Sanctuary Nurture Compassion

Transcription

1 Sanctuary Nurture Compassion Parish of Winton, Moordown and Charminster St Luke s Church St John s Church St Alban s Church Sanctuary Nurture Compassion 1

2 Sanctuary Nurture Compassion Contents 2 Introduction to the Diocese & the Deanery 3 Introduction to the Parish 4 Vision Statement and Priorities 5 Parish Life and Mission 6 Meet the team 14 Living here 16 The Vicarage 17 Role description 18 Appendices Parish Mission Action Plan 20 Demographics 21 Pioneer Priest 22 2

3 Sanctuary Nurture Compassion Welcome to this Benefice Profile and Role description and welcome to the Diocese of Winchester! At the heart of our life here is the desire to be always Living the Mission of Jesus. We are engaged in a strategic process to deliver a mission-shaped Diocese, in which parochial, pastoral and new forms of pioneering and radical ministry all flourish. Infused with God s missionary Spirit we want three character traits to be clearly visible in how we live: Passionate personal spirituality; Pioneering faith communities; Prophetic global citizenship. The Diocese of Winchester is an exciting place to be at the moment. We wait with eager anticipation to see how this process will unfold. We pray that, if God is calling you to join us in his mission in this part of the world, he will make his will abundantly clear to you. As the Father sent me so I send you Receive the Spirit (John 20:21) Tim Dakin Bishop of Winchester Jonathan Frost Bishop of Southampton Bournemouth Deanery Welcome to Bournemouth Deanery! We want to see this town served by a network of active, mission- of Jesus Christ and driven, outward-looking church communities sharing a commitment to the good news to the building of his Kingdom. Our aim is to face challenges of pastoral reorganisation and sustainability as God-given opportunities to develop live, gospel-based ministries for the future. The challenges and opportunities outlined in this profile can only be addressed by congregations working together in partnership. We are looking for someone who will lead the development of a partnership in which God will work powerfully by his grace; someone who will love and care for the people through the inevitable changes to come. If you believe that person may be you, please apply for this post. We look forward to meeting and talking with you. Jenny Nightingale Area Dean of Bournemouth 3

4 Sanctuary Nurture Compassion Introduction to the parish Our newly formed parish of Winton, Moordown and Charminster covers an area of Bournemouth which includes large houses, many multiple lets as well as student accommodation, small town- It encompasses six schools, a Lidl and a Waitrose, parks and green spaces as well as three busy houses, flats, social housing and traditional pre-war small detached properties. high streets with many retailers, coffee shops and a variety of restaurants. A diverse population of 27,000 people is served by the three churches, each having a vital and unique role. Our ministry team, PCC and congregations seek to follow Christ s example to reach out to everyone in the parish. Bournemouth is changing. Long gone is the image of a retirement resort for the elderly and affluent. With its two universities, Premier League football club, conference centre, 21,000 students, digital economy and year round calendar of events it is a vibrant metropolitan centre. However, there is also poverty, homelessness and many lonely, fearful people. We are seeking someone who will lead and channel our compassion, energy and commitment to reach out to all in our parish and especially to those on the edge of society. Our new projects to engage with students, Hope in the Community, Hope for Food and Sleep Safe have alll been initiated by our pioneer priest. Our parish is new and the threee churches are still in the process of melding together. There is a positive challenge here to unite the parish and an incredible opportunity to reach out to our community. We look forward to sharing this with our new incumbent. 4

5 Vision Statement and Priorities Vision Statement To build an outward looking parish rooted in the community, following Christ s example, offering sanctuary, nurture and compassion. Our core values When the parish was formed these three core values were identified as underlying how and what we seek to do. We are a parish that values the liberal tradition. We strive to focus on getting the church to go to the world as much as getting the world to go to church. Sanctuary We provide and believe in providing sanctuary for one another, whether times are rough or going well. More than this though, we believe in providing refuge for those who live at the edges of our society, those who are lonely, depressed, seeking asylum, or sleeping rough. Nurture We place the practice of Jesus of Nazareth at the root of our faith. His teaching and way of life point us to following a path of radical love, forgiveness and service. The church has often been guilty of over-complicating the good news of Christ. We believe that God is love and that we experience and reflect this love through following 'The Way' that Jesus Christ taught and lived. Compassion Committed to care for creation and the pursuit of justice. We take seriously our work on environmental issues and have made one of our churchyards into a wildlife conservation area. St John s is a fair trade church, and the parish supports the work of Traidcraft and Christian Aid, alongside a number of local charities, such as Faithworks, Michael House, the Women's Refuge, Hope For Food and Hope in the Community, that help those who are vulnerable. Objectives We recognise we are a new parish with the need to forge this partnership in practice while at the same time reviewing and renewing plans for mission under the leadership of a new incumbent so that the next chapter of mission can be fully shared. Areas of Mission (From our vision statement) Building our parish identity Working with the community Short term objectives (1-2 Years) Achieve a shared understanding of the implications of sanctuary, nurture and compassion within the context of one single parish Continue our commitments to existing social action projects. Create a Mission Action Plan (pmap) Medium term objectives (3-5 Years) A growth in parish activities, which make us more connected. Introduce additional projects based on the new pmap. 5

6 Parish Life and Mission For over 100 years until 2010, the parishes of St Alban s, St Luke s and St John s (Moordown) operated as three independent parishes. For the next six years we worked together as an informal group. While retaining our own PCCs, there were discussions around sharing resources and looking at ways of greater co-operation. In 2016 we legally became one parish, with a combined population of nearly 27,000 people. We are still working through the process of what it means to unite the three congregations into a single cohesive parish. This will be the first opportunity for us to appoint a leader specifically for the new parish, one who will come into the role of helping us unify the three churches and the three congregations so that our focus can be more outward looking. We know we are still at the beginning of this process We look forward to welcoming and working with a new person in this important role so that we can make a success of this new adventure, working within our core values of sanctuary, nurture and compassion The decision has been taken to delay the formulation of a Parish Mission Action Plan until the arrival of our new priest so we can work on this together, The parish honours the tradition of the modern, liberal Catholic church, and is a member of Inclusive Church. We encompass a range of worship styles from sung Eucharist to Messy Church and from café church to services based on the Book of Common Prayer. Young people, families and uniformed groups, alongside our older members are important elements within our existing make-up. Key statistics: Average Sunday attendance - all services during October St John s 72 St Luke s 58 St Alban s - 44 (NB These are prior to the changes made in our pattern of services in January 2018 shown overleaf) Electoral roll: 367 people. 6

7 Demographics The 2011 Census indicates: Just over 50% of parish residents (national average - 59%) consider themselves to be Christian. Since 2001 there has been a significant increase in the proportion of Muslims in the area. There has been a growth in the number of students in the parish linked with the development of Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth. There are high proportions of singles, young couples and students. There are pockets of poverty amongst some older people and single parents, with some struggling families. For further information on the parish demographics, please see Appendix 2 Worshipping together Set out below is a typical monthly pattern of services from January St John St Luke St Alban 10.00am 10.00am 10.00am 08.00am Church School Hall * Communion 1 st Sunday No Service Messy Church Parish Eucharist 8am BCP St Luke 2 nd Sunday Sung Eucharist Messy Church All Age Eucharist 8am BCP St Luke 3 rd Sunday Sung Eucharist Messy Church Acoustic Eucharist 8am BCP St Luke 4 th Sunday Sung Eucharist Messy Church Café Church 8am BCP St Luke 5 th Sunday Parish Eucharist Messy Church No service 8am BCP St Luke *Term time only Thursday 10.00am Communion After extensive consultation and PCC discussion we recently took the decision to hold the Sunday Eucharist at St Alban at 8am rather than the previous 10am. This helps us make best use of our ministry team and is an active step in the management of a modest deficit in the 2016 accounts. Such moves are never universally welcomed and we are working to help the new pattern become established. 7

8 Social action serving the wider community In order to work towards social transformation across our parish and town, we feel we are best placed working in partnership with other organisations rather than on our own. Faithworks Wessex enables much of this excellent, ecumenical work in Bournemouth including Hope for Food and the recently formed Hope In The Community. We partner in different ways with: Hope For Food, where we host a weekly indoor meal for those who are rough sleepers Sleepsafe, where we host (along with 6 other churches in Bournemouth) 12 emergency beds 1 night of the week for those who are homeless, during the winter months Linwood School (our local special needs school) Community Choir 'The Local Vocals' We are founder members of Hope In The Community (Bournemouth), a new cross-town initiative to reduce the impact of social isolation amongst the 65+ age group We regularly help Michael House and The Women's Refuge with gifts, food and equipment We host several groups run by International Care Network, a local christian charity supporting immigrants and asylum seekers (one of them run by a church member) We host AA once a week We are home to the Open Door organisation who run day care services for adults with learning disabilities We are home to Serenity, a small drug and alcohol counselling service Special events The parish arranges and hosts a range of events which reflect the rhythms of the year, including: Art exhibition organised by Linwood School - St Alban s summer 2017 Annual Christmas Tree Festival St Alban s Christmas Fayres at two of the churches Parish Open Day at St John s one Saturday in June Various concerts and musical events Art exhibitions to celebrate the churchyard at St John s In planning a Blues & Beer Festival in February

9 Friendship and support Between the three churches there is a variety of activities aimed at supporting church members, as well as attracting others from the wider community. Fellowship group Mothers Union activities Coffee mornings Two Knit & Natter groups Two Toddler groups Prayer group Bible study Group Annual quiet day Walking Group Various youth activities (see below) 9

10 Children and young people We are looking to build on our range of opportunities for young people within our parish. These currently include: Messy Church (held in St John s school hall) Sunday Seekers (St Luke s) Assemblies and hosting services for: o Two Church Schools St John s (Moordown) and St Luke s (see below) o Linwood School (Special educational needs, including children with disabilities) o St Martin s an independent primary school Uniformed organisations o 24 th Bournemouth Scout Group based at St Luke s: over 77 youngsters between the ages of 6 and 14, with 20 leaders across three sections o 30 th Bournemouth Sea Scouts based at St John s: 83 members across three sections with 13 leaders o Rainbows, Brownies and Guides based at St John s with 65 members and 11 leaders 10

11 We are lucky to have both St Luke's Church Of England Primary School in Winton and Moordown St John Church Of England Primary School in the parish. Both schools use our churches regularly, the incumbent and ministry team are invited to take worship at both schools every other week and we work together on all sorts of projects. For example: Stations Of The Cross art project that St Luke's pupils worked on Spirituality weeks Exploring the Labyrinth Activity Day Recently both school governing bodies took the decision to remove church attendance from the list of criteria for school admission. This gives us opportunities to work more creatively to engage children and young families, since they no longer 'have to come to church. Students We believe, with the right resources and approach, there are exciting opportunities to extend our outreach to the significant student population within our parish. Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth with around 18,000 and 3,000 students respectively are on our door step. Music We have a large and active parish choir that is based at St John's, but sings around the parish. The youngest member is aged 8 and the oldest is over 90. We employ a parish organist and have a number of other musicians who play regularly. Our musical style across the parish is wonderfully varied including: Sung Eucharist Informal Cafe Church with Celtic/Taize style worship All Age services, often accompanied by a music group Messy Church where anything goes! 11

12 Buildings We currently use all three of the original parish churches which are located on busy arterial roads and are prominent features for local people. St John s and St Luke s are on Wimborne Road and St Alban s overlooks Charminster Road. Our resources include: Three Victorian/Edwardian church buildings Two church halls both regularly rented out, with two long established pre-schools Two church gardens One grave yard St Alban s Church St Luke s Church St John s Church 12

13 Finance Summary of the accounts for the 2016 St Luke's St Johns' St Alban's Total Income Stewardship/collections/Gift Aid 18,456 40,654 14,523 73,633 Church Hall hire 21,632 17,308 38,940 Social events/other 4,601 5,999 6,457 17,057 Legacies/dividends/Trust income 1,876 15, ,990 Insurance claim/grants 68,808* ,394 Total 115,373 62,866 38, ,014 Expenditure Buildings (Utilities/repairs etc) 14,279 12,991 17,220 44,490 Other running costs 14,603 11,904 10,000 36,507 Diocesan Common Mission Fund 27,133 51,730 5,814 84,677 Charity donations 2,105 1,410 3,515 Church repairs 60,034* 3,253 10,735 74,022 Total 118,154 81,288 43, ,211 Assets (at 31 December 2016) 69, , , ,703 *Roof repairs mainly funded by a one-off grant In 2016 the parish met its obligations with respect to its contribution to the Diocese and will do so again for 2017 through using some of its considerable reserves. With regard to the longer term: A stewardship campaign was launched in November 2017 Discussions are in hand concerning the level of our future contribution to the Common Mission Fund The PCC is undertaking a full review of all costs 13

14 Meet the Team The Ministry team The team includes: A stipendiary pioneer priest whose role in the parish is overseen by the incumbent. Both his work in the parish and the deanery inspire our engagement with the community by bringing fresh ways of being church and developing outreach to the 'lost, the least and the last'. (Please see further information about his role in the appendix Page 23) An SSM who is re-training as a counsellor Two recently retired and very active priests who both have PTO Two LLMs One person with a BCM (Bishops Commission for Mission) and one who has just completed their training One person applying for ordination who Deacons regularly, leads the St Luke's 24 th Scout Group and is a school governor and PCC member A mature third year Moorlands Student with us on placement, who is helping us bring a team together to establish an expression of church working into the youth and student community More than this, the team like being with each other, enjoying friendship and humour within our work together. The successful applicant will find a well established team who we believe are easygoing and fun to work with! The Lay team The PCC with its 25 members has representatives from all three churches. Although this may sound a lot, it actually works well and provides sufficient people for our different working groups. The current groups are: strategy, finance, communication, children & families. The enthusiastic lay team includes Two Parish Wardens Two Assistants to the Wardens at each of the three churches Parish Music Director Parish Administrator PCC Secretary Safeguarding Officer Eight trained lay pastors who meet regularly to review their work 14

15 We are... 15

16 Living here You can choose to enjoy the adrenaline rush from kite surfing, paddle boarding and the pier zip wire, or relax over a coffee or enjoy something to eat in one of the many cafes and restaurants spread throughout the town. The Bournemouth International Centre is the largest conference venue on the south coast. Together with the Pavilion Theatre it attracts international stars. The bustling, pedestrianised town centre has a good representation of high street stores, set alongside its award winning gardens. The BH2 centre has added a new range of restaurants and a state of the art multi-screen cinema. Bournemouth comes alive at night with clubs, bars, restaurants, live music and theatres. With the out-of-town Castle Point Shopping Centre and hundreds of local, independent shops, you ll be spoilt for choice! Bournemouth boasts the largest, free Air Festival in Europe, an annual Arts Festival, Marathon weekend, plus Christmas ice rink and market within its annual calendar of events. The town is home to two Universities with a student population of over 21,000. A Tech Nation report in 2015 highlighted Bournemouth as having the fastest growing digital economy in the UK with The Telegraph identifying Bournemouth University graduates as being key to this new lease of life. Bournemouth is well known as a traditional seaside resort, with its seven miles of sandy beaches, Victorian and Edwardian architecture and two piers. The picture in 2017 is quite different. With its two universities, Premier League football, a range of leisure and sports facilities, major Conference Centre, first class medical facilities, shops and eateries, Bournemouth today is a vibrant, year-round, metropolitan centre. The town sits between Isle of Purbeck and World Heritage Jurassic Coast to the west and New Forest National Park to the East. Bournemouth is the centre of a conurbation with a population of over 450,000, which includes Poole and Christchurch. 16

17 The Vicarage Birinus House 31 Lonsdale Road Winton Bournemouth BH3 7LY The large, spacious, family home and garden are situated on a corner plot in a quiet, attractive road near St Luke s church off the main Wimborne Road. The accommodation consists of four generous bedrooms and the main bathroom upstairs. Downstairs there is a recently updated kitchen, dining room, lounge and large office /study plus a w/c, boiler room and single garage/store. 17

18 Role description This Role Description should be read in conjunction with the Parish Profile and the Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of the Clergy that apply to all the ordained. Guided by our vision and values Sanctuary, Nurture, Compassion, we are seeking a Christian leader to help us to Live the Mission of Jesus (Mission Statement, Diocese of Winchester). We are looking for a priest and Christian leader of experience and spiritual depth to lead us in developing a cohesive parish, and establishing and implementing refreshed mission plans. Keeping always in mind the call to present the Gospel afresh to each generation, you will need to be a confident communicator, able to seize the benefits of social media as well as more traditional means, and provide clear and capable oversight of both inherited and pioneering mission, which will include oversight of an ordained pioneer associate minister. We are looking for someone who can develop our committed volunteers, and delegate effectively so that people s contributions are deployed to greatest effect. In particular we believe the following are key aspects for this new role Spirituality Holds spiritual life at the very core of their own life and ministry and will encourage us to do the same Maintains a balance in their own life between work, recreation, family and friends Worship A flexible and inspiring preacher who is comfortable teaching in a diversity of contexts who connects the Gospel with contemporary life and its challenges Uses the liturgical resources of a liberal Catholic Parish creatively while leading the development of other styles of worship appropriate to the wider parish, with a particular focus on engaging with new families, children and students Leadership and Collaboration A good strategic thinker and manager of change who consults deeply in formulating plans, ensuring that contributions are elicited in meetings rather than proceedings dominated by strong voices Brings matters to clear conclusions and then is firm in overseeing the implementation of those decisions Displays energy in leading the growth of our relationships with the local communities A strong communicator who takes a lead in engaging others with the mission of the parish; both those within and those currently beyond our congregation Someone who is confident in delegating and gives space, support, and recognition for others to flourish, whilst retaining leadership and oversight e.g., most especially in relation to the valued ministry of the Pioneer Associate Minister 18

19 Evangelism and Concern for Social Justice Recognise the demands of the God of justice, grace and mercy in our lives and community Brings experience of effective outreach and proactively offers imagination and energy in developing our life and mission, especially towards younger people Continue to help us offer a radical welcome to the whole community regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or ability Committed to, and understanding of, Fresh Expressions and other forms of pioneer ministry, with a vision of how to integrate this within our Parish, offering our pioneer priest licence and security in his role. Discipleship, Learning and Nurture Display an infectious enthusiasm to engage with the process of Christian Discipleship Nuture and support the community in the understanding of our faith Engage in the formation of people of all ages Pastoral Care An empathic, active listener with strong inter-personal skills A warm and approachable presence in our communities, demonstrating the mercy and love of Christ through care of others Uses their own gifts and those of our teams to ensure active pastoral care across the parish Stewardship and Parish Organisation A team player and a team leader especially within our Ministry team and PCC An effective organiser who will prioritise workloads and makes effective use of the material and people resources of the parish A proactive approach to Christian stewardship and confidence in addressing its financial dimensions Ecumenism and Links with Other Bodies An open attitude to working with other denominations, religions and community parties, in pursuit of our core values Will fully participate in the life of the deanery (including synod and chapter) and Diocese 19

20 Appendices Parish Mission Action Plan The Winchester Diocese is keen to see all parishes develop their own pmap. For more information on this please go to: As a parish our aspiration is to be more outward looking. We know there could be much better joined up working within the parish, bringing our three churches together, united in moving forward. The decision was taken to delay developing our pmap initially to give the new parish time to settle down, and then when we knew our rector would be leaving, so this could be done with our new incumbent. 20

21 Demographics Bournemouth is a changed and rapidly changing conurbation. When allied with next door Poole, with which there is a continuous boundary without break, this is the largest conurbation on the south coast of England. Gone is the sense of a retirement waiting room. In the contemporary Bournemouth, finance and technologically sophisticated enterprises are booming, retirement households are more than twice outstripped in number by young and educated households, and nearly matched by households of couples and young singles starting out in life post education. With a further 31,000 predominantly young people projected to settle in Bournemouth over the next 15 years, these trends towards an increasingly vibrant and youthful Bournemouth look set to continue. There is a noticeable pattern of those who come to study in Bournemouth choosing to stay postgraduation, and the patterns and connections formed during university years persist beyond. Graduate employment is not especially well paid and younger people starting out in life are devoting significant parts of their income to property rental. This results in a youthful segment that his high in energy, creativity, and the desire for activity, connection and community, but low on disposable income. This presents a considerable opportunity for our churches. In common with other urban areas, but accentuated by the youthful demographic, identification with institutional life, including institutional church life, is declining rapidly. These trends accentuate the need for the kinds of initiatives we are beginning to pursue as a parish e.g., an emphasis on non-pioneering mission that is seeking to enable Christian life and community to grow in ways and places that are beyond traditional expectations, our exploration of outreach to students and young people. Across our parish, drawing from the most recent census data and also information drawn from Experian, the credit rating and demographic information agency, the following are discernible: Christian affiliation is slightly less than 50%, although slightly higher in the area around St John s. Although there is some growth of other faith groups, the biggest growth is of those professing no religious faith. The population around all three churches is growing and this is predominantly with students, younger couples and singles. These demographic segments make up well over 40% of all households in the areas around St Alban and St Luke and around 30% in the area around St John s This is then a growing, changing and dynamic environment in which to serve and live the Christian faith. The steps we have so far taken will be crucial in rising to the challenge of opportunity that the new and emerging Bournemouth presents, and as we begin to engage better with the increasingly youthful population, this is likely to carry us towards more significant adventures in faith and mission. 21

22 Our Pioneer Priest and his role in our parish Extract from the role description for our Pioneer Priest relating to evangelism and social justice: has a good understanding of Fresh Expressions and other forms of pioneer ministry and inspires us into exploring these forms of ministry. is willing and able to build relationships and engage with the whole community, proactively developing links with a wide variety of organisations. Is committed to developing productive partnerships with community leaders. James Sharp Pioneer Associate Minister In his own words. Because of the transitional nature of the parish over the last 2 years, I have spent a good deal of time working across the churches, bringing fresh ways of being church (All Age Worship, Cafe Church, Acoustic Eucharist services), working with the church schools and uniformed organisations and supporting our outgoing Rector prior to his departure, and wardens during the interregnum with the week-by-week life and occasional offices of the parish. 22

23 I have developed new ways of engaging with the community, working with those who are rough sleepers (we host a weekly Saturday night meal for people who are sleeping rough or vulnerably housed and host a weekly emergency overnight 12 bed shelter during the 5 winter months), a cross-church project combatting social isolation and loneliness amongst the elderly, and a weekly community choir with children on the autistic spectrum, their parents and carers. Alongside this we have developed partnerships with local charities (specifically substance misuse counselling, adults with learning disabilities and a group for immigrant and refugee families) who run programs from all three church buildings. Working as a pioneer within a parish that values the liberal tradition means that we tend to focus less on getting the 'world to go to church' and a little more on getting the 'church to go to the world'. We are finally able to start developing a Fresh Expression of church for students and young people, which will be launched publicly in September 2018 and will be based at St Luke's Church. This is also one of our stated outcomes on the deanery mission action plan; I am part of the deanery mission and pastoral committee. I am an active member of the local neighbourhood forum and part of the steering group looking at the development of a neighbourhood plan. The deanery have also asked me to help the Bournemouth Chamber of Commerce develop a Community Interest Company which will support and encourage businesses to develop their corporate social responsibility. I work at the local secondary school as a mentor (I have a diploma in Life Coaching from the CPCAB) to young people who need support and would very much like to develop ways that the church can support schools in the area of mental health; this also is represented as a desired outcome on the dmap. I'm also a trained musician and have written music for the Acoustic Eucharist and community choir. I am very much looking forward to welcoming a Rector who can oversee this important role in the life of the parish and help with the development of this work so that it is far more about 'us' than 'me'! James Sharp Pioneer Associate Minister 23