St. Faith s Church Havant with St. Nicholas Chapel Langstone

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1 St. Faith s Church Havant with St. Nicholas Chapel Langstone

2 The Parish Church of St. Faith is located in the centre of Havant and is the principal church of the Havant Deanery in the Diocese of Portsmouth. The Rectory The chapel of St Nicholas is in Langstone to the south of Havant.

3 The Parish of St. Faith and St. Nicholas Located between the South Downs and the sea, the Parish of St. Faith and St Nicholas is in the Havant Deanery, which has 26 churches and a population of approximately 8,500. At Havant s old centre is St Faith s Church, where North, South, East and West Streets meet. There are several natural springs in the area, including one near the Church at Homewell, once the premier parchment-making facility in the South. Parchment was made locally for 1,000 years and said to be used for both the Magna Carta and Treaty of Versailles - sadly there is no evidence to support this! Later the town became known for its glove-making and leather processing. Today much of the Parish consists of owner-occupied properties (a mixture of flats and terraced, semi-detached and detached houses). In recent years there has been an increase in house-building and planning applications. Currently 43% of its population is aged and there is a mix of households with young children. Besides residents employed locally, many commute to work via the good road and rail links to Portsmouth, Southampton and Chichester. London is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes on the train and Brighton around 1 hour. There are private and local authority pre-school groups and nurseries within the Parish, three State schools (Fairfield Infant School, Bosmere Junior School and Warblington Secondary School) and Havant Sixth Form College. There are a number of Church schools in the area. We have close links with St. Alban s C of E Primary School and Oaklands Catholic School. The local schools have often used the Church for their carol services and Havant Dynamo Youth Theatre have used the church for two major performances in recent years Havant has a good selection of small shops and larger stores such as Waitrose, Tesco, Next and Aldi and a street market is held in the town centre every Tuesday and Saturday. The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre is located in East Street and there are several theatres and cinemas in neighbouring towns and cities. Sports and leisure activities are also well served locally. Havant Hockey Club, to mention one, contributed several players to the British Olympic gold medal winning side of The Parish also includes St Nicholas Chapel in Langstone, a stone s throw from the sea. It was built as a private chapel in the 19th century as part of the property now known as Langstone Towers and included in the Parish of St Faith in the 20th century. It seats around 35 and regular monthly services are held there. During the Second World War, author Nevil Shute and his family moved temporarily into Langstone Mill, and then Langstone Towers, to avoid bombs aimed at Portsmouth. For further information about the town, see

4 Property Portfolio The church and many of the parish buildings are located within the St. Faith s conservation area that occupies much of the centre of Havant. It contains many character areas, buildings of historical interest and areas of archaeological importance. St. Faith s Church is a Grade II* church of architectural and historic merit with the oldest parts dating from the 12th century. The Church consists of a nave with north and south aisles, north and south transepts connected by a central tower, and a chancel. There is a Lady Chapel (1936) in the south transept. More information can be found in the English Heritage website: St. Nicholas Chapel in Langstone was built in the 19th century as part of the Towers house as a private chapel. In the 20th century it was included in the Parish of St Faith and regular monthly services are held there. Church House and Coach House, acquired by the church in the early 20th century, are Grade II listed buildings dating from the 17th century. Activities do take place in the house but due to the poor state of the buildings groups like GA, AA, SSAFA, Brownies and Rainbows use it for a very small return. The Coach House is used as a charity shop for the Church bringing in 13,274 in Church Hall dates from the 1920s and was built primarily for meetings, conferences, entertainments, etc. in connection with the church and its organisations. It is made available to let for a variety of activities including public meetings and lectures Shops no. 2-4 in North Street are in early 20th century mock Tudor style properties. The ground floor of No 2 is currently used as the Parish Office with the flat above separately leased to a Housing Association. No 4 is leased to the Sue Ryder Charity. They generate a regular income for the parish. Churchfields Cottages, both with 3-bedrooms are situated in South Street. This pair of 1920 s semi-detached cottages are let on an assured short hold tenancy generating an income for the parish. Christchurch Centre is a 1970 s single storey building in the north of the parish. Built as a church for the local community of Denvilles it was closed in 1996 it is now let as a nursery school. A bungalow built on the same site in 1979 is occupied by our curate and her family. The Rectory was purchased in 2001 by the Diocese. It is situated in a quiet residential area off Emsworth Road and is a 10 minute walk from the Church. It has a large lounge, a hallway, a dining room, a kitchen and utility room, and a study; there are four bedrooms; one is en-suite also a big garden. Further details of all the history of the Church and the properties owned by the Parish are included in the St Faith website at

5 Our buildings today The Church is in a poor state of repair. A lot of work has been done over the last two years to define the work that needs to be done to bring it up to a good standard of repair and at the same time make changes to the Church layout to allow many more activities than is possible at the present time. We have now been informed by English Heritage that St. Faith s is included in the Churches at Risk register As a result we look forward to beginning a partnership with English Heritage in order to expedite the work that needs to be done. Most of our buildings are held in trust according to several bequests and legacies. A report was prepared by a local retired solicitor in some detail on how the process of selling some or all of our properties would have to be accomplished. The main restriction on changing the status of the bequests and legacies was the most difficult part of the process. The Diocesan Registrar confirmed that it would be very difficult to sell some of these buildings. Following the recently completed Quinquennial Inspection Report and roof inspection, we have gone ahead with the immediate urgent repairs to the roof but have now been advised by the Diocese to look at the whole picture before we apply for any grants and proceed with any further work The state of the Church fabric and the state of our buildings will be the subject of intense scrutiny by the PCC for some time. The BMC (Buildings Management Committee) work hard to maintain all the buildings with help from the Mens Group, but are particularly challenged by the hall/house suite of buildings. For further information concerning the Church House see: For further information concerning the Church Hall see:

6 Worship Sunday St. Faith s Church Havant 8.00am Said Holy Communion Common Worship Order One Contemporary 9.30am Parish Eucharist Common Worship Order One Contemporary (4th Sunday Family Communion) 6.00pm BCP Evensong (3rd Sunday Taizé style evening prayer) New this year a quarterly Healing Eucharist in place of Evensong. Ministry of Laying on of hands is offered on the second Sunday of the month during the Eucharist service. We would like to offer prayer ministry at the end of each 9.30 service. We use incense on feast days. St. Nicholas Chapel Langstone 8.00 am Eucharist Common Worship Order One Contemporary (on the 1st Sunday of each month) Midweek Morning Prayer: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8.30am, Tuesday at 7.30am Thursday 10.30am BCP Holy Communion Attendance The average attendance for the Sunday 9.30am service is 72 with 16 attending Evensong and the 8am services. Weekday services vary but the Thursday service has approx. 12 regular attendees. As of going to print we have 153 on our Electoral Roll, 29 of whom live outside the parish. Other Worship We are the Civic Church in the Deanery the civic Remembrance Day Service is held in St. Faiths and other civic services. We recently had a Civic Vigil Service to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. A number of the congregation take part in an annual pilgrimage to Walsingham. Music Our robed choir is currently all adult having faced the same problems as Youth Club/Church etc. (see below Young People). We are hoping to work closely with the local middle school to encourage new membership. The choir lead the singing at the 9.30 service as well as special services, weddings and choral evensongs. Bell Ringing There is a loyal and enthusiastic band of bell ringers who meet to practice each Tuesday evening. The eight bells are rung before the 9.30 am Sunday service and for weddings and special occasions. Flowers A dedicated team arrange the flowers in church throughout the year.

7 Teaching Young People Until the last year or two we have had an active Youth Club, Youth Church and Sunday Club. Young people who have gone through church are either already at university or on their way there, so we are taking a break from both Youth Club and Youth Church. In June we held an evening Youth Service which was put together by the young people, we used images on a screen. The service was well received and using technical aids is something we would like to use more. Sunday Club We have new families with younger children with leaders from the parents, we are challenged to find a suitable space within the church footprint that works for both the young people and the congregation. Help, support and training is offered to the leaders to help with the structure of Sunday Club. Schools Fairfield Infant, Bosmere Junior, Warblington Secondary School and Havant College are all in our parish. Fairfield and Bosmere schools come to the church on visits, this could perhaps be extended. The incumbent/curate lead occasional assemblies in both these schools also often a governor on one of the school governing bodies. Members of the congregation are involved with the mentoring scheme at Warblington School. The local schools often used the church for their carol services and Warblington School exhibit some of the pupils artwork. House Group currently one, scope for more, meets fortnightly and is lay led. Lent Groups we work together with Churches Together in Havant & Bedhampton. Bible Study a group meet monthly, this is lay led. Confirmation classes run when there is a group wishing to be confirmed. There have been classes for adults as well as the 13+ years, led by the Rector, curate or lay person. Messy Church we work as part of Churches Together in Havant & Bedhampton.(CHTB) We have a monthly session on the fourth Saturday of the month. This has grown, and over the last few months we have had children plus parents etc. See Fellowship The Men s Group meets each month for socials and to help with maintenance work around the church. The Ladies Group meets alternate months for social gathering. The Art Group meet in the Church Hall on a Tuesday morning, membership includes church members and non church members.

8 St Faith s Church and the Community St Faith s Church is in the heart of the town of Havant from a location view as well as the community that is Havant, in all its facets. That is our mission to be in the heart of Havant. Our Mission Statement says, We are inspired by the Good News of Jesus Christ to grow and share our faith by serving God and neighbour with loving care and joyful celebration. Out Vision Statement says, It is the vision of St Faith s Church to put the heart into Havant. We will do this through the stewardship of God s gifts by commending the Christian Faith to people of all ages, sharing the Gospel in ways that deepen understanding, and building relationships with individuals and institutions that enhance our common life. In the Parish of St Faith s Havant over the last years we have been considering how our Church can be the centre of our worship for the faithful and more than that be the centre of how we serve the people of Havant through our outreach. We have not yet achieved our goals. There is still much to do to adapt our Church to a place of worship and a centre for our offering to the community. Also we need to reorder our buildings so that we can carry out such works as we deem necessary to further our mission and vision. We are aware that this is a challenging project, but we are convinced we have to make progress on this project in the near future, in order to meet our Mission and Vision goals. We need to complete this work concerning our Church and our buildings and then develop our mission and vision for the faithful and the people we want to serve in the community. The people of St Faith s Church want to be guided by the Spirit, so we can discern and foster the gifts of all God s people, that the whole Church may be built up in unity and faith. Our mission priorities reflect our vision statement and the PCC have, over the last few months, been working on our Mission and Vision and as part of that exercise have defined 7 Areas of Mission, which include: Making St Faith s Church the spiritual hub of Havant The church s situation offers huge opportunities to connect spiritually with users of the town centre. We hope to build on what we are already doing to make the church a place where people can walk in for prayer and hospitality. This could be developed by further work on the interior of the building, connecting with the spirituality of people who don t go to church services, chaplaincy to local shops, working with other churches. Being a centre of community The church, church office, St Faith s Church House and hall together form a resource with huge potential for the church and wider community. We want to continue to develop the use of our buildings in this way, forming new partnerships to serve our area and host local groups and social enterprises, building a genuine community around St Faith s and the town centre. Building partnerships To develop the civic role of St Faith s church we aim to strengthen our relationships with other significant local organisations, for example the local authority and businesses. Part of this work is to continue building the relationships with local schools.

9 Mission Activities Occasional Offices In 2013 there were seven baptisms held during and outside the 9.30 Sunday service. We send baptism anniversary cards and information about family services etc. Looking into giving a Bible Story book to the child. There were five weddings in 2013 and twenty funerals. The Dioceses of Winchester and Portsmouth are the southern areas chosen to take part in a trial of funeral resources put together by the Church of England nationally. St. Faith s Havant is one of the parishes that has been asked to test these out and provide feedback on this exciting development. The resources are designed to enable a better understanding of what we offer by bereaved families, funeral directors and anyone with an interest; to help foster a general awareness of the issues surrounding death, dying and funerals; and to support families through their journey after bereavement with cards that assure them of the Church s continued prayerful presence. Pastoral Care Visits by the Pastoral Group at home, hospital and in care homes offers listening and bereavement listening. The Pastoral Centre is another CHTB venture held at the Methodist Church. Next door to the Health Centre, it is ideally placed to offer tea/coffee each weekday mornings. Members of St. Faith s are involved in this. Welcome The church is open all day every day, each morning there are welcomers in church, tea and coffee is available. This is proving very successful not only for visitors but also for the welcomers in building relationships. We have a prayer board and the opportunity for people to light candles, this is well used by the community. Home Communion Taken by curate and lay people. We offer a monthly service at Southlands (one of the residential homes) would like to extend this through CHTB. We have sung carols at Cross Way Nursing Home (which cares for people with dementia) lots of scope. Other Activities We are actively involved with CHTB and with our cluster group in the deanery. Some evening services, we come together to worship, share supper and fellowship. CHTB clergy meet regularly as a fraternity and there are regular Deanery Chapter meetings. Partnerships Havant Dynamo Youth Theatre ( and Havant Borough Council ( Pentecost Party In 2013 and again this year we offered free tea/coffee and cake on the closest Saturday morning to Pentecost this was very well received and we hope to repeat next year. Fundraising The Church Shop raised 13,274 in Whilst raising an amazing sum, this also meets many needs including clothes, etc. at very reasonable prices, fellowship for the shoppers and helpers (a number of whom are not church members). Monthly coffee mornings; raising money, but again outreach. Variety Evenings, Flower Festivals, concerts, dances etc. Extra Parochial Giving (EPG) We currently give 5% of our income in extra parochial giving. The PCC agreed in 2010 that monies should be divided between an Anglican Mission, A Diocesan Mission, local secular charity and our IDWAL link for a period of three years and then to review.

10 St. Faith s Church and the Context for Ministry The Havant Deanery Stipendiary Clergy Deployment Review, which has just been published (July 2014), references St. Faith s Church Havant as follows i. Havant St Faith This post should be replaced in its current form as soon as possible, but with the recognition that this is a complex and demanding role, which will require careful recruitment to find someone capable of seeing through a building project, managing the consolidation of a property portfolio, and developing the congregation in mission. Support from the wider Diocese will also be needed. The partnership with the wider Havant cluster (Leigh Park, West Leigh, Bedhampton) should be continued, with the Vicar of St Alban s continuing her role as cluster co-ordinator. Future bids to, for example, the Heritage Lottery Fund from St Faith s and other cluster churches need to be co-ordinated, so that they do not contradict or undermine each other. The cluster could continue to provide a good training base for a title curate. Given the size of the workload, some SSM support would also be useful here. The final section of the Report, Mission Opportunities for the Havant Deanery, states There is the opportunity at this moment to discover a new missionary focus for Havant Deanery. Creating two smaller missional and pastoral Deanery units could create greater cohesion and collaboration. Restructuring some of the roles and partnerships within the Deanery is intended to provide energy and support to difficult roles, as well as allowing some resources to follow proven strategies for growth. Pioneer possibilities in challenging communities, with new housing, and with young people is intended to lead to numerical and spiritual growth. An influx of new incumbents, as the vacancies are gradually filled, is likely to bring new energy and skills. It is possible in this changing landscape to re-imagine ministry so that it is more truly collaborative, as well as more responsive to the changing patterns of people s everyday lives, more attentive to the needs of young people and young families. As many of the churches in Havant deanery are growing, or at least attracting new people, there needs to be a more conscious analysis of the factors influencing growth locally, set in the context of national church growth research, to enable all parishes in this deanery to share and follow good practice, to grow, and to thrive. In order for mission opportunities to be seized, training of lay and ordained ministers needs to be taken seriously and undertaken across the deanery so that there is a sense of shared purpose about responding to the particular needs of this geographical area. Several clusters or parishes could provide excellent training bases for title curates, with the wider deanery churches also playing a part in their training. Encouraging a culture of learning and review and continuing to review the Deanery s plan for mission and allocation of ministry resources will be vital in the coming years.

11 Support within St. Faith s The following are in place to support the Incumbent, Assistant Curate - The Rev d Pat Mann has just completed 3 years training and is licensed to us for a further year. Two Readers Parish Office. We have a parish office run by Parish Administrator (salaried) who works eight hours a week over three mornings and the other two mornings are manned by volunteers. The administrator prepares the weekly bulletin sheet, takes the hall bookings and invoices the rents for bookings. Prepares the monthly public prayer diary, prints all the posters for services and concerts etc. The Administrator co-ordinates all the activities in the church hall - polling stations for local elections, yoga, quiz nights, general meetings and brownies /rainbows. Musical Director and Organist (salaried) A team of robed servers and chalice assistants A robed choir Bell Ringers Rota system for readers and intercessors A caretaker (salaried) opens and closes the church on weekdays and undertakes caretaker duties for the hall. Worship Committee There are 19 members of the PCC including clergy, Readers, church wardens & Deanery representatives Finance- we have a new Treasurer who is forming a finance committee. Stewardship Committee which ran a successful campaign last year with a regular number of givers of 109. Sunday Club Leaders We expect Clergy to take proper holidays and days off and we support them for time taken for training (CME), reading and personal development. We also pay reasonable clergy expenses.

12 Richard and Claire Stokes recently moved to the area and also were married at St Faiths "We have been made to feel so welcome by the congregation. The warmth and fellowship that we have found at St Faith's has been a major factor in us setting so happily in Havant. There are a number of people who have become real friends and with whom we share our faith. We chose to marry here because we felt that strength of connection and that has continued to build. We are very much looking forward to welcoming a new Rector in to the St Faith's family." At St Faith we have sung, cried, laughed and shared within a community of friendship, familiarity and caring. Parishoners Martin & June Poliszczuk I have worshipped at St. Faith's Church since coming to live here 27 years ago. I consider it to be an essential beacon of faith in the heart of Havant. Parishoner Rosemary Thomas What St Faith's means to me: 'A family of Christian believers supporting and encouraging each other in our shared faith and continually inviting others to join us through our words and example. Reader Mike Fluck Havant Dynamo Youth Theatre have been long term hirers of St. Faiths Hall for our Youth Theatre for ages and find it an ideal central location to serve as our home base, whilst providing valuable asset for the local young people, we look forward to a long term future with the hall Chairman of Havant Dynamo Youth Theatre, Richard Watts For me St Faiths founded my faith through intriguing Godly play sessions and participating in youth services. It s a place where different generations combine their talents and opinions to worship Parishoner, Louise Hedley(18)

13 The Characteristics and Qualities of the Rector of St. Faith s Church St. Faith s Church Havant with St. Nicholas Chapel is seeking a Rector who will lead us in Putting St. Faith s at the heart of Havant by deepening our spiritual life in Jesus Christ and who will share our mission; to increase the spiritual well-being of the community, to offer fellowship and care for one another and to provide relevant and accessible worship. Whilst remaining sensitive to our traditions, the Rector should embrace diversity and be innovative, especially in the expansion of our worship experience, in order to grow both the young and adult congregation numbers whilst retaining our long standing members. The Rector should be an articulate preacher, able to engage a wide range of ages; from the Sunday Club children at a family service to the adults at the Parish Eucharist. An ability to recognise and encourage others gifts, enabling their ministry in the life of the church, is an important and requisite skill. Experience in team working and putting vision into practice, particularly in respect of re-ordering and buildings projects are also important and requisite skills. Good communication skills are important as is the ability to organise a busy schedule and to set and attain financial targets. Development and expansion of the Youth ministry at St. Faith s are key elements of the vision and leadership expected from the Rector. Support for the Director of Music in growing the choir and in developing choral skills is essential. The ability of the Rector to provide good choral leadership during worship is an integral part of this musical development. The Rector, must be able to work collaboratively, and must have good skills in pastoral care and be able to expand and energise our outreach, to work with other churches of other denominations within the Havant area and with other Anglican churches in the deanery and to be part of the local school community through leadership of worship for school assemblies. It is expected that over the next period that there will be significant developments to ensure that the Church building is made fit for purpose. This will require work to be done to arrive at a consensus of a proposal, working closely with the DAC to ensure that the changes are appropriate, and working with funding agencies and English Heritage to secure a viable proposal. It is also expected that a plan will be needed for the use of our portfolio of buildings in concert with the plans for the Church building. The incumbent will also need to work closely with the local Deanery Cluster. It will be necessary to represent the needs and plans of St. Faith s Church to the Cluster and the Deanery and to contribute to the work of the Cluster and the Deanery.

14 Finance The financial affairs of St. Faith s Church have been in good order for many years, with all bills and the parish share ( 49,294 in 2013) paid promptly and in full. The good financial situation rests primarily on income received from: Property rents and lettings ( 65,496 in 2013 from Church Hall, Church House, Church Fields, Christchurch Centre and 2 and 2a North Street) The parish shop and other fund raising efforts of parishioners (total 30,192 in 2013), Fees and other income (Total 6,297 in 2013) Planned giving, stewardship and weekly collections from parishioners ( 55,966 in 2013) These have enabled St Faith s to make Extra Parochial Giving. However, church properties are old and expenditure on their maintenance, running costs and insurance is high. In 2013 the highest areas of expenditure relating to Church activities (Total 119,586 in 2013) were are listed below, please note this does not cover all activities: Diocesan parish share ( 49,294 in 2013) General church running costs ( 22,537 in 2013) Church house and hall running costs ( 17,020 in 2013) Admin staff, organists and caretaker ( 9,737 in 2013) Other property running costs ( 9,039 in 2013) There is a small team that runs St. Faith s finances comprising of the Honorary Treasurer, an assistant treasurer, a stewardship manager and two assistants who support with the banking of cash from weekly collections and fund raising banking. A finance committee is currently under development. There are two deposit/interest earning accounts and one investment account held with CCLA (Churches, Charities and Local Authorities) Investment Ltd. The Parish Current Account and the Property Development Current Account are held with the CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) Bank Ltd. There are a number of restricted investment accounts with CCLA but they are held by the Portsmouth Diocesan Board of Finance on our behalf. Dividends from these accounts are paid quarterly. A statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2013 is shown on the next page. A report by an independent examiner is carried out at the end of each financial year. For 2014, the forecast is for general income to remain at the same level as Expenditure is due to increase due to essential maintenance on St. Faith s (church roof repairs have cost 33,189 so far in 2014). A Quinequennial Inspection and report was commissioned at the beginning of 2014, the report highlighted a number of urgent projects needing attention in the subsequent 12 months.

15 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - For the year ended 31 December 2013 Income and Expenditure Account INCOMING RESOURCES Unrestricted Restricted Endowment 2013 Total 2012 Total Funds Funds Funds Funds Funds Voluntary Income 67,526 2,225-69,751 70,490 Activities for generating funds 20,980 9,212-30,192 23,590 Income from investments 36, ,248 37,094 Church activities 20, ,913 16,908 Other income TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 146,514 11, , ,082 RESOURCES EXPENDED Fundraising costs ,687 Church activities 119, , ,923 Governance Costs 1, ,224 1,122 Extra-parochial giving 1, ,795 7,482 Major repairs ,700 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 122,408 1, , ,914 NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) 24,106 10,356-34,462 (30,832) RESOURCES TRANSFER BETWEEN FUNDS (235) GAINS/(LOSSES) ON 1,613-1,872 3,485 4,319 INVESTMENTS NET MOVEMENT OF FUNDS 25,484 10,591 1,872 37,947 (26,513) BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD AT 1 JANUARY BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD AT 31 DECEMBER 85,183 33, , , , ,667 43, , , ,835

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