Profile for the Appointment of a RECTOR For the grouped parishes of Denbigh, Henllan, Llanefydd & Bylchau
The Parish of Denbigh Set in the picturesque Vale of Clwyd, the historic rural town of Denbigh has a population of around 9,000. With its mediaeval Castle and a rich and varied history, Denbigh grew up as a market town supplying the needs of the local farming population. Over the years the town has flourished and a more mixed social strata has developed. Notable residents of Denbigh have included Twm o r Nant (Welsh Bard); H.M.Stanley (Journalist and Explorer) and more recently Mark Webster (Darts Champion) and Bryn Williams (TV Chef). Currently our community consists of many local Welsh families, together with a diverse range of people who have moved into the area for work or retirement. There is a small area of notably high deprivation. It is estimated that the Welsh language is regularly used by up to a quarter of the town's residents. Denbigh supports many local shops and businesses together with two larger supermarkets and a selection of very good tea rooms and restaurants. Denbigh is located conveniently within an hours journey from the Snowdonia National Park and is within easy reach of Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Holyhead with their respective national and international transport links.
Church Buildings The Parish consists of two contrasting churches, the late medieval church of St. Marcella which is Grade 1 listed, and the Victorian St. Mary s, Grade 2* listed. Both have recently had excellent quinquennial reports. St. Marcella's St. Marcella s, the Parish Church, is of great historical interest being home to the painted alabaster monument of Lord and Lady Salusbury and the final resting place of Welsh Bard Twm o'r Nant. Located on the edge of town and overlooking the Clwydian Range, St Marcella's is a popular choice for both Weddings and Funerals. The large churchyard is well maintained and is the setting of local environmental surveys, with bat boxes and a wildflower conservation area. The church will seat up to 130 people and there is a project in the planning stage to install toilet facilities at this church.
St. Mary's St. Mary s is located conveniently in Lenten Pool at the top of town, within walking distance of local businesses and housing estates. The church was re-ordered five years ago providing a flexible space for church and community use. It has seating for 120 to 350. St. Mary s has a vestry with a telephone, photocopier and internet access. The Church houses state of the art audio visual facilities, meeting rooms, toilets and a fully equipped kitchen. The rooms at St Mary's are available to hire for community use. The Rectory The Rectory is a ten year old house, set in attractive grounds with gas central heating and underfloor heating downstairs. It is situated in a quiet, sought after area within easy walking distance of the town centre. Downstairs there is an extra room, currently used as the Parish Office.
The Church as a People The Church in Denbigh can be described as gently evangelical, welcoming a wide range of traditions using Church-in-Wales liturgy alongside more informal worship. Robes are worn for main services. There are Sunday services every week in both churches. St. Marcella s 9:30am (mainly Eucharist with Morning worship on the first Sunday of the month, a traditional service with hymns attracting 25-35 adults.) St. Mary s 9:45am (Weeks 1 & 3, Cymun Bendigaid a Addoliad y Bore (services in Welsh), attracting 18 adults.) St. Mary s 11:00am (mainly Eucharist with Morning worship on the third Sunday of the month, attracting 20-30 adults, with provision for children and a variety of music.) There is a regular Friday 1984 Communion at 10:30am which attracts 18-22 people. Other worship related activities include Messy Church; Mothers Union; Ladies Guild; Teddy Bears Picnics (two a year for newly baptised children); Lunch & Prayer; WOW! (Worship on Wednesday); Oasis (informal contemporary worship); Bible study groups Alpha, Lent studies, Small group; Bereavement services twice a year. The congregations increasingly reflect a good mixture of the social spectrum and ages across the town. Both churches have facilities for children. The involvement of families and children has increased through Baptisms, Teddy Bears picnics, Messy Church and Junior Church reflecting a need to establish a Youth Church. Each year one or two children attend C.P.A.S. Venture Christian Camp in Criccieth.
Our Church and the Community We regularly involve ourselves in the community, with a stall in the monthly market and at special occasions including Christmas and the Local Plum Feast and the Denbigh Midsummer Festival. We are a Fair Trade Parish in a Fair Trade Deanery and Diocese. There are approximately twelve weddings a year with preparation before the event and invitation to a Celebration of Marriage every February. Baptisms average 30-40 a year with preparation followed up by invitations to two Teddy Bears Picnics a year and Messy Church once a month. We offer support to those bereaved conducting 40-50 funerals a year with visits before the funeral and followed by invitations to remember loved ones at two bereavement services a year. Historical talks have been conducted in both churches which act as an educational resource for local schools. While there is not a Church school in Denbigh, we do have good relationships with all the schools in the town including Brondyffryn School which is a regional centre for Autism.
There are a number of Primary Schools in Denbigh, one of which is Welsh medium, and a choice of two State High Schools both with Sixth Forms. There is also the option of secondary education through the medium of Welsh five miles away in St. Asaph. We take part in Open Doors every year in both churches. This is a country wide initiative to open buildings of Historical interest to the public. We are actively involved in Christian Aid in the town and the local Food Bank. We have often hosted the local Civic Service and conduct the Act of Remembrance at the Town Cenotaph. We work with Cytûn (Churches Together) and actively support three Mission partners Wycliffe Bible Translators, I.F.E.S. in Bangkok and C.M.S. in Lima. Home Communion is taken to the local care homes for the elderly as well as to individuals from our Parish. We conduct both Marriage and House Blessings. Through the Mothers Union, we support young people involved in a new initiative in the town known as YR HWB, (a Youth Enterprise Centre) which aims to help them become independent and self-sufficient. We also support those affected by mental health problems who live in various hostels in our town. We hold regular Coffee Mornings and brunches. There is a small input into Pub Ministry including a men s night.
The Parishes of Henllan, Llannefydd and Bylchau The new Rector of Denbigh will be responsible for ensuring the provision of ministry in the Henllan Group, seeing that all necessary administration tasks are carried out. It is hoped that the new Rector of Denbigh will have a vision for the development and growth of the churches and see that sensitive outreach is ongoing. In this s/he will work collaboratively with the House for Duty Priest, Rev. Robert Pearce and lay leaders of the parishes. It is envisaged that support for these parishes will also come from lay leaders in Denbigh and in turn be reciprocated from Henllan as the Group work together in the wider emerging Mission Area of Denbigh. Reverend Pearce will undertake Sunday duty across the Henllan Group and is available for other pastoral duties for up to two further days of each week. The Henllan Group contains three rural communities: Henllan, a large and lively village near Denbigh Llannefydd, a smaller, more scattered parish four miles from Henllan Bylchau, a little over five miles from Denbigh, a quiet village on the outskirts of the Denbigh Moors.
The Henllan Group are three strong church communities and although not large in number, have the support of our villages and chapel friends in shared events, even in working parties to maintain the churchyards say twice a year. The Group are very supportive of each others events and are aware of our links with the Deanery. The Deanery Welsh service was held in Bylchau in July. Representatives of the Group attend Deanery Conference and respond to mission links and money raising schemes for a wide range of charities, particularly Christian Aid and Fair Trade. There are chapels in all three villages, the Henllan Group share worship with these congregations from time to time for instance Llannefydd meet twice a year at Christmas time and in Christian Aid Week to hold a bilingual ecumenical service either in church or chapel. This is a traditional area and the old ways need respecting while we update our ideas as the world moves on. Each of the three churches has a distinct personality and a particular character of worship and we feel that we form a harmonious group.
The Parish of Henllan St. Sadwrn s Church is a good-sized stone building dating from the late medieval period (Grade 2*) with an interesting separate bell tower. The churchyard is in good order although a retaining wall between two sections has given way and the situation is currently being dealt with by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales. With a congregation of around 30, Henllan has the most frequent and regular pattern of services (usually two services on the first three Sundays of the month with one on the last) Alongside the House for Duty Priest there is also a lay reader and two worship leaders in Henllan. There is a newly-refurbished Church Institute in Henllan which contains a small office facility. The Institute is a good venue for functions, celebrations and regular community activities. In Henllan, there is a Women s Institute, a St. Sadwrn's Women's group, Good Companions and a Mothers' Union. There are many activities available for children in Henllan, including: Brownies and Guides, a Craft group and Gang Ni has provided an opportunity for children to join in with group activities, they come together before major festivals to do craft work in preparation. There are plenty of volunteers willing to work with children, and we have two child protection officers in the benefice too.
The Parish of Llannefydd The Church of St. Nefydd and St. Mary s in Llannefydd is the oldest of the three churches in the Group. It is a double-naved stone church dating from the 1500's and Grade 1 listed. The church building is in a good state of repair and the churchyard is in good order. In Llannefydd the Community Council have the responsibility for upkeep of the churchyard. Llannefydd has two services celebrating the Eucharist each month, plus a Morning Prayer on a fifth Sunday. There is a good congregation or around 20 parishioners in attendance, commensurate with the size of the village. There are two worship leaders in Llannefydd, the wardens in all three churches have good contact and meet regularly during the year. In Llannefydd there is a village hall run and maintained by the community and as a church we can use it for special events or fundraising purposes. We have held several concerts over the last few years as part of the Henllan Group. In Llannefydd there is an annual Horse and Pony Show and a Flower Show.
The Parish of Bylchau Bylchau s Church of St. Thomas is a tall narrow stone church dating from the 1850's. The church is in a good state of repair. Bylchau has two services celebrating the Eucharist each month, plus a Morning Prayer on a fifth Sunday. Bylchau's attendance is formed of a small group of dedicated worshippers (5 to 8 parishioners) and they have good support from the village around them for fundraising events. There are plans for this building to become a 'shrine' church in the longer term with limited usage. Bylchau holds regular fundraising and social events, cheese and wine evenings, harvest suppers, whist and bingo. In Bylchau, the Memorial Hall in Groes is used for functions. All the Churches within the Group hold similar events and daytime social occasions to encourage community life as well as fundraise.
The Context for Ministry in Denbigh We are friendly and welcoming here in the Parish of Denbigh. We have a strong, supportive team of English and Welsh speaking people, including a lay reader, wardens, lay worship leaders and pastoral assistants. The P.C.C. is keen to develop and support new initiatives. There is a feeling that the balance is right between honouring traditions, formality and informality. The Church speaks to the town with indirect street ministry, and we have a small following on both Facebook and Twitter. We are looking to strengthen ministry amongst younger families and develop effective Youth Ministry. We are seeking to call and nurture new believers.
Characteristics and Qualities or our Incumbent We would require our new incumbent to continue the ongoing work in the Parish and to build on what has already been achieved. At the same time we, as a congregation would like someone to whom we can look to strengthen our faith and prayer life and help us to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the Bible, perhaps by developing our existing networks of small groups. We would need to be able to communicate easily with our incumbent and feel that s/he can lead us effectively not only in our faith but also in the business of running the Parish. We are looking for someone who may have new ideas for drawing new members into our churches while appreciating the needs of those who already worship in God s Kingdom. We would look to our new incumbent to maintain and strengthen the links we have in the town with churches from other traditions through the work of Cytûn; and also with the schools of the town which regularly call upon our members to take assemblies, lead fact finding visits, run mock services and hold their special services in our buildings. It is important that our new incumbent is sympathetic to the needs of those in the churches who speak Welsh and enjoy services in the medium of Welsh. We look forward to supporting our new incumbent as s/he settles into the life of the Parish and throughout her/his ministry in our town.