Profile: Parish of SS Philip and St Jacob with Emmanuel City Deanery Diocese of Bristol
Summary Pip n Jay church gathers in the centre of Bristol surrounded by businesses, central shopping, city-centre housing and student accommodation. We are an eclectic church seeking to build grace-filled communities where we are. Examples of this include young professionals gathering for pub quizzes or meals and central meetings for the student community, in addition to smaller fortnightly core groups for intentional discipleship. We are one of the oldest ecclesiastical meeting places still open in the city. Our building has seen much alteration over its 800-year history to meet the requirements of the particular vision being pursued, but since its time as a Priory outside the city wall in the 11 th century until now, it has always been a place that welcomes lost people, helping them follow Jesus in all of life. Our understanding of mission compels us to develop missional disciples ready to pursue God s kingdom where we are. A younger-than-average city, Bristol is the major urban centre of the South West. We long to reach the incredible number of people populating the city centre in education and work who have no personal relationship with Jesus. We are fascinated by those who articulate a longing to experience God s presence despite no previous church connection. We pray for and plan to reach these people with the life-giving gospel of Christ. Contents 1. Why are we here? 2. Where are we? 3. How did we get here? 4. Where are we going? 5. What s strong and what s possible? 6. What are we like? 7. How do we meet? 8. What are the details? 9. What is the accommodation? 10. How are we working with others? 11. Benefice summary 12. Who do you contact? We are praying for and plan to recruit an Ordained leader to join our core leadership team; to set an example, teach the Bible in a way we can connect with, train us in kingdom ministry and lead a planting team from 2018 into another part of the city centre. Will you help us? Email: admin@pipnjay.org 2
1. Why are we here? We live and work in the city of Bristol because God has placed us here to live our lives for his glory, as we turn from the idols of our hearts and worship Jesus as the one true God. Our confidence is not in our ability or history, but in the risen Lord Jesus who rules the universe. We understand that with the Holy Spirit s help, we can obey our Lord Jesus in whatever he calls us to do. We believe Jesus calls us to make disciples who make disciples. Our desire is to live life on mission with Jesus, growing disciples, growing churches. We choose to focus on this call and organise our lives around accomplishing it. 2. Where are we? Our church is made up of people scattered across the city, but we gather in the places where we live or work in addition to our central site. We use our building throughout the week, with a focus of Celebration on Sundays. We are an Anglican Church with a part to play within the diocese of Bristol, and as such we seek God for the good of the city. This city has a unique culture. It is; Culturally vibrant, dynamic and creative. Spiritually lost, yet frantically searching for spiritual experience Individualistic and isolated, yet craving community Demographically young compared to other major cities Increasing in average age over the next decade Historically mixed; formative events and figures include slavery, John Wesley, George Muller, and people trafficking Ecclesiastically mixed, with an increasing number of local churches coupled with an incredible number of para-church organisations We are engaging in all of the challenges and opportunities of a city centre site. We are surrounded by businesses and the parish encompasses a significant student population. Housing in the parish is in a regenerated community area in the city centre. The site is ten minutes walk from Temple Meads station and the Bus Station, five minutes from Cabot Circus and adjacent to Old Market. Bristol Sexual Health Clinic and the Ambulance station are across the road and the Fire Station is 200 metres away. People you might meet at Pip n Jay may or may not be employed. Examples include: retail assistants in Cabot Circus; a Consultant Paediatrician commuting to Cardiff; a Chemist commuting to London during the week married to a teacher in north Bristol; retired people converted in the 70s who have only known one church; and a number of people who have come to us Email: admin@pipnjay.org 3
through the Soup Run or the Life Recovery Group. You may also meet families or students or healthcare professionals. 3. How did we get here? Pip n Jay was a church graft in the 1960s led by Revd. Malcom Widdecome, the Curate from Trinity Church. It soon became known for a missional lifestyle, radical Christ-centeredness and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Over the years it became a massive giver of people and resources to world mission. Following the 47-year ministry of Canon Malcom Widdecombe and two years of interregnum, Revd. Tim Silk has been in post since Easter 2011. 4. Where are we going? A passion for Jesus mission is in Pip n Jay s DNA. We are people hungry for God s word and willing to follow him as his kingdom comes. We want to be who God designed us to be, and as we become more like Jesus, we are praying for and connecting people around us with him. We meet in homes, at work and at the Pip n Jay site to gather communities of people. These core communities are characterised by: hospitality as we welcome people we have been praying for: obedient living as we open the bible and put it into practice; the ministry of the Holy Spirit as we pray, worship and build people up with the gifts of the Spirit and encouragement as we cheer one another on and celebrate small steps of faith. Our central Celebrations remind us we are part of a family of growing disciples here at Pip n Jay, as well as part of a city-wide kingdom movement. We meet to celebrate God s coming kingdom as we worship together, engage in contemporary expository Bible teaching and minister to one another in prayer. We would like to increase what we do. We want to increase our capacity to send people and in particular, we want to send a planting team to another part of the city centre to disciple a new generation of people. We are committed to implementing the following: A structure for life around Connection, Community and Celebration Leading leaders through the creation of a core leadership team and entrusting ministry to community leaders. Realising the potential of our site through a significant reordering project. We are working closely with the DAC and are confident that work on the site is progressing well. Partnering with partners to participate together in a city-wide kingdom movement. Bristol and Beyond; we are committed to world mission; a significant part of our budget is given away to God s mission and we are generating missional disciples in Bristol who are deployable in other places. Our commitment to world mission begins where we are and overflows world-wide. We partner with missionaries in Willington, Lancaster, Malawi, South Africa, Abkhazia, Madagascar and Costa Rica. Email: admin@pipnjay.org 4
5. Where are our strengths and possibilities? God has done a deep work within people at Pip n Jay. Over the years people have responded to bible teaching about prayer, mission, and stewardship. The fruit of this can be seen in the commitment people have in seeking God for things beyond our control or influence. We have seen mission partners go and serve in other parts of the world, come back and testify to God s greatness and then demonstrate a life on mission. People are hungry for God in worship and word and expect God to move. In the past two decades God has brought the world to our doorstep. In the city centre we are surrounded by harvest. We have long-standing connections with those who lead other churches, para-church organizations and charities. Bristol is creative and full of life and longs to be a sanctuary for people in crisis. We believe we are wonderfully placed to play our part in witnessing to the gospel that transforms people and communities. In short, the city of Bristol wants what we have in Christ. The specific possibilities include the creation of communities within the workplace, among people in education, across families and with particular people groups in the city, e.g. rough sleepers. We currently have community core groups within youth, students and young professionals. We have a very strong community of 50 more mature members. We are working with homeless people through a Sunday lunch community that caters for around 100 people each week. Over the past three years local solicitor firms have gathered for a carol service at Pip n Jay. We recognize that planting disciple-making communities within unreached people groups is one of the most effective ways to reach people with the gospel. We would like to increase our capacity and send a planting team into another part of the city centre to make connections, build core community and gather to celebrate. 6. What are we like? We are a work in progress. We believe the God that scripture reveals is present with us and in him all things are possible. We are clear evangelical charismatics with a preference for and an emphasis on both. We pray for our profoundly broken city and realise that the current challenges to biblical marriage and sexuality need to be addressed faithfully and carefully. We delight in the finished work of the cross of Christ and long for his work to be finished in us. To this end, we encourage a life of repentance and faith. We are people of the Spirit so we encourage one another to be in the scriptures, to worship in all of life and to enjoy all the benefits of his passion. We are changing culture. Whilst we recognize we have been discipled by our experiences in relationships, both good and bad, we understand that Jesus calls us to be his disciples and that this involves changing our personal culture of thought, behavior, and relationships. This is happening; the Holy Spirit is helping us to choose Jesus over idols. We are working to cultivate a culture of Generous, Radical, Obedient, Worship (GROW). Email: admin@pipnjay.org 5
7. How do we meet? Given that we are the body of Christ, we are church wherever we meet. We encourage people to belong in community and to grow in core groups. We come together in big groups at our Sunday celebrations. The 10.30am Sunday Celebration engages families, including grandchildren, children, parents and grandparents. We love the fact that God puts the lonely into families. People don t have to be related but everyone is invited to put their trust in Jesus and join his family. Our structure follows a remixed morning prayer with sung worship, lively Bible teaching and a call to respond personally to what God is saying in the context of worship and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We enjoy an all age Holy Communion service once a month. The 6.30pm Sunday Celebration engages youth, students, young professionals, the young at heart and people who live in the city centre but not necessarily in a home. The preaching series is remixed for the evening, following the same bible passage. We are invited to respond to God s word in the context of worship and ministry of the Holy Spirit. We enjoy Holy Communion once a month. 8. What are the details? Finance 2012 2013 Total Income 329,727 328,263 Giving from Church 310,319 310,787 Income Generation 10,369 13,091 Operational income 9,339 4,385 Total Expenditure 323,987 312,197 Parish share 107,000 110,000 Church maintenance 2,738 2,483 Major repairs 19,583 16,342 Staff costs 56,045 59,576 Operational expenditure 27,308 27,017 Occasional Offices 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (to date) Baptisms 0 2 0 3 5 Marriages 2 3 0 0 1 Funerals (church) 1 2 0 0 0 Funerals (crem) 0 0 0 1 1 ER and USA 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (to date) Electoral role 219 241 231 208 207 Average weekly AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM AM PM attendance (adults) 165 96 179 90 173 76 139 78 129 90 Over the past 12 months we have had an average weekly attendance of 15 children aged 0 to 11 years and 20 children and young people aged 12 to 18 years. Email: admin@pipnjay.org 6
9. How are we working with others? We run an Intern Program with Hope Chapel and Christ Church Clifton; we have two interns based at Pip N Jay Church. Worship leaders also serve in St Luke s Barton Hill. Woodlands Church leads a Life Recovery Group based at Pip n Jay. Bristol Soup Run meets at the Pip n Jay site. We serve at the Matthew Tree Project and in a Sunday lunch community with homeless people. We are part of the City Deanery and our representatives have played a significant part in encouraging and leading growth. The initiative for an Associate Vicar has been considered in ongoing partnership with the Area Dean and the Deanery Leadership Team. Our hope is to continue to play our part in the Deanery. We are very much part of the Diocese of Bristol and we believe we are contributing to the diocesan strategy for growth as we lead missional growth in the city with the intention of church planting. The Associate Vicar post is therefore part of a diocesan project for church planting and the Diocese is generating external funding to support the first phase of this project. This will be monitored, evaluated and reported on at diocesan and national level. As a result, we are initially recruiting to a post that is fixed term for a period of four years held under Common Tenure. Funding following the first four years will be dependent on the outcomes of the first phase of the project but the hope and vision is for this to become a permanent post. 10. Benefice Summary SS Phillip and Jacob with Emmanuel is one benefice with two church wardens. PCC employs Tim Browne as Operations Manager, Tom Murray as Associate Minister and Andrew Stansbury as Ministry Assistant (until August 2014). Buildings: One church building and one vicarage Churchyard: 1 closed Parish population: The housed population of the Parish is about 800 people. The working parish is estimated to be 100 000 people within ten minutes walk of our site from Monday to Friday. Average weekly attendance in 2014: 129 (AM) and 90 (PM) Electoral roll: 207 Parish Share: 105,000 Resolutions passed: Resolution B Pastoral reorganisation planned or envisaged: No Email: admin@pipnjay.org 7
11. What is the accommodation? A very well appointed, two-story, apartment in the recently converted Merchant Venturers building next to College Green in the City Centre. With four bedrooms (1 en-suite) a family bathroom, large reception room and terrace, separate study and car space. It is a very desirable place to live. 12. Who do you contact? Revd. Tim Silk (Vicar) Mr Billy Burns (Churchwarden) Mr Jonathon Woolcock (Churchwarden) Opening hours: Tuesday - 1-5pm Thursday - 9-5pm Email: admin@pipnjay.org 8