on-going process of mission action planning (MAP) which is guided by the following principles: The prime concern of MAP is to promote growth in the deanery both in numbers and depth of discipleship to identify opportunities in every benefice and parish and how they can be pursued. o This principle means that we are prepared to confront the facts about our current context, ministry and mission plans. Every minister, benefice and parish must engage with the need and potential for doing things differently. Our MAP needs to offer a fullness of Christian ministry for every person in the Deanery a diversity of styles of worship; provision for baptisms, weddings, funerals; Christian teaching and preaching; pastoral and practical care; discipleship support and opportunities to be introduced to the Christian faith. o This principle means that the Deanery will not change existing ministry provisions to serve areas of new growth without ensuring that the needs of those currently being served are going to be Profile / May 2014 Page 11

12 addressed through creative and innovative use of stipendiary, non-stipendiary, lay ministry and other resources. In all respects the MAP must seek to enable collaborative ministry and mission each church expression has gifts and specialisms to offer to others and each also has areas in which it needs the help of others. o This principle means that our plans must identify ways to share gifts and resources across the Deanery to the benefit of all. Mission and deployment plans will not begin from an assumption that there will have to be formal pastoral re-organisations but we believe that much can be achieved through informal collaborative arrangements. For general information on the Aylesbury area, schools, facilities and future plans etc Location of churches in the Aylesbury Deanery The Diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford serves the mission of the Church in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The Diocese comprises more than 600 parishes, with over 800 churches, serving a diverse population of more than 2 million people located in all types of settings. Our Diocesan Bishop is the Rt Revd John Pritchard. Due to the size and complexity of the Diocese, we also have three Area Bishops who exercise considerable strategic oversight for their Episcopal areas. The Bishop of Buckingham is the Rt Revd Alan Wilson who has been the Area Bishop since Growing out of the previous Diocesan vision and values statement called Sharing Life, in 2009 Bishop John launched the revised Diocesan vision entitled Living Faith for the Future, aimed at encouraging holistic mission and spirituality at the heart of daily life. It contains five key values which inform our strategic directions: sustaining the sacred centre creating vibrant Christian communities Profile / May 2014 Page 12

13 making disciples; making a difference in the world;; shaping confident collaborative leaders. These values are built on the principles of not neglecting the past but building on it; not so much about strategy but culture; not top down but liberating the local; not targets but directions; not about structures but about relationships; not one size fits all but flexibility and not about complexity but elegance. Each year has emphasized one of the five areas, with 2014 focusing on Creative Collaborative Leadership. Full information on Living Faith for the future can be found at It is expected that all clergy appointed into the Archdeaconry of Buckingham will want to commit themselves to this Diocesan vision and its strategic directions. Appendix 1 SECTION ONE: DETAILS OF POST ROLE DESCRIPTION Role title: Type of Role: Name of benefice: Episcopal area: Deanery: Archdeaconry: Conditions of Service: Team Vicar in Risborough Team Ministry House for Duty Risborough Team Ministry Buckingham Aylesbury Buckingham Please refer to Statements of Particulars document issued in conjunction with this role description Key contact for Clergy Terms of Service: Archdeacon of Buckingham. This role falls within the Clergy Terms of Service formally known as Common Tenure. The Archdeacon of Buckingham is the designated person by the Bishop of Oxford to issue the Statement of Particulars for the post holder. Accountability Additional Responsibilities Priests share with the Bishop in the oversight of the Church. Whilst, as an office holder, the individual is expected to lead and prioritise work in line with the purpose of the role, they are encouraged to inform the incumbent (in case of assistant priests) and Archdeacon and Church Warden/s (in case of incumbents) about any issues exceptional or otherwise that have the potential to affect ongoing delivery of ministry N/A Profile / May 2014 Page 13

14 SECTION TWO: ROLE PURPOSE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES General: A. To exercise the cure of souls shared with the bishop in this team in collaboration with colleagues including the praying of the Daily Office, the administration of the sacraments and preaching. B. To have regard to the calling and responsibilities of the clergy (as described in the Canons, the Ordinal, the Code of Professional Conduct for the Clergy) and other relevant legislation including bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in your care instructing the parishioners in the Christian faith preparing candidates for confirmation diligently visiting the parishioners of the benefice, particularly those who are sick and infirm providing spiritual counsel and advice consulting with the parochial church council on matters of general concern and importance to the benefice bringing the needs of the world before God in intercession calling your hearers to repentance and declaring in Christ's name the absolution and forgiveness of their sins blessing people in God s name preparing people for their death discerning and fostering the gifts of all God s people being faithful in prayer, expectant and watchful for the signs of God s presence, as he reveals his kingdom among us C. To share in the wider work of the deanery and diocese as appropriate, for the building up of the whole Body of Christ Key responsibilities specific to the local situation To develop Sunday worship, outreach and mission to reach local families, youth and children; To welcome and encourage newcomers while continuing to nurture and develop existing members To preach compellingly, connecting with the all age groups within our congregation; To have a strong profile and involvement within the villages To exercises pastoral care and relates well to people To encourage the growth of skills, gifts and vocations within the church community, developing new PPleaders in the congregation and encourage delegation so that home groups; pastoral work and teaching of the children in the congregation can thrive under their spiritual direction To demonstrates very strong inter-personal skills and a high level of self-awareness To grow to love and cherish all parts of the Team as well as the congregation under his/her pastoral charge Other responsibilities Participate in the Bishop s Ministerial Development Review scheme and engage in Continuing Ministerial Development Carry out any other duties and responsibilities as required in line with the benefice needs. Take care for their wellbeing including health and safety and building a good repertoire of spiritual and psychological strategies SECTION THREE: PARISH SUMMARY The Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen Benefice: Parish of Lacey Green, Loosley Row and Speen Patron(s): The Bishop of Buckingham PCCs: (Names and numbers only) St John s Parochial Church Council: 12 Churchwardens: Mrs Patricia Richards and Mr Richard Field Ministers: Team Clergy Parish paid staff: N/A Parish unpaid staff/ volunteers (numbers) 26 Buildings: Church and Vicarage Profile / May 2014 Page 14

15 Churchyard(s): Resolution A,B,C: Church Tradition: Pastoral Reorganisation proposals: Still open N/A in favour of female ministry Middle Anglican None Relevant Documentation This role description is issued alongside and should be read in conjunction with the following documents: The Ordinal The Canons of the Church of England Guidance for the Professional Conduct of Clergy Bishop s Licence Statement of Particulars issued to the office holder on successful appointment Diocesan Clergy Handbook Parish Profile Ministry Action Plans (MAPs) Any objectives discussed and agreed between the post holder and the supervising minister This Role Description will be reviewed and formally signed off by the Archdeacon of Buckingham six months after licensing Profile / May 2014 Page 15