St Mary Magdalene, Prudhoe. Parish Church Profile.

Transcription

1 St Mary Magdalene, Prudhoe. Parish Church Profile.

2 Prudhoe Prudhoe rests on the steep southern slopes of the Tyne Valley in Northumberland, midway between Newcastle and Hexham. The hills keep us fit when we are active and give us great and extensive views to the North as far as the Cheviot Hills. We are only 10 miles from the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle and whereas we would not claim to be rural we are definitely 'in the country. This is a generally happy community and we are proud to live here. You often hear it said that, Prudhoe folks are canny, and this straightforward friendliness is something that we are also proud of. We have high quality schools, good sports facilities, highly regarded health care and a wide variety of activities and services available. We have a surviving three tier education system with three First Schools, a Middle School and a High School - rebuilt in 2016 and visited in October 2016 by the Secretary of State for Education. 2

3 The Prudhoe community runs a wide variety of clubs catering for all ages and many tastes. Football is a big thing for our young people with a multitude of teams run for each year group by the Youth Club and by Prudhoe Town F.C. Literally hundreds of boys and girls are involved in this. Drama and music are also big features with large scale and enthusiastic involvement in organisations such as the Dragon Tales Theatre Company, Prudhoe Community Choir and Prudhoe Community Band. A sample of other organisations include the Prudhoe Gardeners Association, the Local History Society, a Snooker club, a Canoeing club, an over 50s forum, University of the Third Age, the Women s Institute, Brownies, Guides, Scouts, Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. Church members are active in many of these. A particular characteristic of Prudhoe life is the ability of people to get behind charitable and social events in a big way. Church members were prominent in the organisation of The Queen s Jubilee Celebrations, helping with a huge street fair involving the closing of the Front Street to all traffic. This is thought to have attracted some 4000 people - and we think it unlikely that any other place of this size managed anything like this degree of active community involvement. Such was the success of this that a large street fair has been organised annually ever since. 3

4 There are not many old buildings in Prudhoe. The reality is that if you had looked around this area in 1830 you would have found little more than open farmland and a small village with a population of less than 200. Prudhoe grew rapidly with the opening up of the coalfields and between 1850 and 1950 strong, separate mining communities grew up around the different collieries. Whilst Prudhoe is a town with an overall population of just under 11,000, even fifty years after the last pit closed it is still easy to identify smaller communities within it with their own separate identities. In 1950, Prudhoe was a typical North-Eastern mining town with its main occupations being mining and brick-making. The last pit closed in Our mining heritage is acknowledged in the Leonard Evetts stained glass window on the front page of this document. Since that time Prudhoe has become home to Britain s second-biggest paper mill, to Hammerite paint (both Hammerite and Finnegan s Waxoyl were developed here), a large haulage and demolition company and small businesses on our industrial estate. Prudhoe was home to a learning disabilities hospital with 1200 patients; many people have continued to work in caring occupations and this history has helped contribute to the caring nature of the town. Unemployment, under-employment and poorly paid employment remain problems for the more established parts of the community where levels of qualification have remained low. Less than 1% of Prudhoe s population is of a minority ethnic background and we are not aware of significant racial tensions in the town. Prior to changes in county council ward boundaries the old Prudhoe North Ward was statistically the fifth most deprived ward in the County of Northumberland and predictable social problems arise from this. We do, for example, have significant problems with addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Problems related to social isolation and poor mental health are found throughout Prudhoe. The deprivation statistics were always surprising as even in these less well off parts of the town, houses remain generally very well cared for, levels of crime are relatively low and there remain good networks of neighbours, friends and families. This has led to a community largely at ease with itself such that it is easy to live in Prudhoe and be unaware of the scale of some of these underlying problems. 4

5 Many new houses have been built since the late 1960s. These relatively low price but good quality houses, combined with the good living environment here, have encouraged a steady influx of incomers over recent years, many of whom travel to work in Tyneside and the surrounding area. Many more new houses are in the process of being built. Some 340 houses are being built at Humble s Wood on the site of the old Prudhoe Hospital and other developments are planned. Challenges for Prudhoe include the maintenance and development of our good community spirit and the integration of newer people into the community. This is an ongoing task, but the rapid increase in new housing is likely to make this a growing priority. Useful links for more information about Prudhoe: (lots of statistics about Prudhoe North and Prudhoe South County Council wards) 5

6 The Church Community and Church Tradition Who are we? We see ourselves very much as a church family. We are all kinds of people of different ages and backgrounds and with differing understandings of faith and theology who enjoy being together not just for worship but for chatting over coffee and tea, eating together, going away for days together and meeting up for regular social evenings. We think you will find us a warm and caring community with a relaxed and informal atmosphere when we are together. 6 We understand ourselves as a Parish Church in the fullest sense, in mission to those in our locality and embracing a worshipping community which has people who identify themselves as Low Church, as Evangelicals, as Catholic and as belonging to other traditions. In Prudhoe all the Anglicans meet in one place as one Church. We successfully hold our different theological understandings and preferred styles of worship together in one community. This has the potential to be difficult but in reality has become, over time, one of our great strengths which we would be loathe to see undermined. If we stand in different places, we are looking the same way and we look for God to speak to all of us where we are now and to lead us forward as we follow Jesus and grow in faith.

7 Our Young Church has a dedicated and keen team of leaders with a desire to see this work grow and a willingness to work in new ways. We are aware that this is an area in which we need to concentrate our energies. We have a good number of men in the congregation as well as a good number of women. We have a lot of willing workers who really care for the life and work of the church at all levels, taking pride in cleaning and polishing, flower arranging and gardening to name but a few. Most of our members live in Prudhoe itself or within two or three miles of the church. Many of us work, or have worked, in Prudhoe and we bump into the people of the parish through work, on our Front Street and as neighbours. Many of us are involved in widely varying groups in the town and we have had members involved in the Prudhoe Community Partnership since it was established. Being a functioning and caring community is important to us. Being a part of the Prudhoe community is also particularly important to us and we are keen to reach out to those around us offering love and hope to all. 7

8 Patterns of Worship and Music Tradition Communion Services: 8am on Sundays: This is a traditional service using the Book of Common Prayer. A quiet service without hymns which provides an important home for a small, loyal congregation. 10 am on Sundays: The main Sunday service has used incense and a robed choir in the not too distant past and from the 1980s to the 2000s there was considerable experimentation with levels of informality, family services and new music and this was met with varied responses! What we have now is a Holy Communion Service which is relaxed and accessible in the sense that that's the kind of people we are but which follows a recognisably traditional format whilst allowing for variation from week to week. Because we are all comfortable with this, some have expressed a wish that, "nothing should change", but most of us are open to gentle and sensitive change, happy to adopt positive and enriching changes in our worship and church life. Music is usually led by a small music group and occasionally by the use of the organ. Hymns and songs are ordinarily chosen from Mission Praise Complete. 10am on Thursdays: This again is a more formal traditional service using the Book of Common Prayer with a short sermon. The Thursday morning service also has a small and loyal congregation. Morning Prayer Services: We now have three services of Morning Prayer each week which have been started by church members during this vacancy and have been held now for several months. This new innovation is already greatly enriching our church prayer life. We have also been encouraged by the fact that members and leaders of other local churches have been joining us on a monthly basis. Children s Choir Services: Once a month we have an evening service which involves our children's choir and their families. These children's choir services have been reaching out to some local families with no church connections and the whole choir project presents exciting opportunities for outreach as well as building links into local schools. 8

9 Relationships with Neighbouring Parishes, Neighbouring Churches and the Town We are open to working with neighbouring parish churches and exploring what this may mean. We do already have a shared Mothers Union (MU@8) meeting with Ovingham parish church just across the river. Formal Churches Together meetings have become less frequent, but at the same time informal sharing together with the Methodist church has been encouraging recently. We have held joint after-church coffee on some Sundays and Methodists, together with members of our local Pentecostal Church, have also been enjoying shared involvement in our Church Family Days. The Women s World Day of Prayer continues to be an effective ecumenical work in the town. In addition to this, the churchwardens have begun to meet regularly with the leaders of the local Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostal churches. There is also a regular weekly ecumenical prayer group with up to twenty people coming along.this group joins us at our Friday morning prayer service once each month. We look forward to working together even more closely with these neighbouring churches in the future and the prospects for this look exciting. We are very aware that the community of Prudhoe retains a strong sense of belonging to its parish church and expects the church to lead on key occasions. The Remembrance Day service, the All Souls Day service and the Christmas services are attended by hundreds of people. For many there is a sense that Christmas hasn't properly started until you ve been to the Christingle service. For many Prudhoe people, christenings, weddings and funerals remain an important church function and an important part of life. This, combined with the recognised involvement of many of our members in the life of the town, means that the church holds, for 2016, an unusually prominent role in the life of the wider community. A challenge for us is to move beyond this to being able to provide hope and help for the community s wider needs. 9

10 Church Activities We have two home groups which meet weekly in term time. These centre on Bible study, prayer and fellowship. We would establish more if we had more leaders available. We have usually also run additional groups in Lent. In term time we have a small Young Church which meets during our Sunday services and members of our church also run a parent and toddler group in the church hall which is well attended. As mentioned above we have a children's choir project, now in its second year, for which we employ a musical director, currently on a two year contract. At present this attracts children from our local First and Middle Schools, many of whom have had no prior church contact. This is supported by help from within the congregation and we consider this to be an important part of our church s outreach. In addition to the weekly after-school practices we also hold a monthly service in which the children play a large role and which their families, friends and the wider church congregation are encouraged to attend. Some of our services are attended by very large numbers of Prudhoe people - including two Christingle services, Christmas services for schools and for uniformed organisations, Harvest services for schools, Remembrance Day services and the All Souls Day service. We take our responsibilities in caring for the poor and needy seriously and give a tithe of our voluntary giving to charities which are recommended to the PCC and the church by the Mission and Ministry Committee. We have now held two Church Family Days in July and March which have been attended by of our members. These have taken place at a nearby youth centre and a nearby rural church hall and conference facility and have included worship, group study, eating, rounders, a quiz, more eating and more worship. These have been a great success and we plan to do this again in early July and to involve more friends from the Methodist Church, the Pentecostal Church and the local Baptist Church We have a social committee which arranges regular events such as ceilidhs, harvest suppers, curry nights, barbecues and beetle drives. We have church members who visit those in need and others who help with home communions. Coffee mornings on Thursdays and Saturdays are an important meeting place for us and a good link with the community. Local schools are keen that we continue to be involved in their lives and this was clearly expressed in their responses to our questionnaires. The leading of assemblies has been particularly appreciated and our reader-in-training is actively involved in this. 10

11 Ministry and Finances Within our congregation we have a retired reader, a retired ordained local minister and a retired Canon (who is due to leave the parish in June 2017). We also have an active reader in training whom we would expect to be licensed in Autumn Others have also been called into licensed ministry from within our church community in the past. There is considerable lay involvement in worship with the reading of lessons, the leading of intercessions and help with communion being carried out by church members on a rota. Occasional preaching has been done by our reader in training and by one of our churchwardens. We are keen to encourage the development of and use of God s gifts within each of His people and the development of the ministry of each and all of us within the life of the church. We recognise the important role played by young and old and are happy with the leadership of both men and women. We have a Mission and Ministry Development Group in which lay and ordained work together in partnership and which focuses on shaping the development of the local church for engaging with God s mission in our community. The church employs an administrator who works above and beyond the call of duty in supporting the vicar and in ensuring the smooth running of the church, including the production of the weekly pew sheet. Our finances are currently sound and our Parish Share has always been paid in full and on time. We have no significant outstanding debts. The vicar s expenses paid by the parish have included Council Tax, Water Rates and the BT phone bill. 11

12 Statistics Population of Prudhoe: (2011 census) 2014 and Average Sunday Attendance Average Thursday Attendance 8am am 57 adults 8 children 63 adults 13 children 10 am Average number of Baptisms per annum Average number of confirmations Average number of weddings 7 10 Average number of funerals Average number of days with home communions 13 $ Average Combined Christmas Service Attendance* 925 adults** 1561 children** 169 adults 795 children Average Remembrance Service Attendance Average All Souls Service Attendance 400** ** 62 * Includes Christmas Carol Services, Christingle Services, Crib Services and Christmas Day Services. ** Average for 2014 only - no data available for $ No data available. 12

13 Buildings and Premises The main church building was built in It is built in a simple Victorian style. The church has a small vestry and a small porch but is otherwise a single sanctuary space. The original pews are in place. We have a small area in the shallow north transept which is set aside for small children during services. The south transept provides a good space for the music group. The church grounds are well maintained and we won a silver award in the Prudhoe in Bloom contest this year. 13

14 The Parish Hall was opened in Its chief advantage is its very prominent position right at the crossroads in the centre of Prudhoe. The building is entered through a small porch and has a main hall, kitchen, small meeting room and an office together with storage space. The hall has been attractively redecorated this Summer and the hall is in good general repair with recently upgraded toilet facilities. The hall is well used by church and community groups. The Vicarage was completed in the late 1980s and is adjacent to the church, situated in a quiet cul-de-sac with views to the North. The house has four bedrooms. The ground floor has a kitchen with room for a good size family table, an adjacent utility room, living room, dining room, study, toilet with shower and one bedroom. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, a bathroom and separate toilet. There is an attached garage and an enclosed garden facing South. 14

15 The Church also owns a small bungalow - known imaginatively as Church Cottage - which is let commercially and is adjacent to both the Church and the Vicarage. The church does have a churchyard situated a few hundred yards from the church on the main road to the West. This has not been used for many decades and is the responsibility of the Town Council. The churchyard is in a state of considerable disrepair and there is an ongoing plan to restore this churchyard over the next two years. This is not a church project and we do not anticipate that the churchyard should represent a source of work or difficulty for an incoming vicar. 15

16 How this document came into being Our aim has been that this document should reflect the heart of our church family life. The content reflects our understanding of the way things have developed over many years and how things are today. Our understanding has been brought into focus this year as the need to find a new vicar has arisen. The process of compiling this document has spurred us on to think, to talk together, to consider and to consult more widely. In the early months of this year we ran a Leading Your Church into Growth course and this has helped inform our thinking and has been helping us with the development of our Mission Action Plan as well as this Parish Profile. In May we held a full Day of Prayer and Fasting as we entered the vacancy and the process of seeking a new vicar. An invitation was made to all members of the church family to discuss the issues involved and to contribute to our thinking. We tried to help this process by providing questionnaires and by many informal conversations. We also sent questionnaires to local schools and businesses. We held a morning of consultation on Prudhoe s Front Street for members of the public. We then had a meeting open to all members of the PCC to discuss the development of the Profile and this was facilitated by John Sinclair (Diocesan Advisor in Local Mission and Evangelism). At this point the first full draft text of the profile was produced by a small drafting committee and presented to the PCC with the help of our Archdeacon Peter Robinson. This final document reflects further discussions with Peter and with the PCC over the ensuing weeks. We are keen that this should not be an attempt to catch a vicar but rather to achieve a good match with a vicar who, led by the Holy Spirit, can recognise that this is the right place for them. 16

17 The New Parish Priest We are looking: for someone who loves God for someone who will love us and our town for someone whom we can love and take to our hearts We are looking for someone who will help us to listen to and hear God and who will walk with us as we all, together, seek to follow Him. We are looking for someone who can help us catch God s vision for our church and town - someone who knows God has a plan -for them, for us, for Prudhoe and for everyone. We'd love to find someone who is a good pray-er, a good listener and a good communicator of God s love to all. We re not looking for someone who will do everything themselves. We are keen to further explore and develop Every Member Ministry -learning to use people s talents and skills more effectively both in developing our vision and in moving forward with it. We would like to find someone who will work with us rather than for us; someone who can help inspire us and bring us to the point where God can work in us and through us by His Spirit to change our lives and the lives of those around us. In summary, we are a mixed, happy and supportive group of people. Some of us can find change uncomfortable but as a church family we are looking forward with excitement to welcoming new leadership and moving on together with God. 17