Parish Profile. Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Parish Profile Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. John 1:1 2013

Welcome Welcome to our Parish Profile. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Our aim is to give you an understanding of our two parishes and a taste of what it might be like to be a part of the joint family of Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James. We hope that it will enable you to consider prayerfully our vacancy for a new priest-in-charge and we look forward to meeting you should you decide to apply. David Sprigings and Linda Sparks Churchwardens The Virgin Jill Goodman and Peter Stiling Churchwardens 1 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Contents Welcome... 1 Contents... 2 Our Communities... 3 Vision, Mission and Future Direction... 7 Church Buildings... 9 Sunday and Weekday Services... 11 Other Services... 13 Support Available... 16 Youth and Children s Work... 17 Social and Spiritual Life... 19 Finance... 21 Person Specification for our vacancy... 22 A position for you?... 23 2 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Our Communities The Parishes This parish profile brings together two individual yet adjoining parishes in the western side of Northampton. It covers the parishes of Dallington St. Mary and Northampton St. James. Both of these parishes have recently become vacant, following the retirement of a full-time incumbent and the move of a part-time incumbent into a full-time chaplaincy role. We are now looking for a fulltime priest-in-charge to serve both parishes, which have a combined population of around 12 to 13,000 people. Northampton Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire, with a population of over 210,500 people and is still expanding. It lies between London and Birmingham at the cross-roads of England. There is easy access by train (London Midland) and road (M1) to London, Birmingham, Birmingham International Airport and Milton Keynes. The town offers a wide range of cultural, retail, leisure and employment opportunities. It is home to Northampton Saints rugby team (whose ground is in the parish of ), Northampton Town Football Club (the Cobblers), the Northants County Cricket team, the Northampton Museum & Art Gallery (including national shoe museum), the iconic 78 Derngate (designed by Charles Rennie Macintosh), the Derngate & Royal Theatres and the University of Northampton. Both parishes have good bus links to the town centre and to nearby retail parks and supermarkets. The parish of Dallington, with a total population of around 5,000 is made up of three distinct areas: the old village of Dallington around the church, the Spencer estate built in the 1930s, with 1960s and 1990s in-fills, is predominantly made up of social housing, and the area to the north of Mill Lane, which is an owner occupied area built in the 1980s and 1990s. With 40% of the population living in social housing, the parish is in the top 6% of the most deprived areas in the country (based on Church Urban Fund statistics). The key issues faced by the people who live in this part of the parish include house overcrowding, absence of work, limited education and poor health. 3 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

These statistics however mask the socio-economic diversity of the people that live and worship in our community which includes the beautiful, village within a town setting of our church and the relative affluence of some parts of the parish. Dallington has a diverse cultural and faith profile for example,14% of the population are of the Muslim faith and the first language of 17% of the population is non-english. The parish has a population of over 7,000 and is in the top 15% most deprived areas in the country (based on Church Urban Fund statistics). It has a wide ethnic mix, with families from Eastern Europe, Asia and Afro-Caribbean countries as well as longestablished Northampton town families. Many faiths are represented and worship within the parish. All age ranges are well represented within our local community. Housing is a good mix of privately owned, rented (private and social housing) and sheltered accommodation. Commerce & Industry The local shopping area of St. James serves both parishes, offering a mix of medium size supermarkets, small independent shops, a Post Office and branches of three banks and one building society. The Sixfields retail park, which includes a large out of town Sainsbury s supermarket, lies just outside our parish boundaries. The Northampton Saints Rugby Club is a short distance away from the parish church of St. James, and is owned by a local entrepreneur. We have previously held a Songs of Praise style service with hymns, songs and readings at the ground around Christmas time. Within our parishes, there are a number of building supply and other large industrial companies. 4 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Schools & Education There are three primary schools within our parishes. St. James Church of England Primary School (Dallington parish) Earl Spencer Primary School (Dallington parish) Lyncrest Primary (St. James parish) We have regular, good links with two of these schools and wish to increase our involvement with the Earl Spencer Primary School. Northampton has a University, Academy schools, 6 th Form Colleges, Boys & Girls schools and independent schools. Health Care We have two Community centres, two dentists and three nursing homes within our parishes. There are around three general medical practices close by although not in either parish. Other Churches St. Augustine s Church on Kings Heath was a daughter church of St. Mary s. The church building is now redundant, and the Church on the Heath, an Anglican / Baptist local ecumenical partnership, meets and worships as a united congregation. Other churches and places of worship within our parish include: a Gospel Hall a United Reformed Church an Elim Pentecostal Church a Seventh Day Adventist Church a Somali Church a Convent, and a small Mosque Whilst we currently separately serve the needs of our individual parishes, we have shared joint services and acts of worship and witness on a regular basis. For example, we have come together: at our Patronal festivals for Maundy Evening Service and the Good Friday walk of witness, and for visits by our diocesan Bishops. 5 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Diocese and Deanery The Diocese of Peterborough covers about 1,200 square miles in Northamptonshire, Peterborough and Rutland. Its population is mainly in towns and Northampton is the largest town in the Diocese and Greater Northampton Deanery the largest Deanery. Greater Northampton Deanery was formed in 2008 in order to share in God s mission for our area by seeing Northampton whole. It includes Team Ministries, Local Ecumenical Partnerships, single and multi-parish benefices, 34 centres of worship and a House of Prayer. Over 2,000 adults attend our churches on Sundays and many more at services and other activities during the week. There are two pioneer posts in the Deanery and a number of Fresh Expressions. The Deanery Mission Plan has been in place for five years and a new plan is to be developed in the autumn. There is a clergy Chapter that meets together five times a year and in local clusters on other occasions. Northampton has over one hundred churches in the town, including Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Free Churches, Pentecostal, Independent Churches including African and African- Caribbean congregations. Churches Together Northampton has a wide membership and a number of other Christian churches and organisations work together including an annual Pentecost in the Park event, Street Church, Street Pastors and Faithworks Northampton. The seven major faiths are represented in the Deanery and there is an active Inter Faith Forum. 6 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Vision, Mission and Future Direction I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 We are friendly, warm and welcoming Christian communities. St. Mary s is a beautiful church that sits in the centre of the beautiful village within a town that is Dallington. St. James is an imposing Victorian red brick church and is a focal point for the community of Jimmy s End (as our area of Northampton is affectionately known locally). The pattern of Sunday worship across our two parishes covers a broad spectrum of service styles. Our pattern of Sunday services reflects the diversity of our congregation and our heartfelt desire to connect with people of all ages and stages of their Christian faith. Our current Sunday pattern is: - Traditional language, Common Worship (2 nd and 4 th Sundays) All Age Worship a short, informal service (1 st Sundays) All Age Contemporary language, Common Worship (3 rd Sundays) - Book of Common Prayer (5 th Sundays) We have a popular and growing Sunday School which meets for most of the service on the 2 nd and 4 th Sundays of the month. Most age ranges are represented within our congregation, which is small yet stable in numbers and attendance. is central to our Sunday and weekday worship. Our current Sunday pattern is: Contemporary language, Common Worship (not 1 st Sundays) Family Service within a service (1 st Sundays) Our Shared Vision We are keen to work with our new priest to progress the opportunities for growth in our churches and outreach into our communities that we see here in Dallington and St. James. Encourage younger working families to come to church Increase our involvement in the local community, especially with the Pre-School that is based in St. Mary s Hall and with Earl Spencer Primary School. We already have an excellent working relationship with St. James CofE and Lyncrest Primary Schools Reach out and engage with the other faiths that live and worship in our parishes Reach out and engage with the people of different cultures that live in our parishes Continue to enrich and develop our children s ministry 7 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Extend our ministry to the elderly and housebound who live in our communities Enhance the pastoral care and support that we provide to those living in social and/or economic deprivation within our communities Understand prayerfully how we might best use the recent 186,000 legacy left to St. Mary s in 2011 to sustain the work of the church in Dallington and fund the vision that we have for mission and outreach. We have a wide range of ideas as to how this money could be spent, and welcome the counsel and guidance of new priest as to how it should be used wisely to further God s kingdom in this parish 8 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Church Buildings Our Churches 1. Dallington Church, constructed of Northamptonshire stone, was built between 1207 and 1252, and is a Grade II* listed building. Over the centuries there have been many alterations and additions, and as a result it contains a number of architectural styles including those from Norman, Early English and Decorated periods. It seats approximately 150 people and contains many interesting furnishings and artefacts donated by benefactors over the centuries. In terms of major work to the church fabric, the south aisle was restored in the mid-nineteenth century and the chancel was rebuilt in the late-nineteenth century, financed by the Spencer family; Earl Spencer is the patron of the living. The Quinquennial survey in 2012 identified that a number of repairs were needed to the church building. Our plan is to complete the roof repairs this summer, so that we are weatherproof before the winter. We may use some of the recent legacy to cover the cost of the additional repairs. The churchyard is closed to burials and the upkeep is carried out by Northampton Borough Council. 2. St. James was built in 1870 and is a Victorian red brick construction which is highly visible in the area. It has seating for 200 people. A Clock tower was added as a war memorial in the 1920s, and has a distinctive four face clock. The West end of the original church has been made into a church hall which is used for meetings and hired out to other faith and community groups. In addition, our church building has a side room ( The Well ) which is used for smaller meetings and an office that houses a sound system and our photocopier. Our church building also has a kitchen and toilets. All of the essential work identified in our recent Quinquennial report was completed earlier this year and our building is in a good state of repair. We do not have a graveyard. There is however an area within our grounds designated as a Garden of Remembrance that is used for the burial of cremated remains. 9 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

St. Mary s Church Hall The Church Hall, known as The Old Schools, is over the road from the church. It is a Grade II listed building dating back to 1840, which served as the village school until 1939. It was purchased by the Church Council in 1961 for use as the church hall, and now consists of a main hall, a fully fitted kitchen, toilet facilities (recently upgraded) and various storage rooms. There is wheelchair-access to the hall via a ramp at the main entrance. The Church Hall is used extensively for church-related functions such as Feast Week celebrations, Parochial Church Council meetings, the Annual General Meeting of the Church Council, Rummage Sales, Summer Fair, Christmas Bazaar, and coffee following Sunday morning services. It is also available for letting to other organisations and regular users include St. James Pre-school and the Ladies Fellowship. Car parking for the Old Schools is available on the Queen s Recreation Ground opposite and this area is also used, in conjunction with The Old Schools, for the Summer Fair. The Vicarage St. James Vicarage The vicarage is a modern detached house comprising of five bedrooms, two reception rooms, office, kitchen, utility room, downstairs toilet, garage, brick-built garden store, and a large garden. It is centrally heated and double-glazed. The house is located on a local road away from the main routes that go through the parish, and is about five minutes walk away from the church. St. James vicarage is situated on the boundary of the two parishes, with St. Mary s church about a ten minutes walk away. 10 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Sunday and Weekday Services is at the heart of the worship in both our churches. Both Dallington St. Mary and Northampton St. James come from a central church tradition. Robes are worn for services and we each have a team of servers who help in the sanctuary. Our current range of Sunday services includes Common Worship Contemporary and Traditional languages, Book of Common Prayer and All-Age worship. Our hymns are chosen from the New English Hymnal (St. Mary s) and Hymns Old & New (St. James). Monthly Service Structure The table below shows our current pattern of services. We recognise that this may need to change as we become two parishes led by one priest. First Sunday Second Sunday Third Sunday Fourth Sunday Fifth Sunday 8am CW Contemporary language (Said) 10am Family Service with CW Contemporary language (Sung) 8.00am CW Contemporary language (Said) 10.00am CW Contemporary language (Sung) 8am CW Contemporary language (Said) 10am CW Contemporary language (Sung) 8am CW Contemporary language (Said) 10am CW Contemporary language (Sung) 8am CW Contemporary language (Said) 10am CW Contemporary language (Sung) 8am CW Traditional Language (Said) 10am All Age CW Contemporary Language (Sung) 8am CW Traditional Language (Said) 10am CW Traditional Language with Sunday School 8am CW Traditional Language (Said) 10am All Age CW Contemporary Language (Sung) 8am CW Traditional Language (Said) 10am CW Traditional Language with Sunday School 8am Book of Common Prayer (Said) 10am Book of Common Prayer (Sung) 11 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Monday Tuesday Wednesday 10am - CW Contemporary language (Said) 8.30am - Morning Prayers 8.30am - Morning Prayers Prior to the vacancy, also had the following services: 6pm Evensong on Sunday evenings 5pm Evening Prayer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5pm on Friday evenings Children & Youth (0 16 yrs) Adults Totals Sunday 8am 0 6 6 Sunday 10am 4 44 48 Wednesday 10am 0 4 4 Our electoral roll as at this year s Annual Meeting was 81. Children & Youth (0-16 yrs) Adults Totals Sunday 8am 0 8 8 Sunday 10am All Age 10 24 34 Sunday 10am (Traditional / BCP) 12 26 38 Our electoral roll as at this year s Annual Meeting was 45. 12 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Other Services Throughout the church year, services take place to prepare for and celebrate the major festivals and to mark other key events in the life of the church and community. Our Easter Day and Christmas services are popular with the local community and are quite well attended. Most of the following services currently take place separately in our respective churches. Lent Ash Wednesday Mothering Sunday Holy Week and Easter Monday to Wednesday Maundy Thursday Good Friday Easter Day Ascension Day Ascension Day Hosted by a different church each year. Harvest Festivals Harvest Festivals 7.30pm 2012 Attendance = 19 10am Family Service 2012 Attendance = 57 13 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James 7.30pm 2012 Attendance = 17 10am 2012 Attendance = 50 10am 7.30pm 2012 Attendance = 7 Compline 7.30pm Compline 2012 Attendance = 3 2012 Attendance = 2 7.30pm 7.30pm and Watch 2012 Attendance = 16 2012 Attendance = 9 10am Walk of Witness followed by a soup lunch at 12 Noon 2pm Good Friday Liturgy 2pm Meditation at the Cross 2012 Attendance = 20 2012 Attendance = 16 8am 9.30am 2012 Attendance = 4 Family Worship and Holy 10am Parish Communion Communion 2012 Attendance = 70 2012 Attendance = 76 6pm Evening Prayer 2012 Attendance = 4 7.30pm Greater Northampton Deanery Service with Bishop John 2012 Attendance = 47 8am 2012 Attendance = 7 10am All Age Worship 2012 Attendance = 62 10am Combined service with Back to Church Sunday, followed by a soup lunch 2012 Attendance = 57

Patronal Festivals Patronal Festivals All Saints and Remembrance All Saints and All Souls Remembrance Christmas and Epiphany Christingle Services Midnight Mass Christmas Day St. Stephen s Day (Boxing Day) Christmas 1 Healing services Healing services 8am 2012 Attendance = 7 10am Parish Communion combined with St. Mary s, followed by a Faith lunch 2012 Attendance = 66 7.30pm Requiem 2012 Attendance = 22 8am 2012 Attendance = 5 10am 11am Memorial Service at the War Memorial 2012 Attendance = 61 4pm Christmas Eve 2012 Attendance = 63 11.15pm Midnight Mass 2012 Attendance = 50 9.30am Family Communion 2012 Attendance = 22 10am 2012 Attendance = 2 10am with healing stations 2012 Attendance = 48 10am One service of followed by a Feast Lunch 2012 Attendance = 58 6pm Service for the recently bereaved 2012 Attendance = 44 11am Memorial Service at the War Memorial (after the morning service) 2012 Attendance = 44 4.30pm Christmas Eve 2012 Attendance = 86 11.30pm Christmas Eve 2012 Attendance = 50 9.30am 2012 Attendance = 17 3pm Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, followed by mince pies and mulled wine in the Belfry 2012 Attendance = 24 14 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Life Event services 2012 Baptisms and Thanksgivings 15 8 (Plus, the church was used by St. Augustine, Kings Heath on 4 occasions) Weddings 1 10 (Plus, the church was used by St. Augustine, Kings Heath on 3 occasions) Funerals and Interments 12 27 15 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Support Available The incumbent will receive help and support from a variety of clergy, licensed lay ministers and lay members, and from all our congregation members. Clergy and Licensed Lay Ministers We have a retired priest who is available to lead some of the services at. During the vacancy a part-time SSM from a neighbouring parish has led most of the services at. This support may be available once our new incumbent is on board. A Church Army Evangelist, Sister Christine Goodger, ministers to the older generation in both parishes, taking home communion to the sick and housebound, and to local care homes. Acts of worship in the local care homes also include observance of Remembrance Sunday and Carol services. She is supported by a team of volunteers from both churches. At, there is a licensed lay reader Peter Stiling (who is also one of the churchwardens). Peter is to be re-licensed in September as Reader with Permission to Officiate. He has a licence for St. James, where he preaches, is a Eucharist Assistant, leads intercessions, reads lessons and performs other duties as required. He is also licensed to the local Benefice of Pattishall, Cold Higham, Gayton and Tiffield. He officiates at the St. John s Tiffield Family Service on the 3 rd Sunday of each month and other Benefice services as available. Lay Members Both our parishes have a small body of people who play an active role in church life. We have people who read lessons, lead intercessions, serve and administer the chalice, welcome visitors as sides people and run children s activities (such as our Sunday Schools). We also have people who organise church rotas, clean our buildings, arrange flowers, prepare the Sunday morning refreshments and set up for services. At there is a team of bell ringers, who from time to time welcome and host visiting teams of ringers. Volunteers prepare, edit and print our weekly and monthly magazines. Administration and Finance Both churches have a voluntary PCC Treasurer; both of whom are supported by volunteers who count the weekly collections, Freewill Offering envelopes and other income. Neither of our two churches currently has an administrator (paid or voluntary). Some support is available for such tasks as photocopying and printing. PCCs Each parish has its own PCC, Standing Committee and sub-committees that report into the PCC. 16 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

s Youth and Children s Work Our popular and growing Sunday school meets for most of the service on the 2 nd and 4 th Sundays of the month and takes place in the nearby Old Schools. There are usually around 10 12 children taking; although, this has been known to swell to 16 or so when there are families visiting the church. On the fifth Sundays of the month, when the Sunday morning services use the Book of Common Prayer, we have a craft morning where we do lots of different activities such as painting, decorating biscuits, painted boats to float in the village brook, and acting out stories and enjoy being really messy. This is great fun for children and leaders alike! We have an Easter egg hunt each year outdoors, weather permitting which culminates in the telling of the Easter story with the help of objects hidden inside plastic eggs. Over the past year, our Sunday School has also run: for the Queen s Diamond Jubilee, a plate decorating competition for July, a picnic in the park (well... in The Old Schools because it was too wet to sit outside to eat our lunch) we had a great time playing our Olympic themed games indoors! for the Christingle service, a sketch about interviewing Donkeys from the New Testament, that included ones called 007, 008 and 009. Our children s work is led by Linda Sparks, one of our churchwardens, with the support of a small team of volunteers. We are keen to continue growing and developing our children and young people s activities. We have a Children s church on a Sunday morning which meets for most of the service and takes place in the church hall. This is led by Nikki Oxborough. She has created a space for the children that they own, with tables, chairs and resources for them to use. One of the sources for inspiration for Nikki s work is the Diocesan Star produced by the diocesan Children s Missioner. There is an audio link so that the children can hear the service and join in at appropriate stages. The children of St. James have named their Sunday School sessions JAMES Jesus and me every Sunday. Other children s activities include: JAM (Jesus and Me) Club this is an after-school club at St. James Primary School that church members run during part of the spring term Rainbows and Brownies meet in our church hall Guides meet in a local school All of these activities have the potential to be developed further. St. James encourages young people to take communion before confirmation once they have completed a series of introductory sessions with the priest-in-charge. 17 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

18 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Social and Spiritual Life Both our churches have an active social life. Some of the highlights from the last twelve months or so were: New Year social at Northampton St. James: Social with games and quizzes and a Faith Supper Candlemas party at Northampton St. James: This is usually held at the Vicarage. Pancake party at Northampton St. James: Social with games and quizzes and a Faith Supper Easter and Harvest suppers at Northampton St. James: A 2 course meal prepared by the Social Committee followed by entertainment. Social events at Dallington St. Mary: We have very popular parish lunches after the Harvest Festival and the Feast Sunday. There is a summer lunch for the congregation and friends each year hosted by the Turners, which is also very well-attended. Mince pies and mulled wine are served after the Christmas Carol Service. The enthusiastic Ladies Fellowship at Dallington St. Mary meets fortnightly in The Old Schools on a Wednesday evening. Their programme over the past year was packed full of good fun, interesting and entertaining activities such as a reminiscing evening, an Easter basket competition, a beetle drive, a quiz night, an origami evening, line-dancing, a poetry and prose evening, a film night followed by jacket potatoes, and a bingo evening followed by chips... to name just a few of their varied events! The highlight of 2012 was an evening of food and entertainment to celebrate the Queen s Diamond Jubilee. Mothers Union at Northampton St. James is very active and its programme of meetings has included talks on the Subject of the Year from the list of Diocesan speakers, plus various charities. Dallington Digest is the monthly magazine at St. Mary, containing a mix of articles, poems, quizzes, cartoons, and so on. This popular publication makes a small profit for church funds St. James produce a monthly magazine, containing a mix of articles, children s page, rotas, etc. St. James also has a website - www.stjameschurchnorthampton.org.uk Funding raising events at include jumble sales, Summer fete and Christmas fair We regularly support each other s fundraising events. We are both Fairtrade churches, and from time to time host Fairtrade stalls in church. Our spiritual life and growth is also important to us. At Northampton St. James we have seasonal study groups in Advent and Lent, and a Bible Study group and a prayer group that meet throughout the year. At Dallington St. Mary, Advent and Lent study groups have been held most years. 19 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

20 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Finance Introducing the Finance Team PCC Treasurer Margaret Deacon Natasha Robinson Planned Giving Officer Sandra Oxborough Anne Miller Reports into the PCC and... Standing & Finance Committee Standing Committee 2012 Parish Share Requested 38,460 21,764 Paid 30,000 21,764 Percentage paid 78% 100% Underpayment 8,460 0 The planned giving and other income at has been insufficient to pay the parish share requested for a full-time incumbent for the last couple of years. With advice from the diocesan Stewardship Officer, we were recently able to run a Stewardship campaign that yielded some positive results. Our parish share position should improve if we move from a share based on a dedicated incumbent to one based on a shared incumbent. At St. Mary s we have paid our Parish Share in full for the past 3 years and will continue to do so. Clergy expenses are paid in full by both churches. Reserves As at 31 December 2012 General funds 11,162 10,747 Restricted funds 1. Nora Kilburn Fund - 74,398 John Royd Bequest - 20,000 250,327 3 1 2 3 This legacy gift is currently ring-fenced for building repairs and Quinquennial work. The interest from this legacy gift can be used to sustain the work of the church in St. James and fund the vision that we have for mission and outreach. This includes a legacy gift of 186,000, received in 2011, which can be used to sustain the work of the church in Dallington and fund the vision that we have for mission and outreach. Major Projects Planned for 2013 St. James no major Repairs to church roof Expected spend = 20,000 projects planned for the Renovation of Old School Rooms Expected spend = 20,000 remainder of 2013 Missionary Giving Last year, St. James gave a total of 1,492 to church and secular charities. At St. Mary s, there has been only modest Missionary Giving in recent years ( 259 in 2012), and this is something we should wish to remedy with advice from our new priest. The congregation at St Mary s regularly donate food and other items to support the work of a hostel, Northampton Hope Centre. The 2012 Annual Reports and Accounts are available for both parishes on request (via the Archdeacon). 21 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

Person Specification for our vacancy We are looking forward to welcoming a new priest-in-charge who believes they have the vision, energy and enthusiasm to lead us as we respond to the opportunities that we have to grow the presence of our churches and reach out further into our local communities. Someone who: is outgoing and able to connect with people of all ages, backgrounds and stages of their Christian faith, and can inspire church members to be outward looking has the skills and experience needed to create and enhance the services and activities we provide to children, young people and their families both within church and out in the local community is willing and able to reach out and widen our links with the local community, including our connections with other denominations, faiths and cultures that live and worship in Dallington and St. James is a good listener and guide, who will work with us to shape and implement the changes needed to enable us to achieve our vision and to help us feel that we are very much two parishes, one team for God is great at encouraging and training others supporting those who want to develop their spirituality, ministry and service and inspiring all members to feel engaged and involved in the life of the church has a great sense of humour and fun! 22 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James

A position for you? If you feel that God is calling you to apply for this vacancy, please contact: Cheryl Goddard The Archdeacon of Northampton s secretary E-Mail: secretary.northampton@peterborough-diocese.org.uk 23 Dallington St. Mary & Northampton St. James