Diocese of Coventry Training Post for Deacon who expects to be ordained Priest Title Post at m2o Rugby St Matthew s & St Oswald s Church and Overslade Church Parish Website: m2o.org.uk The Training Ministers The Revds Hannah and Olly Mears 7 Vicarage Road, Rugby, CV22 7AJ 01788 330442 olly@m2o.org.uk hannah@m2o.org.uk We re Hannah and Olly and have been the vicars of m2o since December 2013. Hannah was ordained in 2008 and Olly in 2009 after training at Trinity College Bristol where we also met. We are at an exciting phase of our parish s life and feel very privileged to be able to serve Jesus, his people, and a diverse and interesting community here in Rugby. Prior to ordination Hannah worked for a church and as a support worker for homeless people in Edinburgh. Olly worked as an urban missionary to young people in Peckham, South-East London. Our last post was serving St Austell Parish in Cornwall. We have shared ministry interests in mission, evangelism and leadership development, and have a heart for the global church. This will be our first time as training incumbents. The main training responsibility will be Olly s, but the curate can expect to have input from Hannah as we have joint oversight of the parish. The Parish m2o has an urban parish to the west side of Rugby town centre. There is a mix of housing across the parish with early 20 th century terraces and three tower blocks in New Bilton, the post war council estate of Overslade, sheltered housing, inter and post war semi-detached housing and some upmarket detached and semi-detached housing scattered through the area. Rugby itself is situated close to the M1 and M6 and has good rail links to London, the North and South West. The town s history is one Page 1 of 9
of a rural market town until industrial expansion with canals and the railway in the nineteenth century. It is famous for its public school (in the town centre just outside the parish), and for engineering, but with industrial decline in the latter half of the twentieth century Rugby, like many towns, is trying to find its identity once more. The population of the parish is approximately 11,000 and is changing through migration. There is a significant historic Asian population in New Bilton and some people of African-Caribbean origin. Eastern European, Portuguese and West African migrants are also present now. In the Church Urban Fund deprivation scale it ranks 177 out of 201 in Coventry Diocese, so is among the more deprived parishes. We have good relationships with our foundation primary schools, St Matthew s Bloxam and St Oswald s. Within the parish there is also Harris Church of England Academy, Oakfield Primary School and St Marie s Roman Catholic Primary School. The parish has several shops, sports grounds and a gym. Although many of the town s amenities lie outside the parish boundaries within the parish is Rugby Library, Museum and Art Gallery, three doctor s surgeries, a centre for disabled people, Bradby Boys Club, the Indian Assocation and TA HQ/Air Training Corps. Other churches in the parish include the Christian Life Centre, Methodist Church Centre, New Testament Church of God and Salvation Army. There are several pubs and a workingmen s club which we use from time to time as a venue for larger social activities or presentations. There is some light industry in the parish and a large cement works just to the west of the parish. The Churches m2o is made up of two churches, St Matthew s & St Oswald s Church and Overslade Church. The formation of the parish began around six years ago, as two contrasting parishes St Matthew s (a charismatic evangelical congregation of about 200 people based in the town centre but drawn from across the town, with a church plant on the Overslade council estate) and St Oswald s (a small Anglo-Catholic congregation of about 30 people) agreed to merge to create one larger parish, initially with two church buildings. Due to issues with the building at St Matthew s, that congregation moved entirely to the St Oswald s site. The new church of St Matthew s and St Oswald s was formed at the beginning of 2012. This period of dramatic change in the life of the church has not been without cost. There has been a sense of loss for both congregations and some people left the church during this time (the current Page 2 of 9
electoral roll stands at 188). Restoring confidence is not a short process. However, there is a fresh sense of hope and expectancy. Hurts are being healed and there is a growing trust in the experience of being church together. Moreover, the move onto one site was a move for mission, and we anticipate some wonderful possibilities for outreach from this base in the heart of the New Bilton community. This is a time of possibilities for Overslade Church as well. The church was planted onto the estate twenty years ago from St Matthew s and the neighbouring parish of St Mark s Bilton. It meets in the Community Centre which church members were key in building after the last Centre was arsoned. Overslade Church has a great history of practical outreach and a dedicated life of prayer and mutual support. Messy Church has flourished here in recent years, reaching out to local families. The church has a readiness to think about its shape of worship, what discipleship might mean for folk from Messy Church and what mission might mean on the estate. Pattern of worship and congregations Inspiring Worship is one of the 8 essential qualities for growing healthy churches which form the diocesan strategy. At m2o we want to develop Christian community which is truly rooted in Jesus, growing deeper in worship, learning and prayer. After periods of transition it is the church s public worship where loss and confusion can be most tangibly felt. A key part of the curate s role will be to work with us in growing confidence, community and fun in our gatherings. There are two Sunday services at St Matthew s & St Oswald s. The 10:30 has an evangelical charismatic flavour, with a worship band, a blend of contemporary songs and traditional hymns, and weekly prayer ministry. We aim for teaching which is rooted in the Word, pointing people to Jesus and equipping them for whole-life discipleship. Weekly attendance is around 100 adults and 20-30 children. Recently a contemporary evening worship service begun around four years ago has been drawn back into the morning service, giving us a greater sense of unity and an added vibrancy on Sunday mornings. Page 3 of 9
The 4:30 has a much more traditional feel, and is the result of merging the former St Oswald s morning congregation with Anglo-Catholic worship, and the former St Matthew s afternoon congregation with traditional evangelical worship. The product is a traditional Anglican service of evening prayer or Holy Communion. Those who come (15-20 each week) have demonstrated a real willingness to co-operate with one another and build good relationships. Some who come to the 4:30 also attend a said communion service at St Matthew s and St Oswald s on Tuesday mornings. Overslade Church meets at 10:30am on a Sunday morning. Worship blends informal, charismatic and liturgical strands. Liturgy, bible readings and talk illustrations are projected using powerpoint. Talks tend to be short and punchy. There is always dedicated space for prayer before each service, and there is a great atmosphere of care and support. Messy Church gathers on the first Thursday of each month between 5:30 and 7pm. It is led by Mairi Mowbray, one of the parish s readers, and there is a large supporting team gathered from Overslade Church and the rest of the parish. Numbers had peaked at well over 100 for Messy Church a couple of years ago and a system of ticketing had to be introduced! There is now a settled congregation of 60+ which is starting to grow again. The parish s worshipping life is greatly aided by teams of people in welcoming, hospitality and AV. Preaching ministry is shared with the parish s four readers and other lay members of the congregation. Occasional Offices In 2013 there were 23 funerals in the parish (17 in church), 9 baptisms (1 of an infant, 4 of children between 5 and 12, and 4 of youth or adults) and 1 wedding. We believe in doing the occasional offices in a manner which makes it easy for people to take steps forward in faith. And we love to emphasise baptism for all ages as a key part of Christian discipleship. Staff and team members m2o has a medium-sized staff team the majority of whom work from the Church Centre next to the church. Vicars Hannah and Olly Mears Churchwardens Graham Old, Mark Austin and Richard Farnell P/T Youth Worker Simon Buckingham (seconded from Rugby Youth for Christ) P/T Children s Worker Mel James Office Manager Roger Evans (20 hours pw) Vicars PA Liz Evans (10 hours pw) Administrative Assistant Dawn Austin (21.5 hours pw) Accounts Clerk Di Doyle (17.5 hours pw) Page 4 of 9
Lay involvement Within the life of the parish there is a great deal of participation by members of the congregation. Prayer, worship, youth and children s work, uniformed groups, work with older people and work with families all happens through lay involvement. However, we are currently thinking about what it means to be more than volunteers, regarding service as normative for discipleship. During the vacancy in 2013 the PCC sensed that while many lay people take a wide range of leadership responsibilities within the church, this is restricted to certain individuals and that new leaders are not sufficiently identified, encouraged and trained. Leadership responsibilities tend to reside with older and more long-standing members of the church. Developing younger leaders is a key priority. House, study and prayer groups holistic small groups There are roughly 18 small groups within m2o which exist for prayer, study and mutual support. A number of years ago these were developed according to a Willow Creek model with a particular focus on coaching leaders and birthing new groups. A relatively large percentage of the church participate in small group life. Alongside this a Pastorate was formed around three years ago aimed at reaching younger people, operating an open door policy and meeting around a meal. Lessons learned from the Pastorate may well be key in forming the parish s small groups into the future. Areas of particular mission and ministry Work with children, young people and families is overseen by our two part-time workers in partnership with many members of the congregation. On Sunday mornings, crèche, Sparks and Flames provides for children and young people during part of the church service. Flames+ is an open youth event on Sunday nights for younger teens launching autumn 2014. Wednesday night is Youth Group, which is an open door for both churched and local young people. Soul Survivor is the holiday of choice for these young people. We have good links with our two foundation primary schools, where the vicars and other church members are governors and work with the schools on their Christian ethos, and a team of volunteers provide regular assemblies. Guides, Brownies, Rainbows, Cubs and Beavers are important aspects of our work, and are largely organised by congregation members. In addition to the family oriented Messy Church on Overslade, there is a weekly Kids Club on the estate led by the children s worker. Coffee Break for parents and their pre-school children happens on Wednesdays and is a great door into church life for local families. Page 5 of 9
PITSTOP meets on Tuesday mornings after the communion service as a drop-in for local elderly people. A range of activities and events are organised. Thursday Fellowship meets on Thursdays as a spiritual resource for older people. There is a weekly early morning prayer gathering on Thursdays, and a monthly evening prayer event. The parish s dedicated prayer ministry team meet for training and fellowship during the year. Alpha has a strong track record at m2o, with many people finding faith through it. Alpha happens at least once a year. Local and overseas mission is supported through our missions committee. The parish has a special link with Casa Reom, an orphanage and school in Beira, Mozambique. Opportunities for the development of Fresh Expressions of Church During the vacancy the PCC sensed that key to the future for m2o was a new call to the communities of the parish. In order to engage effectively in New Bilton, Overslade, and the parts of our parish in the centre of the town m2o will need to discover new ways of doing church, both attractional and incarnational. Our hope is that local mission will flow out of a developing communal life of worship and discipleship, rather than being an added extra. In both New Bilton and Overslade there is scope for social action projects which might have a positive impact in relatively needy communities, and for new ways of begin church and communicating Jesus. We look forward to working with a curate who has a heart for mission, has an aptitude for new projects, and with whom we and the parish can work in developing all our understandings of what the gospel might look like inculturated in the west of Rugby. Co-operation with other local churches The parish is part of Revive which includes some 50+ Christian churches from in and around Rugby, working together. Leaders meet monthly for breakfast, have study days and under this umbrella many different social action and outreach projects have begun. The Church supports Revive and the projects run under the banner of Revive financially and members of the Church are involved in HOPE4 (a homeless project), Street Pastors, Healing on the Streets and Christians against Page 6 of 9
Poverty. m2o plays a full part in Rugby Deanery and three people who started their journeys to ordination in the parish are now incumbents in the Deanery. Vision and Priorities Since we have been leading m2o for less than a year there are key elements of our vision for the parish which have yet to be crystallised. We have a vision day away with PCC planned for November 2014 and during the course of the coming year will be having dinner with two small groups a month an opportunity for fun and friendship, for people to hear what is on our hearts, but also a key time for listening to the desires for the parish that God is already working within people. It has been a great encouragement to come to a diocese where there is both a clear vision and a clear strategy for growing churches. We will be using the Diocese s tool of the Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Growing Churches to assess where we are and priorities in moving forwards. However, we sense that there are a few key areas which will play in part in shaping things to come for m2o. We want to keep growing into a healthy Christian community: passionately committed to (a) loving God, (b) loving one another and (c) loving the world around us. This points to a threedirectional pattern of whole-life discipleship which require the following emphases in the present moment. Making Sundays the highlight of people s weeks, with vibrant worship, deep teaching and learning, growing children s ministries and a fun and loving community. Growing in relationships as people practice forgiveness, enjoy each other s company and welcome newcomers. Knowing that our events are only as good as the relationships which develop through them. Events are good, but people are better. Finding a pattern of life on which a communal rhythm of committed discipleship can be based, incorporating: (a) worship, prayer and learning, (b) belonging, relating and giving, and (c) service, proclamation and new ways of being church. Seeking open doors for mission in our locality. Approach to Training Between us, even though working together, we have had four training incumbents across our curacies! We have experienced a variety of styles of leadership development through that time, some more helpful than others. Page 7 of 9
Essentially we believe that curacy is a time for God to keep forming you by the Spirit and Word, through experiences and failures, and through the Christian community around you into the best version of you that you can be. We take delight in seeing people fly in their ministries. We will take an interest in you as a person your interests, delights and difficulties. We will both encourage frankness, honesty and loyalty in our working relationships, and seek that this is developed through prayer and fun together as well as regular contact time. We believe that encouraging character and spiritual development is fundamental to our own ongoing growth, and will be to yours. It would be our intention to find out what gifts, passions and strengths you already operate with and seek to maximize these. Through experience of different ministry situations we would find out what you may be less comfortable with and help you manage around your limitations and grow through weaknesses you may have. It would be our aim to aid your development into a well-rounded minster of the gospel, lively in faith and able to turn your hand to a variety of tasks, but with your unique calling and giftings even more apparent. The likely role of the curate The curacy will be key in the movement to a new phase of this parish s life. It will be strategic both in your development and ours. You will take a full part in the parish s leadership, working with us and other lay leaders in the oversight of our life together. You will engage in weekly staff meetings and any appropriate leadership structures which develop in time. Your presence in m2o will have the effect of leading people to Jesus, and developing discipleship and community in the two churches. Your work will involve the normal ministerial roles of regular preaching and leading worship gatherings, the occasional offices, pastoral care and evangelism. It may include involvement is particular areas (e.g. prayer, Alpha etc.) depending on your gifts and inclinations. We expect that you will not keep ministry to yourself, but will seek to give it away, encouraging others into leadership and service. Also central to the role will be the following: Working with us on the whole shape of the church s life, its character, mission and structures. This is the formation of vision and strategy for the next five years. Helping develop Sunday worship as the highlight of our community s life. Working with others on new avenues for social action and mission through new ways of being church in New Bilton, Overslade or our part of the town centre. Accommodation The Diocesan Property Department will supervise the purchase of an appropriate house in time for the beginning of the title post in June 2015. Please see attached guidelines. Potential curates discerning Page 8 of 9
whether this is the right post for them will be able to have conversations with Mrs Nicky Caunt, The Senior Diocesan Property Manager, to answer questions about the process and the house. Contact In the first instance, to register an interest in this post, please email the DDO, The Revd Canon Dr Richard Cooke at Richard.Cooke@CovCofE.org, with a brief outline of your experience within growing churches, and the reasons why this post may excite you. Or phone 07952 544820. Page 9 of 9