TEAM VICAR IN THE

KIDDERMINSTER ISMERE TEAM

Diocese of Worcester September 2018

CONTENTS

Page

Foreword 1-3

The Parish of Kidderminster Ismere 4

The Kidderminster Ismere Team 5

Person Specification and Role Description 6-7

The Churches and their contexts 8-9

The Churches of St Mary and All Saints, Kidderminster;Holy Trinity, Trimpley and St. Peter’s, Upper Arley-

Building and Context 10-12Worship 13-14Lay Involvement 15Relationships with Schools 16Finances 17Future hopes and Mission 18

Parsonage House 19-20

Are you the one? 20

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FOREWORD

Thank you for your interest and welcome to this profile.The Bishop of Worcester wishes to appoint a Team Vicar for the Parish of Kidderminster Ismere.We believe God is even now calling the right person and pray for discernment as decisions are made.If you are reading this you have responded, however tentatively, to this call and we invite you prayerfully to read on and consider whether this is the right step for you.In this document we:

set out the vision we have for this post describe the communities we serve outline what we hope the person appointed will accomplish with us and for us,

and the sort of person we think is needed.

We hope you find the profile informative.

THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER2

The Diocese of Worcester covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south-east Wolverhampton and Sandwell. It has around 170 parishes, 280 churches, around 120 stipendiary and 30 non-stipendiary clergy and 170 Licensed Lay Ministers (Readers). There are 100 church schools, 97 primary and 3 secondary. The diocese is divided into the Archdeaconry of Worcester, with six deaneries, and the Archdeaconry of Dudley, with seven deaneries.

KINGDOM PEOPLE

We are committed to mission, seeking to bring the good news of God’s love in Jesus to all who live in our cities, towns and villages and to show how the gospel is relevant today. We are developing new patterns of ministry for changing times. Growing numbers of people from across traditions are offering themselves for ordination or for licensed and authorised lay ministry, and the diocese has a genuine ‘family feel’. Our Diocesan Synod has adopted an imaginative ‘Kingdom People’ vision. This is a vision for a Church which enables its people to be:

● Deeply rooted in prayer and study of the scriptures

● Renewed and transformed by regular worship

● Equipped to witness to the gospel of love, compassion, justice and freedom

● Dedicated to helping children, young people and young adults to belong and be nurtured in faith

● Devoted to growing deeply in discipleship, offering our time and talents and money to God

● Resourced and released to minister to others

● Ready to engage with and serve our community

● Committed to making our buildings fit for purpose as a spiritual and community resource.

Kingdom People aims to be a gift to the parishes and not an additional burden. It aims to provide a framework in which churches might flourish and grow, rather than impose a blueprint of how every church should look. Within our Kingdom People vision, we have identified four main priority areas which shape our strategic plan to engage with children and young people, strengthen stewardship, deepen discipleship and develop buildings for mission.

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THE PARISH OF KIDDERMINSTER ISMERE

The Kidderminster Ismere Parish Team Ministry consists of a combined Benefice and Parish, encompassing seven churches; Holy Trinity at Trimpley, St. Barnabas at Franche, St. John the Baptist at Wolverley St. Mary and All Saints in Kidderminster town, St. Oswald’s at Broadwaters, St. Peter’s at Cookley and St. Peter’s at Upper Arley. Although the parish is defined as ‘relatively deprived’ (Church Urban Fund); there is a wide diversity within the parish which ranges through town centre, urban, sub-urban and rural. The population is approximately 21,500 and has a low ethnic mix. Employment was heavily based on the carpet trade but this has sadly declined over the past few years with a reliance on newer industries. The aim of the Team is to ‘shepherd it’s flock and seek out the lost’.The individual congregations are invited to meet several times a year for united worship and for social events and work together on projects such as confirmation preparation.While the different church communities within the team are encouraged to develop their individual strengths and styles, the PCC has oversight of the District Church Councils and has responsibility for managing finance, church buildings and with the Incumbent Safeguarding across the team. Six of the churches in the team have two churchwardens and a District Church Council (DCC). The Team PCC assigns annually to the DCCs the responsibility for the fabric, fixtures, fittings and finances, together with pastoral and evangelical responsibilities. Three lay representatives from each DCC serve on the Team PCC. Holy Trinity Church at Trimpley is part of St Mary’s & All Saints DCC and also has PCC representation.

Our area and our churches

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Team Working

Ministry is currently shared between the Team Rector and two full time stipendiary Vicars, one non-stipendiary Associate Priest, two Licensed Lay Ministers and 11 Authorised Lay Ministers. Each member of stipendiary clergy has pastoral responsibility for specific areas as well as full team-wide involvement. Retired clergy offer valuable support both for services and for occasional offices. Regular meetings of staff encourage development and the sharing of both problems and encouragement.The team is embarking on setting a team vision and clarifying its aims in terms of ministry to its congregations and mission and evangelism to the wider community. We have a number of nuts to crack as we move forward in this evolving team:

Define the Team vision through listening to our congregations and communities. Improve our communication and administration Develop a strategy for managing our resources effectively to enable our vision to

be implementedClergy are working with a consultant who is supporting us in the development of the team and you will be instrumental in its evolution and final shape as this work is extended to include Church Wardens and the PCC.We want our team to be built on a foundation of prayer, encouragement and trust and as a team we recognise that we each bring different qualities and strengths to mission and ministry. The individual congregations are invited to meet for united worship every 5th Sunday and at patronal festivals and evening services and for social events and work together on teaching and prayer life in the team.The ministry team has a support network which is centred around regular meetings with the Team Rector and monthly full staff team meetings of clergy, Readers and ALMs. Occasional Offices have shaped the team in previous years and we are looking actively at how we might use these opportunities of contact as missional. Through our links with primary and secondary schools and the high number of baptisms we carry out we have a high level of contact with children and young people. We are keen to translate this into an ongoing relationship with these children, young people and families.We are currently working on the appointment of a Parish Communications and Administration officer who will work in the Parish Office which is located at St. Mary and All Saints Church. A Parish website exists but is currently under redevelopment and each church uses social media in some form for communication to the wider community.The team is keen to continue to build on its ecumenical partnerships and has a track record of positive relationships with other denominations. Two covenants are in place and active with the Methodist Church forming Local Ecumenical Partnerships.

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TEAM VICAR IN THE KIDDERMINSTER ISMERE PARISH;

PERSON SPECIFICATION

You will: be able to lead the church in mission with clarity, passion and conviction be an effective communicator and teacher have the capacity to discern, with others, the changing needs of the parish be a leader who shows sensitivity to the needs of those being led and the

challenge change presents to them. be a good listener with a heart for pastoral engagement be able to value and engage with a wide variety of church traditions including

fresh expressions of church be committed to the ministry of the whole people of God and their welcome into

the church family be passionate about working ecumenically be courageous and inquisitive in exploring the mission field Be able to work to enable all who come to church to grow in their discipleship and

depth of faith.

JOB ROLE DESCRIPTION

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Purpose

To contribute to the mission and ministry of the parish of Kidderminster Ismere.

Main Responsibilities

To have particular pastoral responsibility for the churches of St. Mary and All Saints Kidderminster, Holy Trinity Trimpley and St Peters Upper Arley and the communities in which they are situated.

To be an Associate Presbyter in the Methodist church in order to take occasional services in Trinity Methodist church.

To listen to the congregations of the three churches the post is responsible for and help them through creative leadership to develop their gifts for the benefit of the ministry and mission of the churches

To actively support the corporate prayer life of the team. To support the team in its development of its occasional office strategy for

Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals. To work with colleagues in developing the spiritual, scriptural and reflective

learning, study and exploration initiatives within the team. To share the Kingdom values of love, freedom, justice and compassion in reaching

out to all. To chair the District Church Councils of St Mary and All Saints with Holy Trinity

Trimpley and St Peters Upper Arley. To take on the responsibility of leading the town’s Civic church and the

relationship with the town’s people and dignitaries. To be an ex-officio Foundation Governor at St Mary’s VA Cof E Primary School To chair the ‘Friends of St Mary’s

THE TEAM CHURCHES AND THEIR CONTEXTS

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St Barnabas Church in Franche was consecrated on the 10th June 1871. It is situated on the northern outskirts of Kidderminster, in an area where there is still a sense of a village community. Within its locality there is a Village Club, Public House and a large supermarket which houses a pharmacy and post office. There are three large areas of local authority and private housing totalling approximately 3,500 dwellings. The church has a heart for mission and is working with St Catherine’s C of E primary school and ecumenically to develop a Messy Church.

St. John’s, Wolverley geographically covers a very large area. There are a total of approx. 970 addresses within the parish, of which over 200 are very “far-flung” and remote. The parish basically splits into 3 areas: Wolverley Village (a conservation area), the Fairfield housing area, and the remote addresses already mentioned. It is claimed, as a tradition, that there has been a church or chapel on the site of the present church since Anglo-Saxon times. The first documented evidence of a church was the mention of a parish priest in the village in the Domesday Book (1086).

Historically, the ancient parish of Wolverley also included both Cookley and Broadwaters. It has been in the Deanery of Kidderminster since the 13th century. A new church consisting of a chancel and nave were attached to the east side of a stone-built tower of the earlier church and was consecrated on 20th September 1772. The tower houses a fine clock donated to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria and it strikes on the hour.

St. Oswald’s Church at Broadwaters (https://www.facebook.com/St-Oswalds-Church-910992182300224/) is a multi-purpose Church Centre; it is a community church, 50 years old, situated on the edge of Broadwaters Park. The congregation are self-sufficient, and the church centre is used by many groups. Broadwaters was originally a village but is now a district on the edge of Kidderminster, bordered to the north by green belt. Broadwaters Park is at the centre, surrounded by mixed housing.

The population is around 8,000; it is a mixed age group and there is high unemployment in one area. One area is very deprived, other areas are moderately affluent. There are three small shops, two takeaways, three pubs, the Rose Theatre, a hairdresser, a childrens’ play area and Broadwaters Park. Sports facilities are available in Springfield Park. There are some problem families in the deprived area.

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The Church is in a healthy ecumenical partnership with Broadwaters Methodist which is lived out through shared services and social events such as ‘praise on the park’. The wardens of St Oswald’s have set up a ‘Place of Welcome’ (https://www.placesofwelcome.org.uk) coffee morning for people form the local community which runs every Friday morning and is growing. There is also a Fresh Expression of church called ‘Church on the Hill’ (https://www.facebook.com/COTH2017/) which meets in St Oswald’s school on the first and third Sunday afternoon at 3pm.

St. Peter’s Church, Cookley (https://www.facebook.com/stpeterscookley/) serves a population of 2500. Post Second World War building in the area created housing estates and much immigration to an area with delightful countryside and the nearby town with its retail facilities.

All ages are represented in the village and there is a fairly high employment level, but, perhaps surprisingly, the area is officially described as deprived. There are council-owned retirement flats and private retirement flats with a nursing unit. There are also holiday caravans in the area.

The church has embraced the local community and is becoming involved in key issues the community faces. One such issue is the level of isolation and dementia and has, in response, set up a dementia Café called Memory Lane.

THE CHURCHES FOR WHICH THIS POST HAS SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY:

THEIR STORIES

St. Mary & All Saints, Kidderminster

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(https://www.facebook.com/St-Mary-and-All-Saints-Church-Kidderminster-192890877724469/www.twitter.com/@stmaryskiddy)is said to be the largest Parish Church in Worcestershire. It is a medieval Grade 1 listed building in an urban setting in a position isolated from the town by the inner ring road. It is the civic church for the town and often used as an emblem for the town. At present the average Sunday morning congregation is 65 per week but we are hopeful that this number will have the potential to increase with the development and implementation of a mission plan. Our Parish has pockets

described as being in the most deprived in England (Church Urban Fund), affecting people of all age groups, but there are signs of regeneration by community groups such as ‘Horsefair and Proud’: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1588995371424471/). St Mary’s mission field includes the deprived area of the Horsefair and the new developments which are on-going in the Churchfields area, and these are yet to be explored in depth. The previous incumbent made great progress in building relationships with the civic dignitaries and the town centre market and shops and this needs to be built upon. It is the church of choice for many weddings, baptisms and funerals and there are significant opportunities for evangelism and mission. In the past St Mary and All Saints has a history, in the 17th Century, of needing to be enlarged to accommodate the number wanting to hear the preaching of Richard Baxter who reached the people of Kidderminster through his pastoral approach to the town. It’s a story we would like to see re-visited.

An LEP ('Churchfields Local Ecumenical Partnership') formed in 2013 exists between St Mary's and the neighbouring Trinity Methodist Church, between whom fully interchangeable ministry is accepted and practised. Since the signing of this agreement the previous two incumbents have been appointed to the Methodist Church as Associate Minister and it is anticipated that upon notification of the successful candidate's appointment, they too will be given this position. Whilst joint services at each other's churches already take place, notably on St Mary's Patronal Festival and Trinity's Covenant Sunday, as well as quarterly pulpit swaps and as appropriate occasional shared civic duties, it is hoped that the agreements already in place and relationships that already exist may be built upon whilst seeking new opportunities to form ways of being Church together. Other joint activities include responsibility of leading collective worship at St. Mary's C of E Voluntary Aided School, Confirmation and Reception into Church Membership within a joint act of worship and clergy meeting together regularly for prayer and discussion. A copy of the Vision Statement for the Covenant Partnership between the two churches will be available for future reference.

Holy Trinity, Trimpley

Holy Trinity at Trimpley.......'A light on the hill'is a small peaceful rural church built on the probable site of a medieval Chantry Chapel. It was built as a chapel of ease for St Mary’s but

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later became a church in its own right. However, in 2010 it once again became a chapel of ease. The church is situated in an historic area of outstanding natural beauty. The population of the area is about 500 persons, of mixed age and generally affluent. It includes both Low Habberley and Trimpley. Within the area there is Trimpley Village Hall, the Severn Trent reservoir, a golf club and a nursing home, but no shops.

Until 1984 Trimpley had a Village school, situated adjoining the churchyard. There were very close links between school and church with regular services held in the church, giving vibrant life and energy. The church is seen as important in the community for weddings and funerals, and local people generously support the biennial fete and the occasional harvest supper and coffee mornings.Although there has always been a carol service, it was always in the morning. It is only in the last several years that there has been an evening 'Carols by Candlelight ' at which service it is wonderful to have a full church, with a feeling of the community gathering at Holy Trinity. There is considerable involvement by young families in the life of Holy Trinity, with something of a “baby boom” in recent years. We are delighted that young families regard Holy Trinity as a welcoming place of nurture and love.In the last few years we have leafleted the houses of Trimpley and Low Habberley several times a year with details services and to offer a welcome. We also have an active Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HolyTrinityChurchTrimpley/?fb_dtsg_ag=AdwIq_ekhznmWhzIwb50r4cG16PVQgo7E6QNcskYftG4Bg%3AAdzEtTRCC4iY0eu4vvAl__9rAx0Pf1swUawuUsA6p8udhQ which gives regular updates.In 2017 Rev Canon Alex Vaccaro, an NSM within the Kidderminster Ismere Team, was given unofficial Pastoral Oversight for Holy Trinity, and the continuity and joy that this Ministry has brought to the Community is much appreciated.

St. Peter’s, Upper Arley

St Peter's started life as an estate church and has its own crusader buried in the Nave. It has evolved over the years and is a focal point for the local community for their major life events. Upper Arley village is part of the Arley Estate which is owned by the Roger and Douglas Turner Charitable Trust Most of the properties are rented. The church also serves Shatterford Village plus the surrounding farms It has struggled with an aging congregation and falling numbers but recently there has been some signs of

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growth. The church has started "Jam and Bread" in the village hall which is based on Messy Church. There are currently 43 children on the books and usually about 24 attends with a parent once a month. Some of these families are now starting to attend church occasionally. A pilot bible study was started at the end of last year which was attended by some of the parents from school and this will be extended further.In February 2018 the DCC carried out a ‘Buildings for Mission Survey’ which showed the church building to be viable and sustainable and in the category of ‘local mission church’ as it actively serves the local population in its journey through life.

WORSHIP

St Mary and All Saints, Kidderminster

At St Mary and All Saints, we have, what many would describe as, traditional worship using Common Worship and Common Praise hymn books, with gospel procession, altar party in cassock alb, robed choir, sung service and anthem. We symbolically place the Word of God at the centre of our worship by including the Gospel book in the entrance procession. There is a strong musical tradition, with a four-part choir singing a wide range of music. We are fortunate to have very good musical resources: a large library of choir music, two pianos in the church, a large 3 manual William Hill organ and a smaller organ in the Whittall Chapel. This combination of music, reverence, Word, Sacrament and tradition appeals to many as a reflection and encouragement of their own relationship with God.Our Sunday worship currently includes 3 out of 4 weeks mid-morning Sung Eucharist (approx. 60 congregation), one of which has space for a Baptism, with the first week of the month being BCP Sung Morning Prayer (congregation of 40) lead by one of our

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Licensed Lay Ministers or an Authorised Lay Minister. There is also currently an 8am Said Eucharist on Sunday (average congregation of 10) and an 8.30am Said Team Eucharist on Friday (average congregation of 8). Once a month, as part of the Ismere Team cycle of evening worship we have a Sung Evensong (Average congregation including choir 18). Christmas Midnight Mass usually attracts a congregation of about 80 with 45 coming on Christmas morning; Easter Sunday attracts about 85. Principle services are held in the Nave using the forward altar; other services and Evensong are held in the Whittall Chapel. We use the High Altar for Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and The Assumption of Mary. Our Patronal Festival is All Saints Day. Our Carol Service uses the 9 lessons and carols format.

Additionally, the majority of the town’s Civic services are held at St Mary’s, including the Remembrance Day Parade and laying of wreaths at the War Memorial and Angel of Peace followed by a service for Peace and Reconciliation in church, Mayor’s Sunday, St George’s Day Scouts service and, often, Christmas Carol services for the town and Wyre Forest District Councils. Other groups also hold Carol Services in St Mary's, including the Prostate Cancer Support Group and Arch Hill Court Sheltered housing for older people and people various disabilities).

Holy Trinity, Trimpley

At Holy Trinity the regular services are at 9.30am on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month, with a Youth Alpha course running on the 1st Sunday also at 9.30am. The liturgy materials used are very varied and include BCP Holy Communion, Common Worship Holy Communion and Common Worship Morning Prayer, with a liturgy produced each month for All-age Worship. There are also occasional evening Services on Sundays, which have tended recently to be Taize/Iona in style. We have a prayer meeting on Monday evenings. The average weekly attendance varies dependant on the service; Holy Communion averages 12, Morning Prayer averages 8, All-age Worship averages 20. The community has developed recently with the introduction of coffee after every Service, which has encouraged people to stay and chat. At Easter and Christmas the church is usually full with 50 or so people attending.

There are 32 on the Electoral Roll. In 2016 there were 0 marriages, 3 Baptisms and 1 funeral.

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The church has a small Nicholson organ which is used as often as possible; it needs intermittent repair at which times a modern electric keyboard is used to provide music. There is also a CD system available. On occasion, we have a flute player and a tuba player to augment the music.St. Peter’s, Upper Arley

St Peter's is probably the least formal of the churches in its style of worship veering towards the more evangelical end of churchmanship. It uses Mission Praise and the Good News Bible. Holy Communion occurs on the 1st and 3rd Sunday. Clergy usually only wear simple robes rather than full vestments   Morning prayer or non-Eucharistic family worship happens on the 2nd and 4th Sunday normally led by the local ALM or Methodist lay preacher.We average six weddings and funeral and three baptisms. However, the adjacent Arley Arboretum is

becoming a popular venue for wedding receptions and as a result an increase in weddings is anticipated. Weekly average attendance is around 14 but is slowly growing. Most festival Sundays are not significantly better attended apart from Harvest and Mothering Sunday when the local school are involved and Carols by Candlelight which usually packs the church with standing room only. There is currently 14 on the electoral roll

LAY INVOLVEMENT

St. Mary’s, Kidderminster

There is significant Lay involvement in services with Eucharist assistants and servers, a choir of 15 adults, a children’s activities volunteer, sidespersons to welcome, people offering fellowship afterwards with hot drinks, lectors, intercession leaders, bell ringers and flower arrangers. Outside of services we have a number of people who act as Stewards during the summer months, and last year during our first Christmas Tree Festival, enabling the church to be opened for a few hours each day. Recently, during the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ season, a daily prayer service was developed and lead by one of our Churchwardens which attracted people from across the Ismere team and from other churches and denominations across the townThere is a Ladies Fellowship who meet regularly, a Get Together Group who organise social events for elderly and lonely people and The Friends of St Mary’s who raise funds to help with the upkeep of the building. There is regular donation to St Mary’s Primary School Breakfast Club and to the Foodbank. A few of the congregation are Street Pastors or Prayer Pastors. Both the Foodbank and Street Pastors are run ecumenically through Churches Together in Kidderminster, of which we are a member.

Holy Trinity, Trimpley

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In the worship life of the church lay people prepare and lead worship, read, organize refreshments, play musical instruments and help to administer communion. There is a wider involvement of people for occasional services and help at All Age worship and many others contribute to social and fundraising activities. Lay people also undertake tasks in the care of the building and its surroundings, publicity for services and events etc.

St. Peter’s, Upper Arley

The congregation of St Peter's may be small, but they are a very close family, caring for each other. Visitors remark on the warm and friendly welcome. Members are involved in leading worship, working in the school, taking care of the building, visiting the sick and bereaved, organising bible studies, meeting socially and fundraising.We also have links with the Methodist Church in Kidderminster and our worship is led once a month by a Methodist Lay Preacher. We have strong links with Kemp Hospice and also the Severn Valley Railway through our lay workers and hope to build on this.

INVOLVEMENT WITH SCHOOLS

St. Mary’s, Kidderminster

St Mary’s Primary VA School is the only school within the parish boundary of St Mary’s. It recently received an Ofsted Good rating after many years of hard work. In 2015 the school achieved a ‘Good rating for it’s SIAMs inspection. There are weekly assemblies led by Salvation Army officers, the Methodist minister and the incumbent of St Mary's on a rota basis. The governing body has 6 Foundation governors as well as an Ex-officio role taken by the incumbent of St Mary and All Saints. The DCC donates annually to the governors’ fund at the school. To further develop the links between the school and the local churches, and to give the children different experiences of worship, a scheme has been designed with the LEP in collaboration with The Salvation Army to bring different groups of children into each place of worship on a rota basis - one service each month on a Tuesday afternoon.King Charles I School is a secondary school not within the parish bounds but with very close links (see above). They hold their annual Founder’s Day service in church and The Old Carolians Association have an annual Evensong for Charles, King and Martyr in church plus a service at the Town Hall and annual dinner to which the incumbent is invited

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St. Peter’s, Upper Arley

Upper Arley CE Primary School has a very good relationship with the church. Weekly collective worship is led by an ALM as is the fortnightly Congratulations Assembly which is well attended by parents. The school had a ‘Good’ SIAMS report in which the church/school relationship was praised. The school uses the church for their end of term services and the church was packed with standing room only for the end of Easter term. Church members are Foundation Governors

FINANCES

The Team has a finance committee that reports to PCC at each meeting. This current year the team has decided on the whole to take part in the Diocese ‘Towards a Fairer Share’ (https://www.cofe-worcester.org.uk/resources/view/parish-share-towards-fairer-share/). We await the impact of this on the contribution to be paid and are in the process of working on our resource strategy to ensure we can continue effective mission and ministry in these lean times. One of the biggest challenges is the employment of a communication and administration officer.St. Mary’s, Kidderminster

Finances are very tight. In 2017 we were only able to pay our full Parish Share due to a very generous legacy. The budget/forecast for 2018 is a deficit one and so the DCC are closely monitoring expenditure, looking into broadening the range of fundraising activities and considering how we can encourage prayerful, positive review of regular giving. We have had a Stewardship Officer in place for 12 months and they are developing ideas along with a small committee.Holy Trinity, Trimpley

The Holy Trinity share is paid in full. Gift Aid envelopes are available but there is no regular planned giving scheme. The main fund-raising events are the biennial fete and occasional harvest supper. More recently, coffee mornings have also been very successful in adding to church funds, specifically for the Trimpley Relief Fund, of which more is detailed below. Holy Trinity has also been fortunate to receive the occasional generous legacy.St. Peter’s, Upper Arley

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The DCC are committed to giving away 10% of their income for Home and Overseas Mission. The principles of biblical Christian giving are taught regularly and to date the church has met all its financial commitments. Finances are watched carefully and fundraising is used if necessary although generally such events are only used as social events and to raise awareness of St Peter's.

OUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE

St. Mary and All Saints, Kidderminster

Looking forward, we would like to become an outward looking congregation by encouraging greater involvement in studying our faith, leading to more involvement in mission in the local area. A new residential development is to be built next to the church which gives huge opportunities for mission and growth. Musically we are looking to introduce a choral scholarship scheme to encourage younger singers and, looking further ahead, an organ scholarship as well.

Holy Trinity, Trimpley

Our vision for the future is that we build on the ancient and modern work of mission in the place. We are aware that the building itself needs updating, and to this end we have started the “Trimpley Relief Fund”, a series of fundraising events aimed at providing a servery within the church and a toilet in the churchyard, and we are in discussion about a flexible reordering of the church furniture in order to better serve the various styles of mission freshly expressed in our Services. We hold quarterly Moving Forward Together meetings, an information and discussion forum at which we exchange ideas and views on the future of mission in this place.

St. Peter’s, Upper Arley17

It is our desire to share God's love and lead people to meet Him and experience how He can change lives for the better. To do this our hope is that a present congregation will grow as disciples and become more confident in their faith in order that they can share it with the people they meet in their own situations, our local community and those who visit us through tourism and occasional offices.Our true hope is for this wonderful building to be a home for a vibrant, lively church family and to be a beacon of hope overlooking the River Severn and the Severn valley railway. It is also hoped to start informal worship probably on a Saturday evening so that other churches and denominations can take part. Our plan to achieve this involves some radical changes to our current worship offer to include informal evening worship on a day other than Sunday and to build on our teaching and prayer lives.

VICARAGE: 22 RODEN AVENUE, KIDDERMINSTER, DY10 2RF

“The Vicarage is a two storey five bedroom detached dwelling house built in the early twentieth century on a modest plot with a detached single garage.

The accommodation comprises of a large entrance hall, study, butler’s pantry, garden room, cloakroom, utility room, kitchen, dining room and sitting room to the ground floor with four double bedrooms, one single bedrooms, cloakroom, shower-room, bathroom and linen room to the first floor.”

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The construction consists of machine made plain clay roof tiles over pebble dashed and rendered walls to the first floor, and fair-faced brickwork to the ground floor.

The garden is moderately large but not excessive, taking into consideration the nature and size of the house.

ARE YOU THE ONE?

Thank you for reading our Parish Profile. Hopefully you have picked up on how we want you to be part of shaping the team and its ministry and mission particularly in the churches you will have special responsibility for. We believe the Gospel is transformational and we are excited at the prospect of being part of this transformation in peoples’ lives. This means we have to be risk takers and that if we don’t fail at some things, it means we are not trying. We are trying to create a culture of adventure to equip our congregations and to seek the lost in our communities. This means we have to discern where our congregations and communities are in their personal journeys, listen to them and walk with them in their journeys of faith. Are you willing to embark on this pilgrimage with us?

Along the way on this journey there has to be space to rest and areas of familiarity. We encourage you to take time to reflect through retreats and work with your Spiritual Accompanist or mentor. Each of us has elements that are foundational and help us to be grounded and secure. We will support you in finding those and accessing them. We want you to be happy in your ministry in Kidderminster Ismere. We are looking for a person who will reciprocate with colleagues and all in the team.

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