Index Parish of Clifton Item 1. Brief history and description 2. The Parish 3. Finances 4. Community Challenges 5. Challenges for the Parish 6. Strengths/opportunities 7. Brief overview of the PMC. 8. Parish Vision and Mission Statement 9. Appointment of Rector 10. Terms of Appointment 11. Job Description 12. Personal Profile 13. Pictures of Clifton 14. Map of Clifton area www.cliftonchurchofengland.weebly.com 01/01/2015
Index Parish of Clifton Item 1. Brief history and description 2. The Parish 3. Finances 4. Community Challenges 5. Challenges for the Parish 6. Strengths/opportunities 7. Brief overview of the PMC 8. Parish Vision and Mission Statement 9. Appointment of Rector 10. Terms of Appointment 11. Job Description 12. Personal Profile 13. Summary of West Bingham Deanery Plan 14. Pictures of Clifton 15. Map of Clifton area
1. Brief history and description The Parish of Clifton The village of Clifton is situated three miles west of the city of Nottingham on the southern side of the River Trent. In order to meet the housing demands of Nottingham City after the Second World War, the City Council purchased the land around the village of Clifton. Construction of the Clifton Estate started in the early 1950s and there have been various stages of development over the decades since it was originally conceived. This has led to a variety of housing and accommodation within the parish, which includes semi-detached and detached houses with gardens, high-rise flats and maisonettes. Clifton has a variety of shops clustered in small groups around the estate, with a largest concentration, referred to locally as Top shops, in the area of Southchurch Drive and Green Lane; these include a large Morrison s, Wilkinson, Boots and Iceland with other small shops and businesses, bank and Post Office facilities. The estate also has three GP surgeries, two dental surgeries, a leisure centre with swimming pool, the Cornerstone building which houses two of the GP surgeries and local council and community facilities. Clifton also has a small library, various playing fields including a skateboard park, a small police station that is open during office hours only, a Royal British Legion club and four Public houses. The Nottingham Trent University campus is situated between Clifton Village and the Fabis Drive area. Clifton is only three miles from Nottingham City Centre with good public transport links. The A453 runs through Clifton providing good access to the M1junction 24, the East Midlands Airport and the East Midlands Parkway train station to the west, and the Nottingham Ring Road and A52 to the east. Clifton has several places of worship which include, St Mary s, St Francis and Holy Trinity all C of E churches, a Roman Catholic Church, Methodist and URC churches and Hope (AOG) church which currently shares the facilities of St Francis, pending the refurbishment of the Hope church. There is also an AOG plant on the Noble Rd estate. 2. The Parish The parish is within the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham and is part of the West Bingham Deanery. It is a team Ministry and covers the Clifton Estate, Clifton Village and the Barton Green, Nobel Road and Fabis Drive (locally known as the Grove) areas. These areas are collectively referred to as Clifton. It incorporates the three parish churches of St Mary s dating from late 11th century and situated in the historic village of Clifton, Holy Trinity and St Francis dating from the late1950s and situated within the Clifton Estate. The three churches have a total of 134 people on the electoral role. Over the last few years the parish has dismantled the three former District Church Councils (DCC) and streamlined the management, administration and representation apparatus by forming a reorganised Parochial Church Council (PCC), whilst endeavouring to maintain the use of the three churches, all of which continue to have small but loyal congregations. The ministry team consists of a Rector, a team Vicar, a curate, four Readers and a recognised lay minister; three church wardens and a verger, it can also call on the services of a retired clergyman.
Services are held in all three churches on Sundays, these services range from the standard Common Worship Eucharist Service, Morning Worship and less formal Worship for All services. In 2014 the parish decided to participate in the Partnership for Missional Church (PMC) and has a small but dedicated team of lay people working on this project. The Ministry team currently provides pastoral support to five primary schools, one special needs school and a secondary school. There is potential for future development in these areas. There are five senior citizen residential homes and the parish works in partnership with Hope Church to give support to the NG11 Food Bank, Rise (Reaching the ISolated Elderly) a senior citizens charity that meets for meals and activities on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday and an after school club on Thursday afternoons called Excite, all of which use the church hall of St Francis. The parish office situated in Holy Trinity is open on Tuesday evenings from 6pm -7pm, staffed by the clergy, and is run by a paid administrator on Wednesdays from 8:30am - 2:30pm providing support to the ministry team and to co-ordinate and administrate fees and the numerous occasional offices that take place in the parish. A communion service is also held in Holy Trinity on Tuesday mornings and the Boys Brigade meets in the church on a Tuesday evening. The Rectory is located next door to Holy Trinity Church, it s a modern four / five bedroom detached property, with a garage and off street parking. There s a small Garden to the front, and a large mature Garden to the rear. The ancient church of St Mary s is used for a significant number of weddings & baptisms. The acoustics are excellent and it has a Marcussen organ and a Bluthner piano. Various musical events are organised including an annual Music Festival, a candlelit Christmas Community Carol service, other concerts & a ceilidh, and there is a choral Eucharist with choir on the first Sunday of the month. It is used as the base for the parish bell ringing team. Regular visits by local primary schools are made to St Mary s, particularly at Christmas & Easter, and by students at the Nottingham Trent University. The Ministry Team In the last 4 years the team at Clifton has worked on a portfolio basis with all the clergy serving all three churches, though the team Rector has overseen the governance of Holy Trinity and St Mary s and the team Vicar of St Francis. The current team Vicar (Rev Anne Noble) currently has a special interest in developing and building on links with our schools and families. She is the training priest for the curate Rev Mark Orr and expects to retain this responsibility on the appointment of a new team Rector. 3. Finances Extracts from the accounts for the 9 months ended 30/09/14 Clifton Parish Unrestricted income Unrestricted Expenditure Surplus/Deficit Unrestricted Reserves Three Churches 57,000 47,000 10,000 69,000
A full copy of the last audited accounts are available on request from Mr Kevin Lancashire, Church Warden via e-mail - Kevin.lancashire@nottscc.gov.uk. Clifton Parish 4. Community Challenges 1 Clifton has areas of high social deprivation. Clifton Low educational acheivement within the community. (42% of working age adults with no qualifications) Low educational and career aspirations among young people. Lone parenthood (33%) Unemployment is around the national average, however many people are employed on low wages. Working age poverty is at 21%. There are high rates of ill health including cancer, heart disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) diabetes and mental health issues as well as significant issues concerning smoking, obesity and domestic violence. 5. Challenges for the Parish Buildings and infrastructure. St Francis church is unusable with only the annex and hall still in use. St Mary s requires restoration work planned for 2015. Holy Trinity has several infrastructure problems including a church hall that is unusable. Ageing congregation. Congregations do not reflect the community s demographics. Finances. The current three church model may not be sustainable. 1 Statistics taken from the CUF - http://www.cuf.org.uk/parish/380219
Apathetic attitude toward organised religion within the community at large. Integration of the three church communities is onging and will take time. Physical barriers to movement due to extensive tram and road works. The A453 is a physical and in some regards a psychological barrier within the area. 6. Strengths/opportunities Clifton has a strong sense of community. The Parish has embarked on the PMC process. The three congregations are commited to building a sustainable future together. There is potential to develop and deepen links with the local schools. There are opportunities to develop links with local groups and organisations, the Royal British Legon and cadets etc. A small core of commited lay people. Progress is being made with home groups. Mission opportunities due to the relatively high number of occasional offices. When all three congregations are put together there is a closer resemblence to the community demographic. There are plans under discussion with the Diocese to redevelop the St Francis and Holy Trinity sites.
7. Brief overview of the PMC. Partnership for Missional Church PMC is a three to four year journey that engages congregations in practices that help them to discern what/where God is up to in their place. This is referred to as God s preferred and promised future. The PMC is led not just by clergy but people out of the congregation that feel called to this process with good will. PMC has some key characteristics. Works with the sense that God is active in the church and in the world and that we need to discover God s preferred future. PMC is a learning process for everyone which returns theologically to its original home in the congregation, while also involving theological academy in our case St Johns College Nottingham. PMC empowers wide spread participation and church members as growing disciples. PMC is not prescriptive or about quick fixes but addresses fundamental orientations, attitudes and approaches to discipleship and community transformation. Every Church discovers a different outcome. PMC is a patient, long term, deep and faith filled spiritual process. Why have we started this PMC journey? We started this journey in March 2014 with the PCC unanimously agreeing to it. We felt that it was clear to us that practising Christian s are a very small minority in Clifton, compared to the size of its population. We know that Nottingham in which we are set has changed hugely in the past decades and we have struggled to adapt to those changes. The evidence of this is seen in our small congregations and the missing age groups, especially the under 35s. In the last 5 years we have been growing together as a family, growing in our faith and reaching out to new believers. We feel that there is a shift in the way we interact with our community which is becoming more and more diverse. More is yet needed to be done and PMC has offered us an opportunity to take further steps on our journey of discovering God s preferred and promised future here in Clifton. PMC is deeply supported by our diocese, the PCC and other Churches. Where are we now? The PMC team consists of 10 enthusiastic and gifted people. They take the lead role in this process and feed back to the PCC on a regular basis. In this 1st phase they have been listening deeply to the congregation and the community about the past and the present day. They have been using a process known as dwelling in the word (Luke 10:1-12) this passage has been our foundation scripture for phase 1. They have held a few events to achieve this deep listening. They managed successivel time lines, a spiritual discernment, congregation interviews and community interviews. Also statistics of the community have been built up to give us a better insight to what s happing in and around us. The team is keen to move on to phase2 and eagerly wait for us all to be a part of God s preferred and promised future.
Vision 8. Parish Vision and Mission Statement To build a new vibrant church with an increasing involvement of families & young people, reaching out to the vulnerable & marginalised, with a commitment to develop lay leadership, and be a visible Christian witness in Clifton supported by prayer & Bible study. Mission Statement - Moving together in God, in Community, in Service to make Christ known. Moving together in God To develop our discipleship and our relationship with God. Discovering God s will together, supported by our involvement with Partnership for Missional Church (PMC) and building on the expressed desire for prayer and Bible study. Moving in Community To build on the continuing good work amongst families, children & young people within the parish and developing it creatively, supported by the development of a new church building (to replace St Francis and Holy Trinity). Moving together in Service to make Christ known To build on the opportunity for mission and service offered to us through our high numbers of occasional offices, specifically baptisms and marriages and our involvement in community activities such as the Clifton Foodbank, RISE and our engagement with local schools. 9. Appointment of Rector This is an exciting and challenging senior appointment as Rector of the largest Parish in the Southwell and Nottingham Diocese. It is a role valued highly in the wider Parish community as well as the congregations themselves. You will lead and guide the development of parish policy and ministry within the context of the Parish vision & mission statement, and have scope to work with a range of secular agencies and statutory bodies, and in ecumenical fora. The committed and experienced Ministry Team will provide you with support, encouragement and practical help. 10. Terms of Appointment The Rector of Clifton is nominated by the Diocesan Board of Patronage, approved by the Parochial Church Council, and confirmed by the Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham. The appointment is to the benefice of Clifton, with responsibility for the Clifton Team Ministry A comfortable, centrally located house is provided in accordance with Diocesan guidelines Expenses of office will be met in full by the Parochial Church Council in accordance with
agreed Diocesan scale of reimbursement for car mileage, telephone, postage, home entertainment and other approved expenses of office agreed by the PCC. 11. Job Description Key responsibilities and Supplementary tasks Worship Oversee, undertake and develop public worship, and perform the occasional offices, within the theological traditions of the Church of England. Supplementary task: Conduct services on a regular basis, both Sundays and weekdays. Pastoral Oversee the pastoral work of the parish, especially that of the Ministry Team. Supplementary task: Participate in the Church s ministry to (inter alia) schools, residential and nursing homes, and hospitals. Leadership Build on existing foundations to develop the vision and strategy for the ministry and mission of the Parish.. Lead the Clifton Team Ministry, working collaboratively with the clergy, Readers, other lay workers, Churchwardens, and the Parochial Church Council, to facilitate and develop the ministry of the Parish of Clifton. Supplementary tasks: Communicate with & support the Partnership for Missional Church (PMC) Steering Group & be their spiritual leader Lead the development of a new church & rectory to replace St Francis & Holy Trinity Chair the Property & Finance Committee Community outreach As the primary representative of the established Church in Clifton, work to promote an effective ministry to all people within the Parish. Work in partnership with Churches Together in Clifton to promote the Gospel. Work with voluntary and statutory bodies operating in the wider community. Work with schools and other educational institutions in the parish. Represent the Parish at Deanery and Diocesan level. Supplementary tasks: Chair the Trustees of Clifton Village Hall & School House. Chaplain to the Royal British Legion in Clifton. Bridge & Clifton Area Committee community member Ministerial Education Continue to update and enhance his/her continuing ministry education and skills with the
support of the designated Diocesan Officers for training. Support and encourage members of the Team and members of the congregations to enhance their knowledge and experience of ministry and the Christian gospel. Supplementary tasks: Promote and guide Bible study, Home groups and other fellowship groups. Supervise Ministry Training students assigned to the parish. Train curates Facilitate the development of lay leadership Administration Maintain the registers, logbooks and other administrative records in accordance with the statutory regulations, in consultation with the Church Wardens and Church Council, in the Parish. Supplementary tasks: Chair the Parochial Church Council. Ensure the correct completion of registers and other official forms. Support the staff of the Parish Office. 12. Personal Profile Experience Skills and Knowledge Essential Broad range of practical experience, as an incumbent or an equivalent role. Able to communicate and teach the gospel effectively to a wide range of audiences through speech and example. Broad theological outlook; at home within a welcoming tradition; willing to explore alternative forms of worship. Desirable Working with families Development of church buildings fit for purpose Able to express cogent views on a wide range of issues affecting the Church and in the wider world. Good at building relationships within the Church and in the wider community. Creative and strategic thinking skills Excellent team leadership and collaborative working skills; a good listener Committed to community outreach and ecumenical work.
Personal Qualities Able to deal simultaneously with a range of complex situations and issues. Good influencing and conflict resolution skills. Basic email and word processing skills Committed to developing ministry in the parish in the middle to long term An approachable pastor and confidant for a wide range of people; encourages involvement & development of skills. Wisdom and discernment in dealing with people. Appropriate personal and spiritual resources and resilience. Effective instigator and leader of change. At ease working within a modern communications environment Sense of humor 13. Summary of West Bingham Deanery and Deanery Plan West Bingham Deanery is a great deanery to belong to! In this diocese our deaneries are very much the place for mutual support and sharing of resources, and in West Bingham we take hold of the full opportunities given by the diocese for local decision making and collaboration in our joint missionary endeavour. We like to think of ourselves as committed to both outreach and innovative thinking e.g. our deanery has become the home of an exciting new development in Pioneer ministry in collaboration with St John s Theological College and the diocese. Deanery chapters are well attended, and provide a forum for mutual support, sharing of ideas, and collaboration in mission. The Deanery Synod worked with our PCCs and then a series of Synods guided by our Deanery Leadership Team to offer the Bishop s Council a Draft Deanery Deployment Plan for 2020. It was notable from the very start of our consultation that there was very strong support from both the diocese and deanery for maintaining - indeed potentially increasing - stipendiary ministry posts for Clifton. This resulted in Clifton being the only parish in which resources would actually increase, with the envisaged addition of a Youth and Young Adult pioneer ministry post to the two current stipendiary clergy posts for the period after 2020.
The following excerpt on ministry team patterns from our Deanery Plan is illustrative of other important themes in our future planning: Future Ministry Team Patterns What will patterns of ministry look like in the future in our deanery? These further principles have been emerging from deanery leadership team and synod discussions: 1. Every church to work together in local partnerships - no church stands alone. 2. The reality of fewer clergy in the future will mean that we will be (even more than we are now) in need of clergy who are confident in their role: as leaders of teams; as enablers of lay people; as theological reflectors on church and world; and as priests who use their sacramental role strategically and missionally. 3. Every church or cluster to have mixed leadership teams of lay and clergy, including paid and non-stipendiary Clergy, Readers, Recognised Lay Ministers (RLMs), Youth Leaders, and other leaders of mission, worship and pastoral care. 4. Our aim is to see every church with a lay leadership and pastoral team, with at least one Lay Worship Leader and/or Lay Pastoral Leader specific to each congregation. It is especially important to identify such leaders in the future for sustainable ministry in our smaller rural churches. 5. Our aim is also to see every sustainable worshipping community with a discipleship/bible study group/cell/housegroup that is the engine for growth in Christian discipleship in that community, beyond what goes on in the church building. Our aim is that every church building is not just a worship centre open for two or three hours a week, but an expression of Christian community. 6. As we encourage more lay people to step up to new leadership roles, we will need to share in more local training within the deanery. This is one of the most dominant themes to emerge from our synods, as is the feeling that current reader training is too academic, too distant and too long. We wish to develop local, lighter touch, more accessible training. Revd Canon John Bentham - Area Dean Sue Waterston - Lay Chair
14. Pictures of Clifton The Rectory, located next door to Holy Trinity Church, it s a modern four / five bedroom detached property, with a Garage and off street parking. There s a small Garden to the front, and a large mature Garden to the rear. Modern spacious Kitchen 14x10 Living Room 17x12 Dining Room 12x12 Spacious Study
Holy Trinity Church St Mary s Church Holy Trinity St Mary s Clifton Skate Park St Francis Church Green Lane Youth Centre Southchurch Drive Library
15. Map of the Clifton area St Francis St Mary s Holy Trinity