Our Strategy: To achieve our vision we focus our resources on four themes; youth, young families, older people and the current church family.

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1 THE PARISH OF ALL SAINTS, WICKHAM MARKET PARISH PROFILE INTRODUCTION Under the leadership of the Churchwardens, the following Statement has been prepared. It is hoped that it will assist in understanding the church fellowship of All Saints Church, Wickham Market. The Statement is intended to clarify the priorities, vision and needs of All Saints. 2. CHURCH MISSION AND VISION Nearly four years ago, our leaders started to re-examine the purpose and work of All Saints and spent much time in discussion and prayer together and in prayer with the church family to seek God s direction for us. This resulted in our mission, vision and strategy stated below The new incumbent needs to be aware that our mission and vision underpins our current focus as a church and directs what we seek to achieve. Therefore, willingness to embrace it is key, whilst seeking to build on it by reviewing and leading what is needed to shape our activities and in leading the development of our strategic thinking and refreshing our vision when required. Our Mission: All Saints Church exists to point people to Jesus by:- Helping people to be captivated by Jesus love Encouraging people to trust Jesus through the Bible Inspiring people to journey with Jesus in joy and hope. Our Vision: In 4 years we aim to be a church of 200 people and growing, with every individual, spiritually developing. The church s age distribution would reflect the communities we touch. Our Strategy: To achieve our vision we focus our resources on four themes; youth, young families, older people and the current church family. The first three themes are aimed at reaching out into the community via a pathway of groups that allow contact, enquiry and commitment using the model of Belong, Believe, and Behave. How we do this is reflected in the church activities described later in this document. We recognise that our outworking of this strategy to-date is incomplete but we are learning as we are building. The fourth theme reaches in to promote spiritual growth among our existing members and Christians moving into our community. We are half way through our four-year vision and are encouraged by the progress so far. Our Youth Core group continues to develop and grow. Cafe Church enables families to worship in a more informal style. Messy Church has provided weekday daytime worship for young families while Oasis, our monthly Sunday afternoon informal service for the over 60s, attracts 25 to 30 people. All these initiatives and Fresh Expressions have brought many new people into the church family. Many of these joined in our Parish Weekend away and there have been a few connected baptisms. Page 1 of 10

2 3. THE NEW INCUMBENT The church is seeking a Minister who can help take the church family on in its desire to know and serve God and Our Lord Jesus Christ better; a Minister who can build on the good work done by the previous incumbents. This will include addressing the age and male/ female balance of the church in order to meet the different needs of men and women in worship, better reflect the demography of the village and leading/ facilitating mission to men. We cannot describe the "qualifications" we seek better than by reference to the words of Saint Paul, contained in 1 Timothy Ch. 3; (the overseer) must be above reproach, faithful to (one spouse), temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." Therefore, our New Vicar must: Believe in the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. Ministry flows out of a love for Jesus. Thus, the new Vicar should have a passion for communicating God s love to those within the church and the local community and a desire to see individuals have a personal encounter/ relationship with Jesus. Believe in the power of prayer. The incumbent needs to be committed to prayer Believe in the use of the Spiritual Gifts. The new Vicar should have a spirit-filled life and ministry seeking God s will and purpose for his/ her own life and the life of the church. We need a Minister who will recognise and encourage the exercise of the various gifts and ministries within the membership and the active church family members who possess them. Active support of a variety of styles of worship will allow the fellowship to praise and worship the Lord and make room for the Holy Spirit to work. Proclaim a bible based ministry and teaching. Christian ministry has at its heart understanding, teaching, applying and living out the gospel in all its breadth and depth. The minister should seek a growing understanding of the Word of God, a rejoicing in the gospel, a delight with its glory and an excitement about its power. (We do not mean that he/she must have an academic bias. What matters to us is an appetite for God s Word, a readiness to get to grips with the great doctrines of the faith, a hunger to understand how the gospel applies to all of life in all its complexity, challenges and issues). Page 2 of 10

3 Follow the principles of shared Ministry (i.e. utilising the skills of others and recognising the priesthood of all believers). Whilst we see the vicar actively involved in all areas, he/ she will not seek to undertake all tasks personally. We therefore need a team leader with good person management skills, who is able to communicate well and motivate others and who has a collaborative and enabling style, skilled in inspiring, equipping, and releasing people into ministry. He/ she will involve lay members of the fellowship in all aspects of the life of the church including organisation and direction of worship. He/ she will need to work with us to establish the will of God for Wickham Market and take forward the church's vision for the future. The Incumbent will, therefore, be a communicator with an evangelistic spirit and a pastor heart. Have a Love for God s People. Whilst people who make up the church can be delightful, enchanting, and encouraging they can also be frustrating, difficult and stubborn. A call to ministry is a call to love and serve people of all kinds. Have a Love for the Lost. The new Vicar should have a desire to see people come to Christ, to be rescued from wrath to come. The vicar would need to be comfortable in engaging with non-christians in our community, outside of a church / religious context. He/she will lead, encourage, communicate and facilitate our current outreaches to young families (including mission to men) and to overseas and home-based missions through practical and prayer support. Have a Desire to Serve. A call to ministry is essentially a call to serve God, His gospel, His people, His world. Thus our minister will need to be insightful and motivated to identify what needs to be done and to set about the task. Be Ready and Willing to Learn. It is important that the Vicar has a humility and selfawareness that allows other Christians, trusted friends, to speak into his/ her life and provide constructive comment. Have Stability in Relationships. Reflecting on the basic qualifications first set out above there needs to be stability and appropriateness in relationships particularly with the opposite sex. Characteristics of humility, respect, purity, consistency, and otherperson centredness are high on the Bible s list of qualifications for role modelling good relationships. If the incumbent is married his/ her marital relationship should be based Page 3 of 10

4 on faithfulness and love. We believe that the Vicar s spouse (if there is one) must be totally supportive of the incumbent s call to ministry. This support, together with that of the church, will be vital in sharing and bearing the burdens of the job and withstanding the pressures, loss of privacy and emotional costs inevitably involved. Be Gifted for the Task. Pastoral ministry is about real people with real needs / problems. Therefore, the Vicar will need the ability and gifting to be able to feed the congregation on a regular basis and connect and apply the gospel in the mess which is our everyday life. Have a Maturing Character. Those appointed to church leadership are to be blameless and above reproach and mature, not a new convert. The parallel list in Titus 1: 6-9 makes the same point. This, and the foregoing person specification, suggests that we need a spiritually mature and enthusiastic Christian. He/ she should ideally have direct experience as incumbent of at least one other church or, if not, having demonstrably learnt and exercised appropriate life skills from previous experience. 4. OTHER MATTERS For the information of the Patron we have felt that it would be useful for us to make plain our response to a proposal put forward by the Rural Dean, the question of the future residence of the retiring Vicar and his family, and also our stance on a couple of the more contentious issues on the current agenda of the Church of England. Youth The Rural Dean, in discussing the way forward with the PCCs of Wickham Market and Pettistree suggested that the new benefice incumbent might take on a specific responsibility connected with mission to youth in the Deanery. All Saints Wickham Market is a missional church with its own directly funded youth outreach work. This, taken with the Diocese mission objectives of growing younger and growing deeper, seems to us to make a good fit. Therefore, we have agreed that the new incumbent should have a co-coordinating and facilitating/ team leading role for mission based youth work within the Deanery aimed at the age group years, possibly with a focus on the local High School. This acceptance is subject to limiting the time spent on this work to the equivalent of one day per week and also to detailed discussion and agreement on the manner and means by which this role should be worked out. Women Priests We fully endorse the proper and appropriate ministry of women in the church. We are aware and concerned about our current shortage of male members and leaders. However, we are more concerned that the next incumbent should be the best candidate Page 4 of 10

5 to meet the needs of the church and parish as expressed in this statement than we are about whether our Vicar is man or woman. Sexual Orientation We anticipate that the next incumbent will comply with the Statement issued by the House of Bishops of the General Synod of the Church of England in December 1991: namely that it is expected of those appointed to ministry in the church that they will not only preach but live the gospel as an example both within and outside the church including heterosexual marriage as a reflection of God s purpose in creation. In the light of this we, as a fellowship, would welcome into the congregation anyone with same sex attractions and would encourage their growing relationship with God which would include celibacy as with any single person, However, we would find it difficult to accept a practising homosexual as the new Incumbent. Retiring Vicar s Residence The retiring Vicar has asked for the PCCs views on whether, after retirement, he might continue to live in Wickham Market. (He has stated that he would not attend All Saints for some months and would discuss the position with the new incumbent before attending). We are clear that the new incumbent should be aware of this intention and should be able to advise the former Vicar on whether it would be acceptable for him/ his family to continue to worship in All Saints. 4. ALL SAINTS: WHAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO OFFER A church family committed to honouring God through our worship, witness and fellowship An appreciation that ministry belongs to the whole church community and that we do not expect our Vicar to do everything, but rather to enable and encourage the body of Christ An understanding that the new Vicar will come with his/her own strengths, gifts and needs An openness to fresh insights into our church and parish and to engage in new things that will help us to expand our ministry and grow as a church to the glory of God A supportive, friendly and prayerful church community within a thriving village community A recognition that the Vicar needs support, adequate time off and time for his/her wider family and interests A modern vicarage close to the church 5. ALL SAINTS: ORGANISATION PCC and Charitable Status, All Saints PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Revd John Eldridge, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. (PCC [Powers] Measure 1956 Section 2). All elected and ex-officio members of the PCC (including the Vicar) are required to become trustees, limited by guarantee, of the All Saints Registered charity. Trustees are responsible Page 5 of 10

6 for all legal, structural and budgetary decisions and are the employer of the church Youth Worker and any other directly employed personnel. Elders The former incumbent established an Eldership to support him in a local team ministry for the spiritual planning and direction as well as worship at All Saints. Elders also lead services in the benefice. The eldership normally meets monthly and consists of the Vicar, a Lay Reader, a Methodist trained Lay Minister and three Lay Elders, all licenced by the Bishop and all permitted to preach and lead services in the benefice as part of a local agreement. The eldership was instrumental in starting and shaping the church s mission, vision and strategy. They review its effectiveness, identifying improvements and addressing emerging needs. 6. ALL SAINTS: The People All Saints is an active church. Whilst treasuring our ancient building we are aware that our main purpose is to share God's word and His kingdom with others. The church provides sacred space for personal prayer and contemplation, undertakes pastoral work, including visiting the sick and the bereaved, teaches Christianity through sermons, courses and small groups, provides youth activities with a Christian ethos, promotes Christianity through events and meetings and the distribution of literature. It promotes the whole mission of the church through activities for senior citizens, parents and toddlers or other special groups. It supports other charities in the UK and overseas. Worshippers/members are not restricted to the Parish of Wickham Market but come from the other Parish in the Benefice and for some miles around. The congregation represents a diversity of backgrounds (many have come from other denominations). This presents both blessings and challenges. lt results in a somewhat non-conformist approach and a congregation of fairly independent minded bible believing people. It can also lead to inevitable tensions in some areas regarding the "enforcement" of standard Church of England formats. Nevertheless, all are working and worshipping together side by side, loving the same God and trying to work out what it means to be a Christian Church in the world today, and what really matters in our efforts to be part of the "One, Holy, universal, and Apostolic Church of Christ. All Saints contains a spread of members from infant to elderly with a reasonable range of social backgrounds. All Saints Wickham Market has a strong and long established evangelical tradition. It is a firmly bible-based church which seeks to be led by the Holy Spirit. As such it recognises that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (as received by the early church and recorded in the New Testament) are available and applicable to the church Page 6 of 10

7 today and encourages their practice. However, it is not dominated by this approach, preferring to take the whole Gospel in context. In addition to the initiatives mentioned above there is a Mums and Toddler Group and a loosely associated Girl Guide Company meeting during the week. There is also a Brownie Pack which meets in the village. Our prime aim and purpose must be to communicate the Christian message of salvation through Jesus Christ. We can best do this by reflecting God s practical love and concern for the people in the Parish. A vital part of this active parish ministry revolves around the ability to care for, and love the community using a range of church facilities for a wide variety of Christian focussed activities. Our Church house groups, which are attended by around 80% of our congregation and meet mainly on Tuesday evenings, continue to flourish. Some groups meet on other days, some meet every week and some less frequently. There have also been opportunities for all the house groups to come together in joint events in the Church. The church has a close working relationship with a secular charity The Saints Youth Club. The majority of the trustees of the charity are drawn from the church membership and the Club is primarily staffed by church members and our youth worker. The club has use of church facilities. Rainbow club started towards the end of This caters for 3 to 9 year olds and meets once a month at the same time as the 11am service. The church holds an annual parish weekend of worship, teaching and socialising at Sizewell Hall Christian Page 7 of 10

8 Conference venue on the Suffolk Coast. expressions of worship. This is well attended by people from all our We continue to support and receive regular updates from missionaries Jane & Alan Hutt in Kenya where their work with child mothers continues to grow. They are church members and we are their commissioning church. Their UK fundraising team have run numerous events hosted by the church throughout the year. Prayer for healing (or any other need) is always available on request, supported by a tenstrong ministry team. Alpha groups meet from time to time. 7. ALL SAINTS: Worship The church promotes regular public worship open to all. The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of the All Saints parish community. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. When planning our activities for the year, the incumbent and the PCC try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus. Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish. Missionary and outreach work. All Saints tries to meet the various needs of all its congregations with a varied service pattern (see statistics appendix to benefice overview) The main focus of worship for the majority of members is the am Sunday morning service. Around 65 persons take communion on average at an am service am Services are usually accompanied by a music group that lead contemporary songs and a traditional hymn. We strongly hold to the principle of Shared Ministry. By this we mean that preaching and teaching is shared among a team of people, including the Vicar. The "Team" comprises the Vicar, Elders and Lay Readers. We also have visiting speakers such as the Bishop, Archdeacon, other Church of England clergy, or representatives of supported missions/ missionaries and our link missionaries (when on home assignment) as invited by the Vicar. 8. ALL SAINTS: Bricks and Mortar The spire is the first thing most people notice about All Saints Parish Church. Rising to over 137 ft. on a slender octagonal tower above the flint work of the medieval building, it is a landmark for many miles around. The church is located off the main shopping square. Page 8 of 10

9 The Grade 2* listed building dates back over 700 years. The exterior is stone and flint work. Inside there are four stained glass windows, and a 600 year old font. There are six bells in the tower which are usually rung twice weekly. To facilitate our work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the church building and the Church Hall complex and associated games field. The church hall complex (pre-fabricated 1970s built hall and the Beehive former Vicarage stable block and store converted to meeting rooms and kitchen/ toilets) and field are owned by the PCC and held on our behalf by the Diocesan Board of Finance. Regular and routine maintenance is carried out. Time and thought is given to making best use of the church facilities. The PCC encourages review of areas of our church body/structure to see how we can move forward and make more use of our buildings, and improve facilities in keeping with modern day worship. Our Church structure continues to facilitate the flexible purposes it was re ordered for in (Most pews were removed and toilet and kitchen facilities introduced). However some areas are now giving cause for concern. For several years now we have been monitoring cracks around the east window. Due to some significant movement over recent months we are in discussion with the Diocesan architect in order to address the east wall issue together with other items listed on the 2013 Quinquennial report. The first action necessary is to arrange a detailed survey report. Repairs to the window should, on the recommendation of the architect, be done within the next ten years. We have recently entered into a contract permitting the installation of mobile phone transmission equipment in the church tower. Facilities for our young people have been improved during the past 12 months. The first floor of the Beehive building has been insulated and refurbished. The church hall was also re roofed. Funding was also found by the youth club to install floodlights for the field area. A new all-weather surface between the Beehive and the church hall incorporates an area for youth ball games and a closed safe outdoor area for the toddlers group. 9. FINANCES A copy of the church Accounts for 2016 is attached. The church allocates 10% of its unrestricted income to Tithe Fund which supports seven missions/ missionaries. Page 9 of 10

10 The PCC's approach to the demands of the Parish Share is that we, as a church, try as a first priority to meet as much as possible of our part of the Benefice Share (after attending to those running expenses of All Saints that fall to the PCC. In recent years we have achieved full payment (and have also been able to assist other Parishes). Our share target for 2017 was 49,000 (again slightly above the invited Share) which was met in full. 2 February 2018 c/church/profile 2017 Page 10 of 10