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Welcome to
St Paul’s Letchworth Garden City ~&~
All Saints’ Willian
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Thank you for taking the time to read our profile. We pray that God will help you to decide if this benefice is the right place for you. We look forward to working with you towards a decision which will be life changing for all of us. St Paul’s, Letchworth Garden City and All Saints’, Willian is a United Benefice. The two parishes have an evangelical tradition but distinct liturgical styles of worship – St Paul’s has a more contemporary style and All Saints’ is more formal. All Saints’ was established in the 11th century. As Letchworth expanded in the early part of the 20th century there was a need for a church within the new housing area. St Paul’s was founded as a daughter church in 1923 and subsequently became a separate parish. It is now the larger of the two communities. Each church has its own churchwardens and PCC. We hope the profile gives you an insight into who we are and encourages you to join with us as our leader in the next phase of the spiritual life in the two communities.
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Contents
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Person profile
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St Paul’s Parish
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Sundays
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Beyond Sunday
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Beyond the Church
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The Buildings ~ including vicarage
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Finance and policies
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Where we are now
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The future
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All Saints’ Parish
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The Team
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More about Letchworth Garden City and Willian
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St Paul’s and All Saints’ are seeking a vicar who: is excited by Scripture and has a commitment to bring the Gospel alive today
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will encourage, inspire and enable others of all ages, lay and licensed to use their gifts
is an outstandingly good communicator and visible in both the parish and community
is able to relate constructively to the two church communities in the benefice is self aware
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St Paul’s Parish St Paul’s is an open evangelical family church with a regular attendance of 120 adults and 40 children and young people. All bring a wealth of gifts. Whilst some of the congregation have moved to other town churches, many new people have joined the church during the last 7 years and St Paul’s now looks very different from where it was during the last vacancy. We are now ready for the next part of our journey, eager to continue hearing the gospel, move the church forward, grow in numbers and reach out and make a difference in our community. The parish, with some 11,000 inhabitants, covers most of the east and south–east of the Garden City, and comprises a mix of privately owned, local authority and original Garden City rented houses. Within the parish are 5 primary schools including a special school, the Garden House Hospice, the Ernest Gardiner Day Hospital, two nursing homes, a residential home and sheltered accommodation units. There are 157 people on the Electoral Roll, of whom 76 are resident in the parish and 81 are non-resident. 62 are male and 95 are female. About 20 children (0-11) and 20 young people (11 – 18) are connected with Sunday activities every week.
Age profile of St Paul’s parish
In 2008 there were • 35 baptisms (of which 7 were age 13+) There is an open baptism policy • 9 weddings and 1 blessing • 18 church funerals and an additional 34 conducted at local crematoria
Source: 2001 Census
60+ 21%
13%
30-59 42%
Carol Service Christingle on Christmas Eve Mothering Sunday Service A Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for the relatives of those whose funerals have been conducted in the last two years • Hospice Service • Harvest Service • Remembrance Day Service with the uniformed organisations
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14%
10-19
Special services include • • • •
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20-29 10%
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Sundays at St Paul’s Mornings
8.30 am
10.00 am
1st Sun
Holy Communion (Said) A quiet service with 8-10 people attending
Praise God Together (PGT) All-age service with participation from children and young people with drama, puppets and interactive teaching. Music is led by our worship band, a mix of adults and young people. Attendance approx 100 adults and 20 – 30 children
3rd, 5th Sun
Holy Communion (Said)
Parish Communion has a relaxed feel but is more formal/traditional than PGT. The liturgy is from Common Worship and service cards are used. There is a mixture of traditional hymns accompanied by the organ and modern songs played on a keyboard. There are usually about 120 adults and 40 0-17s at this service. The children and young people meet in groups in the church hall. There are currently 5 groups who enjoy a variety of activities with resources tailored to the groups’ needs. We are fortunate to have over 30 adult volunteers who lead and help in these groups. The children and young people return to the church building for the administration of communion and the final song. Each Sunday one of the groups feeds back a teaching point they have covered in their session, these are generally interactive with participation from the congregation.
2nd, 4th Sun
Morning Prayer Led by a reader
Parish Communion
The prayer ministry team is available to pray with people after the 10am service.
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Evenings Holy Space – once a month September to April. A lay led time of quiet contemplative worship, using Celtic or Taizé liturgy. 8-15 people attend. YES - we have introduced an occasional lively, challenging Youth-focused Evening Service (YES), driven and led by our young people. SPYCS: Sunday night youth group for 14+ (8-9.30pm) Some attend church and some don't. They play games or just chill and catch up with mates. The leaders join in. The evening includes a 10 minute DOG (Discussion on God) slot. The Ministry Team wear cassock, surplice and stole or cassock alb and stole for the Communion services, and do not wear robes at the other Sunday services. The broad range of music for worship is led by a number of talented groups of musicians, both vocalists and instrumentalists. While St Paul’s does not have a robed choir, choral singing features in special services (e.g. Carol Service).
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Beyond Sunday: Nurture and Teaching Worship, Bible study and prayer naturally go beyond Sunday and in St Paul’s there is a wide variety of opportunities for people to meet together to encourage and support each other and to learn more about Jesus. 60-70% of the congregation are involved in these, many in more than one. Informal Morning Prayer is held in the church on Monday and Tuesday mornings and informal Holy Communion on Wednesday morning. These are mainly attended by the ministry team and are open to all. Care Aware embraces 4 teams of lay people who play an invaluable part in our pastoral ministry: • The Baptism Support Team – meets parents, explains what baptism entails, attends services and generally supports the family to become part of the church • Bereavement Visitors – a follow-up ministry to funerals conducted by our Ministry Team • Care Team - Help with practical tasks, often providing meals for families with new babies, but have helped out with dog-walking! • The Visiting Team – 12 visitors who keep regular contact with older members of the congregation and those who can no longer get to church. 3 members of the congregation are licensed by the Bishop to administer home communion as well as Ministry Team members. Confirmation: Each year there is a confirmation service in Letchworth where adults and young people from St Paul’s make this public declaration of faith. Separate preparation is run for adults and young people. Marriage Preparation is lay led and covers a range of issues facing prospective newly-weds. Aspects of daily life are considered from a practical and experienced viewpoint with the knowledge and love of God which underpins our own relationships to carry us through life. Meeting Points meet weekly in term-time in members’ homes for Bible study, worship, prayer and fellowship. There are five groups which each bring a slightly different flavour and choose their own topic for each term. 60 - 70 people are regular members, mostly from St Paul’s. Meeting points provide much pastoral care and members support one another in practical ways as well as by prayer, care, sharing and social time spent together in meals, outings etc. • Side by Side is aimed at mums with young children who are trying to juggle family life, but also value some space to study the Bible and pray.
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Mothers’ Union has 23 members and meets monthly. Most are drawn from St Paul’s and All Saints’. Members support in many ways, e.g. helping with tea at Toddlers Plus, making posies for the Mothering Sunday service and also supporting the wider community e.g. making bonnets for premature babies, Christmas cards for local prisons, cakes for the hospice etc. Mums, Muesli and Marmalade is a group of women of different ages, not all with children, who meet together monthly to share breakfast and pray for their children, themselves, their families and the wider church family. Prayer Prayer Group meets weekly during the day for prayers, meditation and a Bible reading. Prayers encompass all aspects of the St Paul’s family - the sick, bereaved, clergy, mission partners and any requested prayer. The work with children and young people is covered by prayer. Each Meeting Point group is allocated a children’s/young people’s group to pray for and a prayer chain is being established to pray for the children, group leaders and any other issues. Each Sunday messages are displayed via the media system to encourage the congregation to pray for the youth and children’s work. Sheltered accommodation: services are run monthly in 2 homes Spring Harvest Each year a group from St Paul’s attends Spring Harvest. Start Course is an introductory course in Christian basics which is run annually for adult enquirers leading, after appropriate additional instruction, to confirmation in almost all cases. Parish Weekends: We have had two parish weekends at home (easier for children!) in the last 4 years. These have included a guest speaker, Bible study and social events.
Beyond Sunday: Social Activities As a church, we enjoy getting together for a range of social activities, which often centre around food and drink and fundraising for local charities. These have included a sponsored Singathon, a monthly Men’s Pub Night, the annual Parish Picnic, a group outing to Proms in the Park, quizzes, and a Strictly Come Dancing evening in which we tried to master a social foxtrot (or was it a quickstep?) and the cha-cha-cha! We also have a WOSPs group (Walkers of St Paul’s) which meets regularly for walks, not only locally, but sometimes further afield with trips to Norfolk and a walk along the Thames Embankment this year. Recently, St Paul’s has used its members and resources to stage public performances in the church of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Godspell, both to much acclaim.
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Beyond the church There are some excellent outreach projects already in place at St Paul’s, some of which have been established for many years. Babies Plus and Toddlers Plus both run weekly in term time and are currently in touch with about 50 families. There is a weekly singing slot which includes the usual toddler songs and some Christian action songs. A Bible story is told 2-3 times a term and each term there is a service in the church. This group has provided many opportunities for contact with families bringing children for baptism, families attending the monthly Praise God Together service and other festival services, and some becoming regular church members. It has seen a rise in adult confirmation. Building Bridges is a peer support organisation launched in January 2007 by a group of mums from different churches in Letchworth GC with support from St Paul’s. It helps mums with small children feel less alone by offering information, and support if they need someone to go along with them to a particular group or activity. Fundraising: Christian Aid: Members of St Paul’s have assisted in Christian Aid collections in the parish for many years. This year, two of the congregation have co-ordinated the collection across the whole town. Children’s Society: Members of St Paul’s serve on the local fund raising committee. Each Christmas the young people have held a fund raising event e.g. ‘Goat for it’, St Albans Diocesan Sleepout, Big Cook and Sleep Out where they made soup and cakes for a local homeless shelter and then slept out in -4° temperatures! Holiday Club: This summer we hosted our 5th Holiday Club for 7 – 11s which takes place at the church hall every morning for a week and ends with a special service in church. The schools within the parish advertise the club and the majority of children who attend do not come regularly to church. Many of the children who attend the club at Lannock School come along. John and Jo Cruse Luncheon Club serves a weekly meal to 40 elderly guests, some of whom have difficulty walking and some who have sight or hearing problems. There is a large team of over 40 volunteers that help to make this possible. This group has been running for 18 years. Funding has been obtained for time to time to take members on outings.
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Missionary Work: St Paul’s has a long tradition of supporting missionary work, both financially and with prayer support. Currently we are supporting work in Albania, Asia, Paraguay, Rwanda and Sheffield. Our mission partners visit us regularly and it is a real encouragement to the church to hear their news first-hand. North Herts Talking Newspaper: Two teams are on a rota to read and record the local newspaper for those who are visually impaired. Schools work: During our last incumbent’s time at St Paul’s, a great deal of effort has been put into building links with 4 of the primary schools in the parish. All welcome input for assemblies and come to church for services and visits through the year. There are no secondary schools in the parish. However our Youth and Children’s Worker goes into The Highfield School weekly for a lunchtime club, working alongside a Christian schools worker (see CIS section). Many of the young people from St Paul’s attend this school and this contact has been really beneficial. A team from St Paul’s has been running an after school club at Lannock JMI School for the past 4 years. This school closed in July 2009 and the church is prayerfully considering how work in schools can continue. Uniformed organisations: St Paul’s Hall is host to the 4th Letchworth Scout Group, Beavers and Cubs. Links with these groups are not extensive but they attend church services several times a year. Many opportunities are also emerging locally for churches working together to share the gospel: We support Choice a local pregnancy counselling initiative which offers 1-1 support and education in schools. The Christian Bookshop in the centre of the town is supported by all the churches and has good resources as well as a coffee and chill area. CIS – Christian Initiatives in Schools is a charity that employs a Secondary Schools Worker who has established clubs in all the secondary schools in the area. CIS is in the process of setting up a fortnightly meeting for youth workers (paid and voluntary) from all the churches to meet, pray and share ideas. It is exciting to consider how God may use these opportunities.
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Church Buildings The Church is in a very good state of repair. The next Quinquennial Inspection is due in 2010 and all the work required in the last one has been completed. There is no churchyard! We have recently implemented £24,000 of improvements to the church (funded by reserves), mostly to upgrade the media and sound systems, and also by raising the Sanctuary area to provide better visibility for both clergy and congregation. The Church Hall is adjacent to the church and has a variety of rooms. It was fitted out with a £40,000 kitchen 3 years ago and is maintained to a very good standard. It is used extensively by the community – for badminton groups, Bollywood dancing, ballet classes, ballroom dancing, martial arts, a local amateur dramatics group, playgroup, uniformed organisations, Weightwatchers and occasional casual hirers. This means that it is less available for church activities. The Church Office is attached to the Church Hall and has a separate entrance. The Vicarage is a four-bedroom detached house on a residential road adjacent to the Church/Church Hall/Office with a large single garage and parking for up to 6 cars. There is a large, south-facing, enclosed rear garden. The accommodation, which has cavity wall insulation and gas central heating, includes a 21ft lounge, separate dining room, a large study, a fitted kitchen with oak units and a separate utility room, cloakroom, 4 bedrooms, bathroom and separate shower room. For more detailed information about the Vicarage please click here
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Finance and policies Money: St Paul’s is in a sound financial position, meeting its parish share (£52,000 in 2009) in full for many years. The accounts for 2008 show a surplus of £21,033, giving us unrestricted assets of £99,448 and restricted assets of £10,290. These are in different funds set aside for when they are needed. Approximately 90% of our stewardship is given by standing order and is gift-aided; the rest is given via envelopes. Giving: Each year we give 13.5% of our income to missionary links and to local charities. We have a fully expensed office and the vicar’s and curates’ expenses are reimbursed in full. Safeguarding children: St Paul’s operates a Child Protection Policy in line with that of the St Albans Diocese. The PCC has appointed a Child Protection Officer. Health and Safety: We have an up-to-date H & S Policy and a volunteer H & S Officer. Communication: There are various means of communication in St Paul’s to try to ensure that people are aware of what is going on in the parish and beyond. • weekly notices sheet distributed at Sunday services • notices are displayed using the media system at the beginning of services • information is posted on the newly updated website • ‘Group News’, covers St Paul’s and other Anglican churches in Letchworth
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Where we are now • St Paul’s is a family church and we are caring and supportive of each other. For people who are involved there is a sense of community and connection. We don’t get it right all the time. • The members of St Paul’s have a wealth of different gifts and Christian experience. A broad spectrum of lay people are involved in ministry, worship and all aspects of church life. • Our children and young people’s work is at an exciting stage of development. In the past we have had larger numbers of children involved and we look forward to building up this area of work and spreading the good news. • There are many excellent outreach opportunities already established e.g. Luncheon Club, in Residential Homes, in Schools and Toddlers and Babies Plus. • We are blessed to have financial stability. We are able not only to pay our parish share in full, but have reserves. • We have excellent media and sound systems, updated in 2009, which need to be utilised even more effectively.
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Possible area for future focus 1. There is a hunger for spiritual growth. We are looking for ways that God can strengthen us and lead us forward, accommodating the different styles in which people learn. 2.The demographics of the congregation do not represent the demographics of the parish. There are sections of our community not represented in our church and we need a fresh approach to building these relationships. We believe that God is leading us to develop different opportunities within our own community to connect more effectively with outsiders and those who use the buildings. • We need to be thinking in new and different ways, whilst recognising our limitations – resources, time, volunteers. • We could make more imaginative use of church buildings, not just on a Sunday. Some random ideas we had included using the new technology for films and sport, music concerts, skateboarding in church! Of course these may not all be realistic but will help us to start to think more creatively. 3.We need to demonstrate our love in the parish and community in this time of recession by offering support and practical help. e.g. we held a Redundancy Makeover in May. 4.Some people are over-committed. We need to encourage all members to take a more active role. 5.We could develop closer links with All Saints’ e.g. occasional joint services. 6.There is an enormous amount of pastoral care which goes on informally beyond the existing structures. We could reconsider the pastoral infrastructure. 7. There are gaps in our provision. We need to think about singles and the 20-somethings, and nurturing new adult Christians.
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The Future You will have seen from the Parish Profile that we are a very busy church trying as best we can to follow God’s will. Although there are many good things going on in St Paul’s, we neither feel nor want to give the impression that everything is sorted out. We are at a point on our journey when it is particularly important to stand back, take stock and look at our activities with fresh eyes. Only then can we start to move forward. However, we are looking forward to the future with great hope and excitement about what God is going to do at St Paul’s and in the wider community as we work with you.
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All Saints’ Church, Willian Patron: Bishop of St Albans Church Building: • • • • • • • • •
Tower-nave-chancel plan c.1150 Rebuilt 1430, vestry 1870 Grade II* listed Tower restored mid 1990s (6 bells) Perimeter drainage completed 1990s New roof, stone work repaired 2008 Open graveyard Good sound system Capacity 80 comfortably
Proposals for the future: • • • • •
Add toilet facility Kitchenette area Reposition Walker organ Address heating, lighting etc, Generally make the building fit for the 21st Century
Worship: Sundays
Other services:
• 11am Parish Communion (1st, 2nd, 4th & 5th) • 11am Morning Prayer (3rd ) • Common Worship • AMR revised & Mission Praise
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Special services: • Carols, Christmas, Easter, Patronal • Harvest (followed by lunch) • Remembrance (roll of honour)
Monthly Residential Nursing Home Compline Maundy Thursday and vigil Meditation Good Friday Compline (mid week) July & August
Baptisms: Weddings: Funerals:
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2008/2009 2008/2009 2008/2009
Congregation: • Mainly non-resident • High proportion of retired people
Electoral Roll 65 Average attendance 45
Activities: • Prayer Group (fortnightly) • Bible Study Group (fortnightly) • Willian Fair (joint venture with village) • Carol singing in village • Annual Village Pensioners’ Lunch • Annual Quiet Day
• Hospice volunteers etc. • Rotas for organists, intercessors etc • Service invitations (all homes in village) • Churchyard gardening group • Flower group
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Finance • Parish Share £ 14,263.00 (as of December 2008) • Restoration Fund £ 51,322.33 (as of December 2008) • Charitable giving £ 2,050.00 (2008) • Gift aid and envelope scheme (Further information available on request)
Strengths: • • • •
Small rural historic village church Welcoming, caring community Place of respite and healing for those who need time to seek a way forward Growth in spirituality and numbers
Weaknesses: • Geographically not highly visible • Lack of water supply (being addressed) • Lack of crèche facilities (being addressed)
Future: • To address our weaknesses and build on our strengths • To have someone on the benefice ministry team who has special responsibility for the day to day running of All Saints’ • To ensure that the village has a Christ centred church equipped for the 21st Century and future generations • To encourage house groups etc.
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The Team Ministry Team: The Ministry Team serves both St Paul’s and All Saints’. We have two non-stipendiary part-time curates. One is also part-time chaplain at a local hospital (22.5 hours and on call) and who offers 10 hours per week at St Paul’s (term time only). The other is retired and gives time to the Benefice as she feels able and is soon to have PTO. There are 5 licensed readers, one of whom has PTO and another who has retired from active ministry. They offer varying commitments of time and 2 currently conduct funerals. All Saints’ also has a pastoral assistant and 3 lay assistants who help lead on a rota basis. Traditionally St Paul’s and All Saints’ has been a training benefice and there is a curate’s house in the parish which is owned by the Diocese. At present it is rented out by the Diocese. St Paul’s Children’s and Youth Worker: The work with children and young people is hugely important to St Paul’s and our vision is to see children and young people come to faith in Jesus Christ. The Youth and Children’s Worker is employed for 15 hours per week in term time. Benefice Administrator: works in the Church Office 9.15 am – 1.15 pm daily.
Working together The benefice of St Paul’s and All Saints’ is part of the Letchworth Group with 3 other parishes consisting of a total of 7 Anglican churches. The Letchworth Clergy Chapter meets every Thursday for Morning Prayer. Evening patronal festivals are held throughout the year to which all the churches are invited. Special joint services move around the churches including • Ascension Day • Annual Group Confirmation We have a good relationship with the other churches (Roman Catholic and 14 non-conformist churches) in Letchworth and there have been a few combined activities, e.g. Good Friday Walk of Witness. There is an ecumenical Ministers’ Fraternal which meets alternate months. St Paul’s and All Saints’ are part of the Hitchin Deanery and there are regular chapter and Deanery Synod meetings. The Deanery hosts a sung BCP Evensong every few months.
What we think about the ordination of women We welcome applications from both women and men. We believe that God will call the right person for the post, regardless of gender. Both St Paul’s and All Saints’ PCC have voted unanimously against both Resolutions A and B under the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993.
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More about Letchworth Garden City and Willian Letchworth Garden City, the world’s first Garden City, is just over 100 years old. It was the result of a vision of a Quaker (Ebenezer Howard) to build a Garden City, where town and country would be combined and profits from the town would be used to benefit the townspeople, to relieve the poverty and slum conditions suffered by many in the late Victorian era. Today 36,000 people live here. Currently the 5,500-acre Estate is owned and managed by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, a charitable organisation, which continues to reinvest all surpluses back into the town to create, maintain and promote a vibrant quality environment. The village of Willian borders on Letchworth Garden City and there are numerous footpaths which connect the village to the town. Over recent years the village has been developed and now has approximately 200 residents. It, too, is part of the Letchworth Garden City estate which ensures that its rural character is maintained. Willian village is a desirable location and has a mixed community of retired couples, families and single people. The amenities consist of a residential Care Home (Guysfield), Village Hall, Post Office cum local store, local produce store, 2 Public Houses and, of course, the village pond. There is no Parish Council and no village school. The local authority is the North Hertfordshire District Council, which works closely with the Heritage Foundation. There is also a Letchworth Town Council which was set up about 3 years ago.
Education Letchworth Garden City has a good range of schools, both state and independent, a specialist primary school for children with moderate learning difficulties and a college of Further Education.
Employment • Many people commute to London from the Garden City. • There are approximately 300 local companies, many are small firms. • There are many high-tech companies located in business and technology parks created by the Heritage Foundation some of which are in the parish.
Employment in St Paul’s parish Source: 2001 census
Unemployed 1% Students Other workers 5% 8% E workers 12%
A workers 11%
B workers 22%
D workers 15% C2 workers 15%
C1 workers 12%
A B: Higher and intermediate managerial/admin./prof. C1: Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial/admin./prof. C2: Skilled manual workers D: Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers E: On state benefit, unemployed, lowest grade workers
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Town Centre • Two large supermarkets - Sainsbury’s is in St Paul’s parish • 4-screen cinema, library, museums, art gallery and venues for live music and entertainment, also for exhibitions and events. • A major redevelopment project for the town centre has recently started. • Letchworth Garden City has traditionally had a strong independent and speciality retail sector.
Leisure and recreation • Health and Fitness Clubs, a modern, recently refurbished Leisure Centre and indoor and outdoor pools. • Great sports facilities with over 20 sports clubs and an indoor karting circuit. • The Greenway – a 13.6 mile circular pathway for walkers and cyclists. • Standalone Farm - a working educational farm and tourist attraction. • Adult education classes, drama, clubs and societies.
Location and Transport Letchworth Garden City is only 38 miles from London with good transport links. Rail • Fast services to London King’s Cross and St Pancras (Eurostar) take just 35 minutes. • In the other direction the line goes to Cambridge. There are services to the North from nearby Hitchin via Peterborough. Road • It is just minutes away from the A1(M) • Luton (14 miles) and Cambridge (25 miles) are reached on the A505. • The M1 is only 30 minutes away. Bus • Regular bus services to the Garden City’s rural and residential areas as well as local towns, such as Hitchin and Baldock, and airports. Air • Luton (13 miles) and Stansted (29 miles) are within easy reach. London Heathrow is about an hour’s drive away. Letchworth Part of Hitchin Deanery
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