St Giles Church, Codicote As a church we seek to be Christ centred as we worship together, grow in our faith and reach out to the world around us both locally and further afield. 1
Codicote is a vibrant, energetic, and welcoming semi rural commuter village. St Giles church has been part of the community for 900 years and there is a strong sense of identity with the church among those who live in the village. The church has a committed congregation across the ages and very active lay involvement in all aspects of the life of the church. We are looking for a Vicar who Is prayerfully dependant on God in all areas of their life. Is comfortable with, and able to keep a good balance between all our styles of worship. Is experienced in being part of a team, encouraging both lay and licensed people in a variety of ministries. Happy to use multimedia in worship and also the more ancient traditions of the church such as contemplation. Has a pastoral heart for people wherever they are in their Christian journey of faith, have doubts or attend St Giles. Willing to lend an ear, hold out a hand and direct people to others when needed. Is willing to engage with the rhythms and fun of village life, visiting those in need, chatting in the street, reaching out into our community. We will offer you Our new vicar will receive from us energetic, generous and loving support with an openness to new ideas and creativity. There will be a ready supply of tea, cake and prayer, with a willingness to listen and help from across the congregations. Full reimbursement of parochial expenses will be paid. The Vicarage The Vicarage is a lovely four bedroom house with a large garden. The ground floor has a porch, long hall, cloakroom good sized study, large lounge, kitchen diner and utility room. There is internal access to the garage. On the first floor there are four bedrooms, two of which have wash basins and a family bathroom with a separate toilet. 2
Worship In order to reflect the rich mix of churchmanship within our congregation we have developed two streams of worship that meet each Sunday morning. We have a dedicated team of bell ringers who call people to worship each week. We use multimedia in all our worship services and have two screens in church and one in the parish centre which enable us to be flexible and make use of images and videos. At 8.45 there is either a Sung or Said Communion service using common worship with the liturgy changing with the seasons. There is a strong tradition of lay involvement in this service with a rota of people reading the lessons including the gospel, leading intercessions and lay assisting with the chalice. At the sung service there is robed choir to help lead the worship. Pattern of worship through the month 1 st Sunday 8.45 Said Communion 9.30 W4U 2 nd Sunday 8.45 Sung Communion 10.30 Informal Worship 3 rd Sunday 8.45 Said Communion 10.30 Informal Worship with Baptism 4 th Sunday 8.45 Sung Communion 10.30 Informal Worship 5 th Sunday 8.45 Said Communion 10.30 Informal Worship 3
At 10.30 there is a service of Informal Worship, this takes the form of readings, sermon and worship led by a music group. During this service children s work takes place in the parish centre. We are encouraging young people to be involved with the music, sound and refreshments. Baptisms take place on the third Sunday in the month at this service as required. We give each child baptised a copy of A Child s Bible. St Giles enables me to worship close to home in an informal style There is a dedicated team who work with the children; they provide continuity for the children while they have fun together. The children are encouraged to participate during the services with streamers, or helping receive the collection, holding candles at baptism services. The average attendance over both services each week is around 60 with 10 15 children taking part in the children s work. 4
On the first Sunday of the month we have a change of pattern. We start the day with said communion at 8.45 in church. At 9.30 we open the doors of Worship for You (W4U) our fresh expression cafe style church held in the Peace Memorial Hall in the centre of the village. We serve a continental breakfast of freshly baked Danish pastries, lattes, cappuccinos, teas and hot chocolates. The terrific thing about St Giles is that we truly are a church family, since GCS and W4U started the village has a church in its centre. At around 10.30 there is a short worship slot using video and songs and a time for reflection. We try to link something that is current with the Gospel, either an item in the news, or a recent film or event such as the Olympics, in order to help people see that faith in Christ is relevant to their everyday lives. On the tables there is a sheet of questions, some light and fun and some a little more thought provoking linked to the theme which people can use if they wish. We provide a craft activity that is linked to the theme for the children, though sometimes adults enjoy getting involved! There is always a prayer box for people to leave their own prayers which are then put in the prayer chapel. W4U is a marvellous outreach into the community. Recent themes @W4U Hope, You are Amazing, Pentecost, Fairtrade, Generosity, Foundations 5
Members of the congregation serve, support and express their faith in a wide variety of ways that enhance the life of the church. We have flower arrangers, a team of cleaners, mowers of grass, sides people, cake bakers for baptism services, providers of refreshments, screen/sound operators, washers of linen, gardeners, bell ringers and many who quietly straighten chairs, tidy things up and pray for the life of this church and community. There is a small sewing group who have recently been inspired to create several banners which enhance the church and are used at W4U. Five times a year the church Brownie pack will attend a parade service, these take place on the Sunday nearest St George s Day, Harvest, Remembrance Sunday, Christingle and a Sunday in July. About 25 people meet regularly in home groups using a variety of study material including resources produced by the diocese during Advent and Lent. These groups meet in homes around the parish and are lay led. Once a month many in the groups come together for a meal in the parish centre, and are joined by others who are not able to be in a group. We are known by many for the quality and quantity of our cake on almost any occasion, we are a generous and happy church. Our places of worship and meeting St Giles is a Grade 2 listed building. Over recent years we have carried out a number of restoration projects including work on the main roof, a new heating system, the south aisle roof and porch. The building is in good order but as with any ancient building there are always challenges to face. The Friends of St Giles work hard in order to help support and finance fabric issues and projects. We are at this time looking to redevelop the vestry and toilet area in the church in order to provide better facilities. 6
The area immediately around the church including the Garden of Remembrance is well maintained by a team of volunteers throughout the mowing season. We have a small flock of sheep that take care of an unused part of the graveyard. The area of the graveyard that is still open for burials has maintenance which is paid for by Codicote Parish Council and carried out by a member of the fabric team. At the end of the large car park there is a well appointed parish centre. There is a good sized kitchen and three rooms which can be opened up into one large space with the use of dividing doors. In the past we have run a number of courses in the parish centre such as Alpha and parenting and would like to do so again in the future. There is an enclosed deck area which makes a safe play area for young children. Children s work takes place in the parish centre on a Sunday morning during the 10.30 service and refreshments are served here after the services each week. 7
The parish centre is used every morning during the week by Codicote Pre-School which provides an income to help towards costs. We have friendly links with the Pre-School, who enjoy the sheep and lambs in the spring. A number of other groups use the building during the week including an art group, Brownies and occasionally other church groups within the diocese. Although at present the main part of the church building is not open every day, the prayer chapel is in order to provide a sacred space within our community for people to use. Suggestions and prompts for prayer are provided and changed regularly, and there is an opportunity to leave prayers. Although we can never truly measure how much the space is used prayers are left and it is clear that aids to prayer, such as holding crosses are used. How we reach out to the world around us. The church community set up Giles Coffee Shop a number of years ago when it saw need for there to be a place where folk could meet friends for coffee, cake and a natter. It is run entirely by volunteers each Friday morning at the Peace Memorial Hall in the centre of the village. The coffee shop is a great asset which I always liken to the village well, for folk to gather at and chat. The thoughts of a non church attendee. We purchased a bean to coffee machine so that we could provide a wide variety of coffee of good quality. There is always homemade cake, teacakes from the local bakery in Welwyn, juice, a variety of teas and snacks for the children. 8
In November 2014 we began Play and Praise a short informal time for Mums and pre-school children. Our tag line is kettle s always on, the toys are always out. We aim to provide a warm welcome to children and their carers and opportunity to hear a bible story, sing a few songs, and join in with a craft and to meet with God. One of our main aims is to engage with those who do not normally come to church and this has been very successful. One of our Lay Readers regularly takes communion to a residential home, and home communion is provided when needed by both the Readers. St Giles plays an important role in the community through the pastoral services of the church especially weddings, baptisms and funerals. We hold an annual memorial service to remember the departed, the church administrator contacts the recently bereaved to invite them to the service. We have strong links with our village school, Codicote C of E Primary School who come to church for Harvest, Christmas, Easter and an end of school year service. Individual classes come to visit the church to enhance their learning and to see the sheep. I truly believe that the way forward in terms of bringing people to Christ, is by engaging hearts, souls and minds from the earliest stages, so that there is a framework and a reference point for the rest of our lives. Liz Pollard, Head teacher, Codicote C of E Primary School At the recent Christmas service all the children and members of staff wrote prayers for Christmas which were then used to decorate the tree in church. At Easter this year we hope to have an art exhibition of the children s work. We go into school every other Friday to lead assembly. 9
During the summer months over the last few years we have held cream tea afternoons on a Sunday which have been enjoyed by walkers and non walkers! The Friends of St Giles run a very popular auction in The Goat Inn, a local pub, around the time of the Harvest Festival. Boxes of fruit, bags of pickling onions, pheasants and other items are auctioned to the highest bidder. Before the auction there is a short harvest service of traditional hymns, readings and prayers. We take an active part in the Village Day celebration in July. Serving drinks and cake as the Village Day parade passes St Giles. Communication We communicate with people in a variety of ways, for church members there is a Google Group, for the wider community we use the St Giles Parish Magazine which has 10 issues each year. Each edition has an opening "Dear Friends" article by a member of the leadership team and there are contributions from many village societies and villagers as well as others. There is also a village diary including details of services and other church events. We also have a Facebook page and a website both of which are maintained by members of the congregation which we would like to develop further. 10
About the parish The village is located 7 miles south of Hitchin, 26 miles north of London with easy access to the M1, M25 and A1. Many residents commute to work in London using local train stations at Knebworth, Welwyn and Welwyn Garden City and we are just half an hour from Luton airport. There are also bus links to the local towns of Hitchin, Stevenage, Luton and Welwyn Garden City. Codicote has a reasonable range of village shops, a post office, a good selection of pubs, a garden centre on the edge of the village and another one a mile or so down the road. Local doctors and dentists are in Welwyn and Knebworth where there are also banks and further shops The population of the village is about 3500, with a good mix of ages and those whose families have lived here for generations, as well as those who have moved into the area more recently. A number of new houses are being built, and there is a plan by North Herts District Council to increase the size of the village. There is a great deal of concern in the village that the infrastructure will not support an increase in population. Sport plays a large part in village life with a long established Sports and Social club. There has been very successful project to build a new facility called The John Clements Sports and Community Centre that will provide indoor sports as well as supporting the football and cricket teams and tennis club. Close by the sports field are the village allotments and community orchard where a popular apple day is held in the autumn. Each year towards the end of July a popular village day is held on a Saturday afternoon. The event starts with a parade through the village up to the field just beyond St Giles. Many village groups and organisations take part in the event, running stalls and enjoying meeting friends. 11
One of the biggest local annual charity music events takes place at The Goat Inn, in Codicote, over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Last year the money raised was donated to the local hospice in Welwyn Garden City. Codicote has its own Community Choir which sings at Goatfest, weddings and this year sang round the village Christmas tree as the lights were turned on for the first time. Codicote has three sheltered living retirement homes; a family run company based in Codicote provides home care for the elderly or those who need some support in order to stay in their own homes. Codicote C of E Primary School provides an outstanding education for the youngsters of the village, from nursery to year 6. The motto of the school is: 'Everyone shall know success' and this is promoted through opportunities both within, and outside the school curriculum, the school is regularly involved with community activities. Secondary education is provided in Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City. There are many other groups, activities and organisations meeting in the village across the ages and catering for a wide variety of interests. Context for ministry The ministry team consists of the Vicar, Associate Minister, two Lay Readers, one Lay Reader in training and an accredited Lay Minister. There is also a church administrator. The PCC consists of twelve members and meets 4 times a year as a full PCC. Every member of the PCC is on a team which take care of the day to day running of the church. Each team is able to ask others to join as skills are required. These teams meet to take action on various issues, to look at different areas and make suggestions and proposals to the PCC. This means that PCC meetings do not have be caught up with small details. The finance team has three members and has worked very hard with the Diocese in order to put our finances on a firm footing and to enable us have a half- time Vicar. The fabric team take care of the church building, parish centre, organise work days for general tidying of the churchyard, and keep an eye on light bulbs. The admin team provide publicity for events taking place, ensuring that visitor cards and contact details are up to date. They also source or create posters and banners, making sure they are distributed around the village. The welcome team is being developed out of what used to be called the food team. The welcome team are responsible for ensuring that all those attend any service have what they need. In recent years they have successfully run cream tea afternoons during the summer. 12
As a church we support three mission partners, Mercy Ships, The Living Room and Romania Care. We rotate our giving to them at the three major festivals during the year, Christmas, Easter and Harvest. After our recent Christmas services we were able to send 700 to The Living Room, a local charity supporting those have problems with all forms of addiction. We also support members of the congregation when they are involved in mission work. In recent years we have supported individuals who have taken part in short term mission in Africa and at Crisis in London. Through Tear fund we send on off donations to crisis such as the recent Ebola epidemic in Africa. St Giles is part of the Welwyn Hatfield Deanery and will become part of the Welwyn Team Ministry. We actively engage with the Bishop of St Albans Living God s Love vision for the Diocese. Appendix Financial matters The request for Parish Share in recent years has been difficult to achieve without the help of pastoral support. The proposal for the post of Vicar to be half-time makes this payment of parish share achievable. Stewardship campaigns to raise money for day-to-day and regular expenses including Parish Share have not been our first priority while raising substantial amounts for repairs to the church building (including roof, tower and heating). Appeals to the congregation, village and wider community including The Friends of St Giles, have resulted in wonderful responses to enable those repairs to be effected. Our successful 2013 stewardship campaign coinciding with closer dialogue with the Diocese has encouraged us. Having achieved our 2014 Parish Share target of 30,200, we are hopeful that previous shortfalls will be written off by the Diocese this year and with the help of more than 30 regular givers and other income we expect to achieve the 31,481 requested for 2015. 13
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST GILES CHURCH, CODICOTE RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 31 December 2013 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds 2013 2012 2013 2012 2013 2012 Receipts Gift Aid - planned giving 20,138 18,144 1,050 520 21,188 18,664 Other planned giving 3,592 747 60 60 3,652 807 Collections at services 1,579 1,436 3,380 0 4,959 1,436 All non recurring giving/donations 4,954 5,307 32 3,575 4,986 8,882 Tax recovered through gift aid 6,050 5,975 663 500 6,712 6,475 Grants 0 0 3,946 32,109 3,946 32,109 Investment income 123 130 2 3 125 133 PCC fees (NET) 5,595 2,643 0 0 5,595 2,643 From trading/other activities 4,335 4,287 9,385 9,572 13,720 13,859 Other incoming resources 6 1,512 4,243 0 4,249 1,512 Legacies 0 0 0 0 0 CWR (Net) 0 0 0-141 0-141 Insurance claims (net) 0 498 0 0 0 498 Total receipts 46,371 40,678 22,760 46,197 69,131 86,875 Payments Mission Giving 3,631 5,195 4,043 31 7,674 5,226 Parish Share 29,400 24,000 0 0 29,400 24,000 Salaries, wages, honoraria 974 1,170 0 0 974 1,170 Expenses of clergy and staff 1,499 1,452 0 0 1,499 1,452 Mission and evangelism projects 1,144 866 7,449 6,200 8,593 7,067 Church running costs 4,153 3,773 2,318 2,526 6,471 6,299 Church utility bills 2,770 1,692 0 0 2,770 1,692 Costs of trading (PC) 1,705 915 0 0 1,705 915 Governance costs 400 400 0 0 400 400 Major repairs 482 0 8,445 28,909 8,927 28,909 Sub total 46,158 39,463 22,254 37,666 68,413 77,130 Asset purchases Equipment purchases 0 133 383 3,537 383 3,670 Sub total 0 133 383 3,537 383 3,670 Total payments 46,158 39,596 22,637 41,203 68,796 80,800 Net of receipts/(payments) 213 1,082 123 4,994 335 6,076 Transfers between funds 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cash funds last year end 7,159 6,077 13,584 8,591 20,744 14,668 Cash funds this year end 7,372 7,159 13,707 13,584 21,079 20,744 14
Codicote C of E Primary School We asked Liz Pollard Head teacher at Codicote School for her thoughts regarding a new vicar, she and the staff have talked together and these are the things that they feel they can offer you and what they would like from you. Is committed to the school and its families - who shows the core Christian values in the way they treat others, so that children (and staff) can learn by example Sees the school and church as a partnership - embracing the opportunities to link worship - for example through our Christmas prayers for the St. Giles tree, art work, some shared hymns and prayers, and the invitation to participate in events; who in turn, brings the life and work of St. Giles into our school Is warm and welcoming Understands team work, so the existing strong links can be added to Becomes a familiar adult to the children, so that they are seen as someone to turn to at key points in their lives Relates Christian teaching to the age of the children, so that things are accessible to them, and from the earliest stages, children can feel God's love, and power to change lives. Is enthusiastic and hardworking In return, we can offer: A commitment from the school to work in partnership, at the very heart of the Codicote Community Children and staff who welcome and embrace the involvement of the vicar, into the life and work of the school, and want to be involved in the life and work of St. Giles Support - a head who will work with the vicar, in a professional capacity to listen, share ideas, thoughts and views, and try to find positive outcomes for any challenges A joyous, harmonious school, who welcome the opportunity to share regular worship and celebrate key events in the Christian calendar and lives of the children. An openness to new ideas 15
16