The Church in the Park

The Church in the Park Profile written by Toby Crowe, 27th July 2014 Photographs by Rob Anderton, Emma Crowe and Richard Huss Thanks to Emma, Anne, Cheryl and Richard for suggestions. www.elmdonchurch.org www.facebook.com/elmdonchurch 20

General Information Parish Elmdon, St Nicholas Diocese Birmingham Deanery Solihull Internet www.elmdonchurch.org www.facebook.com/elmdonchurch @elmdonchurch Incumbent Revd Toby Crowe Elmdon Rectory 86 Tanhouse Farm Road Solihull B92 9EY (0121-743 6336) rector@elmdonchurch.org Age 43 Date of ordination 2009 Length of time in Elmdon Two years, 3 months It might also be that, in the second year of a curacy, you would take lead responsibility for the congregations in the halls (not the leading and preaching, which you and I would share, but the planning and envisioning that s needed). Then, in the third year, you could take on that same role for the parish church while I focused on the midweek work in the centres. However we ultimately arranged things, it would be the result of discussion, reflection and prayer. If you came to Elmdon, I promise that you would get an excellent grounding in parish work. You would be supported, supervised and encouraged. You d become part of a loving community of Christian people. Most of all you d be part of a team, in the service of God. I look forward to talking some more! Accommodation Details of accommodation are to be finalised, pending discussion with you. But it would be important to us that you have somewhere that works well for you and for any family you bring. If you don t know our area, we would be happy to advise on local schools, transport, shops and other facilities. As relative newcomers ourselves, we can vouch for the fact that Elmdon, and Solihull, are fantastic places to live and minister. Come and have a look! Nature of the post This would be a good training post for a deacon who expects to be ordained priest. The PCC has passed no resolutions under the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure. 2 For more information or to arrange a meeting and tour, please contact me on 0121-743 6336 or email rector@elmdonchurch.org 19

The curate s role We would build the role around you: the gifts that you already have and the skills in which you need to develop. Clearly much of your first year would be spent on the basics (which, in truth, are anything but): making sure you and any family you brought were well-settled and happy, and knew your way around; us getting to know you and you us; taking funerals and playing a part in weddings and baptisms; leading services and preaching; involvement in regular events (such as Easter Kidz). You would be fully supported and mentored in all of these things. But I would also want your time with us to be as rich and varied as possible so that when you left us, perhaps to take up an incumbency of your own, you would be confident in your own theology and practice and have picked up some good ideas along the way about how to help an ordinary parish church move into growth. So I would urge you to expand your portfolio as soon as you re ready and, again, you would find yourself fully supported as you spread your wings for the Lord. Areas of responsibility You would experience every area of the church s life during your time here; but there are areas for which you might develop a particular responsibility, perhaps including one of the following: the development of our home group system; the men s group; music; work with children or young people; a healing ministry; building links with users of the park; or something else entirely, which we might not even have thought of but which you ll help us to identify. 18 Introduction Hello, and welcome to a short profile of our wonderful church and parish! I m really pleased that you re considering starting your ordained ministry with us, and I pray that you will be excited by the things that are happening here. Will we work and learn well together, you and I? Is this the place that God wants you to minister in next? The The Rector hard at work journey starts now: let s find out. at the Easter Kidz crafts All blessings from Toby on Good Friday. About Toby Crowe, Rector of Elmdon Originally a primary school teacher, I worked in south London schools for eight years, finishing up in a management position. From 2005 I worked for two years as a parish assistant on an outer London UPA estate. I then went to Ridley Hall, before serving my curacy in Wembley in a church with English, Tamil and Urdu-speaking congregations. I moved to Solihull in 2012. I am married to Emma and we have two children: James (5) and Amelia (3). As well as my parish work, I am also a day-chaplain at Birmingham Cathedral, a member of the Diocesan school admissions panel, a member of the Clergy Conference 2016 planning committee, a school governor, a member of the Elmdon & Silhill Partnership Forum, and chair of the Friends of Elmdon Park 3

The Parish of Elmdon The role of training The parish of Elmdon is situated in the borough of Solihull, between the town centre and the Coventry Road, with Birmingham Airport to Our church is growing and we the north east (we have part of the runway and the original terminal pray buildings within our boundaries). especially amongst families for more growth, and young people: first in The National Exhibition Centre, and the large development site numbers, then in discipleship around it, is ten minutes away up the Coventry Road, though outside and the likeness of Christ. At the parish. HS2 will pass nearby and the Birmingham Interchange is present we only pay 60% of planned to be situated just the other side of the M42. our costs to the diocese. We want this to increase. Confirmation candidates, 2014 The parish itself is divided in two by the Jaguar Land Rover plant and We also believe that we can be a useful resource for other local Elmdon Park, a Green Flag public park with a rich history. churches. We re currently supporting two parishes in vacancy, one The parish church is in the middle of the park, pretty much in the of them through the provision of service leaders and preachers twice geographical centre of the parish. Because of the physical division of a month. the parish, there are two very distinct residential areas, one in the north (the Valley side) and one in the south (the Damsonwood side). Each has its own schools and facilities, and neither is especially close to the Greater Birmingham, showing Elmdon 4 main church building. A curate would find in Elmdon a sound foundation for his or her future ministry and reflection: planning and leading services, occasional offices, pastoral work, parish administration. But she or he would also have the opportunity to join a growing community at the point when growth is still fairly new, to be part of it and to shape it - coming here not just to learn; but also to teach us, to be a fresh pair of eyes, and to share the adventure. You would need to be committed to theological and pastoral reflection. In return I would make supporting your ministry my first priority. I would give you whatever time you needed and whatever modes of supervision worked best for you, helping you to flourish in the calling and ministry that God has given you. 17

Vision and priorities Airport In the parish profile, prepared in 2012 for prospective incumbents, church members spoke of their strong feeling that God has a plan for Elmdon. We spent several months after I arrived trying to discern what this plan might look like in practice. The result was a clear understanding that we are God s people with a purpose; and God s purpose for Elmdon is revival. The strategy which flows from this, and which the PCC shares, is: The parish church To focus on the parish church as the home of parish life - raising its profile (eg. we now have a Facebook page), giving people a reason to come through its doors, and making them welcome when they do. Jaguar Land Rover To make the parish church more welcoming for children, families and newcomers, thereby encouraging them to come and feel at home here. 16 To start up a midweek provision for local children, young people and their carers by launching a service aimed especially at them. (This is still awaiting development). To begin a midweek ministry in the 2 church halls, drawing new people into them and then into the life of the parish church. There are nearly 9000 people in the parish and the housing, almost all of which was built from the 1940s onwards, is typically owneroccupied and semi-detached. Some streets do, however, appear on the multiple deprivation indices, while others have more expensive detached housing. Although house prices are above average for the West Midlands, they are cheaper than in most of Solihull. While it s not uncommon to find older residents who came here when the houses were new, there 5

is also an increasing influx of new people who are on their way up the property ladder. This means that, while the area still has quite a settled feel (we have a higher than average proportion of people over the age of 65), there is also an increasing sense of change as new people move in (we also have a higher than average proportion of children). Elmdon has traditionally been solidly English but many of the newer residents have family backgrounds on the Indian subcontinent, a demographic shift which is likely to continue. Amongst people of working age, some have professional occupations; most common, however, are skilled tradespeople, people working in retail and manufacturing, and office workers. The major local employer is Jaguar Land Rover. Although threatened with closure just a few years ago, the plant is now expanding its output rapidly, with hundreds of new jobs being created. also held a Community Service, attended by the mayor, local councillors, headteachers and police. This is an opportunity for key members of our community to come together and share things of interest to Elmdon. We are a member of the local ecumenical group, Hatchford Brook Churches Together. This involves three Anglican churches, one Methodist, two Pentecostal and one URC. There are monthly prayer meetings for local ministers and joint services during the year. We also have an informal link with Central Solihull Churches Together, and I attend their ministers prayer lunches. Two other local incumbents and I are currently discussing ways in which we can work together to spread the gospel across our area. Besides the car plant and airport, the other main institutions in our parish are the schools (three, including one newly-amalgamated and very large), Solihull Moors Football Club (a semi-professional side which plays in the Northern Conference), a recently-opened branch of Morrisons and a sheltered housing complex (where we conduct a monthly service). There are two pubs, a vet and a number of smaller shops and businesses, but no doctors surgeries. We also have a couple of farms and a swathe of green belt land, though this has already started to come under pressure for in-fill development. But for now, at least, our parish could fairly be described as a semi-rural, industrial, suburban parish with pockets of wealth and deprivation! 6 Groups There is a long-standing prayer group and a fortnightly Bible study group. We run a Christian basics course twice a year: currently The Y Course, though we re open to changing this (Alpha and Christianity Explored have also been used in the past). It would be good to draw more church members into discipleship groups, and this is something which a new team member might help us develop. There are also fellowship groups meeting monthly at both Valley Centre and St Stephen s, and a weekly craft group at the Valley Centre. 15

Social The Church Besides the harvest supper, mentioned above, there s a men s group which could usefully be developed further. On Easter Monday there s an Emmaus walk of seven miles (hence the name), but in a different location every year. There s a Christmas party and summer BBQ at the Rectory. We have occasional concerts. A new thing is the Elmdon Open, a morning of golf played every few months. Elmdon Fun Day Community links For many years the church has run Sunday Teas, keeping the church open on Sunday afternoons during the summer months and serving refreshments and home-made cakes. More recently this has been complemented by Winter Warmers during the colder season. These both tie in to the Prayer Cafe, mentioned above. We also try to keep the church building open on a Saturday afternoon and, in 2014 for the first time, we ve kept it open on some weekdays during the summer holiday. Another long-standing parish tradition is the provision of summer holiday clubs for local children. The format of these has been quite traditional, and is likely to change in the next couple of years. We run a parent and toddler group at St Stephen s, in collaboration with Barnardos. We collect food for the Solihull food bank. In June this year we re-launched our annual fete as a community fun day. For the last couple of years, on that same weekend, we ve 14 The parish is served by the parish church, formally known as St Nicholas but which we usually refer to as Elmdon Church, the Church in the Park. Built in 1780, but extended in 1972-73, this is situated in the middle of Elmdon Park, some distance away from all but a small number of residents. As the area was developed in the 1960s, two halls were also put up elsewhere: Valley Centre, on the Valley side of the parish, and St Stephen s on the Damsonwood side. For many years there have been separate congregations meeting in both, and St Stephen s in particular operated almost as a daughter church (with its own vicar - actually somebody doing a second curacy - until the 1990s). We still operate these buildings but there is much more sense of integration these days. In 2013 we replaced a fortnightly Sunday service in both of them with a weekly midweek service, preceded at Valley Centre by a lunch club. Our hope is that this will contribute to the long-term Damsonwood church hall (St Stephen s) 7

growth of what had previously been small and shrinking congregations. It also fits into our wider strategy for growth, of which more below. Since the eighteenth century, the church has been firmly in the evangelical tradition (our patrons are the Church Pastoral Aid Society). We try to teach the Bible systematically, and adult sermons usually last 20-25 minutes. It is our passionate desire to see revival in Elmdon, and we believe that God will begin that work with us. We have around 120 people on our Electoral Roll, most of them resident in the parish (and almost all the rest not very far outside it). Usual adult attendance at our main Sunday service has substantially increased since 2012, and we are also gaining increasing numbers of children though there is a great deal still to be done. The biggest challenge for us is to convert occasional attenders and newcomers into disciples of Jesus Christ, with all that this entails. The format and style of many of our services has changed in the last couple of years, as has our pattern of services over the course of a month. This is what it now looks like: Sunday Boys Brigade hasn t and will probably not start again in September 2014, though it would be good to revive it in the future. The Beavers, Cubs and Scouts meet in the Valley Centre. While officially church groups, the link has been weak in the last decade and I ve worked hard to revive it. This is something to carry on in the future. The Guide troop has now disbanded, but there is still a Brownie pack. I take assemblies in all three local Mary and Joseph (!) schools. The largest, with which we at the Crib Service, have the closest link, will hold its Christmas 2013 harvest festival in Elmdon Church in October, and we re hoping to host a school carol service for them too. The headteacher and I have been in discussion about making this link more formal, though this is on the backburner as she copes with a recent amalgamation. I am also a parent and PTA member at this school, while I sit on the governing body of one of the others. 10.30am 8 Holy Communion w ith a group for primary-aged children (first, third and fifth Sundays) Parade service for Boys and Girls Brigades, Beavers, Cubs & Scouts, all ages together (second Sunday) Baptism, all ages together (fourth Sunday) Older people I lead a monthly service in Barons Court, a sheltered housing complex in the parish. Residents from there also attend our yearly harvest supper, and we go in at Christmas to sing carols. The launch of the Valley lunch club gives us an opportunity to do even more. 13

designated baby-changing and baby-feeding facilities. We have also reconfigured our services to make them more child-friendly. Perhaps as a result of this, numbers of children have significantly increased and we are now starting to plan for a second Kids in Christ group (the name of our Sunday School). On Good Friday Solihull Council has for many years run an Easter Egg hunt in the park. We now work in partnership with them, opening the church up for refreshments, Easter crafts and prayer. In both the years we ve done this, we ve had around 200 children and 300 adults come through the doors (though it s hard to keep a precise count). In 2013 we also, for the first time, held Christmas crafts and a crib service (using our almost life-sized stable), and this seems another useful area for outreach to the families of our parish. The church Boys and Girls Brigades attend parade services in the parish church but have their weekly meetings at St Stephen s (and therefore generally serve that side of the parish). Both had new leaders in September 2013, after many years with their founder captains: the Girls Brigade has flourished but unfortunately the 4.00pm The music group in action Attendance most weeks ranges from 60-70 adults and 8-10 children. Parade services on special occasions (eg. Fathers Day) and Baptisms can attract much larger numbers. The Prayer Cafe (an informal service which could be described as a fresh expression ) Attendance 8-15. 6.00pm Holy Communion or Evensong (both according to the Book of Common Prayer) (This takes place on the first Sunday of the month) Attendance 10-15, though an annual Choral Evensong with a visiting choir attracts many more. The Lord s Table on Easter morning 12 9

Monday 2.00pm Holy Communion or Afternoon Praise at the Valley Centre (preceded by lunch at 1pm) Attendance currently 15-20 Tuesday 2.00pm Holy Communion or Afternoon Praise at St Stephen s Attendance currently 10-12 Occasional offices We conduct about 20 baptisms a year, all in our main service. Elmdon Church is an attractive building in a beautiful location, and is relatively popular for weddings (though we d like to have more). There were ten booked for 2014. We conduct 8-10 funerals per year in the parish church, a small number of which will be followed by burial in the churchyard. We also conduct around 40 funerals at local crematoria, some of which will be followed by an interment of ashes in Elmdon. Personnel I have been in post since June 2012. I work with a team of four Lay Readers Karen, Nick, Richard and Rob all of whom have different styles and gifts. We currently meet eight times a year to review, plan services and so on. Preaching and leading of Sunday services is shared between us, although Nick has a particular role in the Prayer Karen, Lay Reader Cafe so does correspondingly less in the mornings. Most of the midweek services are currently led by me. There is an unpaid administrator, Jean, who works in the Rectory on Monday afternoons. PCC meetings take place in the evening every two months. We also have two or three Saturday meetings a year, looking at wider strategy and vision. Children and young people Daily prayer This usually happens in the Rectory at present. I (Toby) occasionally share it with the churchwardens. 10 Nick, Lay Reader We have worked hard in the last two years to make our church more accessible and welcoming to families and children. There is now a play area available at every service, along with 11