st lawrence’s church st. lawrence’s, biddulph biddulph 2015 · at this service is around 30...

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

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.


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


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


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.


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.


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


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


4th Sunday: 9.15 Holy Communion

11.00 Morning Service (sometimes incl. Thanksgiving for a Child)


5th Sunday: 9.15 Morning Prayer

11.00 Morning Service


Wednesdays: 10.00 Midweek Service


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


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


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


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.



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.



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.



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


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


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


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,


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.


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’


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


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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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.”


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.

st lawrence’s church st. lawrence’s, biddulph biddulph 2015 · at this service is around 30...

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