Oakridge United Church

Transcription

1 BC 400 MPSR Page 1 of 14 January 2014 THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA L EGLISE UNIE DU CANADA BC CONFERENCE Ministry Profile and Search Report (BC 400 MPSR) for Oakridge United Church Vancouver South Presbytery British Columbia Conference February 7, W. 41 st Avenue, Permanent 1296 W. 67 th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Temporary Recommendation: That the congregation of Oakridge United Church request that BC Conference declare a vacancy for a full-time minister to start July 1, Report prepared by the Ministry Profile and Search Committee: Moyra Dhaliwal, Cheryl Entwistle, Roy Stark, Dave Autin, Ken Fesenmaier and Cheryl Hutchcroft Supporting Documents follow: 1. Demographic, Financial and Community Profile 2. Ministry and Mission Profile 3. Ministry Position Description

2 BC 400 MPSR Page 2 of 14 January 2014 THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA L EGLISE UNIE DU CANADA BC CONFERENCE Demographic, Financial, and Community Profile PART A: ABOUT OUR PEOPLE: Number of congregations: 1 Oakridge United Church (Name of Congregation) ( # on roll) (Avg. Sunday attendance) We think of ourselves mainly as: Urban Most of us live in single-family homes. The rest of us live: Our congregation includes In apartments; in retirement homes; in long-term care homes; in a group home. Infants and pre-school 1 Children (5-12) 2 Teens (13-19) 2 Young adults (20-30) 3 Adults - (35-50) 7 Adults- (51+) Young retirees (51-64) 3 Older Retirees (65-70) 6 Seniors (over 70) 43 Most of us: Moved here to be close to family or other resources Many of us work (or used to work) in the following industries or sectors: Health or social services; Education; Transportation; Agriculture and food production; Tourism/Hospitality; Retail; Environment; Mining/Forestry; Information Technology; Government; Music, Telecommunications, Office Work, Automotive, Banking, Personnel and Legal Our congregation is like: A big family where we all know each other. Our heritage as a local ministry unit: Has its roots as a Presbyterian/Methodist congregation prior to Union in We think of our local ministry unit as in the following way: Our congregation is changing and it is clear that we can no longer continue as we have been. We have some anxiety and either have a rough idea or don t know how to go forward. We believe that we have a future but can t quite see it. We have a present vision statement that we are prepared to build on. PART B: ABOUT OUR TANGIBLE ASSETS Governance structure: How many people are on your Governing Body? 10 How many are typically present at a meeting of your Governing Body? 8 Our Church Building(s): We don t have a permanent church building at this moment. However, we are currently worshipping in the building owned by Marpole United Church and renting the space. Our previous building is being demolished and will be rebuilt within the next couple of years with a church space on the ground floor and condominiums above. The funding to build our new space is available and currently invested.

3 BC 400 MPSR Page 3 of 14 January 2014 Our current church building is mostly: Doing pretty well given that it has served the Marpole United Church congregation for many years. Some repairs may need to be done, but we would not be responsible for those expenses. Sanctuary holds 176 people Are there meeting rooms? What are they used for? Yes Committee Meetings; choir; council meetings; coffee drop-in; other tenants for rental. Is there a nursery? No Are there Sunday Schools rooms? Yes How many? 3 Are they also multipurpose use? Yes Are there activity rooms? Yes Brief descriptions: (a) Library/Sunday School room/chapel; (b) kitchen; (c) room with a piano; (d) coffee/gathering room. Where is the office located for the minister? On the main floor behind the sanctuary. Describe it: Small with a window and good light and high-speed internet. Is the building used by outside groups as well as ministry activities? Brief descriptions: (a) Bilingual Montessori School (5 days a week plus occasional special events); (b) Girl Guides of Canada (Wednesday evenings); (c) Vancouver Singers (Monday evenings August - May); (d) Chinese Christian Congregation (Sunday afternoon and 1 st three Fridays of each month for Bible study); (e) Marpole United Church congregation (Sunday, 2 nd service); (f) occasional use for memorials, funerals, weddings, concert recitals and operas. Is there a photocopier in the church? Is internet provided at the church? Yes Yes, High Speed Is the church accessible (including for those with disabilities)? Tell us how: There is a ramp leading from the parking lot to the main floor/sanctuary. Basement is accessible at ground level. There is no elevator from the basement to the main floor. Our new building will be all at ground level except for the parking lot and there will be elevator access from the parking lot to the main level. Administrative Support: Yes Yes Is there support for administrative tasks (e.g. bulletin, scheduling, reception)? If yes, how many hours per week? _8_ to a paid employee. Yes

4 BC 400 MPSR Page 4 of 14 January 2014 Ministry and Personnel Committee: How many members? 2 How often does the committee meet? _quarterly_ Has one or more of the committee members attended a M&P Committee Training event in the last three years? No Who takes the service when your minister is away on holidays or study leave? Paid substitute ministers and theology students. We also have a member who is currently taking the United Church of Canada Licensed Lay Worship Leader program and substitutes from time to time or takes a service as part of her studies. We also have some lay members who assist in facilitating Sunday service through hymn sings and the like. PART C: ABOUT OUR FINANCES The word or phrase that best describes our current financial situation is: Not meeting expenses and relying on bequests and reserves to supplement operating budget. Our current reserves are quite abundant due to recent receipt of sale proceeds from the developer of our new church building. These funds are currently invested in a United Church investment fund. Our Revenue Sources are: Congregational givings 19% Rental of building/services 0% Our Financial Reserves: Congregational Fundraising Activities 0% Bequests/Reserves/Investments 81% We have sufficient reserves in the bank that we could cover three months of expenses if we had an emergency. Our Financial Accountability: Our financial statements are reviewed and reported to Council monthly and to congregation annually at AGM. Our financial statements from the last three years are available upon request.

5 BC 400 MPSR Page 5 of 14 January 2014 Our Statistics from the last five years of submissions to the United Church of Canada show: Line # in the Yearbook Current year 2017 One year ago 2016 Two years ago 2015 Three years ago 2014 Four years ago 2013 # attending Sunday worship # of regular givers $ expended for pastoral charge operations C-40 Not available yet $181,571 $165,812 $191,994 $191,102 # households under pastoral care PART D: ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY We are currently renting space at Marpole United Church at 1290 W. 67 th Avenue in Vancouver. The site is not geographically linked to our longstanding, past church community located at 305 West 41 st Avenue, Vancouver. In 2-3 years time, we will return to our previous location and community, which is in a busy location near the Oakridge Shopping Centre. The new church space, owned by the church, will comprise 6000 square feet on the ground floor of a sixstory condominium building containing 43 residential strata-title condos. The Oakridge area has undergone, and is still undergoing, redevelopment, changing from single-family homes to more condominium developments, especially along 41 st Avenue and the Cambie Street corridor. The area is fairly affluent and home prices and rental costs have increased in the last few years. Many residents will be living in and bringing up families in condominiums. There will be a shortage of space for condo dwellers to gather and a need for children s and young people s activities. Our congregation sees the move back to the 41 st Avenue site as an opportunity to link with a new church community, which will be different from our present and past community. Many people in our congregation want to preserve and enhance a Christian presence in the new Oakridge Community. We need to build a Pastoral Charge which has a clear vision for our future. While we want to preserve some of the traditional forms of worship, we recognize a need to embrace the needs of a newer, urban community of condo dwellers. Though we are a small congregation, we are good at change and we are resilient. As committed Christians, we would like to share our faith and mission in new ways with an emerging community. There is no present amalgamation plan between Oakridge United and any other congregation; however, we remain open minded about such a possibility. In our current space we have the following: Adequate parking; good accessibility; feels like a family; have another United Church congregation to work with; good music leader/pianist. The community

6 BC 400 MPSR Page 6 of 14 January 2014 around the church is predominantly Asian families. The homes are newer and larger and the property values are steep. There is an elementary school two blocks away and a secondary school is about 12 blocks away. We are very close to Oak Street in Vancouver, which is a major thoroughfare through to the suburb of Richmond, which is predominately inhabited by people of Asian descent. This street also leads on to Highway 99 which extends to the Canada/US border. We are also close to Granville Street which leads directly to the Vancouver International Airport to the south and to downtown Vancouver to the north. Granville Street offers shops and services for our immediate community. There is also the Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre nearby. Once our new church building is completed, we will have the following amenities: covered parking; new development around us with new people to potentially reach; near good bus and rapid transit routes. As the community is densifying, we are hoping that means more opportunities for outreach to new people wanting to attend our church and utilize the services we hope to offer. The three economic, demographic or political challenges or characteristics facing our area are: Economic: Meeting our expenses from the current givings of our current congregation as we have a predominately aged membership who are slowly leaving the church due to illness, inability to get to church or out of their homes, are in care homes, and other such situations. Young families and congregants moving away due to extremely high cost of housing. The cost of the average home in our community is approximately $2-3 million and this is not affordable for many families. As the house prices are steeper, so too are the rents in the neighbourhood as well. Demographic: We are located within a community of homes that are primarily occupied by non-christian families. Not many people in our community go to church or, if they do, they do not belong to the same denomination. We are wanting to reach more young people in the community and to provide children s, youth and young adult programs for them. Political: none Some websites that offer detailed information about our community are: Oakridge United Church Marpole Oakridge Community Centre The United Church of Canada united-church.ca B.C. Conference of the United Church Vancouver South Presbytery www3.telus.net/vansouthpresbytery/ Vancouver Burrard Presbytery First United Church Mission firstunited.ca Vancouver Youth and Young Adult Ministries yayaen.org Other faith communities represented in our community are: Current: Vancouver St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church of BC - across the alley; Anglican church nearby; Sikh temple nearby; Montcalm Catholic Church nearby Future: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints across the street; Oakridge Lutheran Church 2 blocks away on W. 41 st Ave; Wilson Heights United Church on E. 41 st Ave & Argyle; Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church at W. 33 rd Ave & Cambie St.; Oakridge Baptist Church on Cambie Street; We have close ties with the following faith communities: Marpole United Church; Wilson Heights United Church; First United Church (a special ministry on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver that serves the very poor and/or homeless)

7 BC 400 MPSR Page 7 of 14 January 2014 Ministry and Mission Profile Website Address of Local Ministry Unit: Brief Description of Local Ministry: see below Our Worship Style: see below Vision and Mission Statement: Vision: We are a nurtured and nurturing community centered on God and the teachings of Christ. We are committed to use the opportunities offered by redevelopment to continue our journey of faith. We will endeavour to accomplish this by using traditional and new forms of worship, continuing to be involved with issues of social justice, continuing with community outreach activities, providing support for families and individuals, offering opportunities for leadership, and deepening spiritual growth. Through this faith-driven endowment, we will create a legacy for the future. Mission: Believing that we are not alone, we strive to bring all people into communion with each other and with God. We will provide opportunities to grow in faith, foster hope, and explore and cherish love in the name of Jesus Christ. Category Title This is who we are as a Local Ministry Unit: We are currently doing the following in community outreach and social justice: Mission & Service Fund support; poverty - First United Church donations of food, clothing, toiletries. Community Outreach and Social Justice We have a specific goal related to community outreach and social justice as follows: 1. Mission & Service continuing to support this financially though our givings, the goal of which we set each year at our AGM and to be able to raise that financial goal and give more through holding fundraising events or supporting such events; 2. First United Church support continuing to provide non-perishible food, clothing, toiletries and other items as requested by First United on a monthly basis and participate in such other initiatives that benefit First United that are offered from time to time; 3. Senior advocacy We want to nurture the seniors, who are an important part of our church community, by increasing the visits by our minister and lay members to those who are in hospital, nursing homes or who are unable to attend church services.

8 BC 400 MPSR Page 8 of 14 January 2014 Church Community and Neighbourhood We are currently doing the following in the church community and neighbourhood: Coffee time; Learning Circle (Bible study); choir. We have a specific goal related to the church community and neighbourhood as follows: To continue to provide and advance the current opportunities for learning, music and socialization. Faith Formation and Christian Education We are currently doing the following in faith formation and Christian education: Bible study (Learning Circle); children s story time; supporting one of our members in the United Church LLWL program; coffee social time. We do not have a specific goal related to faith formation and Christian education. Leadership We are currently doing the following in Leadership: Supporting our current minister and our lay student in their respective courses. We have a specific goal related to Leadership as follows: Continue support of our LLWL candidate to the completion of the course in June We need to develop lay leadership in the areas of administration, computer skills and human resources. This is challenging due to the size and average age of our congregation. Many members have taken on several roles and we are stretched to capacity. We need to find more systematic ways of visiting people and following up with them through newsletters or by phone.

9 BC 400 MPSR Page 9 of 14 January 2014 Pastoral Care We are currently doing the following in pastoral care: The minister and sometimes others visit members and adherents in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement facilities, and personal homes. We have given our current minister a goal to increase the frequency of these visits. Greeting cards are sent for special occasions, get well wishes, phone calls, etc. We have a specific goal related to pastoral care as follows: Helping with addicted and mental-health-affected people at a local soup kitchen at the South Vancouver Mental Health and Addictions Centre and to tailor our pastoral care to the specific needs of the people. Spirituality and Self-Care within your Local Ministry Unit We are currently doing the following in Spirituality and Self Care: We offer prayer concerns in our bulletin and at the beginning of the service. Passing of the Peace; providing the scriptures for the following week so that people can read them and prepare for the next worship service.; individual blessings offered by the minister at time of Communion; sending minister on courses for further learning; supporting minister through various medical issues. We have a specific goal related to Spirituality and Self Care as follows: To have phone calls made to those members unable to come to church. We want to keep a connection with them. Worship We are currently doing the following in Worship: Singing; prayer, scripture readings; preludes and postludes; passing the peace; prayers for the people; contemporary and shorter sermons; having students provide sermons and other offerings; different people reading the scriptures; large print bulletins and use of overhead; choir introit and anthem We do not have a specific goal related to Worship.

10 BC 400 MPSR Page 10 of 14 January 2014 Ministry Position Description Closing Date: April 6, 2018 Position Title: Minister Position Profile: Full-time Part-time If Part-time, hours/week Solo Position Summary: Team ministry (# of other Ministry Personnel): We are seeking a dynamic, qualified United Church minister to lead our congregation on a full-time basis. We need someone with vision and energy to lead us now and into the future. The modes of worship we would require include traditional and modern. Accountable to: This position is accountable to the governing body of the local ministry unit, through the Ministry and Personnel Committee. This position is accountable to BC Conference for oversight and discipline. This position has a relationship of support and collegiality with the members of their presbytery. Administration: The Ministry personnel have responsibilities to: a) know the United Church of Canada policies, including the organization and governance of the United Church, and to know the administrative responsibilities of their position; b) ensure that all documents they are responsible for, including marriage, baptismal and funeral records are completed and safely stored; c) ensure that accurate administrative records are kept in accordance with United Church of Canada policies and to encourage and help the congregation with this task, including the proper maintenance of administrative and historical documents; and d) complete, in a timely way, all tasks which are their responsibility and to delegate those tasks when needed or appropriate. The congregation generally employs one administrative assistant on a casual basis, for 4 hours on each of two days. The assistant answers the phone and responds to s, assists in the preparation of the Order of Service bulletin and announcements for Sundays, including preparation of a Power Point presentation. In addition, the assistant maintains electronic and paper files, carrying out routine reporting and filing. We are looking to hire a new administrative assistant imminently as this position is currently vacant.

11 BC 400 MPSR Page 11 of 14 January 2014 Community Outreach and Social Justice: Ministry personnel have a responsibility to: a) engage people with a vision of the gospel which is aware of others needs and is responsive to those needs so as to help support us in our stewardship and outreach ministries; b) encourage and support programs that will focus on the pursuit of social justice and outreach programs as this is part of our goals to better serve our community; c) encourage support for the United Church Mission and Service Fund as we wish to work towards supporting Mission and Service more than we currently do; d) teach others about United Church outreach projects and activities so as to help us to achieve our goals of better outreach in our community; e) assist people in learning about the United Church of Canada policies concerning social justice issues as this is important to the members of our church; f) help lay persons to take a leadership role concerning social justice and outreach programs so that these programs can be maintained with minimal overseeing by ministry personnel; and g) encourage support for the programs and needs of First United Church in the downtown eastside of Vancouver. Our congregation has been supporting this ministry for many years and it is important to us that this be continued. Continuing Education: Pursues personal, vocational and professional goals for continuing education in conjunction with the M&P Committee. Supports and encourages congregants to pursue similar goals. Church Community and Neighbourhood: PART 1 Ministry personnel have a responsibility to: a) honour the organization, governance and policies of the United Church of Canada; b) participate in the courts of the church as set out in The Manual of the United Church of Canada (council, presbytery, B.C. Conference and General Council); c) respond in appropriate ways to needs beyond the ministry in which they serve; d) participate in ecumenical and multi-faith activities, where possible and appropriate; e) maintain an active connection with the wider church; and f) represent the United Church in the larger community. PART 2 Ministry personnel shall attend appropriate meetings and be actively engaged in the life of Presbytery and B.C. Conference and have community partnerships that are appropriate to the outreach programs we have or will develop. Currently this includes work with First United Church. We are working towards becoming involved in other outreach programs.

12 BC 400 MPSR Page 12 of 14 January 2014 Faith Formation and Christian Education: Ministry personnel have a responsibility to: a) learn about the people and congregation whom they serve through visitation and meetings with congregants; b) serve as advisers and spiritual resource persons by sharing stories of faith, both formally and informally, and to draw on their life experience, education and knowledge during worship or meetings; c) relate the message of the gospel in their preaching and teaching to the modern, everyday experience of people; d) communicate the theology, history and traditions of the United Church of Canada; e) lead a weekly Learning Group (i.e. Bible study) of the congregation; and f) mentor any students of the Licensed Lay Worship Leader program who are sponsored by the congregation. Leadership: Ministry personnel have the responsibility to: a) encourage people to take on leadership roles; b) employ such means as communication, cooperation, collaboration, consultation and wise and appropriate authority for effective leadership; c) identify and address conflict in appropriate ways; d) as leader, have a highly personable approach to leadership, building relationships and consensus and delegate and share leadership appropriately; e) not be afraid to take risks, try new things and learn through both successes and mistakes; f) employ self-management strategies to stay grounded; g) have a sound understanding of aging; h) have skills in using change management to assist our members to transfer to a new environment; and i) support us to deal with cultural diversity and identify ways to deal with unique neighbourhoods. Pastoral Care: We feel that this includes the following activities: a) counselling people in times of crisis and change; and b) offering a supportive presence. As providers of care, ministry personnel: a) are sensitive to the situations and needs of those to whom they offer pastoral care and recognize the unique dynamics of the pastoral relationship; b) encourage and facilitate a process to ensure pastoral care occurs on a regular basis; c) provide pastoral care to church members, adherents and community members who seek it; d) provide a supportive presence for and are accessible to people in times of change and crisis.

13 BC 400 MPSR Page 13 of 14 January 2014 Self Care: Ministry personnel are responsible for maintaining a healthy balance of their own lives. Accordingly, they shall set goals for ongoing self-care by maintaining a healthy balance of their own physical, emotional and spiritual well-being to include rest, recreation and professional development. They will collaborate with the M&P Committee to meet their goals. Worship: We need ministry personnel who can facilitate our congregation s worshipful experiences. In order to do this, they should have the following skills and attributes: a) a sound grounding in the Bible; b) preaching the Word of God; c) administering the sacraments; d) a good command of the English language, both verbal and written; e) a good pulpit presence; f) ability to lead in spiritual direction; g) ability to lead in the sacraments of baptism, holy communion and conduct weddings and funerals; h) be aware of the wider community and be knowledgeable in world affairs so as to direct the congregation towards social justice issues, which concern us all as a priesthood of all believers; i) be able to engage all age groups; and j) be able to employ a variety of worship methods and music. Other Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: We would like our ministry personnel to have the following skills and/or abilities: a) be an Ordained, Commissioned or Recognized minister of the United Church; b) deliver sermons in everyday language; c) be technologically savvy; d) have a valid driver s license with access to a vehicle; e) ability and experience to use a vision to increase a church membership; and f) communicate details of chosen music to the pianist and choir. Other Preferred Assets: a) ability to speak and/or understand a language other than English. Ideal other languages include, but are not limited to, Mandarin, Cantonese and Punjabi; b) credentials for counselling or special skills in addiction, mental health, palliative/end-oflife and children s issues; and c) musical/singing skills, with the ability to play an instrument if possible. Terms of Employment: The United Church Manual, The United Church Employment Guidelines, the original Call/Appointment Form, and any relevant Provincial Legislation shall be used as terms of employment for this position. Increments of salary and benefits, consistent with national United Church schedules, are to be determined by the Council, in consultation with the minister and the M&P Committee.

14 BC 400 MPSR Page 14 of 14 January 2014 The following table outlines what the ideal work week would look like in terms of hours spent per week: Aspect of Work Number of Hours Worship planning, preparation and delivery 14 Administration and committee meetings 4 Pastoral Care 10 Christian Education 8 Community, presbytery, and Conference ministry TOTAL HOURS: 40 4 The following table outlines what the current minister s estimate of an ideal week at Oakridge United is in terms of percentage of time spent: Aspect of Work Percentage of Time Administration 8-10% Community Outreach & Social Justice 5% Continuing Education (ongoing education for 8% Minister) Faith formation & Christian Education 10% Pastoral Care 25% Leadership - Self Care 5% Worship plan, prepare & deliver 35%