harwich peninsula team ministry - chelmsford diocese · harwich peninsula parish proﬁle 6 our...

HarwichPeninsulaTeam Ministry

www.harwichpeninsulaparish.co.uk

Team Rector Vacancy

photograph © Simon Knott 2015

Harwich Peninsula Parish Profile 2

“We’ve got so much here, the sea, the coast, the

woodland, shops, everything you could wish for”

Introduction

Located on the north eastern coast of Essex, Harwich has for many years been an important maritime town. Although the Royal Navy has long since left the area, Harwich International Port sees many travellers, cargo and holiday makers making the ferry crossing to the Hook of Holland or joining cruise ships.

The Harwich Peninsula Parish serves a population of more than 27,000 people and has three places of worship: St Nicholas, Harwich, All Saints, Dovercourt and St Michael, Ramsey.

We seek to use our buildings creatively and see them as our launch pads for mission and ministry into our community Sundays form the main focus for our gathered worship.

St Nicholas church has a significant civic role and is closely linked with Trinity House based by the quayside. It is home to the Harwich Festival www.harwichfestival.co.uk.

Each church has an active pattern of worship, and the Occasional offices of baptism, marriage and funerals are a significant part of our community outreach and service.

We are committed to the Diocesan Vision of becoming a Transforming Presence in our community and we are excited at the prospect of appointing a Team Rector who will lead us in fulfilling this mission where we will be able to live distinctively, evangelise effectively, serve with accountability and re-imagine ministry - see www.transformingpresence.org.uk

“I have had so much support from my local community

when I have needed it”

Created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do .Ephesians 2:10

Our Mission Statement

The Harwich Peninsula Parish seeks to be a transforming presence to all those we meet.

Vision for the Parish

For all people of any age to discover and grow a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Future Priorities

The picture of the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12 is one that we would love to see reflected more in the peninsula. Gathering the whole of the community under God’s wing and picking up the broken pieces of those seeking to find their place in God’s puzzle is part of the way we see the vision for the parish being expressed. Every bit of the puzzle makes the other parts necessary.

http://www.harwichfestival.co.uk

http://www.harwichfestival.co.uk

http://www.transformingpresence.org.uk

http://www.transformingpresence.org.uk

The Diocese: A message from Bishop Stephen

In the Chelmsford Diocese we believe that God is calling his church to be a transforming presence. Our vision is that the church - that is the people of God here in Essex and East London - should be a transforming presence in every one of our parishes.These are our priorities -

To inhabit the world distinctivelyTo evangelise effectivelyTo hold ourselves accountable to one another and to God for the stewardship of the gospelTo re imagine the way we minister so that each ordained minister and each individual Christian discovers their part in God's ministry and so that each church flourishes.

To this end we are looking for priests who are excited by this vision of becoming a church which is itself transformed, and which is becoming a more visible and effective presence in the huge diversity of communities that make up this most exciting and energetic part of England. There are many challenges ahead of us. We are a diocese generously subsidised by the national church. We need to become financially self-sufficient.Leadership often seems distant. We are creating patterns of leadership that are closer to the parishes. And we are looking to develop missionary leadership at all levels of church life. Nearly half our clergy will retire in the next ten years. We need to find out how to minister with fewer stipendiary clergy and with a re-imagining of how stipendiary ministry works. We need to re-organise the way parishes relate to each other and we are calling mission and ministry units.Some of our congregations still think ministry is what Vicars do. We have a vision of ministry where the whole people of God are involved in the whole of God's ministry. We are also experimenting with new forms of authorised lay ministry.Levels of church going are below the national average. We need to get evangelism into the agenda and into the lifeblood of every church. In 2016 we are inviting every benefice to put on a weekend of mission and outreach, and we are training people in every church for this ministry. One of our aspirations is that every benefice should have a trained lay evangelism enabler.Despite planning for a future with fewer stipendiary clergy, we remain as committed as ever to the local church. And what is the local church, but that community of men and women gathered around Christ, and living and sharing the gospel in the networks and neighbourhoods of their lives? But we need priests to lead and to serve.We know we need to change. We can only be a transforming presence when we have allowed God to transform us. Therefore at the heart of all we do is a longing for intimacy with God and a renewed life of prayer. First and foremost a priest is a minister of the word and sacrament. All ministry flows from this. But a priest shares the ministry of the bishop, therefore presbyteral ministry will increasingly be a ministry of oversight, guiding, nurturing and directing the mission of God's church in the communities we serve.It is an exciting time to be part of God's missionary movement for the world, and the Diocese of Chelmsford is an exciting place to serve. We have a clear vision and we are looking to appoint clergy who will share this with us. In every parish we long to see each person and each community grow in faithfulness and ministry so that together we may serve in the world and Christ may be made known.

+ Stephen



Diocese: Chelmsford

Episcopal Area: Colchester

Archdeaconry: Colchester

Deanery: Harwich

Harwich Peninsula Parish: Our Context & Setting For Mission

Harwich Peninsula ParishAround 90% of the population of Harwich were born in England and more than 97% speak English. 60% identify as Christian and 30% have no religion. There are small numbers of buddhists, hindus and muslims. Just over a quarter of children in the parish are living in poverty, and nearly 30% are in households with a lone parent. More than a third of adults of working age have no qualifications and 13% are living in social rented housing.

Retail space in Harwich has, like may other places, migrated in part away from the High Street to retail parks. Supermarkets Morrisons and Lidl have stores on the A120 bypass, and the Gateway Retail Park has half a dozen larger retailers. The large restaurant chains are noticeable by their absence from Harwich, although there are many take away outlets at the fast food end, right through to upper market restaurants on the sea front.

Harwich DeaneryHarwich Deanery, while not a microcosm of the diocese, does have some significant social and socio-economic variances contained with in it. From historic Dedham in the West where Constable painted, through to Harwich in the East, the deanery contains sixteen parishes, some of just a couple of hundred residents right up to several thousand. More than 50% of the population live in our parish. The deanery has been exploring working more closely with the neighbouring Deanery of St Osyth. No formal links are planned yet.

Chelmsford DioceseThe diocese of Chelmsford, in terms of population, is the second biggest in the Church of England. It has 2.7 million people within its borders and is served by nearly 400 parishes. It stretches from Newham and the Royal docks development through to the sandy east coast: and from the Thames estuary up to borders with Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Significant housing developments will bring more than 300,000 people into the diocese in the next ten years.

The Colchester Episcopal Area takes in the northern half of Essex. Colchester itself and Braintree are seeing considerable development: Stansted with its airport and Harwich with its docks await huge growth: and seaside towns like Frinton, Clacton and Brightlingsea continue to attract both the newly retired and younger families. Scattered across north Essex are many villages – most of them attractive, often with historic church buildings and all of them eager to grow as real communities. The combination of effective road and rail links with London and the evidence of good and vibrant local communities makes this part of Essex an attractive area within which to live.


Person Specification

We are looking for a man or woman who:-

• Is an inspir ing leader wi th excel lent interpersonal skills and who relishes the challenge of being Team Rector

• Is able to recognise our individual and corporate talents, to identify our gifts, to develop us and enrich us to be the best that we can be for Christ

• Is keen to work and be supportive of others and have proven experience of collaboration and motivation

• Has a heart for mission and a passion for community-based ministry, which sees God at work in the world through people of faith

• Will build on the existing links with the community such as the Town Council, Trinity House, the two Church Schools and other places of education

• Will guide us as we seek to unify the parish as one parish, rather than three churches.

Particular qualities• A heart for outreach, service and ministry.

• An inspiring and challenging preacher who is well nourished by scripture and can share its treasures with others; with a warm personality and pastoral presence, who loves and cares for people.

• A passion to see our churches grow.

• A priest led by the Holy Spirit, faithful in prayer; seeking to be guided by the Lord and open to what is happening in the world; with a commi tmen t t o con t i nuous pe rsona l development.

• Grounded with demonstrable sensibilities to

the stresses of mission work within a large and challenging parish; able to recognise and prioritise the workload involved in building on modest beginnings.

• Able to engage with, and relate easily to many differing groups within the community in order that the church can be transformed into a vibrant and living ambassador for Christ.

• The inspiration to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in worship.

• Approachability, with a warm, empathetic and engaging personal style.

• The ability to nurture people in the discovery, discernment and development of their calling.

• Good communication skills using a variety of media.

• Be open to a variety of worship styles and our Eucharistic tradition which usually includes vestments, and may also include chasuble.

“A heart for outreach, service and ministry”


Our buildingsSt Nicholas’ Church, Harwich

Although there has been a church building on this site since the 12th century, the current St Nicholas is a late Georgian church, built in 1822. Situated in the heart of the old town of Harwich, it is a grade II listed building. Seating is for approximately 600 people, and it is used for all the local civic services which have included a visit from the Princess Royal, the annual Mayor-making and a BBC Essex Radio broadcast. The church is also the home of the Harwich Festival. This is a full week of varied musical events, from folk to jazz, organ to a cappella. It is held annually at the end of June. It has a ring of 8 bells,a regular team of bell ringers, as well as being a destination for bell ringers from much further afield.St Nicholas Church Hall is a purpose built hall situated away from the Church in the Bathside area of Harwich. The Hall is well used, especially by Sure Start and is greatly supported by the community. Through careful management the Hall is entirely self funding.The Esplanade hall is situated within the grounds of St Nicholas’s Church. For a number of years it was used by the Church as a second hall. The building is what remains of the original Esplanade school and is in need of repair, however there have been some unresolved questions over its ownership. The ' Friends of Esplanade Hall' are currently working with the Church and the diocese to explore its future.

All Saints' Church.All Saints' Church is situated on the highest land on the peninsula and dates back to the 12th century.The Church seats approximately 250 people and is a grade II listed building.The Family Room is attached to the north side of the church and is well used for social events, bible study groups and meetings of all kinds. Funding is available for a faculty, which is currently underway, in order for modifications to improve the disabled access and facilities.The large closed churchyard, with some historic graves, is maintained by Tendring District Council.St Paul’s Church Parkeston was originally part of a benefice with All Saints’. It has now been closed and is in the process of being sold. As it was dedicated and never consecrated, the parish will be able to benefit the community with the proceeds of the sale.

St Michael's church.St Michael's Church, 'the church on the hill', stands at the gateway to the Harwich peninsula. The Church serves the communities of both Ramsey and Little Oakley. The church is a Grade I listed building and dates from the 12th century. There is seating for approximately 150 people.It has an attached meeting hall, the Millennium Room, with kitchen facilities and WC, which is used by the church and the local community. The churchyard, with its recent extension, is well maintained and is still open for burials.


Our Church LifeThe parish has a Team Vicar, a Curate, an Associate Priest (SSM), a Reader and an LLM. We also have two Pastoral Assistants and a part-time Parish Administrator. We are fortunate to be able to call on the skills and talents of a number of retired clergy who live locally. The three churches each have a District Church Council, and are governed by the Parochial Church Council. Each D.C.C & the P.C.C meet quarterly. These meetings have been been regularly addressing the changing needs of our large and busy parish. They also provide an opportunity to explore a particular agenda item or topic for lively discussion, as well as the business of the meeting. Our parish groups and other organisations provide places of welcome, fellowship and hospitality. There is a great deal of potential for evangelistic growth with the number of people who are on the fringes of our church community, as well as the opportunities presented by the civic aspects of church life. Our mid-week services for Holy Communion are popular, especially at St. Michael’s which has seen numbers steadily increasing in recent months. Services outside the usual pattern of Sunday’s are an area we are excited about, and our new Rector would be central to their continued growth.

Music at services is provided by organ and piano, traditional hymns are the usual choice for sung worship. We use three hymn books - Common Praise, Hymns Old and New, and BBC Songs of Praise.The pattern of Sunday services centres on our Eucharistic tradition, and we use our own service booklets, with liturgy taken from both from the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship. The ‘Together on Sunday’ service, which is an all-age time of morning worship, is a place we believe we can see significant growth.There is an active Churches Together group which includes the Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Salvation Army, United Reformed Church, Community Church, Society of Friends and PYM (Peninsula Youth Ministry). The quarterly meetings have representatives of both clergy and laity. They share Lent and Advent services and activities, Christian Aid Week, Prayer for Christian Unity, the Women’s World Day of Prayer and the Community Carol Service, among other things.There is involvement with the Mission to Seafarers at Harwich International Port. The Rector is the Honorary Chaplain but the bulk of the mission is carried out by the full-time Chaplain from Felixstowe.

All Saints’ St Michael’s St Nicholas’1stSunday

10.00am Sung Eucharist (CW) 10.00am Together on Sundayincl Holy Communion (CW)6.30pm Evening Service

8.00am Holy Communion (BCP)10.00am Morning Prayer (CW)

2ndSunday

8.00am Holy Communion (CW)10.00am Sung Eucharist (CW)

10.00am Sung Eucharist (CW)6.30pm Evening Service - with healing prayer

10.00am Holy Communion (CW)

3rd Sunday

10.00am Sung Eucharist (CW)6.30pm Evensong (BCP)

10.00am Sung Eucharist (CW) 8.00am Holy Communion (CW)10.00am Morning Prayer (BCP)

4thSunday

8.00am Holy Communion (CW)10.00am Together on Sundayincl Holy Communion (CW)

10.00am Morning Prayer (CW)6.30pm Alternative Communion

10.00am Together on Sundayincl Holy Communion (CW)

5thSunday 10.00am Whole Parish Eucharist (CW)

6.30pm Evening Service10.00am Whole Parish Eucharist (CW)

6.30pm Evening Service10.00am Whole Parish Eucharist (CW)

6.30pm Evening Service


Occasional OfficesOccasional offices are a significant part of the ministry that takes place in the Harwich Peninsula Parish. There are on average 170 funerals that we have the privilege of taking annually. The churchyard at St Michael’s is still open, so some burials take place there, as well as in the local authority graveyard which is situated in Dovercourt. There are crematoriums at Nacton over the border in Suffolk, Colchester and Weeley, and we are also asked to take some funerals at Oakfield Wood, a woodland burial site a few miles away in Wrabness.The majority of funerals have been taken by clergy from the team, as well as local retired ministers. More recently, our Reader and LLM have taken on some of this important aspect of life in the parish.A l though a l l bereaved fami l ies are encouraged to access what the church is able to offer, the volume of funerals has made follow up difficult. We are fortunate that both the deanery and diocese recognise the huge challenge of our funeral ministry. To release our new Team Rector for strategic leadership and oversight, the diocese is offering a Turnaround Minister to become a key team member and develop our funeral and bereavement ministry. They will begin to develop a team of Lay Funeral Ministers. Our new Team Rector will play an important part in recruiting and supporting this new ministry.The annual ‘In loving Memory’ service for the bereaved has enabled us to keep contact with some of the families we see over the course of our funeral ministry, but is our aspiration to have a more extensive and complete engagement with families who have lost loved ones.We see 70 baptisms in the parish over the course of a typical year, most of which take place at our 10.00am Sunday Services.Baptism preparation takes place on a single weekday evening session. The changing nature of shift works has encouraged us to begin offering a session following a Sunday morning service in the New Year.Thirty or more couples are married in the churches of the parish every year. Couples are able to choose which of the three church buildings they would like to have their wedding at. Marriage preparation takes place from 10am to 2pm on two Saturdays each year, in January and March. Lunch is provided. The couples are invited to the Sunday service the next day and to stay behind to hear hymns and other music played by an organist, to help them choose. We see occasional offices as being a tremendous ongoing mission opportunity and with our new Team Rector we hope to develop this further and to nurture the faith of those with whom we make pastoral contact.

‘We didn’t think we could get married in church but after chatting to the

vicar, we discovered we could. It will make our wedding so special’


The Monday morning drop-in take place at St Nicholas’ church in Harwich every week. The church is open and staffed by volunteers who are available to show visitors round the church and provide them with tea or coffee. Travellers arriving at the port from the ferries are regularly visitors, as are day trippers and a steady amount of local residents.

Cake features heavily at the Monday afternoon club at All Saints’ . This grew out of a bereavement support group for those who are left on their own, but is also attended by many who are currently outside the church community, especially those who have had a historic attachment to the parish.

Horse Rangers are a uniformed youth movement that is a registered charity. They have 70+ members and have close links with the life of the church. They teach horsemanship and encourage members to grow into responsible adults. They mirror a church family by supporting children through some difficult times as well as celebrating many achievements. They also have many adult Christian volunteers who help to make it all happen. They celebrated 25 years in 2015

Custard Club meets once a month after the 10am service at All Saints’ church. This is a group for those who are on their own, either through divorce, separation or bereavement.

Lunch Bunch is a group for people who have lost a partner either through divorce or bereavement. They meet monthly after the 10am service at St Michaels’.

The parish has a number of regular Prayer Groups. On Monday evenings a group of people meet at St Michael’s Church to pray for the parish. There is a prayer box in the church, which often has prayer requests from members of the community who don’t attend the church. There is also another group that meets on Wednesday mornings at St Nicholas’ church.

Christian Meditation. This small lay led group meets on Tuesday evenings at All Saints’. Gregorian chants and a short scripture reading lead into a time of meditation.

Knit and Natter has been meeting since November. The group has been meeting fortnightly at St Michael’s church for chatting, support, fellowship and knitting! This has been so successful in the short time that it has been running, that it will go weekly from January 2016, meeting on alternate weeks at St Michael's and St Nicholas’.

We enjoy 'Journeying Together' which is a gateway for lively learning and discussion and going deeper into scripture with Bible Study. The group is between 8 and 12 people. It meets weekly on a Thursday evening at All Saints’.

Current Ministries

'To God be the Glory' is a Fellowship group who offer hospitality to any one who enjoys modern Christian Songs.

EducationThere are two Church of England Primary Schools in the parish:Two Village C of E (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School Ramsey. This is a primary school which has just over 200 pupils on its roll. It is situated less than a quarter of a mile from St Michael's church, with which it has strong links.These links are demonstrated in several different ways, each involving children,parents, church leaders and Governors. Leaders from the church regularly visit the school to lead acts of worship and to fulfil their role as Foundation governors. Our school visits the church several times a year in order to celebrate key events in the church calendar and significant occasions in the school year.Individual classes also visit the church as part of their Religious Education programme. The whole school reflects Christian values and principles, and was rated ‘good’ at the last SIAMS inspection

All Saints’ C of E (Voluntary Aided) Primary School Dovercourt. This is a primary school with just under 200 pupils on its roll. It is situated less than 200 yards away from the parish church of All Saints’ Dovercourt. There is a long relationship of care and achievement based on its historic association with the Parish Church. The school was recently rated ‘good’ by SIAMS, and aims to be a place where Children are nurtured to become aspirational and responsible individuals, seizing opportunities to use their God-given talents and abilities to make a positive contribution to the world. Chelmsford Diocese has representation on the governing body, and the Harwich Team curate also serves as a governor.

Other Primary Schools in the Parish are the Mayflower Primary School, Spring Meadow Primary School, Chase Lane Primary School, Harwich Community Primary School, St Josephs Catholic Primary School

The parish are eager to extend our engagement with the local primary schools, especially where the relationship needs to see additional input. This is an are we would like to see our new Rector take a central part in playing.

Harwich & Dovercourt High SchoolHarwich and Dovercourt High School is a secondary school and sixth form with academy status, Some 1200 children are educated there, with pupils being drawn in from a significant part of the deanery. Christian engagement with the school is for the most part by Peninsular Youth Ministries who have run Prayer Spaces and lunch clubs.

Harwich Peninsular Parish Profile 10

‘The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all

learners’


Finances

Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL

Total Incoming Resources £110,315 £24,329 £134,644

Total Outgoing Resources £122,491 £6,274 £128,765

Total £12,176 £18,055 £5,879

The three churches that make up the Harwich Peninsula Parish each have their own treasurer, and prepare separate reports that are amalgamated in this document and for the annual statement.The number of planned givers is currently at ninety-five, of which seventy-seven are tax efficient. This has contributed to Gift Aid recovered being more than £15,000 in 2014. We have also been fortunate to receive two legacies over the course of the past twelve months, which has meant that we ended the year with positive income over expenditure.The cash and deposit balance held as as restricted funds at the end of 2014 was £103,740, and as unrestricted funds was £52,538, with an additional £17,087 as restricted fund investments. The PCC have a policy of maintaining a cash balance of unrestricted funds which amounts to at least three months of unrestricted payments. We have met our contribution to Parish Share in the diocese in full for 2014 (£56, 792) and fully expect to be able to do the same in 2015.Whilst financial conditions remain difficult in the present economic climate, we are grateful for the ongoing generosity of members of the church as well as other parishioners.

Income

planned givingother

tradingincomestatutory fees

gift aid recurringgiving

collections

Expenditure

parish share

runningexpenses

otherclergy & staff expenses

salaries etc

utility bills


FinancesINCOMING RESOURCES UNRESTRICTED

(nearest £)RESTRICTED

(nearest £)

Tax efficient planned giving £20,285

Other planned giving £7,800

Collections at services £17,638

All other recurring giving & voluntary receipts £16,431 £3,881

All other non-recurring giving, in Special Appeals £834 £1,200

Gift Aid recovered £15,426

Legacies received (capital value) £417 £17,087

Grants: recurring

Grants: non-recurring £50

Gross income from fundraising activities £3,972 £2,043

Dividends, interest, income from properties £606 £118

Statutory fees retained by PCC (weddings etc) £13,990

Gross income from trading (e.g. hall lettings) NOT fundraising £11,421

RESOURCES EXPENDED UNRESTRICTED(nearest £)

RESTRICTED(nearest £)

Fund raising activities (costs & payments) £343

Mission giving & donations £3,227

Diocesan parish share contribution £58,792

Salaries, wages & honoraria £7,676 £239

Clergy & staff expenses £6,380

Church expenses: Mission & evangelism costs

Church running expenses £27,988 £6,021

Church utility bills £7,642 £14

Cost of trading £12,203

Major repairs to the church building

Major repairs to the church hall or other PCC property

New building work to the church, church hall, clergy housing or other PCC property

Governance costs £240

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES (FROM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS)TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES (FROM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS)

Unrestricted £110,315

Restricted £24,329

TOTAL £134,644

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED (FROM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS)TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED (FROM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS)

Unrestricted £122,499

Restricted £6,274

TOTAL £128,765


The Rectory

The Rectory is an attractive detached house situated on a leafy lane in Dovercourt, a short walk from the sea front and the town centre. It has a beautiful garden complete with a wildlife pond. The spacious accommodation consists of 4 bedrooms; one of which has an en-suite bathroom, a lounge, dining room, kitchen and utility room. The study and downstairs cloakroom have an independent entrance.

The property also benefits from a double garage and off-road parking.

harwich peninsula team ministry - chelmsford diocese · harwich peninsula parish proﬁle 6 our...

Documents