PARISH OF ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL SHOREHAM KENT IN THE DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER VICAR (Part-time: two-thirds stipend) PARISH PROFILE
We hope that you will enjoy reading this parish profile. In the following pages you will read about: A very active and flourishing allage village community WELCOME A much-loved church building, open every day, with an ancient heritage and plans for the introduction of modern facilities, as it continues to serve local people; A community of faith, keenly wanting to see Christian belief and worship extend further amongst the young and the not-so-young, both now and into the future; People with links beyond the immediate locality (e.g. through commuting to work); A community with a strong interest in music and the arts; An exciting opportunity to combine parish ministry (4 days per week) with a ministry as Chaplain and teacher (2 days per week) amidst the community of a local preparatory school. 2
1. LOCATION OF THE PARISH 2. THE PARISH OF SHOREHAM Shoreham has a population of around 1,000 with a high proportion (one-fifth) aged 16 or below. The village is situated in the Darenth Valley just north of Sevenoaks in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It has a village shop (with post office), railway station, primary school, four public houses, tea room, golf course, vineyard and small aircraft museum. It is a popular centre for walkers. Food is served in the public houses, golf course, museum and tea room with teas in the church on Sunday afternoons in the summer. Although unspoilt and in an area of considerable beauty (celebrated by the artist Samuel Palmer) it has very good rail 3
and road links. There are half hourly train services to London, Bromley and Sevenoaks. There is also a local bus service. In the past most of the working population would have been employed in farming. Today most residents of working age commute to London or elsewhere or work at home courtesy of the internet. There are a large number of children in the village and many of them attend the popular village school which caters for children of both sexes until they move to secondary education. There are many clubs and organisations catering for a wide variety of interests, including the Shoreham Society, Women s Institute, Shoreham Historical Society, Royal British Legion, Over 60 s, Shoreham Horticultural Society, Shoreham Players and Shoreham Cricket Club with grounds next to the golf course. There are strong traditions in all the arts. There are occasional exhibitions (including in the church). The Shoreham Players was founded in 1924 and remains extremely popular. Most productions take place in the Village Hall, but there have been memorable productions in the church including Much Ado About Nothing. T.S.Eliot s Murder in the Cathedral, Lark Rise to Candleford and a Medieval Mystery play. 4
There is also a strong musical tradition. In addition to the church choir two choirs have been based on the church: The Shoreham Singers, a large choir of mixed ability which sings a wide range of classical music, and Temenos (meaning sacred space, formerly known as the Sunday Singers), a small choir specialising in early sacred music. Many concerts take place in the church to packed audiences. From 1991 until 2012 the Shoreham Festival of Music was based on the church and the adjacent Old Vicarage. There is a village fete and bi-annual Garden Safari (Open Gardens) which draws people from all over the south of England and is an important fund-raising event for the church and The Friends of Shoreham Church. 3. CHURCH BUILDING The church is Grade I Listed in a beautiful setting in one of the village s two conservation areas. Of Saxon origin the present church is mainly late medieval with a tower rebuilt in 1775 and the choir vestry (which houses the organ) added in 1863. It has an exceptionally fine rood screen. The organ case and pulpit are from Westminster Abbey. The nave is a large open space without fixed pews making it suitable for flexibility in worship, as well as for plays and concerts. The church is open every day during daylight hours, and many people visit to admire its architecture and historic associations and as a place for quiet reflection. The church building is a much loved part of the village life and many Parishioners help to clean it and to decorate it with beautiful flowers. Although much loved, the church is lacking in modern facilities. There are no toilets, no proper kitchen (there is a sink in the belfry) and no rooms for Sunday School, PCC and other meetings. The PCC and congregation recognise that unless modern facilities are introduced the church has little future, the lack of a Sunday School being the greatest cause for concern. 5
In December 2014 the DAC recommended plans for a modest extension. It will occupy what would have been the north aisle of the church (if one had been built in the Middle Ages). An application for planning permission was submitted in January 2015, and a faculty will be sought. A previous application for a larger extension was rejected by a narrow margin and it is thought that the current smaller proposal has a good prospect of success. The new extension will comprise a vestibule with tea station, two toilets (one disabled), meeting room/vestry linking with the Lady Chapel/vestry which will become a meeting room. 4. THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH Churchmanship, Electoral Roll and Gazette The Methodist and Baptist churches closed down some time ago and St. Peter and St. Paul is the only church in the village. It is the church for the whole village. The church attracts active support from persons brought up in a variety of traditions who prefer to worship in the local community rather than travel to a church of their particular denomination. Churchmanship is broad with a wide range of services. There is a Healing Ministry with the laying on of hands available during some 10.30 am services. The Electoral Roll is 94. 6
The church magazine, The Shoreham Gazette, is distributed free of charge to every household in the village. It contains the details of church services, a letter from the Vicar and articles concerning local activities (both church and non-church). The cost of production is covered by the advertisements. Services There are three services every Sunday. There is an 8am Holy Communion (BCP). The 10.30am service varies from week to week. The nature of the services has altered over time, changes from time to time and is open to further change. Currently in a standard 4 week month the 1 st Sunday is a Sung Eucharist (CW), the 2 nd Sunday a Taizé Communion, the 3 rd Sunday Sung Eucharist and the 4 th Sunday Family Service. There is no standard pattern for the 5 th Sunday with services ranging from Holy Communion to Matins (BCP) (no longer popular) or a service taken from the Iona Community in Scotland. At 6.30pm in the summer (4.30pm in the winter) there is usually Evensong (BCP), but Compline is sometimes substituted. The Taizé Communion is a Family Communion (CW) with music from Taizé (chants which become a kind of mantra as they are sung over and over again) communion in a circle around a table in front of the rood screen and a thought for the day rather than a sermon. The Family Service is planned and led by the Pastoral Committee, which consists of a small group of lay people of widely different ages and backgrounds. The Committee meets about two weeks before each service to choose the theme, the reading and the hymns, using Living Stones by Susan Sayers as a resource. Music is a particular feature with the Organist/Choirmaster coaxing an extraordinary range of sounds from an impromptu orchestra of children or young at heart aged 2 to 95. Refreshments are normally served after this service. The service attracts people who do not normally come to church. 7
Special services (Christmas, Easter, Harvest, Remembrance) are well supported by the village. The most popular service of the year is Christingle which was introduced some years ago by The Children's' Society and is held every Christmas Eve. It is usually organised by the members of the Pastoral Committee. Attendance at Christingle for 2014 is recorded in the church log as 260, but there were so many young children and so many standing at the back that an accurate count was not possible. Average normal attendances are 9 at 8am, 35 at 10.30am and 7 at 4.30pm/6.30pm. Baptisms and Weddings In 2014 there were 6 baptisms, and 3 weddings. We already have 8 weddings booked for 2015. The current practice on baptism has been to welcome all to baptism, but if they live outside the parish, to seek the approval of the local church, perhaps with Shoreham baptising and them welcoming. It was not the practice of the recent Vicar for him personally to conduct the remarriage in church of someone previously divorced where the former spouse is still alive. The PCC would be open to supporting a different approach to such pastoral requests, working within the House of Bishops Guidelines. 8
Church Music Music has been a big part in the life of Shoreham Church for many years with music being part of every week s services. In Danny Kingshill the Church has a long serving Organist and Choir Master of remarkable ability. As well as church music Danny works musically in theatre and with the disabled. Over the years he has helped young local musicians of great ability to develop their talents in the church to the enormous benefit of the congregation and wider village. The first such protégé was Andrew Reid who went on to become sub-organist at Westminster Abbey, Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral and is currently Director of the Royal School of Church Music. The latest such protégé is Henry Desmond Assistant Organist and Choirmaster, youngest member of the PCC and (against very stiff competition) an apprentice at the Royal Opera House. This Christmas Henry played the lead role in bringing together an orchestra for the annual Nine Lessons and Carols Service, This saw 30 musicians come together to play all the favourite carols of the congregation with the addition of some fun orchestral pieces, The congregation of around 150 thoroughly enjoyed this service and have asked for it to become an annual addition to the Christmas services. There is a church choir consisting of members of the parish, which is augmented at important times of the year with extra friends of the church and choir. Music has a 9
varied life in the church from the chants of traditional Sunday worship to a more modern take on morning worship with Worship songs from Graham Kendrick, Paul Baloche and Matt Redman. Danny and Henry are hoping to develop the sense of modern worship music over the coming years and hope this will help to bring younger and new blood into the church. There is a band of bell ringers who ring for services and weddings. The tower contains a peal of eight bells: in 1982 two of the bells were recast and the others retuned. Sunday School The PCC believes that without a Sunday School the church has no long term future. At one time The Old Vicarage was used for the Sunday School. Subsequently The George public house was used for the Sunday School: this arrangement came to an end some years ago. Most recently (until 2012) the Pathfinders tried to use the village school as a base. The village school (unlike The Old Vicarage and The George) is at a distance from the church and proved not to be an attractive venue for children who have to attend it during the week. It proved impossible to attract sufficient children to enable the venture to continue. Currently the church has no Sunday School. This is because it has nowhere suitable for it to meet. It is not because of lack of support. As the ill-fated Pathfinders venture showed there is a new generation willing to run a Sunday School. Equally there are young couples in the church with young children whom they would like to attend Sunday School if only it were possible to combine the parents attendance at church with the children s attendance at Sunday School: using a site for Sunday School distant from the church (whether the village school or village hall) has been shown not to work. The building of the new church extension is therefore vital to the church s future. 10
Finances The church s finances are sound and sufficient to meet normal outgoings. There is an extension fund of around 25,000 which is sufficient to meet all preparatory costs for the extension, but there will have to be substantial additional fund raising to meet the estimated 300,000 building costs: such fund raising will start once planning permission is obtained. The Friends of Shoreham Church raise considerable funds to help maintain the fabric of the church (which is in a sound condition). Harvest Supper and Burns Night The church used to hold a Harvest Supper every year usually on a bring and share basis. However, for the last two years there has been a catered meal, music and entertainment, which has been very well received. Another very successful occasion is the annual Burn s Night in January organized by the Friends of Shoreham Church. 5. SHOREHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL The village school has around 100 pupils and a new Head Teacher. It is not a church school, but in practice the Vicar has close links with it and takes the school act of collective worship/assembly once a week. 11
6. ST. MICHAEL S SCHOOL OTFORD St. Michael s School is a fee paying preparatory school just outside the parish in the neighbouring parish of Otford. Until 2000 the church had a full-time Vicar, but when the then Vicar left it became clear that in view of the size of the village this could not continue. At that time Revd. Richard Freeman (who was Rector of three neighbouring parishes and also Chaplain of St. Michael s) was looking for a new post and his appointment with a twothirds/one-third split between Shoreham Parish and St. Michael s School, Otford was the happy result. We are looking for a similar arrangement at the time of this present appointment although, for technical reasons, the appointment to the school will need to be under a contract of employment. This is the first occasion on which the parish and St. Michael s have together had to seek a new Vicar/Chaplain. St. Michael s originated in a High Church tradition which is different from that of the parish. The parish and St. Michael s are working together amicably, determined to make the joint appointment work and agreed that the individual qualities of the candidate are more important than her or his church background. However, the new Vicar/Chaplain will need to respect the different traditions of both the church and St. Michael s, and is most likely to be someone from a broad church background, happy with and enthusiastic about a wide range of worship from the formal to the most informal. 12
7. DIOCESE, DEANERY AND PATRON Shoreham parish is in the Diocese of Rochester and the Shoreham Deanery. The patron of Shoreham parish since 1547 has been the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey. The previous Vicar enjoyed a once-a-year week-day chaplaincy to visitors at the Abbey. The parish values these links and hopes that they will continue. 8. ALMSHOUSES The vicar is an ex officio trustee of the Shoreham Almshouses. 13
9. VICARAGE A modern vicarage was built in the 1960s. It abuts the churchyard. Downstairs there is a large study, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, utility room and WC/cloakroom. Upstairs there are 4 bedrooms, a bathroom and shower room. There are a garage and gardens. 14
10. THE NEW INCUMBENT We can offer: The opportunity to minister and play an active role in a friendly and vibrant village community in a beautiful part of North Kent Enthusiastic, committed Christians who realise that unless they embrace and effect dynamic change the church and the community of faith they love will have little future. We are looking for a priest: Who is willing to work with the PCC and wider congregation to bring about the change necessary to secure the church s future Whose teaching and preaching (while firmly based on the authority of scripture) has meaning in the context of everyday life Who values people of all ages, but who has the ability to reach the hearts and minds of young people, on whom the future of the church depends Who will enjoy belonging to and engaging with the local community and offering Christian care, witness and presence amongst those of faith, of little faith or of no faith. 15
February 2015 church.shoreham@gmail.com 16