St Christopher and St Nicholas Blackpool

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1 St Christopher and St Nicholas Blackpool St Christopher & St Nicholas Parish Church : Hawes Side Lane, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY4 5AH

2 CONTENTS VISION 2026 OUR PARISH OUR CHURCH OUR BUILDINGS.13/14 OUR FINANCES OUR SCHOOLS /17 OUR LINKS TO THE COMMUNITY.18 OUR VISION. 19 WHAT WE OFFER.19 WHAT WE NEED.20 FACTS & FIGURES 20

3 The Bishop of Blackburn The Rt Revd Julian T Henderson Ministry in the Diocese of Blackburn Thank you for your enquiry about a vacant post in the Diocese of Blackburn, the Church of England in Lancashire. We believe God wants His Church to grow, and so are looking for gifted and prayerful clergy with a heart for the Gospel and mission, who have the energy and enthusiasm to implement Vision 2026, Healthy Churches Transforming Communities. You can read more about Vision 2026 overleaf. Almost all of our parishes have Vision Champions who have volunteered to work with their clergy and lay leadership in keeping the Vision on the PCC and congregation s agenda. The Vision is about a radical change of culture, in which we engage in new ways in making the unchanging Gospel of Jesus known in our communities. The spiritual, physical and emotional health and the ongoing development of our clergy is very important to us. Please be assured of my prayers as you consider whether to make an application. Bishop of Blackburn Living in Lancashire Lancashire people are known for their warmth and friendliness and those who are new to the area find it to be an easy place to make friends. There are excellent transport connections and the surrounding countryside is spectacularly beautiful. For those with children, the Diocese has over 180 church schools including 10 secondaries, the vast majority rated as Good or Outstanding. +Geoff Pearson Bishop of Lancaster Our call to Mission As a Diocese we are fully committed to the breadth and diversity of the Anglican tradition. Traditionalist, evangelical, catholic, progressive, Eucharistic, charismatic we don t care what the label is. As long as you are passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and long to make new disciples, there is a place for you in the Church of England in Lancashire. + Philip North Bishop of Burnley Bishop s House, Ribchester Road, Blackburn, BB1 9EF Tel: bishop@bishopofblackburn.org.uk

4 VISION 2026 The year 2026 marks the centenary of the formation of the Diocese of Blackburn. In the ten years leading up to our centenary, Vision 2026 is a plan to turn around the long-term trend of gradually declining attendance. Our vision is for the growth of God s kingdom, not just of his church. Our vision is to develop healthy churches which transform their communities, a vision in which making disciples for Jesus Christ and pursuing social justice sit side by side. Our vision has had a long gestation. When the Vacancy in See occurred in 2012 we began to look at how we were going to move forward as a diocese. On his arrival, Bishop Julian spent his first year visiting every member of the clergy in their homes and visiting all the parishes of the diocese. At the end of that first year, Bishop Julian shared his reflections and the vision began to become clearer. It was shared with the diocesan family in the deaneries and in a number of local events and unanimously adopted by the diocesan synod. The first year was spent in prayer with the Vision 2026 as the focus has seen the Vision develop, with parishes nominating Vision Champions who were commissioned in Preston Guild Hall along with Churchwardens in the presence of 1,600 people. As a diocese with our Vision, we are willing to face the cost of change; and in prayer we see the grace and power of God which can alone bring renewal and growth. We are committed to work together (clergy, laity, church schools, diocesan staff and the cathedral) to deliver Vision 2026 by: Making disciples of Jesus Christ Knowing the Scriptures better through reading, teaching, preaching and study Praying with greater depth and urgency for the Kingdom of God to come Giving generously of our time, talents and money to the cause of Christ Being witnesses to Jesus Christ Sharing the Gospel of salvation with confidence Holding regular enquirers courses in as many local churches as possible Showing God s love in action through projects that meet a local human need Offering thorough and accessible Baptism preparation and follow-up Planting or renewing 50 new strategic congregations by 2026 Growing leaders for Jesus Christ Supporting and equipping the current leadership for today s context Enabling missional leadership in every Christian community Liberating lay leadership for greater participation Creating the varied patterns of Sunday and weekday worship necessary to welcome all kinds of people, especially the newcomer Prioritising work among children, young people and schools to raise up a new generation for Christ The Diocesan Vision Prayer: Heavenly Father, we embrace Your call for us to make disciples, to be witnesses and to grow leaders. Give us the eyes to see Your vision, ears to hear the prompting of Your Spirit and courage to follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Am 4

5 OUR PARISH St Christopher and St Nicholas Church is in the parish of Hawes Side in the South Shore area of Blackpool. It is a densely populated parish with lots of amenities. The estimated population of 12,800 is spread across the ages: However it is also a predominantly poor working class area with high unemployment and minimum wage workers. The main employers in the area are found in the tourism industry, the larger retailers such as supermarkets and retail parks and small businesses. Our local schools for the most part are good. Our own church school, St Nicholas Primary School ( received an outstanding result from Ofsted in their recent inspection and we and the school are very proud of all they have achieved. More of them later. St Georges Academy (st-georges-academy.org), under CIDARI, is our church high school and has recently changed head teachers. Some high schools in the area have struggled to keep standards high in recent years, but all are now improving and working towards the common goal of being at least good as required by Ofsted. The education background is:- 32% have no qualification 15% degree level or above South Shore in general is good for local shopping with lots of supermarkets, retail parks and smaller shops. There are also plenty of restaurants, cafes and pubs with good food nearby. Blackpool itself of course has plenty to entertain from strolling along the promenade to cinema, clubs, extravagant shows and let s not forget our Illuminations every autumn. So whilst quite a poor area, our parish has good amenities, road and rail links, and opportunities to enjoy social and family life. 5

6 OUR CHURCH St Christopher and St Nicholas Church is a traditional Anglican catholic church and a member of the Society of St Wilfred and St Hilda. The incumbent is supported by two active Readers. There are two church wardens and a fully committed PCC who are willing and able to manage the buildings and governance of the parish. Over the years we have developed a solidly Catholic but open tradition. Full Eucharistic vestments are worn, the Rite is Catholic Common Worship and incense is used on high days and holy days. The full rites of Holy Week are celebrated. Services are normally:- Monday 8.30am Said Mass Tuesday 10.00am Said Mass Wednesday 10.30am Said Mass Thursday 7.00pm Said Mass Friday 12 noon Angelus Sunday 8.30am Said Mass 10.30am Sung Mass 6

7 Our regular Sunday attendance is 140 adults and 20 under 16s. Christmas 2016 saw attendance figures of 99 and Easter was very good at 164 worshippers. Most weekdays, when there are people available, morning prayers are said in church. Lay members of the congregation are encouraging evening prayer sessions, currently once a month. We have a small but enthusiastic and good choir led by our regular organist. Our Readers take communion to those in the parish who are unable to come to church and they also try to visit the sick and those in need. Once a week, on a Wednesday, we have a Community Lunch where anyone in the community can pop in for a light lunch and enjoy some company and, if they can, make a donation to cover the costs. 7

8 There is a beautiful set of Stations of the Cross. We have a Walsingham group and we regularly take part in an annual pilgrimage. And we have a fully equipped Parish Office and a lovely Sacristy. 8

9 MOTHERS UNION & WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP Mothers Union and Women s Fellowship are active groups with the church. The Mothers Union Branch here at St Christopher s was formed in 1988/89 and at present has 20+ members. They are an active Branch but unfortunately also an aging Branch. Members regularly take part in Deanery events and many of them are involved with the many Deanery/ Diocesan projects i.e.: knitting for the Neonatal Unit providing packages containing Shawl, Blanket, matinee coats and hats. Some knit Fiddle Muffs and sew aprons for Dementia patients and they regularly attend events providing items for Streetlife, the Women s Refuge and the Diocesan Caravan, which provides holidays for families in need. They also take part in the weekly Baptism services. These all come within the aims and objects of the Mothers Union, which are to encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the church, to help families in times of adversity and to promote conditions in society favourable to family life. Branch leaders are currently looking into ways of encouraging the younger members of the congregation to become members, so we would hope that the new incumbent will be supportive of the Mothers Union in this and other endeavours. We are currently looking at new style meetings aimed at new members, [not necessarily young] but still need to keep our older, dedicated members on board and continue to cater to their needs also, not an easy task, but a very necessary one if Mothers Union is to continue to flourish in the Parish. At present the Diocesan Banner resides in the Church being the responsibility of the present Diocesan President who is a member of the congregation here at St Christopher s. Our recent Diocesan All Units Day here at St. Christopher s in the Parish Centre. 9

10 The Women s Fellowship Group at St Christopher s was formed back in 1941, even before there was a church building on the present site. It was started by a group of Christian ladies, guided by a member of the clergy. What the original aims of the group were we do not know, but today we aim to give our ladies a little bit of me time, away from their daily chores and household responsibilities. A time to let their hair down, try out new skills, enjoy a laugh and chat to friends. Many firm friendships have been formed among our members and our Christian faith and beliefs play a big part in the life of our group. We like to feel that we are an integral part of our church and are always pleased to have a visit to our gatherings from a member of the clergy. We enjoy a variety of activities throughout the year such as trips out, meals and celebrations, interesting speakers and entertainers. Every year we man a stall at the Church fairs, summer and winter, and over the years our hampers have raised a substantial amount of much needed revenue towards church funds. At present we have over twenty members, with an average attendance of fifteen at most meetings. We meet on alternate Thursday afternoons between 2.30pm and 4pm, and new members are always made most welcome. Over the past 76 years many leaders and members have come and gone and their input has ensured the success and continuation of the group. We pray that their efforts will not have been in vain and that with God s help and guidance we will continue to promote what they have begun. With that in mind we look forward to celebrating the next milestone in our history the 80 th anniversary in

11 SUNDAY SCHOOL & YOUTH CHURCH We provide the teachings of the bible in an age appropriate way for children as young as 3 and up to 14 years old. The groups are divided up into pre-school, Primary school and a senior group who meet every Sunday morning in the church hall, the younger children accompanied by parents as we explore the importance of God in our lives. We create a welcoming and relaxed environment in which we help children and families to learn about and develop a lifelong relationship with Christ. We inspire our children in a creative way by using different crafts, singing songs and sometimes using movement to share our understanding of the stories from the Bible. We aim to make contact with the schools within our community through the children who attend our Sunday School/Youth Church. We strive to maintain strong links with St Nicholas Church of England Primary School through the children who attend Youth Church before admission to the school and subsequently throughout their school years. Our intention is to work closely with members of the church to deliver sessions that give the children and parents a clear outline and understanding of the different parts of the service and how they fit in as a part of the church community. We aim to work with families to build on the social skills that the children need building confidence in each individual to take an active role in worship whether through writing and reading prayers, taking the collection into church or the older group working together to deliver a part of the session to the younger children. We encourage our children to be disciples, sharing and explaining to others what they have learnt and understood from the teaching delivered that day. We inspire parents to take an active role in the growth of our Youth Church by making suggestions as to how we can improve the delivery of our service and extend our welcome to others who may need the support that we are able to offer. Working together to build a caring community making good use of the many gifts with which we have been blessed. We aim to build relationships by organising activities to celebrate the different events in the Church calendar giving the Sunday School/Youth Church the opportunity to meet and socialise with other members of the church and wider community. 11

12 Our thoughts about the kind of priest we would love to have at St Christopher and St Nicholas Church. A Priest who takes care in leading worship and is a clear preacher and communicator Someone who will teach us to pray and help us grow as disciples of Jesus Christ He would be able to join people together as head of the community. A true leader. He must be good with children & families & he would link the service to the Sunday School lessons Someone who is inspiring Someone who is welcoming and approachable A strong character & a warm person He would have a good sense of humour He would find new ways to include children and young people in worship 12

13 OUR BUILDINGS The Church The Parish Church of St. Christopher & St. Nicholas was re-built 26 years ago following the demolition of three pre-fabricated buildings. It is of modern design and in excellent state of repair. A special feature is a beautiful stained glass window at the east end of the Church depicting Pentecost. 13

14 A Faculty is awaited for the replacement of the main Church door, and we are awaiting the report from a Quinquennial Inspection carried out in March 2017 The Church is currently only open for services and for office duties at specific times. Cleaning of the Church and maintenance of the Church grounds are undertaken by volunteers from the congregation. Members of the PCC take responsibility for Safeguarding, Health and Safety, building maintenance etc. helped again by volunteers from the congregation. There are good parking facilities and good access for the disabled and less mobile. The Vicarage The vicarage is a spacious four bed property including a study and utility room. There is a large rear garden and garage. The property is sited in the Church grounds. The Diocese looks after Vicarages very well. Some minor works to the house are needed and these will be carried out in due course. The Parish Centre The Parish Centre was built in 2000 and is in a very good state of repair. It consists of a large main hall with stage facilities, a large well equipped kitchen, two multipurpose side rooms, an upstairs room which contains a small kitchenette and a couple of ancillary rooms. It is a very well-used building, catering for Church functions, fund-raising events, Church groups and Youth Organisations. The Centre is also rented out to the wider community namely: Tumble Tots, Weight-Watchers, Taekwondo and a sequence dance group, plus many one-off events. The Parish Church and Parish Centre are fully insured and CCTV and an intruder alarm are in operation. The Church has its own website and has a face book page. 14

15 OUR FINANCES In 2014 and 2015 we paid our Parish Share in full, thanks mainly to the hard work of the incumbent, curates and lay people. In 2015 we also managed to pay off and clear previous year s debts. Unfortunately, as we have been without an incumbent since May 2016 we were unable to pay the share in full for that year, despite the valiant effort of our SSM curate and a generous congregation through donations and fund raising. The PCC and the treasurer endeavor to pay as much as possible, whenever possible. We currently have designated funds ear marked for various projects, and the PCC have retained monies to cover the cost of the new front church door, once it has been agreed with faculty. We have a regular income from the hire of the parish centre and our summer and Christmas fairs always bring in good sums. 15

16 OUR SCHOOLS St Nicholas Church of England Primary School St Nicholas Church of England Primary School is an Outstanding School! (OFSTED inspection March 2016) We are situated at the southern end of Blackpool, being the most southerly of all Blackpool schools. A Voluntary Aided school in which the Governors are the employers, St Nicholas has strong links with our local church, St Christopher & St Nicholas, and is very much a community school. The Governors, Staff and school community work hard to ensure the strong Christian ethos is evident in the day to day life and work of the school. An active P.T.F.A. supports with fundraising and social activities. The school draws pupils from a range of socio- economic backgrounds. There are currently 400 children on roll. Our school is an inclusive school which seeks to support the needs of all pupils. Some of our children come from the local Travelling community and have a rich culture which enhances our school. The Governing Board at St Nicholas Church of England Primary School is made up of governors from all parts of our community, including parents, representatives from the Church of England and staff at the school. The school has the benefit of extensive grounds which are available for sporting and environmental activities. We took possession of our new buildings in March 2009 and now have a state of the art learning environment where governors, teachers, architects and builders have come together to create the building we see today. 16

17 A collective Act of Worship is held each day and is a very important feature of our school life. They take the form of whole school, key stage, or in class assemblies. In line with our school ethos and vision statement, on one day per week visiting clergy lead our collective worship. The Diocesan inspection of 2016 described collective worship as being highly valued by all members of the school family and one child commented that, worship makes me happy because I learn how God wants me to be. 17

18 We have five foundations governors at St. Nicholas, and pupils from St Nicholas usually go on to attend our local church academy St George s. OUR LINKS INTO THE COMMUNITY The Parish of St Christopher and St Nicholas has quite a few homes for the elderly. We try to reach out to these homes and their residents as much as we can with visits for communion. Facilities for the youth of the parish are lacking somewhat. Blackpool FC Community Trust provide activities for youngsters but there is very little for the teenagers, It is our hope that we can in the future, as part of our Vision 2026 programme, include activities within the church for this age group. Blackpool Victoria Hospital provides excellent care, particularly in the fields of heart surgery and oncology. Although it is a struggling area local small businesses are quite supportive when we ask them to advertise our events etc. and very often contribute to raffles prizes etc. The local uniformed organisations use the parish centre at a much reduced rate. Sadly over the years their connection to the church has lessened considerably and the gap grows ever wider. It would be our wish to try to reconcile past differences and bring the guides and scouts back into the church with monthly parades and joint ventures. 18

19 OUR VISION The Mission of St Christopher and St Nicholas Church is to:- Seek to share God s love unconditionally to all peoples Nurture, develop and enrich the spiritual journey of each individual Sustain the spiritual and sacramental needs of the parish through regular prayer and celebration of the Holy Eucharist To pray for and visit the sick and bereaved that they may experience the healing presence of Christ Further the teachings of Jesus Christ to the wider community Strengthen our relationship with St Nicholas School, whilst forging new links with other schools, to encourage the spiritual growth of all children within our community 19

20 WHAT WE OFFER Here at St Christopher s we offer a happy united willing and faithful congregation. Sunday Masses are very well attended and numbers are good for week day masses too. We enjoy many social gatherings throughout the year and we particularly like a good party. We offer the prospective incumbent a parish that, although healthy, needs to grow. There is a challenge here to bring people into our church to know and love Jesus. We also offer the chance to work with and for the younger generation of our parish who struggle in particular in these difficult economic times.and the opportunity to help and soothe the sick and suffering amongst the older generations. As a church we are striving to work within the ethos of the Vision 2026 scheme to encourage new people to realise and enjoy our faith. We have a very active and popular Sunday school with keen and enthusiastic teachers who would benefit from having an enthusiastic incumbent at their side. To help the prospective incumbent there is a parish office and two lay preachers attend once a week to meet people wishing to book baptisms and weddings and to prepare the necessary paperwork. Two church wardens are ever present and available to meet the needs of the incumbent and the congregation, and the treasurer also handles correspondence and offers assistance with paperwork etc. WHAT WE NEED Our new incumbent must be of the catholic tradition, and preferably a member of the Society. We would also prefer someone with experience. Blackpool is a deprived area and our parish needs a priest who will have the energy and will to work hard amongst the people to help us grow in numbers and faith. As we prepare for a new incumbent we are looking for a priest who has drive, vision and ambition for his parish. We also need someone who is caring, approachable, sympathetic and understanding. He must enjoy the challenge of working with children and know the specific needs of the elderly and sick in body, mind and spirit. We want our new incumbent to be imaginative, outgoing and in tune with modern day problems as well as modern day benefits. We need someone to challenge us as well as support us. A great sense of humour is a must along with enthusiasm for all things. We hope our new Priest will lead our church forward in faith and increase our congregation across all age groups. 20

21 FACTS & FIGURES Health Index Score 0.8 = 50% most deprived Deprivation Index Score 31.6 = 50% most deprived Main Issues Housing access single parenthood Housing Mix 72% Owner Occupied 11% social rented housing Electoral Roll 144 Age Profile of the Church