Parish Profile 2015 Diocese of St Albans Page 1
From the Churchwardens. Thank you for taking time to investigate if you could be our next Vicar! We hope that this profile helps you to build an accurate picture of life at St Francis Church, Luton and that you might be excited by both the work that already goes on and the future that God has for us. This profile has been written by a number of lay people from the congregations who have responsibilities in different areas of church life and has been compiled by one of our readers. We recognise that a profile like this cannot describe every activity of the church, every interest or every concern, but we hope it paints a picture of a church that is looking towards the future and seeking to discern how best to communicate the gospel in word and deed to our local community and to our town. We are a friendly evangelical Anglican church situated in the east of Luton, although the parish boundaries also encompass some of rural Hertfordshire. St. Hugh s Church is a tin tabernacle building in the village of Cockernhoe and is a Chapel of Ease within the parish. There are no regular Sunday services there, but it is used by the village school once a month for an assembly, which is usually taken by the clergy. It also host a carol service every year and a BCP Communion service on Easter morning. Although we did not anticipate that we would be entering a period without a vicar again during our time as Churchwardens, we have a sense that God is preparing us both individually and corporately for what lies ahead. We pray that as you read this profile you would have a clear sense of whether God is calling you to lead us into church growth (both in terms of discipleship and evangelism) and to help us discern vision for the future. Sue Hunt and Brian Parsons Churchwardens Page 2
St Francis Parish Profile: Part One The Church and its People At St Francis we rejoice that we are: a welcoming Evangelical church a church that is bound together in many caring and supportive relationships people who want to move on in our own faith and discipleship prepared to consider new things a church that sends people out into other St Francis Church ministries New people are integrated into the congregations There is a good mix of ages and a strong core group with a great skill set. St Francis is the parish church; St Hugh s is a chapel of ease just over one mile away from the parish church. Sundays The 9.15am Parish Communion follows Common Worship Order One with hymns and some modern songs: robes are worn. The 11am service is less formal with songs led by a music group. At 11am there is a monthly Communion and the monthly All Age service is run by a lay team. The 11am Sunday Club, with a dedicated group of leaders, has recently been Inside view St Francis Church groups cover congregations ages meet 3 reorganised to match the school Key Stages: three to together 16. Both between 10.30am and 11am for refreshments as this helps to build relationships and cohesion. With three Readers and a fourth in training there is a high level of lay participation. Page 3 Worship Group
Church members read lessons and lead intercessions. There is a retired clergyperson who leads and preaches. There is a strong tradition of collaborative ministry and teaching and the leadership team is ready for the way forward. In the recent past we have been a training parish. On the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 3pm there is a short service at Mary Brash Court, a sheltered housing complex, which is usually lay led. Previous incumbents have offered communion there at intervals. Occasional Offices and other services In 2014 there were 2 Weddings and 5 baptisms. There were 24 funerals in 2014, 5 of them in church, shared between clergy and Readers. The annual memorial service for those we love but see no longer is attended by those for whom we have conducted funerals in the previous year as well as by Church members. Some families continue to return for many years after the initial bereavement. In 2014 110 people attended and most stayed for the refreshments afterwards. Pastoral care and outreach House Groups are central to the life of the Church, the backbone of pastoral care and teaching. A youth group meets weekly on Sunday evenings with Bible Study and social activities. The young people attend a Cyfa camp in the summer which members of the congregation help to lead. The Ladies Club, run by Church members but drawing most of its members from outside the Church, meets fortnightly on Wednesday afternoons. Church links and charities People from St Francis are involved with the Airport Chaplaincy (founded by a former incumbent,) Luton Town Centre Chaplaincy, Street Pastors, Luton Churches Education Trust and other local projects. We support a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators and Hands of Mercy a church and charity based in the Philippines. Each year the Harvest offering is donated to a charity and the gifts are donated to local Page 4
groups. We participate in Love in a Box. The Church supplies food to the Luton Foodbank. PHAB (Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied) a club for young people meets on Wednesday evenings in the Church hall. Brownies meet on Friday evenings in the Church hall and parade at All Age services. The Luton Deanery is divided into Partnerships; St Francis' is linked to two other parishes: St Thomas', and St Anne's with St Christopher's. The clergy meet regularly. The local clergy from Roman Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and URC/Methodist churches meet for lunch and discussion. The united Good Friday March of Witness is well established. There are long standing links with the Christian Communities across the town. St Hugh s and Cockernhoe St Hugh's Church in Cockernhoe is a "tin tabernacle" erected in 1904. One side of the church has been recently replaced and the pews that were at St Francis' were shortened and installed at St Hugh's. The church is used for a Carol Service the week before Christmas and for an 8am Book of Common Prayer Communion service on Easter Day. The churchyard at St Hugh's is open and is well cared for by a gardener paid by the civil parish council. St Hugh's Church Cockernhoe Cockernhoe Endowed Church of England Primary School with 100 plus pupils, is within the parish. The Incumbent is an ex-officio governor of the school and the PCC elects three governors. The school uses St Hugh s Church for monthly assemblies and has end of term services at St Francis Church. Members of the School Choir take part in St Hugh s Carol Service. St Hugh s church building is used once per month by a Christian youth group. The new Head Teacher for Cockernhoe School will begin after Easter 2015 and there is the opportunity to continue to develop the relationship between church and school. The PCC are responsible for any repairs to St Hugh s Church and desire to maintain a Christian presence in the village. Page 5
Social Committee We have an active social committee which organises a range of events. These have included a Christmas Dinner, Jacket Potato lunches with children s activities, quiz nights, a Maundy Thursday Agape supper and a fete. Christmas dinner The Needs of the Parish The events of the last two years have left the congregations and the leadership tired. We look forward to working with a new incumbent, restoring a more coordinated approach. We need to encourage attendance at the central prayer meeting and continue to develop house groups, including training new leaders. Both services have suffered most from the events of the last two years. There has been sudden shocking illness and death especially within the music group. Average attendance at the 9.15am in 2014 was 37, for the 11am 76 (55 adults and 21 children). There are ongoing proposals for extensive housing developments within the parish especially in the area of St Hugh s Church. Green spaces are diminishing as they infill with houses new shops on pub sites fewer community facilities. Page 6
What now are the main mission and ministry challenges of the Parish? 1. Spiritual renewal internal of the church family 2. Renewal of vision leading the church forward including nurturing and developing new leadership 3. Refocus and re-energise the 11am service 4. Cultural relevance: the Church needs to speak to the wider Parish how do we reach out? 5. Rebuild relations with the other schools in the parish 6. Enabling pastoral care and prayer especially within the house groups 7. Strengthen and develop relations with occasional worshippers 8. Continue to support existing and develop new initiatives with young people Our new parish priest We are seeking a mature and confident leader who: is fuelled by daily Bible reading and prayer is open to the Holy Spirit is a biblically faithful preacher will celebrate our diversity of worship styles will work with Readers and others in collaborative ministry can communicate God s word with confidence and in an inspiring way will have the skill to nurture and enhance community will see projects through will have a passion for church growth (in discipleship and evangelism Page 7
articulating, defining and driving vision for the future developing links with the community continuing to include all ages in worship and discipleship effective pastoral care developing spiritual gifts Vicarage and Church viewed from the drive Page 8
St Francis Parish Profile: Part Two The Church in its Location. The parish of St Francis' is on the eastern side of Luton, Bedfordshire; and whilst largely comprised of housing estates built in the last fifty years also reaches into rural Hertfordshire. The parish has an approximate population of 17,000 people. There is easy access to the M1 and A1, London Luton Airport is within the parish and two railway stations connect Luton to London in as little as 35 minutes. The bulk of the parish is residential with mixed housing stock, ranging from post-war prefabricated homes through to executive style detached houses and cottages, barn-conversions and farmhouses in the villages. There are two residential homes and an extent of sheltered housing in the parish Local industry suffered in recent years with the curtailing of production at Vauxhall Motors. The largest employer in the town is now the Airport. There is a community shopping precinct incorporating an ASDA superstore together with smaller shops, medical centre and leisure facilities. Additionally there is a well used Local Authority Community Centre and an active Sports and Social Club each with adjacent recreation grounds. There is a Girlguiding Bedfordshire Guiding Centre at Haverings. St Francis' celebrated its 50th birthday in 2010 and many of the houses in the immediate vicinity are of a similar vintage. A number of the original newcomers were Vauxhall workers and their families are now part of the high percentage of retired people in that area. The demographic of the parish is very mixed and in some parts of the parish unemployment, crime, drug use and lack of educational achievement are issues, but the majority of families seem 'comfortable' financially. There are six schools in the parish, including Ashcroft High School which has just finished a major building project. St Francis Parish Page 9
The Church Buildings St Francis' has been extended and improved over the years. The architect aimed at simplicity of design, saying he wanted the church to look like a church and not "a glorified drawing room". The church benefits from a good size hall and various meeting rooms, a car park and a garden that is a great place for church BBQs and events. The hall is used by several community groups during the week including a Pre-School which meets on five half-days during term-time. The Vicarage The vicarage was built in 1959, at the same time as the church, for the curate-incharge to live in. In 1977, when St Francis' became a parish, the house was brought up to the correct standard for a vicarage including the addition of another bedroom and an extension to the living room. There are four bedrooms, a bathroom with separate WC upstairs, and a kitchen, utility room, dining room, living room, study and cloakroom downstairs. The study connects with the Church office/vestry. There is ample parking on the drive as well as a garage. The Diocese of St Albans A Message from the Bishop and Details of the Diocese are included in this pack Finance The Parish Administrator works four mornings a week and is paid by the PCC. Many of our members give very generously through Stewardship and Gift Aid This has enabled us to pay our Diocesan quota in full, to reimburse clergy working expenses, to pay for the maintenance of the buildings and to donate 10% of our income to various charities. The regular and occasional rents we receive for letting the church hall cover the running costs. The PCC owns the Curate's house, 15 Lancing Road, Luton, which is in good condition. It is currently let. A copy of the accounts is included in this pack We are a registered charity number 1136430. Page 10