St George s Church Gravesend Parish Profile 1
Contents A Word from the Church Wardens...4 Who are we looking for?...6 What does the role offer?...7 Who We Are...8 Our Vision...9 Our Congregation... 10 Our Parish... 10 Our Team... 13 Our Buildings and Grounds... 14 What We Do... 18 Church Worship and Ministry... 19 Children and Young People... 22 Fellowship... 26 Community Connections... 27 Governance, Administration and Finance... 28 Mission Partners... 29 What s Next... 30 Our Priorities... 31 The Challenges Ahead... 32 A Word from our Area Dean... 34 Useful Links... 35 Appendices... 36
A Word from the Church Wardens A warm welcome to our Parish Profile, which we hope will guide you towards deciding if St George s Church is the place for you now that you have decided to embark on developing your ministry. As we have built our community, we ve tried to keep hold of that vision for a Church which reaches out to the community around it, providing a place of welcome and hospitality to people of all walks of life. One example of this is our weekly Noah s Ark parent and toddler group in the Church hall, which gives us a great opportunity to show Christ s love in a practical way. We hope that those attending will be encouraged to join us at our COOL Tots service in Church on Thursdays and our monthly Family Service. In the summer, the annual Holiday Club is attended by approximately 20 children, mainly non-churchgoers. We serve as a focal point in the local community throughout the year, including via the annual Civic Service and Mayor s Carol Service. Our Church, recognised for its excellent acoustics, hosts regular concerts by groups such as Gravesham Choral Society and Gravesend Borough Band, who also use the Church hall for their weekly practices. It is also frequently used by local schools for concerts and leavers events. God s faithfulness and generosity over this time have been incredible. By faith we have financially supported our Children and Families Worker, Emma, and have been greatly blessed by her enthusiasm and dedication. Amidst these successes we know that there is huge untapped potential for St George s as we enter a new chapter in our Church life. Although we have achieved great successes in reaching out to children and families, there still exists a greater challenge in reaching out to young people and teenagers. In Matthew s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. This verse captures something of what we feel God is calling St George s into in this next chapter of our Church life to raise up a community of Christians willing to go out into the world around us as we seek to share God s love. To lead us in that calling, St George s will need a Rector who can challenge us as well as nurture and empower us; who can push us out of our comfort zone while building on our existing strong foundations. As you read through this profile, we hope that you might prayerfully consider whether God is calling you to take on this key role in the next chapter of St George s long history. The role is a challenging one, but we know that, for the right person, it has the potential to be deeply rewarding. We are certainly excited about what God will have in store. Neil Fisher & Fiona Elford Church Wardens, St George s Church, Gravesend 4 5
Who are we looking for? We are looking for a Rector who believes they have the vision, energy and enthusiasm to lead us as we respond to the opportunities God has given to us to grow as a Church and reach out further into our local community. We seek a Rector who will: Have prayer as the foundation for all we do and encourage others in prayer. Be a servant leader, team player and delegator who is not afraid to be bold and visionary in the face of future challenges and opportunities, such as those presented by the forthcoming new town centre developments. Have empathy for children and youth work and be supportive of a diverse and all-age congregation to enable inclusive worship. Be able to engage with people from all backgrounds, irrespective of their faith, to build the place of the Church in the wider community. Honour Bible-based teaching and preaching and embrace a variety of styles of preaching/worship. Be a caring pastor, available to listen, empathise and counsel members of the congregation. Identify and develop the latent potential in others, teaching, mentoring, supporting and encouraging lay ministry training. Be willing to continue and develop the long-standing excellent relationships with the local authority and associated bodies and further enhance our close links with Virginia in the USA. What does the role offer? A town centre Parish based in an historic Church A friendly and welcoming mixed age congregation Thriving children s work A real opportunity to reach out to the community with the significant developments around the Church during the course of the next few years, including a new replacement Church hall A riverside town on the edge of the North Kent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with a range of interconnected country parks An hour s drive from some great family-friendly beaches A 1930s-built Rectory in a very nice residential area within ¾ mile of the Church Excellent road links and rail services to London (including the High Speed service to St Pancras, just 25 minutes away), Kent and the continent Strong links with the Church of England primary school within the town Good & successful comprehensive and grammar schools 6 7
who we are About St George s Our Vision Growing in Christian faith No matter how long we have been Christian believers, each one of us needs to continue to learn and grow, and we all need to learn and grow as a Church. Our prayer is to see God s people grow and St George s develop more as a thriving and witnessing Christian community. Living God s way We want to encourage one another to learn what it means to Live God s way following Jesus example and put what we learn into practice. Giving in Christian service We aim to serve the people of our Parish in practical ways, from social action to simply being a listening ear. We seek to be at the heart of our community, both reaching out to people where they are and welcoming them in to take part in a wide range of activities. Sharing the Good News of Jesus As each of us go about Living God s way and Giving in Christian service we have the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus through word and action, in the hope that people will come to know Jesus for themselves and then in turn, and in the company of others, Grow, Live, Give, and Share together. 8 9
Our Congregation There are around 125 people on the Electoral Roll and the diverse Church congregation has a complete range from babies to people in their 90s, though with few people in the 15 30 age group. About half the congregation live outside the Parish. There has been a trend in recent years for some members of our congregation to attend less regularly than was once the case. Our Parish St George s is a town centre church with strong civic connections. A large shopping centre occupies much of the land to the south-west, with riverfront and High Street housing developments providing housing close by. Several hundred residential units, along with leisure and community facilities, are due to be built in the eastern and western Heritage Quarter developments, with construction due to commence in the eastern quarter in Spring 2019. St George s stands within the heart of the western quarter, with construction intended to start in 2021/22. Parish residents mainly live in terraced houses of varying types with residents representing a diversity of age, wealth, education and opportunity. The Parish has a sizeable ethnic minority, mainly Asian and predominantly Sikh (26%) though with an increasing population of Eastern Europeans. Within the parish is the Sikh Temple, one of the largest in Britain, which opened in 2010. The population of the Borough of Gravesham is approx. 105,000 of whom 75,000 live in Gravesend, approx. 12,500 of whom are in our Parish. The town is located about 25 miles from London and 5 miles from the Bluewater shopping and leisure complex, one of the biggest of its kind in Britain. 10 11
The Parish contains the Civic Centre and The Woodville, where there are theatre productions and entertainment activities. The town has two well-equipped leisure centres and two full-sized golf courses. The local hospital is six miles distant at Darent Valley (on the way to Dartford) but the nearby Gravesham Community Hospital has a Minor Injuries Unit, a range of outpatients clinics, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and residential care for the elderly. St George s organises a Chaplaincy Team for Gravesham Place, a rehabilitation unit which is attached to the local community hospital. The team is drawn from pastoral groups within local Churches. Our Team Our Ministry Team is currently formed of two Readers, two Pastoral Assistants, two Church Wardens and a member of the congregation, as well as our full-time and salaried Children and Families Worker. The music is led by our Organist and choir. The PCC comprises 13 members and we also have a dedicated team for finance and an Administrator, as well as teams of flower arrangers, stewards and bell ringers. Additionally, we have two Safeguarding Officers. The Rector of St George s is a Foundation Governor of Holy Trinity Church Primary School. The school, which is just outside the parish, warmly welcomes involvement in assemblies and has regular services in the Church. We also have close links with the Bronte Private Preparatory School. The former Rector was also a Director of the Gravesend Grammar School Academy Trust. Mayfield Grammar School is within the Parish, but has stronger historical links with the Methodist Church. The Waterside Family Centre occupies the Old Rectory (next to the Church hall). Gravesend is a significant commuter town with large numbers travelling daily to London by car, train or coach. 12 13
Our Buildings and Grounds The Church The first Church on this site was licensed in 1497 but it was destroyed by fire in 1727 and replaced by the present Grade 2 listed building in 1732. The people of St George s work hard to keep the building in relatively good order. The Church has a peal of eight bells, which are rung weekly before Church services. The modern organ is an excellent instrument, used for concerts as well as services, and there is a redundant George England organ installed in 1764, now in disrepair. Various works have been carried out to the Church over the years, mostly through the aid of grants. Recently new boilers and loft insulation have been installed. In 2010 a Friends of St George s group was launched with Sir Robert Worcester as its patron and their efforts resulted in the two benefaction boards in the porch being restored. The Friends are at present seeking out a further project to support. The Church Hall The Church hall, built in 1970, is located close to the Church. The hall is large and it is used extensively by community groups during the week in addition to some private functions. The accommodation comprises a spacious hall, meeting room, kitchen, stage and storage facilities. There is a courtyard as well as a car park. The fabric of the hall is rather tired, refurbishment having been put on hold in recent years in the expectancy of the hall being replaced as part of the impending Heritage Quarter redevelopment. This is expected to see the redevelopment of the area surrounding the Church within the next two to three years, with a new hall being located close to the Church but within the new development. A new hall would provide an exciting opportunity to further our community service. The hall is currently used on a regular basis by various groups including the Gravesend Active Retirement Association, Gravesend Borough Band, Gravesend Macular Group and another Church. Our Church runs two weekly sessions of Noah s Ark (our parent and toddler group), and each month Who Let The Dads Out and Saturday Matinee. 14 15
The Rectory The Rectory is a substantial 1930s family home located in a quiet residential area on The Avenue, a ten minute walk from the town centre, train station and St George s Church. There are local shops, a petrol station, two parks and bus stops nearby. There is a girls grammar school on the road so during school drop-off and pick-up times parking can get busy. Downstairs are three large reception rooms, used by the previous incumbent as lounge, dining room and family room. There is one further, smaller reception room, lately used as a room for meeting visitors. Also downstairs are a modern kitchen, utility room and cloakroom. Upstairs, there is one very large bedroom (used as a study by the previous incumbent) with washbasin, two further large bedrooms and a fourth small bedroom with washbasin, which could possibly take a single bed. The house retains some period features, including open fireplaces, and has central heating with a new boiler. Quinquennial inspections were last undertaken by the Diocese in June 2018. 105 Wrotham Road The Church owns an 80% share in a Curate s house, located within the Parish about ½ mile from the Church, with the Diocese owning the other 20%. A townhouse built in approx. 1970, it is in very good order, having been fully refurbished in 2013. It has been tenanted for the last 18 years, the rent providing a valuable income for the Church, and the asset a growing value. Church Grounds and Pocahontas There are no longer any full burials in the churchyard and this is laid out to grass and gardens. The Council cuts the grass and Church volunteers tend the flowerbeds and the Garden of Rest, where ashes are buried. The Church is known as the final resting place of Pocahontas, her statue having stood in the Church grounds since 1958. The Church attracts tourists and visitors, including many from the United States where Pocahontas was born. We, along with the Council, have close links with Jamestown, Virginia, USA, and the National Society of Colonial Dames XVII Century, who are supportive of the Church and its grounds. A large rear garden has three sheds, and the smaller front garden has a single garage. On-street parking is regulated by a permit system. 16 17
what we do St George s Ministry Church Worship and Ministry St George s is an open and friendly church, where we seek to make everyone welcome and comfortable regardless of age, background, orientation and race. The diverse cross section of our congregation reflects this. Children are actively encouraged to feel welcome and involved in the main morning services. Many people take particular responsibility for making the Church and Church hall environment as welcoming as possible through activities such as stewarding, refreshments after the services, flower arranging and general maintenance. A number of people try to keep the Church open occasionally and guided visits are arranged when necessary. Music is chosen to give a modern lively style as well as retaining traditional values. We have a regular Organist and choir. We also have an established band of bell ringers who ring before Sunday morning services and for other special events. The congregation actively participates in services by reading, leading intercessions, being chalice assistants, offering healing prayer ministry and giving occasional testimonies. The usual monthly pattern for the main Sunday service at 10am is one Family Service, two Communion services and one Morning Worship service. On the fifth Sunday of any month there is a Family Communion service. 18 19
In the evenings at 6pm there is an informal evening service, a Service of the Word, a Communion service and a monthly Communion with Healing Prayer service. There is a weekly Wednesday morning service of Communion, which alternates between Common Worship and Book of Common Prayer. We hold an annual Thanksgiving and Remembrance Service that is well attended and additional services are held in the church annually and at key times for local schools. The average attendance at the main Sunday morning service is around 80 including about 10 20 children. The average number of communicants is about 60. The children attend the beginning of the service, which includes a special talk and songs, after which they depart to JAM Club (Jesus And Me), except for the monthly Family Service and Family Communion service. The attendance on Sunday evening is about 15 20 and a similar number attend on Wednesday morning. St George s seeks to serve people at key moments in their lives, with around 2 3 weddings, 20 funerals and several baptisms a year. Baptism preparation is taken seriously: the church seeks to ensure the real meaning of repentance, forgiveness, salvation, commitment, faith and discipleship is thoroughly understood by parents and older candidates before they make a firm decision to proceed. Children are confirmed from around the age of 14. Young people and adult candidates are encouraged to participate in confirmation preparation groups. The clergy and lay ministers usually undertake this teaching alongside other members of the Deanery. Prayer Ministry There is a regular Church prayer meeting, currently on Sunday before the service, along with ad-hoc prayer events praying for various nations or when a particular event or disaster occurs. Such events would be opened up to other Churches within the Deanery and Churches Together in Gravesham. Healing Ministry Over a number of years the healing prayer ministry (with appropriate training by the Diocese for those involved) has become an integral part of our Sunday morning worship. In addition, there is a monthly healing prayer service and ongoing prayer ministry. Pastoral Ministry Our pastoral ministry includes taking communion to local residential or nursing homes and to individuals in their homes. In addition the team regularly visits those members of the Church family that are unable to attend services. The team is involved in annual carol services in several residential homes. Church members are involved in Churches Together initiatives such as Street Pastors, Food Bank and Sanctuary (which gives shelter, meals and support to the homeless in the locality). Gravesham Place Chaplaincy Team Gravesham Place is a Kent County Council run care facility that is based in Gravesham Community Hospital (located close to the Church). Support is provided to those who no longer need hospital care but are not quite ready to go home. Respite care and dementia care are also provided. A small Chaplaincy Team, currently comprising our former Curate, members of the Pastoral Team and cluster Church members, ministers twice each month to the patients and staff of the Gravesham Place Integrated Care Centre. The team also visits the Dementia Day Centre based in the hospital. We offer a ministry of listening and support for people of all faiths and none. For Christians, we offer prayer and Bible reading, bedside communion and a service of Holy Communion held in the hospital chapel. Excellent relationships have been built with the staff and the Chaplaincy is a valued part of the unit s team. Aspirationally, the vision is to grow the Chaplaincy Team to be able to offer visiting on a weekly basis. 20 21
Children and Young People We are passionate about children and families work and want to see an even more effective ministry with children, young people and their families. We have been fortunate to be able to employ a fulltime Children and Families Worker since September 2015. Sundays Family Service happens on the first Sunday of the month, where the children stay in the church to worship together as a family. JAM (Jesus And Me) Club is the Junior Church for three to eleven year olds. JAM meets on Sunday mornings on the second, third and fourth Sunday of the month. The children start the worship in the main Church and after a children s talk and blessing they then head over to the Church hall for JAM. We learn about the stories from the Bible and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We learn through Bible reading, prayer, games, songs, crafts and lots of other fun things. JAM Club s aim is to ensure that even the youngest children know that God loves each one and to help them all to take steps forward in their faith. Pathfinders was traditionally the group for 11 14 year olds on a Sunday morning. In recent years we have had insufficient numbers of children of this age to run the group, our over 11s remaining instead with JAM Club as helpers. One of the areas of focus in coming years could be to develop our offering for teenagers, both on Sundays and more broadly. Family Communion service happens in the months that have a 5th Sunday and on all Sunday morning Communion services throughout August. The children stay in the Church to worship together as a family and celebrate Holy Communion using a family-friendly liturgy, taking an active role in the service. 22 23
Noah s Ark (0 5 years) Noah s Ark is a parent and toddler group run for the community every term time Monday in St George s Church hall. Our morning sessions run from 9.45 to 11.45am and our afternoon sessions run from 12.45 to 2.45pm. Each session can have anything up to 60 children and their adults in attendance. Noah s Ark is a great place for children to have fun, parents to meet and friendships to be developed. Our mission is to be there for both parent and child. We try to listen to their problems and concerns and aim to give them the right kind of support and advice, which feeds into one-to-one family support if a family requires it. Noah s Ark is an amazing opportunity for us to serve, love, care and support families in the local community. COOL Tots COOL Tots is a parent and toddler Church service held in the Church every term time Thursday from 10 to 11am. It s a time of toddler-friendly worship songs, a Bible story and a simple craft activity followed by refreshments. Most come through Church friends, contacts for baptism or a wedding, or through Noah s Ark. COOL Tots is a lovely way to introduce children to Bible stories and develop relationships between the Church and the community. One of its main aims is to provide an easy stepping stone into the wider Church for parents and grandparents who may initially feel uncomfortable about coming to Church. Who Let The Dads Out Who Let The Dads Out is a group for dads and male carers and their children (up to 11 years old) held on the second Saturday of the month from 9.45 to 11.45am in the Church hall. It s a fun-packed morning that gives male carers an opportunity to spend more time with their children and meet other dads. The hall is set up with toys and activities for the children and adults to enjoy together. Who Let The Dads Out is a great environment to encourage communication and develop relationships within families and the wider community. SWAG Club (12 18 years) Our older youth attend a Sunday evening house group run by St Mary s Church. Recreation, study and sharing pizza together gives them a sense of belonging to a larger community of young people interested in developing their faith. Most of the group have attended the Soul Survivor summer festival for the last couple of years. Alongside our regular projects, our children and families outreach extends to working with and alongside local schools, Churches and the Waterside Parents Centre (located alongside the hall), and offering one-to-one family support to those that request it. We reach out to our local community via family events, including Summer and Christmas Fairs, an Easter Family Fun Day and a summer Holiday Club. 24 25
Fellowship Our home groups have been going for many years and are a great blessing. New groups are encouraged to start in Lent and Advent and usually try to share the same course together. St George s has a very successful Women s Fellowship which meets every month. Their activities include games evenings, meals, talks by guest speakers and Communion services together. The Men s Group meets roughly six times a year and the activities are more practical, such as crazy golf, tenpin bowling and meals out together. There is also a Knitting Group which meets twice a month. Our Social/Fundraising Committee organises events throughout the year, including Quiz Nights, Film Evenings, a Harvest Barn Dance and a wide range of concerts. We also have traditional events such as the Summer and Christmas Fairs at which we always offer free children s activities. These are vital fundraising events as well as an opportunity for outreach to the community. Recently we began a Saturday Matinee, a community project providing a film, afternoon tea and friendship for Church members and the local community. Community Connections Interaction is our quarterly magazine for St George s Church. It focuses on members experiences, providing a reference point of contact for Church activities, social events and requests for help. Although it is issued primarily for Church members, it is also made available to visitors. Our Church website is www.stgeorgesgravesend.org. It emphasises that we are an active and welcoming Church and is intended to appeal to Christians and non-christians alike. We receive wide-ranging enquiries via the website, which are mostly directed to the Rector. St George s Church has good links with the local Methodist and Baptist Churches, each year sharing the hosting of the Maundy Thursday service as well as joining together for a service on Good Friday morning followed by a walk of witness to Windmill Hill. St George s also supports the work of Churches Together Gravesham, which includes Street Pastors, Food Bank and Sanctuary. The latter offers accommodation and services for the homeless during the winter period. There is an annual Pentecost service held at different locations, a special service during Church Unity week which rotates around local Churches and a joint service for the Women s World Day of Prayer. Gravesham Churches Together holds a monthly Church leaders meeting, which each Church takes it in turn to host. Each Tuesday morning, the clergy from our cluster five local C of E parishes meet together for prayer and sharing. From this has come a greater sense of belonging and a number of joint projects, such as wedding and confirmation preparation, and Lent and Advent Bible Studies have seen the Parishes working together. 26 27
Governance, Administration and Finance Governance The PCC currently has 13 members, a third of whom retire each year and may be replaced. Those who retire can be re-elected after a year. Deanery Synod representatives are elected for four years, as are our two Church Wardens. Generally one new Warden is elected every two years in order to give overlap. PCC meetings are chaired by the Rector six times per year. The following subcommittees report in to the PCC and are normally led by a PCC member: The Standing Committee is comprised of the Rector, two Church Wardens, the PCC Secretary, the Treasurer and one of the PCC elected members. The Standing Committee meets only when circumstances require it. The Church Development Committee oversees the new hall development and our role as a stakeholder in the Heritage Quarter redevelopment proposals. The Committee is chaired by a member of the congregation. Other Church members oversee specific areas such as stewarding, finance and mission support. The Fundraising and Events Committee meets as required. The Finances Committee meets as required. The Outward Giving Committee makes recommendations to the PCC about which mission groups we should financially support each year. Our Church Wardens play a key role in supporting the work of the Rector, carrying oversight for all areas, including the Church building, the grounds and the hall. A Ministry Leadership Team meets regularly and is mainly concerned with planning and strategic thinking on a number of issues relating to mission and ministry. Administration A member of the congregation is our part-time Administrator, whose primary responsibility is producing the service sheets for Sunday along with other tasks as required. Volunteers are responsible for most of the many rotas which keep us on course. Finance Thanks to God s gracious provision and the faithfulness of his people, we have managed to balance our finances during the last few years. About 80% of our regular giving is by standing order. An annual Gift Day is held, the proceeds of which have in recent years funded the cost of our Children And Families Worker. St George s tithes 10% of its income based on the previous year s income. This is allocated on an annual basis and given to overseas missionary societies, Church of England home missions and some local, mainly Christian, charities. The Finance Team includes the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer who prepares budgets and monthly and annual accounts, and a Gift Aid Officer. All are volunteers. Mission Partners On the third Sunday each month, the morning service gives focus to one of the groups that St George s supports every year through its outward giving. A list of those groups we support is listed in the appendix. 28 29
what s The Future of St George s Our Priorities As we look to the future we see our priorities as being: next To grow and develop our biblical grounding and spiritual maturity. To retain and expand our commitment to all aspects of children s and young people s work. To live out our faith in our families, neighbourhoods and workplaces and use our contacts at baptisms, weddings, funerals and similar opportunities to share the Gospel. To continue to stimulate our Church members to explore and develop their gifts and ministries in the Church. To develop the prayer life of our Church, both individually and collectively. To foster the present warmth of fellowship within the Church. To encourage the formation of new home/study groups. To expand our pastoral work, particularly to newcomers and the wider Parish. To work with other Anglican churches in Gravesend Deanery and the other town centre Churches in involvement with the local community. 30 31
The Challenges Ahead Inevitably there will be many but some of the key challenges include: Youth Although the age range of our Church is very wide, there are far fewer members within the 16 25 age band. A challenge exists to develop our ministry within this area. Gravesend Town Centre Redevelopment and New Church Hall The Heritage Quarter redevelopment project has been through various iterations over the last 12 years, during which time we have been anticipating imminent great change, though works have never actually started. A new developer has recently acquired the project and appears to be fast tracking revised proposals that seem likely to actually come to fruition over the next five years. St George s Church is likely to see significant development of residential apartments on land to the north and east, and linked more effectively to the retail town centre by a cinema and restaurant extension to the St George s Shopping Centre. The land comprising our current hall and courtyard would become part of the redevelopment and, in exchange, the developer currently proposes to provide a new facility within the new buildings. Although initial understandings are based on equivalence, we aim for the new facilities to be larger and more complete than the existing, such that two or three different groups would be able to use the hall simultaneously. A new Church hall would provide an exciting opportunity to develop our community work. We hope that the new facilities will enable St George s to take a greater involvement in wellestablished projects begun by other town centre Churches such as Sanctuary. 32 33
A Word from our Area Dean Gravesend Deanery is an eclectic mix of churches and church styles, and then of course there are the incumbents! Our Deanery is made up of 14 churches in north Kent bordered by the A2 and the Thames. It extends from Greenhithe to the west with Bluewater Shopping a mere stone s throw away to Shorne in the east, with its delightful country park a great place for families and dogs. Gravesend, a town with a rich history often linked with the Thames (as well as Pocahontas), is essentially in the middle of the Deanery. The Deanery Chapter meets bi-monthly for breakfast, in each parish in turn. Not only do we eat sausages and drink coffee, we also do some business, share stories and pray for our various ministries. We also meet socially for more food and drink and fellowship, getting to know something of our families. The Chapter, in recent years, has joined with Dartford Deanery for a joint annual retreat. (This once included Angela Tilby s outstanding exploration of the spirituality of Antony Gormley s sculptures!) The Deanery has an active Synod, made up of the usual parish members. Over the past couple of years, the Deanery, not just the clergy, has worked on a Deanery Mission plan, focusing on collaborative ministry and resourcing. We have made some progress but there s room for progress! I feel we need to encourage significant numbers of new vocations, lay and ordained. Clearly, one size will not fit all, but ways of discipleship and various forms of worship that further inspire and feed our ministries and communities need to be explored and developed. There is a huge need for the word of God to be heard and lived out in our society generally and, not least, here in Gravesend. In addition to many long and faithful ministries lay and ordained, over the past few years, the Deanery has also been blessed by a number of curates who have all learned and made worthwhile contributions. Having just been appointed to the role of Area Dean, I recently outlined my desire for the Deanery structure to be even more collegiate in its management with individual clergy and laity taking on various roles and responsibilities. I am taking every opportunity to encourage initiative and include colleagues whenever possible in the areas that have traditionally been centred on the Area Dean. As a Deanery we are entering an exciting phase in our ministry with the evergrowing Ebbsfleet Garden City, expected to number 40,000 50,000 people in the next few years. Many members of the Deanery are also involved in Churches Together activities in Gravesend, which are in part energised by newer Pentecostal churches as well as the traditional denominations. Such activities include street pastors, school pastors, food banks and Christians Against Poverty. There is also great cultural diversity in the Deanery, ranging from rural parishes to the hustle and bustle of the town, which is also home to one of the largest Gurdwaras in the UK. I would love to welcome a colleague who will be a willing partner in the gospel to meet the obviously spiritual and wider needs of our Deanery, a person who will be a faithful, encouraging and imaginative friend. Nigel Bourne Area Dean Useful Links Gravesham Council https://www.gravesham.gov.uk/ Rochester Diocese http://rochester.anglican.org/ Visit Gravesend https://www.visitgravesend.co.uk/ Bluewater Shopping Centre https://bluewater.co.uk/ 34 35
Appendices Finance A full copy of our accounts is available on request. Outward Giving Mission List Cambodia Action, Hery & Susie Heryanto Cambodia Action, Jez & Jacqui Heasman Waterside Project ellenor Sanctuary A Rocha, Chris Naylor Executive Director Friends International, Graham & Sabine Stockton, Manchester Gravesend Ethnic Ministries (GEM), Palo Bangar UCCF: The Christian Unions, Student mission support Bible Society Mission Aviation Fellowship Mission to Seafarers Street Pastors School Pastors Embrace (Carol sheets) Nuns at West Malling Kenward Trust Gravesham Foodbank The Bible Reading Fellowship Holy Trinity School Church Urban Fund General Information Further information about St George s can be found on our website, www.stgeorgesgravesend.org, or by emailing info@stgeorgesgravesend.org Local Schools Local primary schools include Holy Trinity C of E Primary, Chantry Community Academy and Wrotham Road Primary. Bronte School, which is independent, is also within the Parish. Local secondary schools include two comprehensives, St George s (C of E) and St John s (Catholic), and two grammar schools, Mayfield Grammar (girls) and Gravesend Grammar (boys). 36 37
Spotlight Data 38 39
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