Parish Profile
Contents Our mission... 3 Who we are... 3 The parish we serve... 4 Our worship... 5 Our prayer life... 6 Our life together... 7 Our outreach... 8 Our church buildings... 9 How we organise ourselves... 10 Our finances... 13 Statement of Needs... 14 APPENDICES... 15 A. The Vicarage/Rectory... 15 B. Church Membership... 17 C. Demographics of the Parish from 2011 census (and recent church survey)... 18 D. Mission Partners... 19 E. Woking Deanery... 20 F. Ecumenical Links... 21 G. Diocesan Vision: Transforming Church Transforming Lives... 22 2 P a g e
About Us Our mission Our mission is to love Jesus and serve others in His name. This is well recognised by our church family although we anticipate updating it to include Jesus command to share the Gospel. Who we are St Mary of Bethany Church sometimes referred to as SMoB is a welcoming and active evangelical church in Woking. We have an electoral roll of 283 and usually see around 200 people through our doors on a Sunday and more than 430 in a typical week. A recent survey of the congregation suggested that about half of us have worshipped at SMoB for over 10 years, two-thirds are aged under 60, and three in five are female. Most of us live in Woking with around 40% of us living inside the parish itself. As a parish church within the Church of England (in the Guildford Diocese) our emphasis is very much on serving the whole of the local community and we aim to be a church where anyone, no matter what their background, will be happy to come and worship God and learn what it means to follow Jesus. Prayer and worship are an important part of our church life and we value friendship more than formality. We offer different styles of worship services with the most popular being the informal 11am service on Sunday. Engagement with our local community is also important and we run a very wide range of activities to meet the needs of all ages and backgrounds. People new to our church say their early impressions of us are that we are welcoming, supportive and non-judgemental. 3 P a g e
The parish we serve Woking is a diverse and growing town, increasingly popular with people working in London due to the fast and convenient train services to Waterloo. There has been plenty of development in recent years with changes to the town centre retail area as well the building of apartment blocks, and more development is planned to cater for the growing population. For those who have grown up here the town centre has changed out of all recognition and today has a vibrant life, two covered shopping areas, two theatres, a six screen cinema, an art gallery/museum and many restaurants and cafes. St Mary of Bethany parish is close to the town centre and residents are predominantly white British, relatively affluent, in good health and profess to be of Christian faith. The largest demographic is those aged between 30 and 44. Accommodation is mainly owner occupied large Edwardian houses, modern semis and terraced housing with the recent addition of tall blocks of flats. The parish also incorporates a 1950 s local authority housing estate (Barnsbury Estate) where many properties have been bought by their tenants. There are two schools in the parish and a third just outside which looks on us as its parish church. There are a number of sheltered accommodation developments within the parish and a homeless hostel, which is well supported by our congregation. Parish Boundary data courtesy of www.achurchnearyou.com Our boundary encompasses the town s swimming pool complex, much of Woking Park and a large Morrisons supermarket. Just outside our boundary is a hospice, a community hospital/walk-in centre and a new secondary school under construction. 4 P a g e
Our worship We would describe ourselves as charismatic evangelical. The two main services on a Sunday are at 9.15am and 11am and follow a teaching pattern set out for the term. They usually share the same speaker. There is also an 8am service of Holy Communion once each month. A prayer ministry team and refreshments are available after each main service. Both the main Sunday services are informal and many services include a creative time for individual and congregational response including exercising of spiritual gifts. Most weeks, children s and youth groups run in parallel with the 11am service, joining the adults for communion on the first Sunday of the month. On other Sundays there is Communion at the 9.15am service. There are several all-age 11am services through the course of the year in addition to our main festivals. At certain times in the year we merge the two main services so that we all worship together at a 10.30 service. Our Services Time 8am 9.15am 11.00am Service Holy Communion Morning Worship Family Worship Frequency 1st Sunday in month Weekly Weekly Format Music Average Attendance BCP Holy Communion our only robed service Organ led hymns Common Worship Order One Communion 3 times per month (except 1 st Sunday) A blend of organ led hymns and piano/ guitar led songs 10 65 130 Informal service without supplied rite. Communion, once per month, may use Order One liturgy Contemporary band led sung worship 5 P a g e
Our prayer life We have a Prayer Coordinator to help us ensure prayer is prioritised in our church life. Intercessory Prayer takes place at regular prayer meetings Monday to Friday morning staff prayers open on Wednesday mornings to all Saturday prayer meeting 8.30 am Pray for the Nation second Thursday of the month 1-2pm Termly central prayer meeting as well as before services through use of the Prayer Diary prayer and praise meetings special services (e.g. summer contemplative services) one off events such as 24/7 prayer, weeks of prayer etc prayer breakfasts prayer walks praying for each other in Pastorates with our Mission Partner updates via Prayer Shields for staff members via Prayer Warriors an email prayer chain Prayer Ministry During and after the 11am service and after the 9.15am service a prayer ministry team is available to pray with anyone seeking prayer. Prophecy and listening to God There are several church members with a recognised prophetic gift. There are opportunities at the main services for words of knowledge to be shared with the service leader. 6 P a g e
Our life together Aside from our Sunday worship, pastorate groups provide a core part of our structure for supporting one another through prayer and practical help when needed. There are currently 17 groups which meet at a variety of times during the week and together study the practical and personal application of the previous Sunday s teaching. Although most church members are connected with one of these groups, in practice many find it difficult to attend due to busy schedules. There are numerous other groups and activities specifically aimed at both younger and older members of the church. We have enjoyed going away as a church family for a weekend of teaching and fellowship on alternate years. A significant number of our congregation attend the New Wine summer conferences. 7 P a g e
Our outreach While much of the community outreach takes place within the church building, SMoB is also active in outreach and detached youth work, as well as via participation in ecumenical links (see Appendix F) and through the passion, commitment and participation of church members in a wide range of groups serving the community. Over many years, the Barnsbury Estate has been a focus of our outreach. Curates and other staff have been based there; Messy Church was run at the school for a period; and we have provided an annual weekend of practical service (HOPE). At the moment, we are engaged in a season of deep and thoughtful prayer regarding the next steps. A wide range of groups and projects are run by, or assisted by, church members and are a point of contact with the wider community. York Road Project (supporting the homeless) Christians Against Poverty Fairview (adults with learning difficulties) Operation Christmas Child Woking Fairtrade BESOM Woking Food Bank Women s refuge Hospital visiting South West Assisting Neighbours ad hoc help with shopping and transport Taking the gospel into schools Leading acts of worship in sheltered accommodation Carers lunch CAMEO Talk Easy Parenting and other courses Friday Night Club and Friday Extreme School and nursery school visits As a polling station, we open all day and serve tea and cake to the community Mencap Carol Service Bethany Babes SCHOOLS AND YOUNG PEOPLE Detached youth work takes place at several schools and colleges and with air cadets. We run an after-school fun club at Barnsbury Primary School. Support for Mission Partners (See Appendix D) 8 P a g e
Our church buildings Inside and out Located between York Road and Mount Hermon Road, the church has been extended and altered over time. Today it includes an attached large hall, kitchen, toilets, an entrance/lobby area, and four smaller meeting rooms. Two of these rooms were repurposed last year to year make staff offices with new furniture, computers, internet connection and new double glazed windows. The old choir vestry has long been a youth room and has been redecorated and refurnished this summer. The vicar s vestry is now a small meeting room and counselling area. A quinquennial inspection was carried out in December 2016 and nothing major arose although we are aware that certain parts of our building need upgrading. In 2016 we completed a major AV and lighting upgrade in our main worship space. Use Recent estimates are that more than 430 people pass through the building in a typical week with a wide number of groups using the building. For example: Bethany Babes - 3 parent and toddler groups run by the staff and volunteers reach around 90 adults and their children weekly Brownies and Guides meet in the church and we have good links to Scouting groups. All uniformed organisations are invited to parade and other services Several youth groups meet on a Friday evening covering ages 7 to 16, with about 30 children of non-smob families attending CAMEO Come And Meet Each Other Fortnightly meeting of older people There is some parking within the grounds on the Mount Hermon Road side. Street parking around the church lies within the Woking Controlled Parking Zone. There are restrictions on street parking between 9.30am and 11.30am Monday to Friday. 9 P a g e
How we organise ourselves The Vicar at St Mary of Bethany heads up a team of 11 employed staff, equivalent to 5.73 full time posts, and over 100 volunteers. The staff team meets each Monday morning, and prays together through the week. Staff Team Our full time Youth Minister is a registered Baptist Minister and heads up a team of three paid staff. We have a BPO who takes responsibility for Sunday teaching programmes, preachers and service leaders. We also have three LLMs who are part of the preaching and leading teams. The Guildford DDO worships with us and currently does most baptism preparation with families. Current staffing issues to be considered include the following: whether the line management burden on the vicar needs to be reduced possible appointment of an Associate Vicar to strengthen the pastoral work within the church. 10 P a g e
Volunteers We are blessed with many volunteers to support the ministry but there are rarely enough to fill every role we would like. We have a newly created Volunteer Support Network, a team who support and encourage volunteering as part of discipleship in the church. The following list highlights some of the roles performed, at least in part, by volunteers. Prayer team and creation of our prayer diary Preaching and leading of services Music and worship Management of AV system Pastorate groups serve coffee on a Sunday on a rota basis Stewarding and welcoming Youth and children s ministry Older people s ministry Set up for toddler groups and other caretaker style duties Pastoral care Safeguarding Care of external grounds Floral decorations PCC and other committees The PCC (19 members) meets every two months for two hours with additional occasional Saturday morning meetings to consider wider strategic issues. The first half of each meeting considers, and prays for, Ministry areas (such as worship, pastorates, and welcome) so that all are looked at within a yearly cycle. The second half of the meeting deals with business issues (such as Wardens, Deanery and financial reports). A smaller Standing Committee (of 6 people) meets monthly in between PCC meetings to handle any urgent issues. There are many other committees and groups which are essential to the smooth running of the church including: Leadership Vision Team (helping to discern God s will for us as a church) Fabric and building team (overseeing our church building, vicarage and a staff house) Go! Team (promoting interest in missions both in the UK and overseas) Pastorate support team (supporting our 17 pastorate groups) Finance team IT and communications teams 11 P a g e
Communications The church introduced a new website in 2016 which we continue to develop (www.stmaryofbethany.org.uk). There is also a Facebook page (St. Mary of Bethany Church) and Twitter account (@SMOB_Woking). Each week we produce a newsletter which is emailed to members of the congregation and another email newsletter is distributed electronically via Pastorates. Other notices are distributed electronically as required and we provide paper copies for those without Internet access. 12 P a g e
Our finances 1 Annual turnover at St Mary of Bethany ranges between 370k - 400k and the church is currently financially stable. It benefits from over half (51%) of income coming from planned giving. However, like many churches, we need to work hard to manage our finances. The church shows generosity for specific projects and in the last couple of years we have raised money to make improvements to our facilities. We have recently installed a new AV system and a new boiler, upgraded and refitted our offices, upgraded the voice and data communications through a new fibre line into the church, fitted new structured cabling throughout and created a new website. We tithe our giving income. We have been running a small annual deficit in recent years which has been covered by our general reserves and is currently being addressed. If we decide to undertake new initiatives (for example, recruiting an Associate Vicar) a more significant increase in regular giving will be needed. We own a property which has recently housed our Curates, but which could also be rented out commercially as a means of generating additional income. This property might also be considered if and when we appoint an Associate Vicar. 1 Figures for 2016 are being finalised at the time of writing. 13 P a g e
Statement of Needs We have much to celebrate at St Mary of Bethany Church. We are a welcoming church, active in serving our community, blessed with many talented people, generous in our time and resources and caring for the fragile. All we do is supported by our strong prayer life, biblical teaching and engaging worship. However, in the busyness of church life and the working lives which are typical in Woking we recognise that we need to have a refreshed vision for what we are doing, so that our activities are focussed and fruitful, and our vision is owned by the whole church. We are expectant that renewing our vision will involve a challenge to become bolder in our outreach, be more confident in bringing others to Christ and be better equipped to disciple others. We also want to better reflect the community around us. There is a strong sense among us that we want to be a place where anyone can feel they belong. So, we are looking for a Vicar who: has a heart for Jesus and the life lived with Christ at the centre Biblical teaching, able to communicate the relevance of the Gospel for life today and seeking to model that in their own life all people, especially those who do not know Jesus, with a willingness to meet them where they are is passionate about the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives today the things that are important to us having prayer and worship at the centre of what we do, work with children and youth, community engagement and outreach, pastoral care, and the church being a place where all are welcome and supported discipleship, and able to strengthen our own discipleship and our discipling of others in our personal and working lives has experience of strategic leadership, able to help us renew our vision and lead us together to fulfilling it outreach and evangelism, and able to help us grow in confidence in our personal and corporate witness to others managing, motivating and empowering both staff and volunteers, especially through change managing their own time, and helping staff and volunteers to do the same 14 P a g e
APPENDICES A. The Vicarage/Rectory Built in the 1940 s the vicarage stands in a generous plot and is of brick and tile construction with attractive tile-hanging over white render elevations. All of the rooms are of a good size with large double-glazed windows providing ample light. The vicarage offers generous entertaining space downstairs and 5 bedrooms, a bathroom and separate shower room upstairs. The entrance hall and dining room feature French oak parquet flooring. The lounge has bay windows with aspect to the side and rear and French doors to the garden. There is also a functioning fireplace with a large oak surround. The large dining room has a single rear aspect bay window and wood block flooring. The kitchen has been re-fitted with modern units and there is a range style cooker, dishwasher and space for other appliances. Beyond the kitchen is a small utility area for a washing machine and tumble dryer. The study/family room has both a front aspect bay window and side window. Upstairs there are 3 large double bedrooms, two with wash basins and generous built-in wardrobes. The remaining two bedrooms are singles. Outside, adjacent to the house, there is an office/study with extensive shelving. There are also two garages and a garden shed. 15 P a g e
Insert photo of kitchen The diocese will inspect the house and undertake any necessary repairs and the parish will pay for/undertake necessary redecoration. The house is not next to the church but only about 100m away. 16 P a g e
B. Church Membership We have 283 people on our parish roll (170 women and 113 men) with 174 (61%) living outside the parish. There is a steady flow of people joining and leaving us (often due to people moving away) and overall our numbers have recently fallen by just under 20% (e.g. from 343 in 2011 to 283 in 2016). The electoral roll is slightly higher than our weekly church attendance where we typically see between 150 and 200 adults and about 40 children at our Sunday morning services. We conducted a simple survey of the congregation in October and November 2016 to which we received 274 responses over four weeks. The survey shows that: There are more women than men - 59% women and 41% men We are not particularly young 3% are in their 20 s; 16% between 30 and 44; 21% between 45 and 59; 24% between 60 and 74; and 13% between 75 and 89 We are loyal attenders with nearly half worshipping in SMoB for more than 10 years and 79% said they attended church most weeks We are mature Christians. Of those describing themselves as being a committed Christian, 67% had been for more than 20 years and only 4% for less than 3 years About 75% of us attend the 11 am service The age profile is also shown in Appendix C alongside the parish age profile data taken from the 2011 census. This shows that we broadly reflect the parish. In 2015 we saw fifteen baptisms, two weddings and seven funerals. 17 P a g e
C. Demographics of the Parish from 2011 census (and recent church survey) We are aware that the new high-rise apartments have been occupied since the last census and that they may have changed the overall profile of the parish as they typically attract young professionals, often from overseas, who like the convenience to central Woking and the fast rail service to London. 18 P a g e
D. Mission Partners St Mary of Bethany supports the work of a number of individuals and organisations in many ways including prayer and finance. These are some of the individuals and groups supported. Media Matters Ministries 19 P a g e
E. Woking Deanery Woking is an active and successful Deanery involving fifteen Parishes covering Woking town and the surrounding area. Our vision is to work closely together to provide mutual support, cooperation and the sharing of best practice between the clergy and lay members of the churches within our Deanery. There are Monthly Chapter meetings for local clergy, which are well attended and highly valued. Three Deanery Synod meetings a year. These are open meetings designed to be of general interest to all church members. The Deanery has, for example, hosted conversations with the local Iman and members of his Mosque; held events which look at what is going well, and not so well, in local churches; and considered the characteristics of growing churches. Typically around 100 people attend our Synod meetings. Woking Deanery also provides positive support to the Lay people through: Organising gatherings of church leaders and staff such as Church Wardens, administrators and those in children s and youth ministry. Running training courses which draw participants from parishes across the Deanery. These currently cover the CPAS Growing Leaders course, a Servant course (designed to consider how and where someone might best serve within their church) as well as periodic safeguarding courses, etc.. The previous Vicar of St Mary s was active in supporting the Deanery (particularly in running the above lay initiatives) as is St Mary of Bethany more generally - the Lay Chair, Secretary and Training Officer are all members of St Mary of Bethany. There are also other active ecumenical meetings and ministries within the Deanery. For example: An active ecumenical Ministers Fraternal for support and prayer and a monthly prayer breakfast for leaders of all the Churches in Woking. Engage a Schools assembly team. Woking Street Angels providing help on Woking centre streets on Friday and Saturday nights. Across equipping Christians to share faith with Muslims. Woking People of Faith promoting religious and cultural harmony within Woking by focussing on practical community issues. The clergy of Woking Deanery look forward to welcoming the new vicar of St Mary of Bethany. Rev Peter Harwood, Area Dean of Woking; John Keelty, laychair@wokingdeanery.org.uk; Lucinda Tweed, secretary@wokingdeanery.org.uk 20 P a g e
F. Ecumenical Links The church enjoys a close relationship with churches from other denominations in Woking and this is expressed in a number of ways: There is an interdenominational ministers fraternal which meets regularly for prayer and fellowship. Staff members can also attend a monthly breakfast hosted by Christ Church to which all churches are invited; The church participates in joint churches services of prayer and praise, and has regularly hosted and/or led the worship; The church gives strong support in planning and participation to an interdenominational act of witness held in Woking every Good Friday; Members of SMoB are involved with Woking Street Angels, and the church recently hosted a celebration marking the 10th anniversary of this initiative; The church supports through prayer and giving: Across which works among ethnic minorities in Woking, and Engage, an interdenominational team that conducts assemblies in schools in the Woking area. Our youth team networks across denominations with other youth and children s workers in Woking including hosting a regular youth leaders breakfast. 21 P a g e
G. Diocesan Vision: Transforming Church Transforming Lives In September 2016 the Diocese of Guildford launched its new Vision and Mission Strategy called Transforming Church, Transforming Lives. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives is the vision and mission strategy of our Diocese. It envisages individuals and church communities open to the transforming work of God s Spirit in their own lives, and so becoming agents of Christ s transformation to the world around them. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives communicates the essence of everything we are seeking to pray and work towards across the diocese, rather than being a separate mission project. No strategy, however well intentioned, will achieve anything of any lasting value without God at the heart of it: Unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain (Psalm 127:1). Prayer is therefore foundational to all that is envisaged planting, watering, weeding and pruning, but always looking to God to give the growth. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives is not about asking people to work harder, but to work sharper - becoming more intentional and focussed in how we pray and what we are seeking to do. At its heart lies the vision of a growing, vibrant and generous Christian movement, empowered by the Spirit and rooted in word and sacrament, which confidently proclaims and lives out the Good News of Jesus Christ across the region and beyond. Transforming Church, Transforming Lives: Sets 12 Diocesan Goals, which together provide the framework of all our mission activities within parishes, chaplaincies, schools, the cathedral and the diocesan hub. Provides Resources for parishes, schools, chaplaincies and the cathedral as they select the goals to which they re particularly committed over the coming year: these resources to include support, training, mentoring, prayer resources and grant funding through the newly established Growth Fund. Requires every parish to pray over its mission priorities and to produce an annual Parish Development Plan, based on a selection of the goals, to be renewed and revised in each year following. For further information: www.cofeguildford.org.uk/transforming 22 P a g e