St Alban s Church, Dartford Parish Profile

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1 St Alban s Church, Dartford Parish Profile Everyone is welcome, those looking for somewhere to worship, those asking questions about life and its meaning and those seeking faith. St Alban Parish Church, St Alban s Road, Dartford DA1 1TE

2 Who we re looking for A Priest-in-Charge with a strong sense of prayer and mission, led by the Holy Spirit, with a servant heart for the congregation and for the communities of Temple Hill, The Phoenix Quarter, East Hill, The Bridge and Fleet Estate. A team player with a good sense of humour A Priest-in-Charge who will lead us innovatively and creatively in worship, prayer and a ministry of healing we seek a shepherd A Priest-in-Charge in agreement with our policy of Inclusiveness. St Edmunds and St Albans are both members of Inclusive Church ( and of OneBodyOneFaith ( we welcome everyone A Priest-in-Charge who has a friendly, empathetic and welcoming attitude towards all believers and non-believers alike A Priest-in-Charge with a heart for families (of whatever shape), young people and children, who will hold us together by balancing the needs of younger congregation members with those of the older members A Priest-in-Charge who is prepared to promote and participate in the social life of the parishes A Priest-in-Charge who is prepared to strengthen and enhance links with local schools and community initiatives MIGHT THIS BE YOU..?

3 St Alban s Vision We want to encourage the spirituality of all our members, to bring them to know Jesus, to be confident in their faith and worship, to be prayerful and spiritual with a strong faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and for them to feel valued and yet challenged. We wish to be a Christian influence in the parish, welcoming people and being a welcoming place for the community, seeking to work with other churches in the neighbourhood, and to work with those outside our church family. In 2-5 years we would like to be: A mixed, outward looking congregation; A lively, growing church, in both numbers and spirituality; Accessible to the community; A place you want to go, with worship that is adventurous enough to meet the needs of a wide range of people, but that remains prayerful and spiritual and embracing all age groups.

4 The Parish St Alban s is a parish in excess of 14,000 inhabitants, situated to the east of the town centre of Dartford, Kent, in the Dartford deanery. Dartford Town Centre is currently at the centre of large renovation plans. The parish was originally formed when housing expanded to the outskirts of Dartford at the end of the Victorian era. The area around the church comprises mainly of Victorian Villas, small shops and businesses. To the edge of the Parish, is the Fleet Estate. This was built in the 1950s and 1960s, and has a community hall, library, primary school and parade of shops. Within the parish there are several schools: Dartford Primary Academy; Fleetdown (CP Infant and Junior) and the Leigh Academy. Although not a church school, we have particularly good links with Dartford Primary Academy located opposite the church. The Livingstone Hospital, originally a cottage hospital, is now used for rehabilitation.

5 The Church The church was built in 1880 and enlarged in The church hall was sold and is now owned by the Vietnamese Buddhist community, with whom we had links in the past and which we would like to re-establish. When the hall was sold, the church was reordered, and the pews were replaced with chairs and the altar was moved to the north side. This provides an adaptable multi-purpose worship area and hall space (which is available to the community to hire). The chancel area is maintained as a screened chapel area. There is also a meeting room and kitchen, vestry and separate office. We have disabled access facilities.

6 The Congregation Sadly, over the past 4 years, for various reasons, our congregation has been depleted. Our average congregation is now 24 adults and 1 under 16. Although we are an ageing congregation, we are a friendly and spiritual group, willing to work with a new incumbent to grow our numbers. The congregation is open to fresh ideas. We welcome new members, and ideally would like to have young families join us, as in the past. We are members of Inclusive Church ( and of OneBodyOneFaith ( Everyone is welcome, those looking for somewhere to worship, those asking questions about life and its meaning and those seeking faith. We are looking for leadership and vision.

7 Worship We are a Eucharistic-based church and we enjoy a wide range of liturgy. The Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday at which vestments are worn. Music is provided by both organ (once a month) and by accompanying music CD and a small music group. Churchmanship is moderate, neither overtly Anglo Catholic, nor Evangelical. Taking communion to the sick and house bound is an important part of our outreach ministry. We are committed to offer Healing Ministry. Encourage lay ministry developing their gifts and talents. Children are welcomed and encouraged to attend all services and we provide an area for children to sit and play quietly in the church. Services 10:00am Family Communion (worship suitable for children)

8 Parish Support We have one Reader with PTO, one licensed Reader and one retired Pastoral Assistant, one church warden / acting treasurer and PCC members who all support the parish with the help of volunteers from the congregation. We do not employ any paid assistance. Churchwarden & Treasurer Deborah Westerby Reader with PTO Olga Garner Reader Jan Martin Retired Pastoral Assistant Maureen Denney Safeguarding Officer Tracy Stewart Deanery Synod Representative Maureen Denney PCC Members Deborah Westerby Acting Chair Olga Garner Maureen Denney Jan Martin Ken Martin Corrine Lawson Joan Goodchild

9 The Vicarage The vicarage is situated about ½ a mile from the church and is a wellmaintained 4 bedroom detached house with gas central heating and double glazing. There are 3 reception rooms, a large separate study, kitchen, cloakroom, utility room, garage with drive for extra cars and a large, mature garden. The vicarage is currently being rented out by the Diocese. Property We own a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house on the Fleet Estate within the parish which is let at present, giving us valuable rental income.

10 Activities and Groups Past Activities Brownies and Guides (meet every Friday evening during term time) Knit & Natter (every other Saturday from 10am-11:30am) Coffee Morning (first Saturday of the month from 10am-11:30am) PCC/Staff/Fabric Meetings Food Bank Collection Lent course (where we join with St Edmund s and Temple Hill Baptist Church) A list of activities at St Albans which we hope to revive with the new Priest-in-Charge: Wednesday Lunches (twice a month - soup and a roll, cake, coffee and a chat) Wednesday Communion (before lunch) Wednesday Kids Club (monthly) Vicar s surgery (weekly on a Wednesday) House Groups/Bible Study/Book Club Past Events Successful 2015 Remembrance Day Service, well attended community service, we made the papers (twice). Popular Annual Christmas Craft Fair, 25 local craft stalls, entertainment, hot food, carol singing and Santa Claus. Tea for the Queen, MacMillan World s Biggest Coffee Morning, part of our regular Saturday Coffee Mornings.

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12 Dartford Dartford has two major buildings concerned with performance art. The Orchard Theatre, located in the town centre, is a fully professional theatre, providing audiences with a large range of drama, dance, music and entertainment. The Mick Jagger Centre (built in the grounds of Dartford Grammar School) in Shepherds Lane was completed in 2000 and provides facilities for community arts across a wide region. The local museum in Market Street is housed in the same building as the library. Central Park is a formal park in the town centre. It is used for various community events. It comprises 26 acres (110,000 m 2 ) of land. Dartford train station is a five minute walk from Dartford town centre. Trains run to Dartford from London Charing Cross, London Canon Street, Waterloo East, London Bridge and London Victoria. The North Kent Line also runs from Dartford to the Medway towns and the Kent coast. In 2007 Ebbsfleet train station was opened connecting Dartford to London St. Pancras and Stratford via a high speed train link significantly reducing journey times to London. It also connects Dartford to the continent via the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Fastrack buses provide fast reliable efficient transport across Kent Thameside. Fastrack is fast becoming the transport mode of choice for local journeys from new and existing developments around Dartford, Bluewater, Ebbsfleet and Gravesend. It links with the main Southeastern rail network at Dartford, Greenhithe (for Bluewater) and Gravesend as well as Ebbsfleet International.

13 Dartford Overview 2011 Census Data on DARTFORD In the 2011 census the population was 97,365 and is made up of approximately 51% females and 49% males. The average age is 38, while the median age is lower at % of people were born in England. Other top answers for country of birth include: 1.4% India, 0.9% Nigeria, 0.7% Scotland, 0.7% Ireland, 0.5% Sri Lanka, 0.5% Wales, 0.4% South Africa, 0.3% Philippines. 94.3% of people speak English. Other top languages spoken include: 1.1% Polish, 0.5% Panjabi, 0.4% Tamil, 0.3% Tagalog/Filipino. The religious make up is 60.6% Christian, 26.7% No religion, 1.6% Muslim, 1.6% Hindu, 1.6% Sikh, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.1% Jewish, 0.1% Agnostic. 6,391 people did not state a religion. 355 people identified as a Jedi Knight and 9 people said they believe in Heavy Metal. 46.0% of people are married, 13.1% cohabit with a member of the opposite sex, 0.7% live with a partner of the same sex, 24.8% are single and have never married or been in a registered same sex partnership, 8.5% are separated or divorced. There are 4,746 widowed people. Top occupations: Administrative and secretarial 14.7%, Professional 14.6%, Skilled trades 12.6%, Associate professional and technical 12.4%, Administrative 10.6%, Managers, directors and senior officials 10.3%, Elementary 10.0%, Sales/customer service 9.1%, Caring, leisure 8.9%, Elementary administration/ service 8.9%. In the Referendum on EU Membership, Dartford voted Leave 35,878 for, and Remain 19,985 for. Turnout was 75.5%.

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15 For further information please contact: Debbie Westerby Churchwarden and Treasurer Tel: Olga Garner Reader (with PTO) Tel: Jan Martin Reader Tel:

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