Walmer & Cornilo Benefice PROFILE 2018
Part One Key Summary A new vision for Walmer and the Cornilo churches Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Psalm 127.1 The future of Christian mission and ministry in the parishes of Walmer and the Cornilo churches is in our hands. But the work that we may do together to serve that mission and ministry will be empty if we do not work with God, walk with the Lord, and seek inspiration from the Spirit. In Walmer that work has, in recent years, been summarized by the mission statement Open Lives, open hands, open churches - expressing the desire to be open to God in worship and prayer, to be open to each other in service and ministry, and to be open to the community in witness and evangelism. Likewise representatives of the Cornilo churches have recently noted that Christian communities should be Relevant, Authentic, and Evangelistic, and that the guiding principles in working towards this are that ministers are released for mission, costs are controlled, and officialdom be minimized. It is these elements, held in prayer before God, that will define a new vision for our parishes, churches, and communities. In coming together both as one parish for Cornilo, and as a benefice with Walmer, this represents a great opportunity to imagine a new vision. Celebrating Ministry and Mission in the Walmer and Cornilo Benefice Open to God in relevant prayer & worship Across the seven churches in the Benefice there is a diverse range of worship and prayer opportunities. E.g. CW & BCP Eucharists; Contemporary and family friendly worship; daily prayer; prayer & praise services A recent confirmation Authentically loving and serving neighbour with open hands Pastoral care, not least through the occasional offices, and community partnerships are a key part of our shared mission e.g. visiting private and residential care homes; tea & chat afternoons; small groups for study and fellowship
Opening our churches and being in the community for evangelism and sharing the Good News of Jesus Offering discipleship pathways for those who want to explore the Christian way e.g. Alpha courses; baptism preparation; seasonal family events; personal witness Associate Priest in the Walmer and Cornilo Benefice You will be a priest able to exercise a diverse ministry, experienced in traditional church worship and duties, familiar with contemporary informal church activities, comfortable with both rural and urban contexts, and keen to be led by God s Holy Spirit in to new ways of being church Someone who o knows the voice of the Shepherd o is confident in their own ministerial gifts o enjoys collaborating with others Funday Sunday @ Kingsdown The post is 0.5/0.7 fte with a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Walmer see appendix 4, The Buildings below. Should the successful candidate be able to create significant church growth then this could become a full-time post in future. The successful candidate will have primary pastoral oversight and worship responsibility for the newly formed parish of the four Cornilo churches as these churches evolve their relationship together, and be part of the benefice leadership, worship, and pastoral teams. You will be responsible to and working in close partnership with the Rector, taking a lead role with the Cornilo PCC (probably as chair) and also attending the Walmer PCC. The associate priest will be the main link in ministering to the Ringwould and Kingsdown Church of England Primary School and liaise with other young families groups in the parish. We are hoping that the successful candidate will bring with him or her their own distinctive ministerial strengths and we would encourage applicants to be open and honest about their God given gifts and skills during the selection and interview process. We are keen to be led by the Spirit in this and to shape elements of our mission and ministry around the abilities of the successful candidate. We seek to be progressive and are open to new ideas. Tea & Chat @ Ringwould
Person specification The Walmer and Cornilo benefice is looking for someone who is an ordained priest with experience of collaborative leadership in parish ministry, preferably in a multi-church or multi-parish context has a healthy spiritual life rooted in prayer and bible reading is a good team player has an empathy with rural ministry has the gift of making the gospel relevant to all ages has good interpersonal and communication skills has experience of (and preferably training in) change management will encourage and enable the ministerial gifts of others is caring, compassionate, and empathetic is a car driver and owner (or other suitable transport) is an effective manager of their own workload keeping a healthy worklife balance is IT literate Diocesan & Deanery Youth Group BBQ @ Walmer Foundations have already been laid in preparing for the possibility of our labouring in the Lord s vineyard together. Not least the faithful and loyal Christian ministry of many people already at work in our parishes and churches. As we seek to fulfil our Diocesan objectives to grow our churches, re-imagine ministry, and build partnerships with our communities, we must remember that we tread on hallowed ground the soil of those who have gone before us in faith, those who have followed the way of Jesus, and those who have served the Lord in building the house. The Walmer and Cornilo Benefice is in the Sandwich Deanery which places an emphasis on each parish being the primary unit for mission and the need for each church to take responsibility for its own vision. Each parish is requested by the Deanery to have its own Mission Action Plan, or similar. The Deanery is there to support the local church in its mission and recognises the importance of communication, co-ordination and collaboration through the deanery structures (i.e. Mission and Ministry committee, Synod and Chapter).
Part Two Appendices 1 - Mission Tree Decorating Party in Walmer Vision & Priorities Our vision is to bring the love of God through the good news of Jesus Christ into the lives of those we meet through our church life and beyond. We look to do this by worshipping God, making disciples, and seeking the kingdom. This is an exciting time in the life of our churches as the creation of the new benefice is an opportunity to focus on the priorities of shaping a new PCC for the Cornilo churches appointing and embedding a new associate priest for the Benefice establishing local ministry teams and considering what objectives, strategies, and actions each local church community should set out developing new Mission Action Plans for each parish exploring what benefice means for Walmer and the Cornilo churches all the while nurturing the good work already being done SWOT analysis Strengths o daily and weekly pattern of varied and good quality range of worship services o teams of capable and creative leaders, ministers, preachers, pastors, and helpers o small groups, especially Lent & Advent courses o music ministry o financial stability o well-kept and broadly useful building stock o good relationships with our church schools and a wide range of community groups o excellent paid and voluntary administrative support with benefice office o co-operation with other local churches o Alpha o range of weekly church organized social activities in different locations Weaknesses o downward pressures on attendance o financial pressures of building stock o limited capacity of leaders and ministers re. time and creativity
o difficulty in turning contact through pastoral offices into discipleship opportunities o ageing population and church membership Opportunities o to revisit vision and mission following creation of new parish/benefice o contribution of new associate priest o contact through pastoral offices o good relationships with our church schools and a wide range of community groups o general community goodwill (evidenced by recent fundraising) Challenges o general social change in attitude to faith o over capacity of building stock o creating capacity in ministry o apathy and complacency (within and without) o developing new leaders and helpers to grow activities o lack of rural facilities (shop, post office, pub, etc.) in many of the communities Community Links Walmer RNLI Deal Bandstand Trust Deal Area Foodbank Deal Area Churches Together Deal Heritage Walk Trust Community users of Walmer parish hall, Elizabeth House, the Loyns Room (St Saviour s), and Studdal hall Tea and Chat, Ripple Occasional concerts in churches Rural Roundup magazine Local Civil Parish Councils Walmer Castle (English Heritage) Churches Together event Office of the Lord Warden Friends of Kent Churches annual ride & stride with Heritage Open Days Sutton & Studdal fete Social activities in Studdal hall Bumps, babies, and beyond and the Craft Group at Kingsdown Nurture and evangelism Baptism preparation Alpha regular small prayer and study groups Advent and Lent groups Prayer meetings Schools Excellent relationships with two church schools (Downs in Walmer; Ringwould & Kingsdown in Kingsdown) Governor links between church and school regular visits by schools to churches for worship and education regular visits by ministers to schools for Collective Worship Annual gift of bibles to yr3 children at the Downs from Walmer (in partnership with other local churches). Downs school choir regularly singing at parish events Involvement with Downs school Christian club School Christingle in church
2- The Wider Context Social Geography The Walmer & Cornilo benefice is part of the Diocese of Canterbury in the Sandwich Deanery. To the north of the deanery lies the medieval town of Sandwich and beyond is the Isle of Thanet. To the south and west, are the channel ports of Dover and Folkestone where there is direct access to ferry services and the Channel Tunnel. Canterbury is 15 miles west. There are excellent road and rail links via the HS1 connection to London St Pancras and the A20/A2 links to the M25. The benefice is south and south-east of the urban area of Deal and has a population of approximately 11,000. Its northern boudary adjoins the southern edge of Deal, its eastern boundary is the coastline. To the south it adjoins the Dover deanery parishes of St Margaret s, Martin, and Langdon and it s western boundary reaches to the A256 Dover-Sandwich bypass. It is a mixed rural and urban benefice. The parish of the Cornilo churches is the largest geographically with mainly agricultural related economic activity. Walmer is the more populous urban parish with mixed housing and modest retail economy. The Parishes have a diverse population with a higher than average retired demographic. Many locals are employed by the Port of Dover, the ferries services, Channel Tunnel, and the Border Force. However, the closure of Betteshangar Pit in the 1980s, the Marines barracks in the 1990s, and Pfizer s pharmaceuticals in Sandwich in 2011 has put pressure on employment opportunities. The main ecumencial links are through Deal Area Churches Together which includes most of the main denominations. In Walmer there are close links with the Baptist church and Walmer chapel. The villages of Kingsdown, Ringwould, Ripple and Sutton all have independent civil councils, as does Walmer. There are good relationships with the civil councils and the Benefice shares editorial space in the local civil magazine Rural Roundup. There are three schools in the benefice. The two historical parish schools already mentioned and also the Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School (Deal s historical parish school) which is within the bounds of Walmer. Deal has a large high school, the Goodwin academy, and there are grammar and other high schools in Dover and Sandwich. Deal also has a local hospital with a Minor Injuries Unit larger hospitals are at Dover, Margate, Canterbury, & Ashford. There are a selection of nursing and residential care homes, together with a day and residential centre for adults with special needs. Deal and it s environs are well served by chain and independent stores including two large supermarkets. There are a wider range of retail outlets in Dover, Canterbury, Ashford, and Westwood Cross (Thanet). The benefice contains a Tudor Castle (Walmer Castle is the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports), an RNLI Lifeboat station, and 44 acres of ex-royal Marine barracks that are mostly redeveloped for residential use. There is a thriving social culture in and around Deal with facilities including hotels, bed and breakfasts, a holiday park, caravan and camping sites, a leisure centre, tennis, golf, cricket, football and rugby clubs. The countryside and coastline are characterized by well maintained foot- and cycle- paths. Walmer Castle Walmer Lifeboat
3 - The Worshipping Community Worship The parish worship and spirituality is broadly central Anglican. The music is generally quite traditional but the children s and youth worship includes more contemporary styles and newer forms of worship are established across the benefice. Having six Churches with regular Sunday services it follows that there are distinct congregations each with their own character and ambiance. The Benefice recognises that people are its most important asset and within both congregations there are a considerable number of hardworking and committed Christians. There is a varied pattern of worship and prayer across the Benefice as the following information shows. St John s, Kingsdown, Cornilo Sundays o 9.30am 1 st Sunday Breakfast Church UA 25-30 o 9.30am 2 nd & 4 th Sun CW communion UA 20-25 o 9.30am 3 rd Sunday Funday Sunday UA 20-25 Wednesdays o 10.00am BCP communion UA 12 St Nicholas, Ringwould, Cornilo Sundays o 9.30am 1 st & 3 rd Sun CW communion UA 25-30 o 9.30am 2 nd Sunday Matins UA 20-25 o 9.30am 4 th Sunday Prayer & Praise UA 25-30 St Mary, Ripple, Cornilo Sunday o 11.00am 1 st Sunday Morning Worship UA 8 o 11.15am 2 nd & 4 th Sunday BCP communion UA 10 o 6.00pm 3 rd Sunday Evensong UA 13 St Peter & Paul, Sutton, Cornilo Sunday o 6.00pm 1 st Sunday Sunday @ 6 in church hall UA c.13 o 11.00am2 nd & 3 rd Sunday CW communion UA c.14 o 4.00pm 3 rd Sunday Messy Church in Church Hall UA c.18 When there is a 5 th Sunday there is currently a joint Cornilo parish service. St Mary s, Walmer Sundays o 8.00am BCP communion UA 10-15 o 9.30am CW communion UA 50-70 Refreshments are served in church after this service o 11.00am Contemporary Family Worship UA 20-30 Monday Thursday 8.30am Morning Prayer UA 2-3 St Saviour s, Walmer Sundays o 11.00am CW communion UA 25-40 Refreshments are served in church after this service twice monthly o 11.00am 2 nd Sunday Matins UA 25-40 o 6.00pm 3 rd & 5 th Sun Evensong UA 25-40 Wednesday 10.30am BCP communion UA c.12 Blessed Mary of Walmer Thursday 10.00am CW(trad)communion UA c.15 This Church is also the venue for all major midweek festivals, Epiphany, Candlemas, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week inc. Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day, and All Soul s Day in the parish of Walmer. As far as Occasional Offices are concerned, in the last five years Walmer has averaged 22 baptisms, 11 weddings, and 40 funerals a year; Cornilo has averaged 7 baptisms, 7 weddings, and 20 funerals a year. In 2017 Walmer s electoral roll was 232, Cornilo s was 119.
Ministry Team Each of the two parishes in the benefice has it s own PCC made up of members from each church in the parish (and including a representative from the other parish) that oversees both the mission and ministry, and the legal, governance and financial elements of parish life. There is a benefice leadership team (the stipendiary clergy and wardens) mainly for prayerful support and encouragement. Each church will have a Local Ministry Team to implement local strategy and action. The new ministry team will be made up of, Rector, Associate Priest, Reader, 4 Authorised Lay Ministers, 4 PTO clergy, volunteer Children s and youth leader, and 2 lay preachers. The PoW@Kidz Events Team There are many volunteers who minister both in the life of the church and the wider parish through the following teams and groups. PoW@Kidz (Children s work) Home Groups Youth Group School Pastoral Team visiting care homes Welcomers Weddings Serving Baptisms Prayer Ministry Team Alpha Friends of Walmer Parish Churches Music ministry and choirs St John s Heritage Association Bell Ringers Properties Team Messy Church Summer & Christmas Fayre Teams Sunday @ 6 team Preaching team Funday Sunday team St John s Handbell Team Bumps, babies and beyond team
Community Links and Regular Events Throughout the year there are a variety of events partnering with local organisations and also our regular links with groups that use our facilities. These include PoW@Kidz events there are 5 main events for children, a Pancake Family Tea, Easter Activity Morning in Holy Week, Pentecost Family Tea, Jesus Pumpkin Family Tea, and Tree Decorating Family Tea, organised by a team of volunteers. Churches Summer Fayres in Walmer & Sutton Deal Area Churches Together an informal grouping of most of the local church ministers that meet to pray each month and plan some joint events RNLI The summer fayre is held in conjunction with their open day and there is usually a Blessing of the Boats service in early September. The Rector is Chaplain to the Lifeboat Station. Memorial Bandstand concerts are held on Sunday afternoons during the summer months and the annual visit of the Royal Marines band in July is a major local event. The Rector is Chaplain to the Bandstand Trust. Friends of Kent Churches Fundraising Day and Heritage Open Day our churches are kept open for visitors throughout the day Local Parish (Civil) Council use halls for meetings and publish Rural Roundup Hall & Elizabeth House users including art classes, a badminton group, various fitness, dancing, and exercise groups, the Walmer WI, a computer club, and Heartstart courses. Studdal Church Hall users including Let s be Sociable ; Family Games nights; Homespun Café; Walmer Castle the Lord Warden occasionally attends St Mary s church when he is resident in the castle and was Patron to the recent roof repair appeal. Carol singing in local care homes over the course of three or four days in Advent each year Occasional concerts in our churches. Tea & Chat at Ringwould & Ripple Bumps, Babies, and Beyond group at Kingsdown Computer Group in Ringwould Craft Group at KIngsdown Walmer has a formal parish link with St Patrick s cathedral, Toliara in the Diocese of Toliara, Madagascar (the Diocesan link Diocese). Bishop Todd and Rev d Patsy McGregor have visited Walmer helping with worship, events, and visiting the school. 4 The Buildings Cornilo Churches and Studdal Hall St Nicholas, Ringwould St Mary, Ripple St John s, Kingsdown The Cornilo churches are each closely linked with their village communities. The parish church is St Nicholas, Ringwould, a building with 12 th century origins much re-ordered by the Victorians. The north aisle has been re-ordered recently to make a flexible space for meetings and activities, and the vestry has been modified to include a kitchen and toilet; the church is kept open daily for visitors. There are 170 homes in the village, nearly a third of which are Local Authority owned. St John s, Kingsdown was built in 1848, with funding from local landowner William Curling, for the growing seaside community and now serves around 2000 local residents. It has recently been re-ordered
at the west end to accommodate other activities in the church. There are close links with the former parish hall, now a community centre, especially the pre-school day nursery that meets there. The beautiful apse-ended 12 th Century Norman church of St Peter & St Paul serves the villages of Suttonby-Dover, Studdal, Ashley, and other small hamlets, with a combined population of around 800, most of whom live in Studdal. Studdal is served more immediately by a recently refurbished Hall where midweek community activity is being encouraged. There has been a church in Ripple for some centuries but the current St Mary s was built around 1850 to replace a previous building in disrepair. There is a church run tea & chat in the local village hall once a month. All the buildings are in reasonably good condition with recent refurbishments and maintenance. St Peter & St Paul, Sutton Studdal Church Hall Walmer Churches, Hall and Elizabeth House Blessed Mary of Walmer St Saviour s St Mary s The first St Mary s Church, Blessed Mary of Walmer, was built around 1120 and was served by monks from Langdon Abbey. It was here that the Duke of Wellington worshipped when he was Lord Warden. There are two other churches. St Saviour s on The Strand dates from 1849 and was built to serve the growing population and the fishing community. The new St Mary s Church dates from 1888 and was built when Blessed Mary of Walmer became unserviceable for the growing congregation. The fabric of the two main churches is relatively good. Repairs are carried out where necessary and there is not a backlog of work to be undertaken. Blessed Mary of Walmer has no electricity and although showing signs of its great age, it does not take an inappropriate share of the parish funds. Parish Hall Elizabeth House There is a Parish Hall set mid-way between St Saviour s and St Mary s Churches, which was built around 1910. We also have Elizabeth House, situated opposite St Mary s Church, which has been converted from a detached house into the Parish Office and meeting rooms. The Parish Hall is recently refurbished and in good order. Elizabeth House is in very good condition and this asset increases in value in line with rises in house prices.
The House A four bedroom house with garage and covered parking in a quiet recently built cul-de-sac near to both the main Deal-Dover road and Walmer s shops. Downstairs there are 2 reception rooms, a fitted kitchen (with space for a breakfast table) and toilet. Upstairs the master bedroom is en-suite, with three other bedrooms and a bathroom. The cul-de-sac has landscaped green spaces and a small secure child s play area Benefice Finances The finances are under the overall direction of the Treasurer in each parish assisted by the Gift Aid Secretaries who report to the PCCs. Regular stewardship campaigns (TRIOs) have been held, which have kept the finances in a healthy state. The Parish Share for 2018 is 91,000 for Walmer and 67,000 for Cornilo. The Parishes currently have the financial resources to meet their commitments. 5 - Contacts Websites www.walmerparishchurches.org www.cornilochurches.org.uk Incumbent The Rev d Canon Seth Cooper Elizabeth House 32 St Mary s Road Walmer, DEAL Kent, CT14 7QA 01304 366605 vicar@walmerparishchurches.org All contact in the first instance should be with Details on the Canterbury Diocesan website: https://www.canterburydiocese.org/vacancies/ Inquiries and conversations 01233 712649 Applications should be sent to lmills@archdeacashford.org Closing Date: 19 th February 2018 Interviews will be held on 6 th & 7 th March 2018