St Paul s Kingston Hill PARISH PROFILE April 2018
A Note from the Churchwardens Thank you for showing an interest in the position of Vicar at St Paul's Kingston Hill. We are excited and expectant as we move towards a new season in our life as a church community. We pray that this Parish Profile will give you a flavour of our church and encourage you to seek God's will as you consider applying for the position. The creation of the Parish Profile has been led by ourselves and the PCC, who have requested input from our staff, our network of small groups, the Headmaster of St Paul s Church of England Primary School and the wider church congregation. St Paul s congregation has also been praying for you corporately at special prayer meetings and in small groups. We are thankful to God for all that He has done through St Paul s over recent years. We have grown spiritually through teaching, small groups and other study programs such as LICC s Fruitfulness on the Frontline. Our local community rely upon us for our baby, toddler and preschooler ministry Rainbows, now running 4-5 times a week. And we have been able to invest in the future generation with the employment of a part-time youth worker. However, we also know that there is huge untapped potential for St Paul s. Hundreds of people come through our doors every year who do not know Christ. There are those in the congregations who are hesitant and unsure about going deeper in their faith and in their service. There are needs within the wider community which remain unaddressed. And there is a real hunger amongst many to see all members of the congregation fully committed to and engaged in daily mission on their personal front line (whether that be preschool group, school gate, office, or retirement home). There is a real sense that we are about to embark on a new chapter in our life and that moving on and growing will mean change. We look forward to meeting the individual God has chosen to lead us in this new season. Fiona Cole and Stephen Procter Churchwardens, St Paul s Kingston Hill 2
Contents of this document About St Paul's - Who we are - Our purpose - Our congregation - Our parish - Our buildings - Staff St Paul's Ministry - What we do - Sunday services - Worship - Discipleship & Evangelism - Small Groups - Prayer groups - Alpha Course - Evergreens - Leadership Course - New Wine Summer Conference - Children - Youth work - Kidzone Dads - Women s Ministry - Pastoral care and local outreach - Rainbows - Relationship and parenting courses - Pastoral care - Annual bereavement service - Prayer ministry - Street Pastors - St Paul s Church of England Primary School - Global mission - Giving - Overseas mission The future of St Paul's - Where are we going - Our plan for the next year - Mission Action Plan 2018 - Challenges ahead Person Specification - Our Support for you Appendices - The Vicarage - Governance (PCC) - Finances - Fabric - The Diocese - Useful website addresses 3
About St Paul's - Who we are St Paul s is part of the Church of England, in the diocese of Southwark (southwark.anglican.org). We are members of Churches Together in Kingston, the New Wine network of churches (www.new-wine.org) and the Evangelical Alliance (www.eauk.org). St Paul s own website is www.stpaulskingston.org.uk Our purpose Life at St Paul s can be summed up under the three words outreach, discipleship and fun. That is, we aim to share the good news of Jesus with others through our welcome, through the Rainbows groups (page 12), Evergreens (page 8) and our relationship with our church school (page 14), through Alpha courses, and through our service to the wider community. We aim, too, to grow in our relationship with God, getting to know Him better, and to have fun together as we do so! Our congregation St Paul s is a gently charismatic evangelical church which seeks to offer a variety of services of worship within that tradition. The majority of the members are families and also the over 50s. They come from a wider area than just the parish but most are local and we work hard at building up relationships within the parish. At present there are 237 people on the electoral roll. We also maintain a Family List of all who regularly attend, whether or not they are on the Electoral Roll. There are 320 adults and 178 children on the Family List. There is a high level of participation amongst the congregation with our volunteer numbers at over 140 across a wide variety of activities - PCC and other committees, Sunday services (leading, preaching, worship, prayer ministry, refreshments), Youth and children s activities, Community outreach through Rainbows and Evergreens, Men s and Women s ministries and Small groups. 4
Our parish Kingston upon Thames lies on the southwestern edge of Greater London on the borders of Surrey. It has excellent links to central London (32 minutes by train to London Waterloo). It is a busy riverside market town with an established University, College and easy access to the royal parks - Richmond Park and Bushy Park. The Bentall Centre, Kingston upon Thames The parish itself comprises part of Richmond Park (a short walk from the church and vicarage) and approximately 3,500 homes. The population is very diverse in socio-economic terms, with houses costing several million pounds a stone s throw away from deprived blocks of local authority housing (the Kingsnympton estate). The parish also has a small estate of Ministry of Defence (MoD) accommodation, The Keep, which houses service personnel from Britain and also across the world on short-term postings. Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park The Parish contains five schools, all for under 11s, one of them private, one of them Roman Catholic and one of them our own church primary school (St Paul s Church of England Primary School), with whom we have a very strong relationship. 5
Our buildings The Church building dates back to 1877 and is a Grade II listed building. In addition to the main area used for services, there are 3 separate rooms for children s work and meetings (sound proofed), a small kitchen, toilets, and 2 separate rooms which serve as offices for the Administrator/Youth Pastor and the Children s and Families worker. The area used for Sunday services and midweek pre-schooler groups is a large open carpeted area including visual screens and sound system. Pews were removed some years ago and replaced with comfortable stackable chairs. Recent refurbishment includes the church roof and stonework, and a new heating system. There is a Church Hall (a short distance from the church) but this is let on a 15 year lease to a local children s nursery and provides rental income to the church of c 35,000 p.a. The Hall is managed by a group of Trustees who are appointed by the PCC. The incumbent is the chair of the Trustees. The Vicarage is next to the Church building on Queen s Road. It is a large property with a lovely garden running alongside the church which is great for summer events such as barbeques and the Rainbows summer fun day. The Church building itself has a very limited garden area. Staff Assistant Minister (NSM) Fiona de Quidt Children s and Families worker (full-time) Lizzie Cronin Youth pastor (part-time) Jen Burtenshaw Administrator (full-time) Caroline Dennis Lay reader Lesley Bell The staff are also supported by the congregation in areas from preaching and leading services to youth and children s work and worship leading. St Paul s also provides training opportunities for curates, however there is currently no curate under training. 6
St Paul's Ministry - What we do Sunday services At 8am on the first Sunday of the month we hold a Holy Communion service, using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (average attendance 13). Each week: At 9am we have a Common Worship Service (either Morning Prayer or Holy Communion). Robes are worn and mainly traditional hymns are sung (average attendance 46). Our 10.30am service is modern and informal with groups for children or all-age services. Music is led by a band, and there is a monthly communion (average attendance 112 adults & 51 children). The final service at 6.30pm is a quieter service with more time for contemporary worship and teaching, and Holy Communion once a month (average attendance 36). We offer refreshments after the 9am and 10.30am services and before our 6.30pm service. After nearly all services there is an opportunity to receive prayer. Worship We have a gifted team of regular volunteer musicians led by our volunteer coordinator. The services vary with 9am using the grand piano, and the 10.30am and 6.30pm services using a band. Bands are usually based around a worship leader on acoustic guitar or keys accompanied by a bass guitar, drums, and one or two singers. 7
Discipleship & Evangelism Small Groups There are currently 11 small groups, both daytime and evening, meeting in homes or in the church. Volunteers also provide childcare at one of the daytime groups to enable mums of young children to attend. The small group leaders meet with the incumbent three times a year and host an annual event called the Big Supper for other church members to enjoy a meal and find out more about small groups. Prayer groups There are regular gatherings for prayer, held in the Church, run by members of St Paul s with a monthly St Paul s Night, offering a quiet place for prayer and contemplation; DEEPER a monthly place for silent contemplative prayer and Thirsty a termly gathering for extended sung worship and creating space for the Holy Spirit to minister to and through participants. Alpha Course Run each autumn and open to all. Evergreens This is a group where over 55s, from both outside and inside the church community, come together for activities, enjoyment, fellowship and support. Our core activity is the monthly gathering for two hours on the first Tuesday of every month, when 45-55 people, from a membership of 75, meet in the church to hear an interesting talk from an outside speaker followed by a substantial tea. In addition, we organise, on a termly basis, outings, lunches, historical walks and theatre trips. A member recently said Evergreens is the only regular opportunity I have to leave my flat, with transport provided. I enjoy the warm and friendly welcome, spending time with other people and the varied programme on offer. 8
Leadership Course In 2018 we commenced our first (bespoke) leadership course using some of the material from Growing Leaders (CPAS). There are 26 people on the course, all currently actively involved in the church and looking to develop their own gifts and service. The course has been developed and is run by a member of the congregation. New Wine Summer Conference Each year the vicar and growing numbers of adults and children attend the New Wine Summer conference at Shepton Mallet. In 2017 35 individuals and 20 children attended to share in worship and ministry. Some of our adults and teenagers serve on the team as village hosts, stewards or in the prayer team and Kids and Youth team. We subscribe to New Wine s vision and values. New Wine is a network of over 2,000 churches with the vision to see local churches changing nations. Their values are: Ministry in the power of the Spirit (John 5:19, 14:12); Kingdom (Mark 1:14-15, Luke 4:18-21) and Family and relationships (Mark 3:13-15, 31-35). You can see more on their website: www.new-wine.org 9
Children At St. Paul s we care passionately about children. We want our kids to have fun, to be safe and grow up knowing that God is love, that Jesus is their friend and that the Holy Spirit is God s power in their lives. On Sundays, the children s groups (collectively referred to as Kidzone) are split along school years as follows: Little Fish babies up to age 3 Bubbles Nursery & Reception Splash Year 1 & 2 Xstream Year 3 & 4 Vision Year 5 & 6 We welcome and support children with additional needs with one of the three children s rooms being set up as a sensory room. The HangOut This is a group for Key Stage 2 children (school years 3-6) held once a month. This is for fun and fellowship with games, craft and other fun activities as well as a chance to think about what it really means to follow Jesus. Holiday Club We run holiday clubs for a few days during Easter and Summer school holidays. These are for primary school aged children and open to the local community. Youth Work Youth work at St Paul s encompasses a range of groups and events: Hungry (our Sunday morning group for 11-15 year olds), Monday night Life Group (for 15-18 year olds small but growing), regular socials, youth band practices and one off events. We have been to Saturday Celebrations at Soul Survivor Watford and will be attending the summer Soul Survivor events again this year. We also collaborate with other local churches to create youth events. 10
Kidzone Dads A group of Dads with Kidzone aged children meet once a month for fellowship in a local pub. In the summer they hold various Dads and kids activities leading up to the annual camping trip to the New Forest (No Mums allowed!) Kite flying in Richmond Park Camping in the New Forest Women s ministry The aim of the Women s Ministry is to develop faith and relationships with God and each other. There are a range of regular events such as women s breakfasts with an external speaker, meals out, cake and craft afternoons and book groups. In October 2018, around 40 women will attend our third weekend away at the Oasts in Kent, to enjoy fellowship, worship and teaching (our speaker this year will be Christine Perkin). A women s breakfast Worship on the women s weekend away in 2017 11
Pastoral care and local outreach Rainbows Rainbows is a parent/carer and pre-schooler group open to church members and the local community during term time. It is hugely popular, so much so that we run 4 groups each week each with a different identity - 3 in the church and 1 on the local authority estate. We welcome nearly 500 people (including adults and children) every week. The overwhelming majority of families are from outside the church. All the groups offer age-appropriate toys and activities including singing time and there are refreshments available for adults and children. We provide a free pass for those on benefits or income support (normal admission is 2.50 per family). There is also a Dads do Rainbows group one Saturday a month. We also run twice-termly Rainbows Xtra sessions toddler friendly services with puppets and fun activities based around a bible story. A Rainbows Xtra session The Rainbows helpers Santa s visit Relationships and parenting courses One of our small groups runs a relationships or parenting course at least once a year open to all in the local community. 12
Pastoral care Much of our general Pastoral Care is picked up within our Small Groups and other networks within the church. In addition our NSM and another Co-Leader work with a small team of volunteers to fill any gaps, as well as helping with more difficult or long-term situations, liaising as necessary with our prayer team and church safeguarding officers. Support may include visiting individual homes, local hospitals and care homes; arranging lifts; cooking meals and doing shopping. The NSM offers home communion when requested. She also takes a monthly service at a local Nursing Home that specializes in dementia care. We have a dedicated Pastoral Fund which enables us to support specific needs. Requests for help are agreed by the Pastoral Coordinators in consultation with the Vicar. Annual bereavement service An annual service for those who have lost loved ones. Prayer ministry This is offered at the end of most services by a team of volunteers. Currently this ministry takes place at the front of church during the coffee time after services. Street Pastors We support Street Pastors in both financial and practical ways, three of our congregation are active street pastors and one of them is the Assistant Coordinator for Kingston. 13
St Paul s Church of England Primary School www.stpaulskh.kingston.sch.uk St Paul s School is next door to the church on Alexandra Road. We enjoy an excellent relationship with the school and are fortunate to be able to use their premises for some of our Kidzone groups on Sunday mornings. The Vicar of St Paul s church takes weekly assemblies at the school as well as termly services in church. Members of the congregation also volunteer at the school helping to run the JC club (a lunch time club which provides children with the opportunity to explore the Christian faith through stories, games, craft, quizzes and prayer). The vicar is an ex-officio member of the Governing body and the chair of Governors is an active member of the church. The PCC appoints Foundation governors to the school of which there are currently 6. The school s admissions policy is not based on church attendance. The school itself places great value on the relationship with the church. The Head Teacher states We hope to work with someone who will regularly lead collective worship, develop acts of worship at the Church and someone who will support the school s RE/ Collective Worship Leader. We would love to have someone who again is keen to play a full role in the life of the school, the children and staff. Ideally they would be an informed member of the governing body and understand the SIAMS inspection framework as well as developing the relationship with SDBE. We are delighted to be part of the Church s Mission Action Plan and wish to continue this relationship with the school and the PCC. The school from the church roof 14
Global mission Giving As a church we commit to giving at least 10% of church giving to mission activities in the UK and overseas. A sub-committee of the PCC overseas this giving each year. Our current mission partners are Mission Aviation Fellowship, Tearfund, Hope Health Action (HHA), WEC, Oxygen, Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness to which we are the largest financial contributor, Fellowship for Reconciliation and Relief in the Middle East (FRRME), Tearfund Zimbabwe and Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Overseas mission In March 2018 we sent our second mission team to Haiti for 10 days to support Hope Health Action (HHA), to work with disabled children and improve facilities at the hospital. HHA (formerly Haiti Hospital Appeal) is a Christian charity passionate about facilitating sustainable, life-saving health and disability care to the world s most vulnerable, without any discrimination. The team worked with children at a disabled children s home in Haiti, prayed with staff and patients in the hospital, provided medical kits for local midwives and did gardening, painting, and some English teaching. Praying for and commissioning the team going to Haiti in March 2018. A church member, with his family, is Head of Tearfund in Zimbabwe. The Korean Church We rent the church to Hanbeet Korean church for services on Sunday, following our 10.30am morning service. Language difficulties impair much interaction but we work harmoniously with them. 15
The future of St Paul's - Where are we going Mission Action Plan 2018 The PCC wholeheartedly adopted the Bishop s Mission Action Plan formula and uses this structure to formulate its strategy. It is reviewed every year, discussed regularly at PCC meetings and adjustments are made as seem appropriate with an underpinning basis that we don t necessarily stop doing something in order to start something new. We work to ensure that we deliver what we set out to do by ensuring resources are in place. The 2018 MAP is set out below. 2018 Mission Action Plan 1. To Support, encourage and assist Evergreens in its mission to the over 55 s in our community. 2. To continue to develop the relationship with St Paul s School, so that more church members feel a connection with the school, more involved with nurturing and developing a Christian ethos and the school community (staff and parents alike) are more aware of the church s support for and involvement in the school. 3. To continue to support and strengthen Rainbows and to further develop the group s relationships with the church and community. 4. Under the auspices of Together Southwark parish scheme, St Paul s will offer to be twinned with St Richard s Ham to support St Richard s in prayer, in giving through the Parish Support Fund, and in practical support where needed and as appropriate. A greater expansion of the work of each area described in our MAP is under their separate headings above. However item 4 is new for 2018 and bears further expansion. The 4th objective of the MAP has been added for 2018 and was formulated following the calling of our previous vicar to work in a nearby underprivileged and struggling parish. The PCC agreed to support this parish via the Together Southwark twinning process. We already give through our Parish Support Fund enough to cover the costs of our own parish and one other. We chose to focus on St Richard s Ham and it is hoped that around a dozen will move to St Richard s to help restore the parish. Each PCC member accepts an ambassador role with at least one activity within the church and is active with reporting back to PCC on progress. E.G. Links to the Church School, Rainbows, Evergreens, Youth work etc. 16
Challenges ahead Like any church, St Paul s has its own unique set of challenges and decisions to make about where it prioritises efforts at any point in time. Those challenges include: Numeric growth. Although we see new faces on a regular basis, our overall numbers have remained relatively static in recent years. Across generations we lack numbers in the teenager to thirties age bracket. Spiritual growth. Spiritually there are those in the congregations who are hesitant to go deeper in their journey of faith and to share their faith on their own front line. There is currently no type of course or group between Alpha and small groups for new believers to have their faith nurtured. Service. A large proportion of our volunteers are retired or semi-retired and we need to cultivate a new population of volunteers to relieve the burden. Such service should be an output of spiritual growth and increasing maturity of faith. From Outreach to Faith. Whilst Rainbows and Evergreens have been successful in bringing many people to St Paul s, this has not (for the most part) led to a personal faith in Christ. We would love to see these ministries leading people to faith. Men s ministry. Efforts in the past to create a men s ministry have not been able to gain enough support. There are two small groups at present which are developing (Dads do Rainbows and Kidzone Dads), however these are not inclusive of all men. Linked with the lack of men s ministry is the fact that the number of men serving or volunteering is substantially less than women. Kingsnympton estate. Currently we serve this community with an on-site Rainbows session every Monday. We need to consider other means of outreach. The mosaic at Kingsnympton, commission by the church. 17
Person specification Essential characteristics: A gifted and inspirational communicator, preacher and teacher of the Bible, able to lead and challenge us, wherever we are on our journey, into a deeper understanding of God s message and how it applies to our lives. A person of prayer and integrity who loves to worship and who will ignite us with the same passion for God. Someone who will work collaboratively with staff and laity; who will nurture and encourage us, as well as challenge us to reach our God-given potential. Able to develop the close existing links with our church school; connecting pupils and their families to St Paul s church, supporting the Head in the delivery of the Christian ethos of the school and as a School Governor. A pastor who will engage with, support and care for individuals throughout our parish. Able to inspire and lead in evangelism within our community, with a vision for church growth. Able to support the development of our Children and Youth groups but also able to nurture and inspire other generations. Desirable characteristics: A gently charismatic Christian, who is as comfortable with CW liturgy as with New Wine. Energetic and enthusiastic, with a sense of fun. Experience of ministry within a large church, with a staff team and lay leaders. The sensitivity and confidence to lead people into God s presence and facilitate the work of the Holy Spirit. Able to identify and respond to opportunities for mission. Someone who models the values and vision of New Wine and is willing to lead the group who attend the New Wine Summer Conference as well as other New Wine events. Someone who is not frightened to challenge us to invite change. Our Support for you We will pray for you regularly in our small groups, in church and in personal prayer. We will support your ministry in our church family. We will welcome you and do our utmost to love, nurture and motivate you. We will bring our own energy and enthusiasm to church life and ministry. Our preaching team (staff and lay) will support you in delivering your preaching programme. The PCC will support you in setting out the focus for the church year, the Mission Action Plan, in decision making and in providing counsel. The staff team will support you in getting to know our congregation, activities together with hopes and challenges for the future. We pay expenses including a contribution to defray the costs of running the vicarage as previous vicars have used parts of the vicarage for committee meetings, general expenses, a contribution towards book purchase and pay for an annual staff retreat. 18
Appendices The Vicarage The Vicarage is next to the church and is a large elegant building built in circa 1870. It is grade II listed and is a comfortable residence fitted with central heating and a security system. It is generally well maintained by the diocese. Accommodation comprises Large front reception room, currently used as a dining room Large front room study Good size lounge with double doors leading to a large garden Sizeable fitted kitchen/breakfast room WC/utility room Upstairs there are Four double bedrooms Small box room Main bathroom with bath and shower Large loft for storage The rear garden has a paved area with steps leading down to a large lawn. Previous vicars have used the garden for parish picnics, barbeques and also immersion baptisms in a temporary pool owned by the church. Next door and attached to the vicarage is the house Vicarage End ; owned by the diocese and currently let out to a clergy widow and her family for three years from Summer 2018. However arrangements have been made with the diocese in the past to house curates in training in rented property if Vicarage End is not available. 19
Governance (PCC) The PCC meets 6 times per year and is supported by the following Committees: Finance & Standing, Fabric, Staffing, and Mission. We always meet for a prayer breakfast the weekend before each meeting. Finances Over the years God has been good and the congregation been faithful in giving. We have not been in deficit as our budget has risen. We have always met our Diocesan giving quota with a PCC aim of being able to cover all our own costs while contributing to the costs of another less privileged Parish. Income is from regular giving, gift days and rent revenue from church lettings. The Church Hall Trust is a separate charity from the church and reports its finances separately. The PCC receives grants from the Hall Trust at the discretion of the Hall Trustees. You will also be able to see our Annual report on our website once it is published in early April. This is the recently produced Finance Dashboard from the Diocese. 20
Fabric The Church building requires on going attention only to be expected in a building of this age and size. There have been recent significant external repairs to the stonework, roofing and gutters and the heating system has just been upgraded. A spatial review has recently been undertaken by an (architect) church member which has highlighted possible future development of the church building and surrounds. The Diocese St Paul s is in the deanery of Kingston, in the archdeaconry of Wandsworth, in the episcopal area of Kingston and the Diocese of Southwark. The Suffragan Bishop is the Bishop of Kingston, The Rt. Revd Dr Richard Cheetham. Useful website addresses St Paul s Church www.stpaulskingston.org.uk Southwark Diocese www.southwark.anglican.org St Paul s School www.stpaulskh.kingston.sch.uk New Wine www.new-wine.org 21
St Paul s Kingston Hill Queens Road Kingston upon Thames KT2 7SF 020 8549 5444 www.stpaulskingston.org.uk 22