Parish Profile St Paul s Church, Woodford Bridge, Essex Our strengths:... 3 Our challenges:... 3 We see opportunities in:...

Transcription

1 The Parish of St Paul Woodford Bridge Parish Profile 2014 St Paul s Church, Woodford Bridge, Essex.

2 CONTENTS ST PAUL S, WOODFORD BRIDGE....3 Our strengths:... 3 Our challenges:... 3 We see opportunities in:... 3 Our Priest:...4 Faith & Spiritual Life... 4 Skills... 4 Actions... 4 Our Spiritual Priorities... 5 Our Worship... 5 Our Services... 5 Occasional Services during the last year... 5 Our Organisations... 6 Our Links... 6 Our Finances... 6 The Parish...7 Parish Buildings...8 The Church... 8 The Vicarage, Cross Road, Woodford Bridge, Essex IG8 8BW... 8 The Church Halls... 8 The School House... 9 Appendix 1 Deanery Profile Appendix Accounts Church Accounts Appendix 3 Ministry Team & Churchwardens Appendix 4 Further Information Page 2 of 13

3 ST PAUL S, WOODFORD BRIDGE. We are a small parish on the eastern edge of London close to the border with Essex, at the heart of which is our friendly, welcoming, family Church. We are seeking a Priest who will contribute to our mission through inspirational leadership and appreciation of an active Church community, and who will encourage and develop variety in worship and further our work with families and young people. St Paul s Woodford Bridge exists to worship God, lead people to Christ, build a loving Christian community, and serve a world in need. Our strengths: The differing styles of our dedicated ministry team of two Self Supporting Ministers (SSM) curates, a licensed lay minister and a pastoral assistant/locally authorised preacher Our energy and enthusiasm for bringing our love of Jesus into the community The striking location of the Church within the parish making it well situated for offering appropriate occasional offices to the wider community Our generosity of time, talents and gifts, and of charitable works both locally and wider afield Our warmth of welcome, fellowship and family atmosphere which has led to a growing multiethnic church with a lowering age demographic A broad evangelical church in worship practices committed to retaining the diversity of approach at present enjoyed The strong Christian fellowship amongst our committed congregation Our challenges: To provide stimulus for those new to the church through encouragement, teaching, prayer, variety in Sunday services, and fellowship groups To nurture and develop the contact made through occasional offices, especially weddings and baptisms To recognise the importance of liturgy to worship, whilst developing more variety in worship especially for young families and children To make the Parochial Church Council (PCC) more representative of the changing demographics of the congregation To unite in the pursuit of our vision for the parish by inspired, dynamic leadership sympathetic to the needs of both Church and parish communities We see opportunities in: Our local schools; St Paul s Christian Playgroup; with couples joining us for weddings and baptisms; the potential for parish mail-shots 2,500 houses offer a viable distribution of parish leaflets. More recently, a proposal to build 200 family homes on available land immediately adjacent to, but outside, our parish boundary is a further opportunity to widen our congregation. Page 3 of 13

4 Our Priest: Faith & Spiritual Life We are looking for someone who will: Set an example of personal faith by prayer and study Be committed to the traditions of the Church of England Promote and uphold Christian values in family life Have a warm and caring personality with a humble confidence Show evidence of the Fruits of the Spirit Be a broad church evangelist, passionate in their love for God and all His people, with a wide variety of approaches and responses Have some experience of the secular world Skills We are looking for someone who can present evidence of being: A manager, an enabler, a co-ordinator able to both develop team leaders and delegate A listener Able to relate to all ages, including children Able to develop a long term vision for the growth and future of our church Approachable and able to develop relationships Able to see what is available and present, and, led by the Holy Spirit, take our parish forward Able to develop the potential for growth and change Aware of their own limitations A keen visitor within the congregation and parish Actions We are looking for someone who will: Make the love of God in Jesus clear in relevant contexts Preach the relevance of the Bible to the individual and society today Teach and preach to enable the growth of Christians in the parish Page 4 of 13

5 St Paul s Church & Its People Our Spiritual Priorities To proclaim Christ as Lord and Saviour To preach the relevance of the Bible in the life of individuals and society To reach out more effectively into a community which is not anti-church but is still largely ignorant of why the Church exists. To enable people to grow in the Spirit To improve our outreach Our Worship Worship is broad evangelical Church Anglican, embracing traditional and modern forms of worship. We have a shared ministry with full Lay participation in many aspects of worship and leadership. The PCC, in 1994, passed a resolution to accept the Ministry of Women, having declined to pass Resolutions A or B. We are seen as a very friendly and welcoming Church with people of widely different traditions feeling at home with us. Our Services Sundays hrs Usually Family Communion plus Sunday Club for children aged 3 years and older. Our average attendance is in excess of 70 in Church. Between 15 and 20 children, together with adult supervision, attend the Sunday Club held in the Church Hall, joining the Church congregation towards the end of the service. Our Church services are projected onto screens via a laptop Powerpoint presentation. Wednesdays hrs Holy Communion on the first and third Wednesday of each month (average attendance small) It has been the practice of our Vicar and one Curate (the other is working) to say Morning Prayer regularly at 09.00am. Occasional Services during the last year Weddings Baptisms Burial of Ashes Funerals There are 12 weddings currently scheduled for Page 5 of 13

6 Our Organisations Two Fellowship House Groups Mothers Union Annual Children s Holiday Club, together with half term meetings for one morning Sunday Club for children of 3 years and over St Paul s Christian Playgroup, with 46 on register, meeting every weekday morning during term time. The incumbent of the Parish is also Chairman of the Playgroup Management Committee (a sub-committee of the PCC) Marriage Preparation Team Alpha Courses, recently shared with other Churches Guides and Brownies using our Church Hall Seniors Club, for older members of the community Textile Group of Church members Our Links Deanery Cluster link with two adjacent parishes Canfield Chapel free Evangelical within our parish Higher Ground Reformed Church There is a Roman Catholic Convent adjacent to our parish Woodford Baptist Church New Wine representation Woodford Fellowship of Christian Churches The Lighthouse Church, meeting in our church on Sunday afternoons and during regular weekday evenings. Our Finances A pledged Gift Aid scheme is in operation, along with the usual collections arrangement. We hold two things to be of great importance in our financial arrangements: (i) that we have always paid our full Parish Quota or Share within the required year, (ii) that we plan our resources to be able to give 20% each year to charitable causes. A digest of the latest accounts is provided in Appendix 2. Page 6 of 13

7 The Parish The Parish of St Paul in Woodford Bridge came into existence in 1854, and is situated to the north east of central London on the border between the London Borough of Redbridge and the county of Essex. The Parish is in the Diocese of Chelmsford and the Deanery of Redbridge, with a population of approximately There is a growing ethnic minority living within the Parish, some of whom worship with us. Approximately one-third of the Church membership live within the Parish, and 95 are presently listed on the electoral roll. Housing is mostly small private property, with a fair proportion of council houses many now privately owned. There is a private housing estate built on the former Dr Barnardo s site and one of superior houses on the grounds of the former Claybury Hospital, part of which lies within our Parish. There are approximately 30 small shops, including a small supermarket, 2 public houses, a number of restaurants and a large hotel opposite the Church which is often used for wedding receptions. Woodford Green Athletics Club and Ashton Playing Fields are in the parish and one of our Curates is Chaplain to the Athletics Club. Primary medical care is available in the Parish and other facilities are within easy reach. Two local bus routes pass through Woodford Bridge, with the nearest Underground being Woodford on the Central Line located approximately 1 mile away. Roding Primary School is in the Parish, with students using the Church for educational visits and occasional services. West Hatch High School is a nearby secondary comprehensive with close links to the Parish and also uses the Church for a Christmas Carol service. The Church is also very proud of the Playgroup it operates every weekday morning during term time, and is based in the adjacent Church Hall. Page 7 of 13

8 Parish Buildings The Church The Vicarage Our Church is a picturesque Victorian stone building, erected in 1854 with seating for 220 people on traditional wooden pews. The adjacent graveyard is closed. The Church has two entrances, the main one leading out onto a large driveway to Cross Road with the other opening out on to Manor Road. The Vicarage is an average size four bedroom detached house facing the Church and the Green. There is off-street parking, together with a carport and small garden to the front and rear. The Vicarage 4 Cross Road Woodford Bridge Essex IG8 8BW The ground floor has two reception rooms, a large study, kitchen and entrance hall, together with a utility room, store room and toilet. Upstairs are three double and one single bedroom, bathroom and separate toilet. The property has full gas central heating. The Church Halls The Church Halls, previously the Victorian Parish School, are now used by various Church groups, particularly St Paul s Christian Playgroup each morning during term time. The Church Halls are also let for community use every day, including for parties of primary age children at weekends and other community users. Many of the celebratory occasions in the Church calendar also take place within the Church Halls, including the Christmas and Summer fairs. Page 8 of 13

9 The School House The Victorian two bedroom School House adjacent to the Church Hall is presently let by the PCC at market rent. All of the buildings for which the PCC are responsible for are in good order, having been recently refurbished. Page 9 of 13

10 Appendix 1 Deanery Profile Redbridge is a highly populous outer London borough comprising nearly 300,000 people. We have just 36.8% who self-identify as Christians. This is the lowest percentage of all the outer London boroughs (in our Diocese, only Newham is considered an inner London borough). We also have the highest percentage of Muslims at 23.3% of the population (more than any other deanery except Newham). Ilford, at the heart of the borough, has been designated one of the ten strategic development hubs for the New London. This, together with the advent of Cross Rail, makes us one of the fastest growing boroughs in the country. Changes in the availability of stipendiary clergy mean that Chelmsford Diocese is undertaking a major exercise entitled Re-imagining Ministry, which calls for Mission and Ministry Units of several parishes overseen by a few stipendiary clergy working as a team. Whilst many deaneries can argue for retaining a higher stipendiary allocation, it is worth noting that Redbridge will be increasingly strategic and demanding as a mission field. Informing our strategy for the future shape of ministry, we also note that there are comparatively few retirements expected in the shortterm, as the average age of Redbridge clergy is somewhat lower than the diocesan/national averages and therefore restructuring may have to take place over a slightly longer time scale. Nevertheless, we can say that any new Incumbent must be prepared to work in a team and across more than one parish. In the last few years we have moved to a cluster model of parishes covering the whole of Redbridge and through this have already had significant experience of working collaboratively. With the end of the Redbridge Deanery Youth Worker project, it was natural for us to reorganise youth work provision at a cluster level ensuring that there were viable youth groups in every cluster and a named point of contact in every parish. This move to clustering has been some-what prophetic and these clusters are likely to feature large in our thinking about viable units for the future. There are many things that, as a deanery, we can celebrate; most of our parishes have significant community engagements with good multicultural links and a vibrant presence in their local area. Some parishes have particular expertise in areas such as evangelism, messy church and youth work. We hope that each parish s expertise can be shared more widely. St. Paul s Woodford Bridge is a strong parish, in good heart and with great potential. There are significant mission opportunities through the occasional offices of weddings and baptisms as well as good community links through the pre-school work. Any Incumbent appointed will need to have a clear focus on mission together with the ability to work flexibly in church contexts of varying traditions, which will be essential in working across the future unit. Revd Paul Harcourt Redbridge Area Dean Church of England, Diocese of Chelmsford Page 10 of 13

11 Appendix Accounts Church Accounts SAINT PAUL'S, WOODFORD BRIDGE - DIGEST OF ACCOUNTS, 2013 INCOME: EXPENDITURE: Sunday collection - cash 2, Diocesan Quota 43, Lighthouse church- cash Christian giving 10, Wedding cash Kenyan Street Children 9, Baptism cash Clergy expenses 1, Spirelight-cash Cost of Services Church giving -Tax Efficient 10, Organist 1, Lighthouse church-te 2, Wedding/Funeral Expen. 2, Wedding TE Running expenses 12, Baptism TE 1, Maintenance 8, Spirelight TE Cleaning/Booking refunds 6, Donations - TE Cleaning materials IR Refund 8, Churchyard Covenant account 14, Magazine printing/books 1, Wedding fees 5, Office expenses Burial of Ashes 1, Interest & Charges - Funeral Fees 1, Licences/Subscriptions Party deposit ( 50) 2, Youth Work Rent - Hall 21, Music Fund - Rent - School House 10, Spire lighting - Wallsafe/bookstall I.T/audio - Magazine adverts Playgroup support - Interest/dividends 6.04 Sundry items (specify) 1, Growth income/caf 2, Sundry income 6, ST PAUL'S INCOME: 95, Charities: Seniors club Textile Group - Kenyan St Ch-cash 5, Kenyan St (TE) 1, Foodbank-Vera-cash Foodbank-Vera-TE Charity-other-cash 1, Charity-other-TE Charitable income: 10, , , , , St Paul's Christian Playgroup 109, , TOTAL 215, , Page 11 of 13

12 Appendix 3 Ministry Team & Churchwardens Revd Ian Monks (Curate) Voluntary NHS Chaplain Revd Alan Bolding (Curate) Chaplain to West Ham United Football Club Chaplain to Woodford Green Athletics Club with Essex Ladies. Chaplain to the Mayor of Redbridge Mr Mac Leonard Licensed Lay Minister (Reader) L.A.R.C. Senior Tutor C.C.S. Chair, Redbridge SACRE Mrs Jill Leonard Locally Authorised Preacher and Pastoral Assistant Chair, Redbridge Deanery Synod Mr Len Stevens Churchwarden & Church Treasurer Mrs Pauline Bolding Churchwarden & Church Hall Bookings Manager Page 12 of 13

13 Appendix 4 Further Information Further information regarding the Church may be found on its website In addition, further details of St Paul s Christian Playgroup may be found on its website St Paul s Church recognises and acknowledges the grateful use of photography in this publication from a variety of sources, and to those individuals that may feature. Page 13 of 13