2015
St Lawrence’s Church
Biddulph
Hello & Welcome. Thank you for taking the time to consider being our incumbent here at
St. Lawrence’s Biddulph. We hope that you find our Parish Profile
informative, helpful and inspiring.
We are praying for all those responsible for making the appointment – for
our Patrons, for the Bishop, for our Parish Representatives, and most of all for
you as you seek God’s guidance and discern his will for your future.
We pray that God will bless you as you read this document and that you will
be excited by the challenges and opportunities here in Biddulph.
We look forward to great times ahead as, together, we move forward in our
spiritual journeys both as individuals and as a church.
St. Lawrence’s PCC
ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH PARISH PROFILE
Page 2 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Contents Page 3 Our New Vicar.
Page 4 Our Strengths and Challenges.
Page 6 Worship and Leadership.
Page 9 Leaders, Staff team, PLT & PCC.
Page 10 Mission Action Plan.
Page 11 Our Town and Community.
Page 15 Other Denominations.
Page 16 Our Church Buildings and Grounds.
Page 18 Vicarage.
Page 19 Financial Details and details from the Registers.
Page 20 Activities and Programmes.
Page 23 Children's and Youth Ministry.
Page 27 Communications.
Page 28 Weddings.
Page 29 Baptism and Thanksgiving Policy.
Page 30 Home and Overseas Mission.
Page 31 Appendix 1.
Page 33 Appendix 2.
Page 3 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Our New Vicar We strive to be a committed and faithful
church which is seeking a spiritual leader who
has the vision to guide us as we develop our
lives to serve each other, the local community
and the wider church.
You will be called to lead us through:
your prayer based approach to
ministry and an openness to the work
of the Holy Spirit
your insightful biblical preaching, interpreting God’s Word from
your full and sound knowledge, in a way in which all ages can
access and put into practice in our daily lives within our families,
workplace, community and the wider church
your passion for outreach, encouraging us to be examples for
God, letting our faith shine through us to enable great things to be
done in His name within our community
demonstrating a heart for people; being approachable, kind and
caring with an ability to empathise and build relationships which
enable you to motivate and lead effectively
a joyful approach to your ministry with the ability to use humour
effectively to engage
your enthusiasm to inspire and journey with us in faith; motivating
and challenging us as a church to continue to grow in
accordance with God’s Word
You will aspire to be:
a capable organiser with the ability to effectively delegate and
recognise team strengths
an effective communicator and listener who can talk to people
regardless of age
patient and encouraging to members of the congregation and
the church staff to enable them to develop their gifts and talents
confident in God’s Word, with the ability to challenge and
confront whilst being tactful and sensitive
Page 4 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
self-aware – of both your strengths and weaknesses – and with an
empowering style
a team player who leads by example
friendly and caring with the ability to make all feel welcome
able to relate to worldly issues and the challenges that our
children and young people face and to ‘keep it real’
someone that the church and the community can trust
called to both lead and to serve with humility
Our Strengths and Challenges. Our Strengths:
We are good at hospitality
We have a heart for the Gospel
We try to be a mission focused congregation
We have invested in youth and children’s ministry
We have a church building which has been reordered to enable
multi-purpose use
We have close connections with a partner church in Kenya and
with mission partners in the Philippines and Kenya
We have a diversity of worship styles
We have committed lay leaders who give significant input to
sustain our church’s ministry
We have well established and well attended Homegroups
We have a small group of consistent prayers
Our Challenges: We have a heart for the Gospel but sometimes wrestle with sharing
it:
We have many contacts with members of the community who
are never likely to come in to our church building for a service.
So, as part of our Mission Action Plan, we have begun to con-
sider how we can adopt a ‘go to’ model of mission to comple-
ment the current ‘come to us’ model.
We want to try to develop mixed economy of church, orientat-
ing our congregations towards whole life discipleship to equip
Page 5 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
them to follow Jesus at home, school and work as well as in
gathered church worship.
We need to develop our missional focus and ministry in the
community
We need to make ourselves more accessible to the growing
number of people who are unfamiliar with church.
We need to grow connections with the new housing
developments.
We need to develop and grow our Christian faith by exploring
(and using) the gifts of the Spirit, as we seek God’s will for our lives,
and by exhibiting His fruit within the church and community
We need to continue to allow individuals to explore their gifting, to
nurture new talent and to grow leadership by investing in people
We need to encourage and develop the prayer life of the church.
Page 6 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Worship and Leadership Style of Church. St Lawrence’s is an Open Evangelical Anglican Church with a passion for
the Bible and a commitment to engaging preaching. We have experience
of renewal and are
gently charismatic.
We desire to see
people respond to
our living God
through creative
worship and an
openness to the
ministry of the Holy
Spirit. We look to
empower people
on their frontlines,
to be witnesses of the gospel. Our congregations represent a wide range of
Christian commitment and are comprised of people from different church
backgrounds.
Worship. Each Sunday we gather to worship at three main services:
Our 9.15am service uses Common Worship liturgy. Robes are only worn for
Communion services which are
celebrated twice a month. The
pulpit is no longer used as all
preaching is done from the dais.
Sung worship is led on the organ
and/or piano, drawing on a mixture
of older hymns and more contem-
porary songs. The congregation
(approximately 45-55 people) is
flexible to try other styles of worship.
Tea and coffee is served once a
month after the service.
Page 7 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Our 11am service is informal, free, and sits loosely in the structure of
Common Worship. Sung worship is led by a music group with contemporary
songs for all ages. Robes are not worn
in this service. The service lasts about
an hour and is followed by tea and
coffee in church. An all-age service is
held once a month (as well as at major
f e s t i v a l s ) .
At other
s e r v i c e s ,
after the first
15 minutes, the children leave for their own
activities in the church hall. Communion is
celebrated once a month. Services of
Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child and
Baptisms also take place at 11am. Numbers in
this service fluctuate significantly but average
out at approximately 60 people. The vision of this
service is to be experimental in its approach, to
attract younger families and therefore there is still
scope to develop this further.
Our 6.30pm service often uses Common Worship liturgy, similar to the
9.15am service, but is sometimes quieter and more reflective with
Communion being celebrated monthly. Other styles of liturgy are
occasionally offered such as Taize or Celtic style worship. The congregation
at this service is around 30 people. Also at this service, approximately 3 times
a year, the bereaved families from recent funerals are invited to a
thanksgiving service.
Our 10am Wednesday service is an alternative or
an addition to worship on Sunday. Each service
lasts between 45 minutes and an hour and is either
a Service of the Word or Holy Communion, using
Common Worship liturgy. We usually sing (with a
varying degree of success) a couple of traditional
hymns. Services have also been shared with
Page 8 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
members of the Ladies’ Fellowship, the Friendship (luncheon) Club as well as
with Oxhey First School. More recently we have experimented with holding
a half day of prayer and reflection following the service on a couple of
Wednesdays. Those who attend this service total approximately 15 people.
In total, St Lawrence’s has a worshipping community of around 140 per
week, though the number rises when you add in the occasional visitors who
are on the fringe.
Service Pattern:
1st Sunday: 9.15 Morning Prayer
11.00 Family (all-age) Service
6.30 Holy Communion
2nd Sunday: 9.15 Holy Communion
11.00 Morning Service (sometimes including Baptisms)
6.30 Evening Service
3rd Sunday: 9.15 Morning Prayer
11.00 Holy Communion
6.30 Evening Service
4th Sunday: 9.15 Holy Communion
11.00 Morning Service (sometimes incl. Thanksgiving for a Child)
6.30 Evening Service
5th Sunday: 9.15 Morning Prayer
11.00 Morning Service
6.30 Evening Service
Wednesdays: 10.00 Midweek Service
Page 9 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Leaders, Staff team, PLT and PCC. We are committed to enabling and equipping lay people not only to share
in the ministry of the church, but also to see themselves as called to serve
God full time in their families and workplaces.
We have two curates; a full-time, stipendiary curate, who has finished his
training and is in his final year, and a part-time OLM curate, who will finish
her training in June 2016.
We adopt an inclusive approach to ministry with 4 licensed readers, an
active retired vicar and a number of lay people who regularly lead and
preach in our services.
Our church is led by a committed PCC that meets every second month. Its
members have a variety of experience, and hearts ready to serve God in
His mission to Biddulph. Most recently the PCC has guided the church
through the reordering of the interior of the church building.
Our covenanted Parish Leadership Team meets monthly. It too is passionate
about mission, the daily life of our church, and possible new avenues to
explore.
St Lawrence’s employs a full-time children’s and youth worker who
co-ordinates all the children’s work and continues to build relationships with
the first and middle schools. We also employ a part-time parish assistant,
who is a committed member of our church, and is the first point of contact
for enquiries from outside the church. A part-time cleaner is employed to
maintain the interior of the church and Church Halls.
Curate
Rev’d Trevor Raaff
Youth Worker
Adam Post
OLM
Rev’d Lindsay Clowes
Parish assistant
Gez Chell
Page 10 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Members of the music groups are all committed Christians who have a
passion for music and sung worship.
Prayer ministry is offered after services (though we believe that this could be
built upon) and Home Communion and Communion by Extension is
available for those unable to join us in church. A number of people are
licensed to administer the chalice at Holy Communion Services.
Children and young people’s groups are ably led by enthusiastic
committed volunteers. We look to make learning about God in a variety of
ways that are fun, engaging and accessible.
Our Mission Action Plan. Our Purpose: The noticeboard outside our church doors reminds
us of our purpose: to Love Jesus, to Make Disciples,
to Grow the Church and to Serve Biddulph and the
World.
With that in mind our PCC and Parish Leadership
Team identified the following Visions and Values:
Love Jesus Centred on Jesus
Rooted in Scripture
Open to the Holy Spirit
Dependent on Grace
Committed to Prayer
Generous in Giving
Make Disciples By Preaching and Teaching
With Creative Outreach
In Small Groups
Through Youth and Children’s Work
For the Whole of Life
Grow the Church Offering Variety in Worship
Where Everyone is Welcome
All Play their Part
Reaching New People
Using our Buildings
Exploring new ways of being Church
Serve Biddulph and the World By Working Together
Making a Difference
At home, work, school and play
Transforming our Town
Being good neighbours
With our Mission Partners
Embracing the World
Page 11 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Our Mission Action Plan (Appendix 1) sets out our specific priorities and
objectives for mission during the current year.
Our Town and Community. The town of Biddulph, (population c. 18,000) is situated in the beautiful
Staffordshire Moorlands at the north-west point of the Lichfield Diocese. It is
north of the City of Stoke-on-Trent and adjacent to the Cheshire border.
Much of its industrial past is connected with the mining, textile and
engineering industries but now only small businesses survive. The area has
grown significantly over the past 50 years with much new residential
property. 68% of residents work out of the town, in The Potteries, in south
Cheshire or further afield. Biddulph is very much a dormitory town.
There are a number of small shops, mainly family businesses, in the centre of
the town. There is a large Sainsbury’s store, Home Bargains and B&M. There
are also a couple of High Street banks, pharmacies, a Post Office, a library
and 2 large car parks. Major stores, cinemas and other entertainment can
be found in the centre of Stoke-on-Trent (Hanley) which is about 7 miles from
Page 12 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Biddulph. Local people often shop in Congleton and Macclesfield.
Biddulph has a well-equipped Leisure Centre with an Olympic sized
swimming pool and renowned
amateur swimming club
(BASC), together with a
number of other sports
grounds and leisure areas
within the town or nearby.
S o m e v e r y a t t r a ct i v e
countryside stretches from the
north of the town into the
Peak District. There are many
opportunities for recreational activities including walking and
cycling. The highest point of the parish is The Troughstones which is 1250 ft
above sea level.
A major tourist attraction is
Biddulph Grange Garden, a
d e l i g h t f u l h i g h
Victorian garden, which is
administered by the National
Trust and is adjacent to the
church.
There are five First Schools in
the town (two in the parish),
for 5 - 9 year olds, two Middle
School (one in the parish), for
9 – 13 year olds and a High
School. There are good relations with all the schools in the parish, with
regular assemblies and R.E. lessons being taken by our Youth and Children’s
Worker, clergy and, sometimes, other church members. Two of the First
schools, Woodhouse Academy (Middle School) and Biddulph High hold their
Carol Services at St. Lawrence's. There are also Pre-School and Nursery
facilities in the parish.
In the town, there are a number of uniformed organisations including
brownies, guides and scouts. The local headquarters of the A.T.C. is
situated within the parish.
'Biddulph in Bloom', and ‘Biddulph
Festival’ are among the events
which take place annually.
There are two doctors' practices in
the town, both housed in the
recently constructed Biddulph
Primary Care Centre. Around 5
miles from the town centre there is
an NHS Walk-in Centre and the
nearest A & E hospital is in Stoke-on
-Trent.
There is an hourly bus service,
during the day, from the area of the church to the town centre and to
Congleton with connections to Hanley (City Centre). The nearest local
railway station is at Congleton (about 3 miles) where there is an hourly
service to Macclesfield, Manchester and Stoke with connections to
Birmingham and London.
Our Local Authority.
Biddulph is in the Staffordshire Moorlands Parliamentary constituency.
The area is administered by Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire
Moorlands District Council and Biddulph Town Council. There are good links
with each of these.
Clergy from St. Lawrence's have
acted as Chaplain to the Town Council
and the annual Civic Service sometimes
takes place at St. Lawrence's. There is a
close working relationship with the
Council regarding churchyard issues.
Biddulph is twinned with Fusignano, a
small town situated close to the Adriatic
coast of north east Italy. Frequent exchange visits are organised.
Page 13 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Page 14 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Our Parish.
The ecclesiastical parish of Biddulph (population approx. 9,000) covers the
area from the town centre northwards.
The Parish serves a mainly residential area. Approximately 93% of homes are
owner occupied and 7% social housing. Socially the area is predominantly
professional, middle management and commercial, with some industrial
and agricultural.
St. Lawrence's Parish Church is about one mile north of the town centre.
Electoral Roll.
There are currently 225 names on the register of which 164 are residents and
61 are non residents
Our Deanery and Archdeaconry.
The Parish is in the north of Lichfield Diocese within the Archdeaconry of
Stoke-upon-Trent (Archdeacon – Ven. Matthew Parker) and the Deanery of
Leek (Rural Dean – Revd. Brian Statham).
The Leek Deanery Synod meets every two months and comprises
representatives of each of the sixteen churches within the deanery. Three
members represent St. Lawrence's.
We see the Deanery Synod as an important link between the Diocese and
the churches of our area.
The Deanery Chapter meets about five times a year with at least one social
event which includes spouses.
Other Denominations. There are two Methodist Churches within the Parish and a Roman Catholic
Church in the town with whom we have a good working relationship.
Also within the town is the Biddulph Pentecostal Church (Assemblies of God)
and Biddulph Gospel Mission (Brethren).
Biddulph Churches Together
Biddulph Churches Together (ministers and lay
representatives from the local churches) meets every
two months to pray and to plan ecumenical events
including a Good Friday
Service in Sainsbury’s
Café, an Open Café
each Saturday during
the Biddulph Festival,
Carol Singing and
witness at the Biddulph
C h r i s t m a s L i g h t s
Switch-on Event, and
occasional teaching
seminars.
Page 15 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Page 16 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Our Church Buildings and Grounds. St. Lawrence’s Church, as we see it
today, was reconstructed 1836 in the
early English style, with clerestoried
nave and two side aisles. It stands on
the site of a former small oak built
chantry church destroyed by the
Danes around 850. This was later
replaced with a stone built Saxon
Church and again in the twelfth
century by a Norman Church. Many
of the details in the church today
date back to these periods. The font is
believed to date back to Saxon
times. A peal of six bells was installed
in the tower following a fire in 1872.
The current building has a Grade 2
listing.
The Church was extensively
remodelled under a “Fit for Service”
programme in 2014. This involved
new underfloor heating, installation
of toilets and catering facilities, along
with new flexible seating and
updated audio-visual equipment.
The church has a warm, welcoming
ambience.
Church Hall. The Church hall was built as a church
school and dates back to around
1850. It is of stone construction. The
building has 4 large meeting rooms, a
well equipped kitchen, toilets and
storage areas.
We have recently carried out general
repairs and maintenance including the
fitting of new windows and solar panels.
The hall is in use on a daily basis by
many outside groups as well as by the
church.
Attached to the church hall is a
‘Headmaster’s House’ which is now
used as a Church Office and meeting
area.
Church Hall South View. St. Lawrence’s owns a building in the town centre which is currently leased to
a tyre company.
Churchyard. Our churchyard burial ground is
closed and, apart from the area
immediately surrounding the church
building, is maintained by the town
council. Internments are permitted in
established graves, where there is
space. Two council owned and
maintained burial grounds adjoin the
churchyard.
Page 17 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Page 18 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
The Vicarage. The Vicarage is a detached, four bed
roomed family home which is situated in
a quiet cul-de-sac on Wrexham Close.
The back of the house has a secluded,
established garden with trees. The
previous incumbent described the
neighbours as ‘warm and friendly’ and
said that the vicarage was ‘a really
good house to live in’. St Lawrence’s
Church is approximately seven minutes
walk from the vicarage.
Key features
Good sized family detached house
Entrance hall, utility & storage room
and a ground floor WC
Large study with shelving
Large reception room, lounge and
dining room
Fitted dining kitchen
Four bedrooms
Bathroom and shower room
Double glazing
Driveway & garage
Small front garden & rear secluded
garden with a patio
Gas fired central heating
Cavity wall insulation
Popular location, good school
catchment area
Financial Details and Details from the Registers. During 2014 we undertook a large reordering project, to enable the church
building to become fit for service. This project was the focus of our fund
raising from 2011 to 2014.
Through donations, fund
raising activities and grants
we raised £200,000 for the
reordering. This together with
reserves enabled us to
complete the £290,000
project. During the period the
c h u r c h b u i l d i ng w a s
unavailable for use, income
from weddings, funerals and
b a p t i s m s r e d u c e d
significantly. Since the
completion of the building
work last year, our focus has
shifted to encourage regular
giving to support the ongoing
mission and ministry costs of
the church. The graphs below
reflect the 2014 financial
position of the church
(excluding all income and
costs relating to the reorder-
ing project). The parish share
(of £67,188) is up-to-date and
paid in full. In addition we
have negotiated a reduction
in our parish share of £7000
from 2016. The church
finances are in a healthy posi-
tion, but work does need to be done to encourage a culture of regular
giving. 2014 Accounts and our 2015 Budget are included as Appendix 2
Page 19 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
2014 Total Income - £141.2k(Excluding reordering income)
Donations (incl. taxreclaimed)
Fees (funeral & weddings)
Church hall lettings
Other rent income
Youth work
Other giving
2014 Expenditure - £145.5k(Excluding reordering costs)
Grants
Parish Share
Clergy expenses
Church Hall
Youth work
Magazine
Admin (church office)
Maintenance
810
39
26
8 9
24
16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Baptisms Weddings Funerals - Church Funerals -Crematorium
2013 2014
Page 20 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Activities and Programmes. (for fellowship, mission and outreach)
St. Lawrence’s is committed to serving Biddulph and the world in order to
demonstrate Christ’s love in action in the 21st century. There are a number
of very active groups that have community and mission at the heart, some
of which we are considering developing as ‘fresh expressions’ of church,
recognising that ‘church’ is the community, irrespective of where or when
we enjoy fellowship together.
Home Groups. There are currently 10 home groups
which play an important part in disciple-
ship, pastoral care and prayer life of our
church. The Alpha course has been a
significant starting point for some of the
Home groups. The groups meet twice
each month with two groups meeting
during the day and the remainder meet in the evenings. At Lent the groups
usually try to join together in the church for a Lent course. This year we used
the ‘licc’ resource ‘Life on the Frontline’.
Friendship Club. Our Friendship Club is a vibrant group which meets
monthly and is open to all members of the
community. It is made up of older people who
come from both our own church and other local churches as well as non-
churched people.
A 3 course meal is provided by a dedicated group of people, mainly from
St Lawrence’s, followed by
a speaker from the church,
a local organisation or
community project. We try
to bring the church to these
people and so at key festi-
vals in the year we have a
short service with hymn
Page 21 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
singing, prayer and a short talk, usually with something to make or do. We
hope to build on this and maybe create additional monthly meetings for
tea/coffee and bible study.
Bereavement Group. We have recently started up a small group for ladies who have experienced
bereavement and want to support others in this difficult time. The group
meets once a month for tea and coffee and chat. They also try to have a
meal out once a term which is always appreciated. The key members of the
group also meet fortnightly, alongside the home groups, to study God’s
word.
Care Home Services. In conjunction with other local churches, each month a team from
St. Lawrence’s visits one of the local care homes to lead a short service.
Good relationships have been built up with both residents and staff.
Quiet Days. On Good Friday and at Advent, it has been a long standing tradition for our
church to be open for an extended period, with prayer stations, to give an
opportunity for reflection at the major festivals of Easter and Christmas. We
have recently begun to organise ‘led quiet days’ which have been
combined with our Wednesday morning service. The first of these were held
on Ash Wednesday and at Ascensiontide.
Ladies' Fellowship. Our Ladies’ Fellowship is a small group of mainly
elderly ladies who meet fortnightly to worship and
to be enlightened by speakers from local
organisations and the church congregations.
Regular day trips are arranged which are open to both members of the
church and the community.
Men’s Breakfast. Over breakfast on the second Saturday morning of
every month, men from the local community meet
to enjoy a cooked breakfast and a brief talk.
Subjects have included driving the royal train,
Page 22 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
flying model helicopters and photography.
Many speakers have taken the opportunity to
share their testimony.
Biddulph Festival. Each year Biddulph Town holds a month-long community festival with a
range of events. Over recent
years, St Lawrence’s has devel-
oped good relationships with the
Festival Committee which has
enabled us to host both secular
and Christian outreach events
including concerts, theatre
companies for children and
organ recitals, all of which have
been well received.
Eco Group. The Eco group exists to share our environ-
mental concerns and encourage us to
consider how we care for creation; from
being instrumental in Biddulph becoming a
Fairtrade Town, and harnessing solar energy
on our premises, to creating a shared
church vegetable garden.
Page 23 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Children’s and Youth Ministry. St Lawrence’s Church recognises that children, young people and their
families are an integral part of our church community, and that they have a
valuable contribution to make; whilst we have a responsibility to support
them on their journey to faith. Since 2008 we have employed a full-time
Children’s & Youth Worker who leads and co-ordinates our planned
activities both with the church family and within the wider community of
Biddulph.
Throughout the week, our
ministry has contact with
approx. 50 children and
young people. Through a
variety of activities, we
encourage them to
develop an understand-
ing of God’s love and
what it means to be a
Christian through creative
and stimulating activities;
although we are in need of more leaders and helpers in this area.
We are keen to engage with whole families as an integral part of our youth
and children’s ministry, holding a number of whole-family events as part of
our regular programme. Equally important is fostering the fellowship that the
children and young people have together, and this year, a group of ap-
prox. 12 members of our under 12 congregation have attended their first
CPAS Venture residential holiday.
Kangas ‘n’ Roos. Our Babies and Toddlers Group meets on a
weekly basis where children, parents and
carers can meet, play, sing and chat in an
informal atmosphere. We hold a monthly café
which is blossoming and where the team serve
refreshments and cakes to families, and we
have recently introduced a ‘Praise and Play’
Page 24 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
service, each term, where we share the
good news of Jesus in a noisy and some-
times chaotic way. We see this as a valua-
ble group with a missional edge.
NRG. Our mid-week group for approx. 30 4 –
9 year olds (school years- reception to year 4)
is lively and fun where we focus our activities
around the ‘five reasons for coming to NRG’
which are to love God, to learn His Word, to
lead others to Jesus, to live right every day
and to have
fun. We take
the last of
those 5 very seriously indeed; having fun
together through singing, baking, games,
team challenges, bible teaching and
memory verses! Over the past year, we have
introduced a termly family activity where we
invite the whole family to an event where we can continue these themes
and grow the fellowship of these children with their families.
10:10 Our mid-week group for 9 – 13 year olds
(school years 5-9) has
grown over recent
months to about 25
regular members who
come together to learn
how to put John 10:10
into pract ice as
pre-teens who want to
live life to the full. In addition, to games, crafts and
Page 25 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
other activities we have a ‘God slot’ where we chat about different issues
that come up in the young people’s lives and see what the Bible has to say
about them. This group comprises mainly unchurched young people.
Young People Over recent years we have struggled with engaging the 14+
age group; at times we
have been encouraged by
a small close knit group
who have joined with other
church members to attend
Cliff College Festival, but
since last summer we have
had no provision for the
over 14s.
In September 2015 we
started a new group 10:10+
for those in school years 9-
13. The aim is to grow an
age appropriate group to meet each week alongside 10:10.
Sunday Worship. The numbers of families we welcome on Sundays has been increasing and
we have recently revised our provision on Sundays, creating ‘Finders’ (for
the under 5s), ‘Seekers’ and ‘Transformers’
for the over 5s. The children enjoy fellowship
with their peers whilst developing their
understanding of the Bible.
In response to the growing presence and
encouraging faith demonstrated by our
younger members of the congregation,
over the past 12 months we have also been
discussing how best to welcome and
engage whole families into communion
services, leading to a recent decision by the
PCC to allow children to receive commun-
ion before confirmation. We are continuing
Page 26 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
to consider how we prepare the young people for this.
VIBES. Every year in August we run a week long holiday bible school called
‘VIBES’ which is well known in the town. In
2015, we celebrated 50 years of VIBES at
St Lawrence’s. Each year over 100 local
children attend the week-long outreach
event which ends with a family picnic, and
is a source of fun, activities,
fun, creative bible teaching,
fun and water fights (always
the children’s favourite part of
the week!!). VIBES is planned
by a small leadership team
but draws on many other
church members and helpers
from both St Lawrence’s and
other churches in the area.
School Outreach. We are developing engagement methods with local
schools extending beyond our traditional involvement in assemblies to now
include leading PHSE and RE lessons, and attending enrichment days. We
are also inviting local schools to ‘Experience Church’ and ‘Experience
Easter’ events in our church. New opportunities are beginning to open up
with the schools which we are keen to encourage and develop and we
want to build on these opportunities in the community of Biddulph.
Page 27 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Communications. We believe that communication between each other and with the wider
parish is vitally important. We try to keep people informed in the following
ways:
CONNECTIONS, our monthly notice sheet contains a
diary for the month ahead, a message from the vicar
and topics for prayer.
Our CHURCH MAGAZINE, which is also produced
monthly, has a number of articles from church and
parish and also contains information ‘From the
Registers’. Approximately 310 copies are produced and
many are read by people with a nominal connection to
our church.
Our WEBSITE (biddulphchurch.org.uk) contains lots of
information about the church including details of ser-
vices and special events.
It’s often the first port of
call for those wishing to
get married at St. Law-
rence’s or to have their
child baptised. We also
have an informative and
well used FACEBOOK PAGE (facebook.com/
biddulphchurch) and a TWITTER account (twitter.com/biddulphchurch).
At Easter, Harvest and Christmas, we produce SEASONAL LEAFLETS which are
distributed to every home in the parish.
Page 28 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Weddings. At St Lawrence’s we wish to equip couples for a long and successful
marriage together. Couples wanting to get married are invited to attend a
Marriage preparation day, usually held on a Saturday around Valentine’s
day, where the marriage vows are considered & discussed, as well as the
practical aspects of the big day.
Under certain circumstances after agreement by the Bishop, marriage after
divorce is available to those who meet the necessary criteria.
We also offer a service for those wishing to renew their marriage vows.
Weddings are usually booked through the church office.
Page 29 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Baptism and Thanksgiving Policy. Thanksgiving. Our policy at St Lawrence’s is to offer a Thanksgiving Service for the Gift of a
Child to all, irrespective of faith or geographic location.
In the Service of Thanksgiving we:
Celebrate the birth of the child
Enable parents to thank God for the child (or children)
Publically acknowledge the name given the child
Pray for God’s blessing upon the child
Pray for parents and for their family life.
We will try to arrange a Thanksgiving Service as quickly as possible on a date
that is mutually convenient. We usually hold Thanksgiving Services on the
FOURTH Sunday of each month at the 11am service.
Booking a Thanksgiving Service is usually done through the church office.
Baptism. To help parents consider all that is involved in baptism we offer a Baptism
Preparation course, consisting of two short sessions at which we look at the
words in the Baptism Service and the meaning of the symbols used. We
currently run these sessions from 4—5pm on the SECOND Sunday of every
month.
In addition, we will always hold a
Thanksgiving Service for the child
first, to enable those interested to
come to St. Lawrence’s and
experience worship and fellowship.
In line with guidelines from the
Church of England, Baptism
Services are only offered to those
who live within the parish
boundaries or if the parents live out-
side the parish but regularly worship
with us.
Baptism services are arranged by
the incumbent.
Page 30 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Home and Overseas Mission. Supporting Mission is very important to
us at St. Lawrence’s.
Since 1995, we have had a partnership
with St. Paul’s Anglican Church in
Syongila, Kenya. We support the
church through our prayers and our
giving and there have been several
exchange visits. Plans are underway to
take a group to Syongila during the
summer of 2016.
Steve and Debs Taylor work with OMF
in the Philippines, teaching at the
‘Faith Academy’, a school with a
Christian ethos educating children
whose parents are actively involved in
mission work.
Through Crosslinks, we support Alison
Talbert, a doctor working in Kilifi,
Kenya. She is involved in research to
improve nutrition particularly among
expectant and nursing mothers and
young children.
More generally, we support Christian
Solidarity Worldwide, Tear Fund, CPAS,
our local Salvation Army, our Citizens
Advice Bureau and, with Biddulph
Churches Together, the local
Foodbank.
We have a Mission Support Group
which encourages the church to pray and makes recommendations to the
PCC about our level of financial support to each organisation/charity. Our
Easter, Harvest and Christmas collections are also donated to charity.
In total during 2015 around £5,000 will be allocated to mission.
Page 31 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Appendix 1. Mission Action Plan. Love Jesus.
Regularly pray for people to become followers of Jesus and for the
church to grow
Preach consistently in the New Year, through Lent and beyond on
following Jesus
Host a Saturday Vision Morning & Lunch for all church leaders
(in September or October)
Organise two Gift Days seeking to raise £20,000 to resource mission &
ministry and balance our 2015 budget
Make Disciples. Offer ways to help people grow in faith – run a new Alpha Course and
a Lent Course focused on whole life discipleship
Resource our small groups; emphasise their importance; encourage
more people to join or form small groups; get groups involved in mission
or service
Support local schools with regular assemblies, lessons and offer
“Church Experience” to all Year 4 children.
Encourage people to go to Cliff College Festival in May
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Vibes in August
Grow The Church. Explore new ways of being church by
Resourcing the Friendship Club and exploring what might be run
alongside it for the benefit of its members
Considering ways of developing the Men’s Breakfast to connect with
men who don’t come to church on Sunday
Developing the whole family ministry that is emerging out of NRG.
Discern appropriate new uses for the refurbished church building,
hosting at least 6 community or outreach events.
Decide and develop a policy for Children and Communion that
nurtures children and families in deciding to follow Christ and belong
to his church
Page 32 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Maintain the church hall as resource for ministry and community by
replacing its windows and doors.
Serve Biddulph and the World. Develop and upgrade church IT and computer systems
Join Biddulph Churches Together in hosting a Hustings in Biddulph prior
to the General Election in May
Support Biddulph’s Fairtrade status by offering an assembly to all
schools in Fairtrade fortnight.
Support local schools with a Sunday service at 4pm on Education
Sunday 1st February.
Participate in the Biddulph Festival in July using the church building for
2 or 3 community or outreach events
Promote our partnerships with the Taylors and Syongila
Engage with the Town Council in considering an appropriate project
to “make a difference” in Biddulph and “transform our town.”
Page 33 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
PCC ST. LAWRENCE'S BUDGET SHEET - 2015
INCOME £ EXPENDITURE £
THE DIOCESE
GENERAL FUND INCOME
PARISH SHARE 67000
GIVING - STANDING ORDERS 44000
GIVING - ENVELOPES 12000
INCOME TAX FROM GIFT AID 11000 MISSION SUPPORT
SYONGILA 2500
OPEN PLATE COLLECTIONS 9000 OMF / STEVE & DEBS TAYLOR 1100
CROSS LINKS BOXES 700 CROSSLINKS / ALISON TALBERT 800
SEASONAL COLLECTIONS 2000 TEAR FUND 500
GIFT DAYS 20000 CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE 500
OTHER DONATIONS & MISC INCOME 1000 CHURCH PASTORAL AID SOCIETY 200
OTHER GROUPS 300
SEASONAL DONATIONS 2000
YOUTH WORKER ACCOUNT SUBSCRIPTIONS 100
GIVING - STANDING ORDERS 13000
DRAWN FROM ACCOUNT CAPITAL 5000 MINISTRY
INCOME TAX FROM GIFT AID 2000
GRANTS 2800 STAFF SALARIES 31500
CLERGY EXPENSES 2500
YOUTHWORKER EXPENSES 650
OTHER INCOME
CHURCH OFFICE / ADMIN 5500
FUNERAL & WEDDING FEES 10000 YOUTH WORK 1000
DIVIDENDS & INTEREST 1000 OUTREACH 1000
CHURCH HALL RENT 7500 OTHER CHURCH RUNNING COSTS 2000
SOUTH VIEW RENT 5000 RESOURCES/TRAINING 1000
SCHOOL HOUSE RENT 1500
TRUST INCOME 1500
MAGAZINE/PHOTOCOPIER 1000
BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
CHURCH REPAIRS 2000
EXTRAORDINARY INCOME CHURCH HALL WINDOWS/DOORS 12000
UTILITY BILLS (GAS, ELEC, INSURANCE) 16000
SPECIAL DONATIONS/APPEALS
TOWN COUNCIL CHURCHYARD UP-
KEEP
LEGACIES/BEQUESTS UPKEEP & CLEANING 6850
INSURANCE CLAIMS VICARAGE DECORATION FUND
WINDOW GRANTS 7000
TOTALS 157000 157000
Appendix 2.
Page 34 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH
Page 35 ST. LAWRENCE’S, BIDDULPH