PRAYER Heavenly Father, thank you for our Church family, for the love, care, growth, support and leadership we have known over the years. We pray that, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you will continue to develop our vision and mission as a fellowship where all are made welcome. Help us to be a Christ-centred Church with Christ-centred leaders, rooted in the Bible and prayer, with a desire for a closer walk with you. Amen. 1
When GAP (Growth Action Planning) was first introduced in the Diocese we reviewed our previous mission statement and we arrived at the following which we felt would help us develop our GAP goals: As a church our desire is to Reach Out With the love of Jesus to all ages Build Up Into God s family, valued and empowered We use the shortened form Reaching Out and Building Up regularly in PCC meetings, services, discussions, to refer to the ministry and mission of the church, and also in planning for and reflecting on activities, events and services of St Alban s. WHO WE ARE Welcome to the Parish of St Alban s Broadheath. We are an evangelical church, with a broad range of ages. We aim to be friendly, welcoming and caring, with the desire to share the good news of Jesus with each other and those around us. There is a wide variety of church backgrounds which leads to a rich fellowship and a real undersanding of what it means to be one in Christ. We would identify ourselves as belonging to the family of God - loving and serving God, the community and one another. We recognise that we cannot fully describe every activity, interest and challenge. However, with this profile we have tried to paint a picture of a church that is looking for someone to help us to build on what we have already achieved, and also to encourage us as we meet new and existing challenges. We hope the description of our parish, our church and our mission, will provide a good basis for you to consider whether you are called to serve God here in Broadheath. 2
WHERE WE ARE The parish is situated between Altrincham and Sale, in the borough of Trafford. Whilst it is a predominantly suburban area, it also borders open countryside, giving access to the nearby Trans-Pennine Trail and the Bridgewater Canal towpath. There is a variety of housing, including local authority, privately rented and owner occupied. The 2011 Census showed a population of 12,500 with about 5000 households but with the construction of a large new housing development on the western edge, the numbers will have increased considerably. Links have been developed with the local state primary schools and further education college, which we feel are priorities to maintain. Though there are none in the parish, there are excellent high schools throughout the borough. The congregation represents a cross section of this community in both age and social backgrounds. The area is well-served by retail and leisure facilities, and by public transport, enabling easy access by train, bus and tram to the rest of Greater Manchester, whilst the proximity to major roads brings the motorway network and the leafy lanes of Cheshire within reach. 3
OUR GATHERED WORSHIP One of our desires is that our gathered worship as a church prepares us for living our Christian life during the rest of the week when we are scattered in our workplaces, homes and neighbourhoods. We are looking to introduce more of the Whole-life Worship material and have used a number of approaches to help us connect Sundays to our life of faith during the week, for example This Time Tomorrow an occasional series of interviews with church members during the morning service in which they can highlight various aspects of their coming week. The main service is on Sunday at 10.30 am which alternates weekly between Holy Communion and Morning Prayer using Common Worship material, with special services during the year. Our preaching is Bible based and generally we follow the lectionary but may take a book of the Bible or a theme to preach on, for example last year we had a sermon series on Questions about the Bible which was well received. We use a combination of traditional hymns and more modern songs supported by the use of organ or keyboard and a small music group. The words are projected onto a screen. We regularly have visitors at this service which is a real joy and we often get positive feedback about our welcome. During the service the children have their own activities in Sunday Club and come back together with the adults for communion. At 8.00 am on Sundays we have a Book of Common Prayer communion. Tuesday Worship occurs once a month in the evening and is very informal. We have many of the usual seasonal services, for example Good Friday reflection, Harvest Thanksgiving, Remembrance, Family Nativity. The candle service on Christmas Eve is a local tradition! This has been held for many years and is a real family event parents remember being brought by their parents and are now bringing their children. We have also invited guest speakers from organisations such as Tearfund, Boaz Trust, Open Doors, Trafford Youth for Christ. Baptism of children and adults and Thanksgiving services are a regular occurrence and follow Common Worship. The style of our font enables us to offer baptism by full immersion. Occasional Offices provide an opportunity for us to demonstrate God s love through our welcome to all by reaching out to those who might hesitate to come into church. We try to ensure that there are representatives from the congregation present at these services. 4
PEOPLE AND TEAMS We recognise the need for encouragement for all to use their gifts and talents in God s service. We are very thankful for the commitment of so many in our congregation who contribute to the smooth running of St Alban s. Currently there is a Curate (self-supporting), a Reader, a Reader Emeritus and a parttime voluntary church administrator. The PCC consists of 16 members who meet every month except August and December. We have a business meeting one month and a prayer meeting the next month to give us time to seek God together. There are two safeguarding officers. In addition to the PCC and the Standing Committee, we have the following teams: Worship - meets regularly to organise, plan and resource church services. Sunday Club - organises and supports young people s and children s work on a Sunday. Finance - oversees all church finances. Mission - involved in supporting outreach and organisation of events. Discipleship encourages our walk with God (see Discipleship section below) Pastoral - provides support for members of the congregation, visits those who are sick or house-bound and offers home communion. Prayer - organises intercessions, weekly prayer points on the notice sheet, prayer ministry which is offered at each service. It meets weekly to pray together. There are many other areas that church members are involved in such as operating the AV system and providing weekly refreshments. 5
YOUTH AND CHILDREN S WORK We strongly believe that young people and children are not only the church of the future but they are part of the church today. In our work with them we aim to give them a sure foundation of Biblical truth and encourage their own walk of faith in God. St Alban s Sunday Club meets each week during the 10.30 am morning worship. The children are divided into 3 groups which run simultaneously throughout the service, offering age appropriate activities following Scripture Union material. There are over 30 children enrolled as regular attendees at Sunday Club, ranging in age from 18 months old to 15 years old. The aim is to provide spiritual learning, growth and guidance in a safe, fun, creative and supportive environment, using spoken word, prayers, games, activities and crafts. Sunday Club membership has grown annually over the past 8 years. All children and young people attending church are provided with the opportunity to join in with Sunday Club activities and do participate in some services. They join their families for communion with some of our young people having been admitted to communion before confirmation. The Church has strong links with Trafford Youth for Christ, employing a dedicated youth worker from TYFC, to facilitate the older children/youth section of the Sunday Club. The Church has also welcomed interns from Trafford Youth for Christ to support our youth work in recent years. St Alban s Toddler group has been in existence for over 30 years. Run by volunteers from the church it meets weekly, in term time, in the church hall, to provide a social gathering for parents and carers to meet while their preschool children play. The toddler group is open to all the community. It aims to provide friendship, fellowship, prayer and support and to show God s love to all. Our Reader is chaplain to our local Sea Cadets, involved in providing spiritual guidance to the cadets and staff. Links with local primary schools within the parish are established through visits to the church and the Rewind to Christmas and 6
Rewind to Easter events. In addition, the Vicar leads school assemblies once or twice a term. The previous incumbent was a member of the Ecumenical Chaplaincy team in Trafford College, and particularly had links with the Department which supports students who have learning and disability needs. The students are encouraged to attend and volunteer at Take 5 café and to donate to our foodbank. DISCIPLESHIP Reaching Out and Building Up People are encouraged to join one of the five lay-led house groups. They meet weekly, four in the evenings and one daytime group. Once a month they meet to pray and worship together. This is called Tuesday Worship, is informal and is facilitated by one of the house groups. The Alpha course is run every 18 months, the most recent being an ecumenical course held at a local Costa coffee shop and it is hoped to repeat this in September 2018. We have also been involved in arranging times of prayer for Thy Kingdom Come - the Archbishops call to prayer. The church was open at a variety of times to enable the congregation to pray; there were prayer stations and prayer points for people to follow. We hope to continue this in May 2018. We took part last year in the Chester Diocesan initiative, The Year of the Bible, through a variety of teaching and events, encouraging us all to look at how we engage with the Bible. COMMUNITY AND MISSION Reaching Out and Building Up Mission is at the heart of all we do. We seek to reach out with the love of Jesus to those around us. There is a Mission team which organises some events but much of the mission work takes place as we serve God in our daily lives and in the life of the church. We have 7
used teaching such as Fruitfulness on the Front line from the LICC which has been helpful in our daily witness. There is a vibrant and exciting Toddler group which meets weekly in the church hall, as well as the Take 5 café, which provides light refreshments and an opportunity to meet with others, and where Mrs Kelly s cakes need to be tasted to be believed! Trafford South Foodbank has a distribution centre open each weekday and on Wednesday mornings it is based in our hall. Many new houses have been and continue to be built in the parish and efforts have been made to reach out to these new parishioners as well as continuing links with those well established. We distribute Easter and Christmas Cards to the whole parish with an invitation and message on them. These are well received and people comment that they look forward to receiving them. On two occasions the card was designed by a Trafford College student. We have good relationships with the many hall users and seek to develop these. As previously mentioned we regularly run Alpha courses and participated in Thy Kingdom Come especially praying for God s kingdom to come in our parish. For the last few years we have had a Christmas Tree festival in December which has attracted many visitors from the local community and beyond, and to which local businesses and church members contributed. The Holiday at Home club held in August provides three days of activities for the over 50 s. In acknowledging the importance of Christ s mission in the wider world, we support organisations such as Tear Fund and Open Doors, both prayerfully and financially. We are also seeking a new overseas mission link now our link with the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka has come to an end. We are involved locally in Altrincham Christians Together (ACT). At present a new community centre is being built in Broadheath which may provide us with further opportunities to reach out into the community. 8
FINANCE We have encouraged planned and tax-efficient giving for years and for it to be a part of our discipleship and service. We stopped taking a collection during the service many years ago believing that it may have communicated the message the church is only after your money. The Finance team supports the work of the Treasurer by managing the energy contracts, bookkeeping, payment of bills, stewardship and Gift Aid process. We have always managed to meet our parish share and have supported a local parish for a number of years by meeting part of their share. We allocate 10% of the church s receipts to support local and national charities and causes. There is a tithing team that meets once a year to decide where it should go. This is quite a popular team to be on as it involves giving money away! A full list of the most recent Tithe handed out is contained within the financial accounts. We have generally raised funds for major works ourselves through church family giving. We are considering applying for a grant to help complete the church hall refurbishment work. OUR BUILDINGS Church The main church building is an open, welcoming space, with large windows at the entrance intended to be inviting, and is a real asset, able to be used for worship and mission. The Church was designed by architects Austin and Paley of Lancaster, built in 1899/1900 and is a Grade II listed building. It was built with a temporary west end. In 2000 this temporary wall was finally removed, and an extension built to include toilets, a small kitchen, office, store and creche room which is presently used by our Sunday 9
Club. There was also some re-ordering of the chancel area and improvements to the lighting, heating and the installation of an AV system and screens. A large baptismal font was built enabling baptism by full immersion if requested. This facility has also been used by other local churches. There is a sitting/play area for babies and toddlers at the back of church and there are chairs rather than pews throughout the building which allows flexibility in its use, for example for two annual events we have held for a few years the Christmas Tree Festival in December and the Holiday at Home in August. A quinquennial inspection was carried out in November 2017. The church was described as being generally in sound condition. However, there is some work needed. This includes, with approximate costs: removal of dry rot (cost not yet known), clearance of vegetation on roof ( 12,000), clearance of gutters ( 2,000), asbestos survey ( 750). We shall need to work together with a new incumbent on how the work is financed. Vicarage A substantial family home, with living rooms, kitchen, study and toilet on the ground floor, 5 bedrooms, bathroom and toilet on the first floor and a further 3 rooms on the second floor, and it is situated next door to the Church. There is a garage and a goodsized garden. It was built in 1914/15 and is Grade II listed. Church Hall The hall is a great asset to the church, both for our own use and community outreach, and a valuable source of income. Built in 1935, it has had various improvements over the years including in the 1990s the addition of a catering kitchen. Over the past three years further refurbishment has taken place to include improved disabled access at the front of the building, 10
improvements to the entrance hall and toilets, floor renovation, redecoration and new curtains in the main hall. Asbestos under the floor has been removed and the car park resurfaced. It is hoped that the final phase of the work external repairs and decoration will be carried out this year, possibly with the help of a grant. The hall is very well used by church groups and community groups such as a playgroup, pulmonary rehabilitation, dog training, line dancing, yoga, a photographic society, a model railway group, and Trafford South Foodbank. It is a very popular venue for children s birthday parties at weekends. There is an upstairs office which is rented out to Trafford Youth for Christ and we have very good relationships with them. We are thankful for all that God has provided for us in buildings, finance, opportunities and committed people. In all we do we seek to honour Him and pray for the extension of His kingdom in our own lives, the life of the church and the life of our parish. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR A bible teacher and preacher - opening up the bible to increase our faith and develop our life in Christ A person of prayer leading and developing prayer in the congregation A team worker, supporting all member ministry - setting God s people free to exercise their gifts A person who is committed to the development of young people s ministry and welcoming families Someone who will engage church members in discipleship 11
AREAS TO DEVELOP - CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE Reaching out especially to those who have recently moved into the parish as a result of new home building and also to those in the parish in areas of particular social deprivation Older children in and out of church building on what we have done Support for older people we have a number of elderly people in our congregation and parish and we would like to develop our ministry in this area Meeting the on-going expenditure following the Quinquennial Inspection Growth of congregation and enabling church members to develop their gifts in various areas Our worship/music A new mission link Support for those in church ministry ONLINE VISIBILITY Facebook: Website: Email: St Albans Broadheath www.stalbansbroadheath.org office@stalbansbroadheath.org 12