Uplands Group of Parishes The Uplands Group of Parishes form a Benefice comprising eight rural or semirural parishes all within the Deanery of Brixworth. These parishes cover the 10 villages of Cold Ashby, Coton, Cottesbrooke, Creaton, Guilsborough, Hollowell, Ravensthorpe, Spratton, Teeton and Thornby, within the rolling landscape of North Northamptonshire that many pass through on the M1 and A14, without taking a second look at what this area of outstanding natural beauty has to offer. (See map 2) The area as a whole lies to the west of the Peterborough Diocese within the county of Northamptonshire. It is some 20 minutes drive time to Northampton town to the south and 30 minutes to the north is Leicester with Rugby 20 minutes to the west and Kettering 25 minutes east (See map two). Public transport is limited but there are bus routes to major towns where connections with the rail network are possible. (See map 1) Map 1 Map 2 The Benefice was enlarged approximately 6 years ago to include Creaton, Ravensthorpe and Spratton. No further plans to increase or decrease the number of parishes are currently envisaged. Character The current population of this area is in the order of 4,000 people with the largest village being Spratton (1,150) followed by Guilsborough (700) and Ravensthorpe (650). Generally the area is rural in nature with a slightly above national average age range. Within the 10 villages, owner occupation is above the national average as is the socio-economic rating albeit some of these villages do have pockets of lower than average socio-economic classification. We are in the main a white middle-class Benefice. Each village has its own character with some involved with the National Open Garden Scheme annually, the annual steam rally at Hollowell attracting some 40,000 visitors over a weekend in July and a bi-annual weekend Festival in Guilsborough which includes a street fair and events in the church.
Coton Manor is a house which opens its gardens through the spring and summer to visitors and is well known in the region. Cottesbrooke Hall also opens during the summer. The church members are involved in many of these activities and events. Commerce and Industry The area is generally agricultural in character with some small industrial units being converted farm buildings. We have one hotel in the area (Highgate House) catering for overnight visitors, conferences, weddings and other occasions. A number of the villages have local shops including post office facilities and also act as a central collection point for medication drop-off and pickup from the local surgery. We also have a couple of garages in the area. Schools and Education The Benefice is served by one state senior school at Guilsborough having some 1200 pupils who are bussed in from the catchment area. We have three primary schools in the area, two of which are church schools (Guilsborough CEVA and Spratton CEVC). There are also preschools in Creaton and Guilsborough looking after the 3 to 5- year-olds. We have one private school at Spratton Hall which is co-educational for 400 children between the ages of 4 to 13 years. The church has contact with all the schools including assisting some of them with school assemblies and welcoming them to their local church for services. We have held meetings at Spratton Hall and liaise with the primary schools before Advent to include them in our travelling crib boxes around the Benefice. Healthcare We have a five partner surgery at Guilsborough (Saxon Spires) which merged with another practice at Brixworth in 2009. This surgery benefits from modern premises with off-road parking and offers a range of services. District nurses and community midwife are also based here. The main hospital for the area is in Northampton. There are a number of nursing homes in the area but not within the boundary of our Benefice. There is however a special unit at Spratton known as Broomhill which primarily deals with mental health care. Other churches in the Benefice We have a link through Creaton church with the local URC where joint services are held on an occasional basis.
Vision and Mission We are a rural, multi-parish benefice, seeking to balance honouring our traditions and the needs of loyal congregations, with widening our reach so that we can engage with, and bring the message of the gospel, to a much broader cross-section of those in our eight villages. We want to build a church community that is more representative of our parishes, more sustainable into the future, and that is viewed by villagers, whether churchgoers or not, as making a significant positive impact to their community, and where they, and all, are welcome. We want to give all church members opportunities to develop and deepen their faith, and be a place that is welcoming and cares pastorally for all its members. We have made considerable progress over the last three years towards working together as a united Benefice, but we wish to continue to build on that and encourage greater cooperation and thinking as one. Do you have the skills, energy and patience to achieve our vision? If so, please come forward and lead the way on a path of one faith, one church. Church Buildings A detailed description of each of the eight churches is given in the individual parish profiles but to summarise, the churches are in reasonable repair with no major projects on the external fabric being currently planned. Spratton church has recently undergone some internal refurbishment with the addition of a toilet and a coffee/tea making area which is open to the public on a couple of mornings a week and hosts a once a month luncheon club. Heating is always an issue at most of these churches! As far as church halls are concerned the Benefice has only Thornby, although this hall has been leased to a separate organisation with the church having the right to use it once a week. Hollowell Village Hall, due to its size, access, facilities and location with off-street parking, tends to be the primary use for the Benefice as well as village activities. The vicarage owned by the Diocese is based in Guilsborough in Church Mount and is a fourbedroom detached house adjoining the churchyard, built in the 1960s and since refurbished. A rear access from the garden to the churchyard has been installed. A study on the ground floor is available in the house. Sunday and Weekday Services We enclose as appendix 1, a bimonthly plan of the services held across the Benefice. In addition to these services, a said service of Morning Prayer is held three times a week at Guilsborough church. The current pattern of worship is based around BCP both said and sung where choirs and organists exist. As can be seen, traditional communion and a modern form of communion based around the Maerbeck Mass or St Thomas Mass is used, as well as Matins, Morning and Evening prayer and an all age service has been introduced into our service schedule. Where appropriate these are robed services. Details of attendance are given in the individual parish profiles and range from single figures to mid-40s. Where music is part of our service, the hymns are mostly traditional supported by choirs from appropriate churches, Creaton, Guilsborough and Ravensthorpe.
Group services are held on a monthly basis rotating around the villages and are attended by between 45 to 55 people. Joint choir events have taken place in the past but more recently individual choir events have taken place as part of a Festival day e.g. Good Friday, Christmas. The Benefice, on average, holds approximately 5 weddings and 10 funeral services a year. These services are supported by the churchwardens and vergers/sacristans if appropriate. Group Service Hollowell Palm Sunday 2014 Support available Clergy - one part-time (three days a week) Associate Priest two non-stipendiary priests three Readers one church administrator (three mornings a week paid) Lay band of people who support services a Lay Pastoral Minister two youth workers funded by Diocese one person with Certificate in Children s Ministry Youth and Children's Work Last year, we received funding for a two year project to develop our Children and Young People's Ministry, following a year with two youth workers who developed a mentoring role within the senior school. As part of this project, they now do one day a week at the school and have started two youth clubs, one in Guilsborough and one in Spratton each week. We have run three family days, Harvest, Sunday) and now run a Messy Church Spratton church which is growing volunteers across the Benefice is this new congregation. Christmas and Easter (Palm once a month (third Sunday) in slowly but steadily. A team of helping to welcome and grow A Toddler Church takes place on Friday each week in Ravensthorpe church and an All-Age Service also takes place there every fourth Sunday. There is now a small team running an assembly once a week in Spratton Primary School and our Associate Priest is currently working with Guilsborough Primary school, on a new once a month communion service. Christingles, Harvest, Christmas Carol services, St George's Day service regularly take place at Guilsborough and Spratton for the schools and the local Scout group (Spratton). There are Brownies, Guides and Rangers in Guilsborough and Spratton who support church and community events. Some of the churches have a children's area with suitable cushions, books, bags, and toys etc and appropriate resource material is available for Sunday worship. There is a church member, with the Certificate in Children's Ministry from the Diocese, who is now leading a team to develop our work with children and young people and their families within the community.
Church Groups and Activities Spiritual Growth - we have a house group which meets regularly and have held Lent courses over the past couple of years. Faith and Fellowship - there is a Mother's Union Benefice branch that meets monthly and holds events throughout the year such as marriage week, a safari supper and organises the travelling crib. Diocese and Deanery MU events are supported such as Quiet Days/Evenings,Wave of Prayer, Deanery Festival Services Bellringers group at Guilsborough. Pastoral Care - we have recently appointed a Lay Pastoral Minister and she is working on a brief to carry this forward. A Pastoral Team has now been set up to help with home/hospital visits, lifts to/from church, and home communion. She has recently set up a luncheon club once a month in Guilsborough for the elderly. We do have an active prayer chain. Community Activities - most of the churches hold or are part of a village Fete/Festival and organise fundraising events throughout the year. We have a fair trade stall at least once a month at group services and also at other events held in the Benefice which was set up by the uplands MU. Any profit from this currently goes towards MU projects. Volunteers Each church has a team of people who look after the day-to-day running of their services. Not every church has a Eucharistic assistant but this is covered when larger services take place in these churches. Finance Each church has a treasurer and between that person and the churchwardens, the finances of the church are dealt with. There is a Benefice treasurer dealing with group finance matters such as the children and youth project. The parish share and clergy expenses have to date been met in full. Last year the parish share was 58,857 and this year is 73,553 and the division of this has been agreed between the eight parishes with each church doing its bit to meet this target. Each church looks into stewardship and planned giving on a regular basis. Reserves however are at a minimum level in most churches. Missionary giving is minimal due to the overall financial situation of the benefice. Although, through the Mother's Union, we do support some of their projects both here in the UK as well as Third World countries and not forgetting the Fair Trade stall we run on a regular basis. Organisation Each church has its own PCC and one or two churchwardens each. These PCCs meet three or four times a year. The Benefice as a whole has an informal leadership meeting every two months which involves all churchwardens and all people having a leadership role in the Benefice such as the lay pastoral minister and children's leader. The treasurers have started meeting as a group every three or four months. There is an intention to form a group of just the churchwardens to meet but this is yet to be established. The children's work has a small group of up to 4 people established who meet regularly to develop this mission. A new Uplands Group of Parishes information leaflet has been produced, to be given out to newcomers in each of the villages, welcoming them to their church community alongside the Village Link or village newsletter. (See Appendix 2)
Person Specification for Full-time Rector We seek a pivotal figure, promoting the Gospel of Christ and the power of prayer among all ages, with conviction, energy and good humour. We look for deft leadership, including dedication to pastoral care, youth work and a willingness to develop existing initiatives by harnessing, with diplomatic skill, the undoubted goodwill and experience of the church's supporters (and some on the sidelines) in this Benefice. This person should be able to build on the foundations recently established and so lead the team forward to work effectively, bringing together the eight churches to be one in Christ. We are hoping for an applicant who: Will work with the eight parishes to keep their distinctive styles of worship, while helping change and development to happen in those parishes where this is appropriate. This means a broad churchmanship including use of the Book of Common Prayer and development of other forms of Common Worship and other liturgies. Will be happy supporting the musical tradition of some of the parishes. Will be able to inspire and enthuse the laity and leadership group to continue to develop, and be a real complement to the clergy. Will be able to work effectively with an Associate Priest and other clergy in the area. Will have a particular interest in continuing to develop outreach with the local schools and young people. Will be able to support the group of parishes to manage the changes of administrative structures needed to get them to work cohesively and efficiently together. Will provide pastoral support and guidance to all parishioners, including the extended community. Will feel comfortable working in a team, with excellent organisational skills and having a good sense of humour. Will feel at ease with rural life and take an active interest in community activities beyond the church itself. This opening is seen as an opportunity to consolidate the work of the past, and to develop the potential of the new Benefice.
Appendix 1