The Chelmsford Diocese | Chelmsford Diocese - A …€¦ · Web viewThe Team Vicar has direct oversight of the mission and ministry of All Saints’ Church, Ashdon. Besides being

SAFFRON WALDEN AND

VILLAGES TEAM MINISTRY

TEAM VICAR

with pastoral responsibility for

All Saints, Ashdon

Saffron Walden and Villages 1 Profile for Team Vicar

All Saints’ Ashdon: Parish ProfileJune 2014

Saffron Walden and Villages

2 Profile for Team Vicar

Contents

Page

A message from Bishop Stephen 3

Profile Summary 5

Team Vicar - the post we wish to fill 6

The wider context

Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry 7 Saffron Walden Deanery 7 Diagram of Team structure 9

All Saints, Ashdon

The church, the people and communities 10




A message from Bishop Stephen

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

These are our priorities –

To inhabit the world distinctively To evangelise effectively To hold ourselves accountable to one another and to God for the stewardship of

the gospel To reimagine the way we minister so that each ordained minister and each

individual Christian discovers their part in God’s ministry and so that each church flourishes.

To this end we are looking for priests who are excited by this vision of becoming a church which is itself transformed, and which is becoming a more visible and effective presence in the huge diversity of communities that make up this most exciting and energetic part of England.

There are many challenges ahead of us. We are a diocese generously subsidised by the national church. We need to become financially self-sufficient.

Leadership often seems distant. We are creating patterns of leadership that are closer to the parishes. And we are looking to develop missional leadership at all levels of church life.

Nearly half of our clergy will retire in the next ten years. We need to find out how to minister with less stipendiary clergy and with a re-imagining of how stipendiary ministry works. We need to re-organise the way parishes relate to each other and we have begun clustering parishes and other expressions of church into what we are calling mission and ministry units

Some of our congregations still think ministry is what Vicars do. We have a vision of ministry where the whole people of God are involved in the whole of God’s ministry. We are also experimenting with new forms of authorised lay ministry.




Levels of church going are below the national average. We need to get evangelism onto the agenda and into the lifeblood of every church. In 2014 – our centenary year – we are inviting every benefice to put on a weekend of mission and outreach, and we are training people in every church for this ministry. One of our aspirations is that every benefice should have a trained lay evangelism enabler.

Despite planning for a future with less stipendiary clergy, we remain as committed as ever to the local church. And what is the local church, but that community of men and women gathered around Christ, and living and sharing the gospel in the networks and neighbourhoods of their lives? But we need priests to lead and to serve.

We know we need to change. We can only be a transforming presence when we have allowed God to transform us. Therefore at the heart of all we do is a longing for intimacy with God and a renewed life of prayer. First and foremost a priest is a minister of word and sacrament. All ministry flows from this. But a priest shares the ministry of the bishop, therefore presbyteral ministry will increasingly be a ministry of oversight, guiding, nurturing and directing the mission of God’s church in the communities we serve.

It is an exciting time to be part of God’s missionary movement for the world, and the diocese of Chelmsford is an exciting place to serve. We have a clear vision and we are looking to appoint clergy who will share this with us. In every parish we long to see each person and each community grow in faithfulness and ministry so that together we may serve in the world and Christ may be made known.

+ Stephen

Bishop of Chelmsford




Summary of the profile

This is a House for Duty Team Vicar post.

The Team Vicar has direct oversight of the mission and ministry of All Saints’ Church, Ashdon. Besides being the church’s focal point in this attractive and thriving village, the successful applicant will have the support of and the scope to make a contribution to the wider Team Ministry. In due course (we anticipate sometime in 2021) the incumbent will also have the care of the parish of St Botolph’s, Hadstock.

We are looking for a vicar who will be able engage with families and all-age worship and will priorities this within the limited time frame.

We envisage that the incumbent will work within the Diocese and Deanery, to increase the awareness of the need and benefits of collaboration within the parish and with ecumenical partner, the local Baptist church.

It is a good and strong team, keen to welcome a new colleague to take forward God’s mission in this beautiful rural part of North-West Essex.




Team Vicar - the post we wish to fill

This is a House for Duty post, manageable within the required 16 hours plus Sundays. All expenses are paid, and cover is available from the wider Team Ministry when required.

Role descriptionThe Team Vicar of All Saints’, Ashdon

leads the mission and ministry of the Ashdon parish church is the church’s primary representative in the village. co-operates with the parochial church council in promoting the whole mission with a

particular focus on facilitating effective evangelism. plays a full part in the wider Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry, attending

the weekly team breakfast, the termly Team Council and the monthly meeting of the Ministry Co-ordination Group which consists of the licensed ministers, lay and ordained, and the Team Facilitator.

participates in deanery structures, chapter and Synod, and works with clergy colleagues.

meets with the Team Rector every two months.

Person SpecificationThe person occupying this post needs to

have strong leadership skills. be collaborative in approach to ministry. be able to engage with children and families have an evangelistic emphasis in ministry recognise and develop the ministries and vocation of lay people enjoy a range of worship styles

Pastoral and administrative assistance

Administrative support is arranged through the Saffron Walden Parish Office in consultation with the Team Rector. This currently includes providing clergy cover for services, dealing with wedding administration and sharing of information for the church news-sheets.

The incumbent’s parochial expenses are reimbursed centrally by the Saffron Walden team treasurer and then recharged to the relevant parishes.




The Wider Context

Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry

The Team Ministry was formally established in 2012 but the clergy and churches in the team have been working together closely for many years.

The structure is shown on page 9. The Team is led and overseen by the Team Rector (currently vacant). There are nine parishes in the team and twelve churches, comprising nine parish churches and three daughter churches. The parish of Saffron Walden is led by the Team Rector; each of three pastoral groupings is led by a Team Vicar and some churches are the particular responsibility of an associate priest.

Associate priests, curates, lay readers and a number of active retired priests collaborate with them in ministry, and make possible a full pattern of services across the Team on Sundays.

Whilst each PCC has responsibility for the ministry and mission within its parish, there is a developing collaboration when appropriate within each pastoral grouping. All licensed clergy and two lay representatives of PCC form the Team Council which meets three times a year, primarily to consult on matters of concern to the whole team, principally in the area of lay training and mutual support.

Licensed clergy in the team, together with the team facilitator, meet monthly for prayer and strategic planning on matters affecting the whole team. Whilst each church retains its own distinctive character and independence, the ministry team aims to achieve an ethos that:

is collaborative and committed to working together is mutually supportive and accountable to one another cross-resources each other

where appropriate and possible promotes good communication by meeting regularly for prayer and planning

It is a large team but most of its members are part-time. The biggest proportion of each priest's time and energy is spent in the local parish context but the aim is that all ministries should be in line with team principles, developed together.

Saffron Walden Deanery

Saffron Walden Deanery is at the forefront of the implementation of the Diocesan strategic priorities heralded and articulated in the Transforming Presence paper. We are already well along the journey of pastoral reorganisation in response to this vision.

Alongside four chapter meetings that include the retired clergy who play an active and invaluable role, there are an equal number of gatherings just for the licensed clergy, readers, and the lay chair.




The most noteworthy initiative to emerge is the Deanery Growing Leaders Course. Building on the experience and expertise of the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry which had run this CPAS course successfully several times, the deanery launched its course in September. There are currently 18 participants with representatives from every benefice. Given that developing lay ministry is a defined priority for the deanery, it is envisaged that there could be an annual course for the next few years.

Besides this emphasis on helping lay people discover their gifts and vocation, the other major deanery aim is to give individuals opportunities to explore prayer. To this end, there are three deanery prayer events in this academic year, providing an experience of Ignatian spirituality, Taize worship and extemporary prayer.

Given the sense of collegiality amongst the clergy and laity, and active collaboration across the deanery on specific ventures, it has been a natural step to agree to continue to explore other ways of working together and encouraging each other. There has been widespread support, at Synod and amongst the licensed clergy, for the whole deanery to be regarded as a “unit” to facilitate mission and ministry in line with the aim across the whole diocese to build a network of such larger units. What this will mean in practice is an ongoing question, and will require reflection and exploration at every level of the deanery.

Biennially, there is a deanery conference in September. In addition to learning and working together, we worship together. Our annual deanery service takes place in the autumn at different churches across the deanery.

.

Team Vicar Paula Griffiths

Team Rector: a Vacant (full time) Team Vicars: b Alex Jeewan (full time)

cd Vacant (part time HFD)

Associate ministers:e Paula Griffiths (SSM)f Tim Hardingham (SSM)

Curates: g John Saxon (SSM Curate)h Rachel Prior (full time)

Reader: Elizabeth Marshall

a,b, etc denotes areas of pastoral responsibility

Saffron Walden and Villages 9 Profile for Team Vicar

Team Vicar d

VacantTeam Vicar c

Revd. John SaxonTeam Vicar b

Revd Alex JeewanTeam Rector

Vacant

TEAM RECTOR – Vacant

United Benefice of Saffron Walden and VillagesSAFFRON WALDEN TEAM COUNCIL

All Saints Ashdon

ASHDON PCCSAFFRON WALDEN

PAROCHIAL CHURCHCOUNCIL

HADSTOCK PCC

St. Mary the

VirginSaffron Walden

St. Botolph’s Hadstock f

St. James’ Sewards

End e

St John’s Little

Walden f

WENDENS AMBO PCC

LITTLEBURYPCC

GREAT CHESTER-

FORD PCC

LITTLE CHESTER-

FORD PCC

St. Mary the Virgin Wendens Ambo g

Holy Trinity Littlebury

All Saints Great

Chester- ford

St Mary the Virgin

Little Chester-

ford

St Peter’s Littlebury

Green

DEBDEN WIMBISHPCC with

ThunderleyPCC

St. Mary All Saintsthe Virgin Wimbish

andAll SaintsDebden

All Saints’ Ashdon: Parish ProfileDecember 2019



North side of All Saints Church

An introduction to Ashdon

All Saints’ Church is situated at the top of the hill in the heart of this ancient village in north- west Essex, four miles from the market town of Saffron Walden.

The village of Ashdon is a thriving rural community of approximately 900 people, and 25% of the population are children and young people under 16 years of age, and about 20% of the people describe themselves as retired. Economically active residents are involved in farming, business (working from home and/or commuting to London and Cambridge) practical trades and services of all kinds, and a variety of professions.

Ashdon has a well-loved primary school, which currently has about 100 pupils, and is rated as “Good” by Ofsted. We also have a beautiful village hall; a classic country pub; a long established garden centre; a garage; a gem of a village museum; a windmill, which has been renovated by the community as a tourist attraction and provides an educational service for local schools; two playgrounds; two churches (All Saints’, and the Baptist Chapel) and a Tibetan Buddhist retreat house. For pre-school children, we have a nursery, and an increasingly popular Forest School.

The village is set amongst an ancient landscape of pastoral and arable farming, woods, green lanes, and has the River Bourn running through it. Housing includes centuries old cottages, farmhouses, a country estate, modern affordable homes for local people these are under the housing association scheme; homes which attract families moving out of London looking for better quality of life for their children, or their retirement. Ashdon has also been able to hold onto families which have lived in the village for generations. There are numerous community activities: Young Farmers, cricket club, painters, quilters, mosaic makers, gardening club, WI, the “Rustic Players”, history buffs and environmentalists.




A village magazine is published quarterly and includes ‘news from the vicarage’ and details of services. Ashdon Parish Council produced a Parish Plan in 2007 and a Neighbourhood Plan is in the early stages of preparation.

There is a garage in the village which sells and services cars but does not sell petrol.

Further information on the village can be found on the Parish Council website at www.ashdonparish.co.uk

Although it is appreciated that this is a temporary post, the people of Ashdon will value a Vicar who is a visible and involved part of the community and be genuinely interested in village life.

The Vicarage:

Ashdon Vicarage is a purpose-built, modern house, set in a lovely, peaceful environment. It is not right next to the church, but only a very short drive, or an enjoyable walk along footpaths.

The house was built in 2004, and is a detached, family-sized home. It benefits from a generous separate office/meeting room for parish work. It is double-glazed, and centrally- heated. Downstairs it has a large kitchen, a utility room, a dining room, a large sitting room and a toilet. Upstairs there are 2 double bedrooms, one with an en-suite bathroom, 2 single bedrooms, and a bathroom. A plan of the house can be found at the end of this profile.

Outside there is parking for several cars, a double garage, and a pretty garden which backs onto open fields. It is a short stroll to the primary school, the village hall, and the pub.Excellent secondary schools are to be found in Saffron Walden, in Linton, and in Cambridge.

The Vicarage, Radwinter Road, Ashdon




Inside All Saints church

Our Church

All Saints is open every day during daylight hours for parishioners and visitors alike, and is known as a place of peacefulness. The prayerful atmosphere inside and around the church reflects the centuries of worship here, and people continue to feel blessed and upheld by God’s love in this church.

The building is Grade 1 listed, much cherished despite rising costs and diminishing income, and dates from the 13th century onwards.

The Church Rooms, which are just outside the churchyard, provide a venue for large meetings and social events. This modern and attractive building provides a good sized meeting room, Kitchen, toilets and storage space.

Parking for the Church and Church Rooms is available all along the quiet lane which leads to the churchyard.

View of the Church Rooms from the Church




Our Mission Statement:

With these fantastic resources, we are equipped to fulfil our contemporary Mission, which is:

“In the light of God’s call we seek to be a beacon of his love, and to reach out to the Ashdon community”

We are helped in this mission by being part of the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry, which means that we are accountable to a larger group, but that we also gain a lot of support, sharing of efforts and ideas, training and celebrations. This cross-fertilisation keeps us fresh, and looking beyond our Parish.

We also value the positive and long-standing relationship with the Baptist church. Our Vicar has always worked closely with the Pastor and this is demonstrated through putting on joint Lent and Advent courses.

Within this context, these are the services and activities which form the heart of our parish life:

Current pattern of services (with average congregation size):

Sunday:

Holy Communion (BCP) (5) 1st Sunday of each month 8.00am

Holy Communion (CW) (20) each Sunday; 9.30am

Between the 8.00am and 9.30 Service on the 1st Sunday we have breakfast in the Church Room. On the 2nd Sunday we have coffee in the Church rooms after the service.Previously we have held a monthly Evensong service.There is a supervised children’s activity corner in the church available for all services.

Easter Services:

Maundy Thursday (8) Holy Communion 7.30pm

Good Friday (10) Hour at the Cross, service of contemplation 1.00pm

Easter Eve (8) with fire and lighting of the Paschal candle 6.30pm

Easter Day (20) Holy Communion 9.30am

Christmas Services:

Sunday before Christmas (100) Nine Lessons and Carols 6.30pm




Christmas Eve (100) Christingle 4.30pm

(10) Midnight Holy Communion 11.30pm

Christmas Morning (30) Holy Communion 9.30pm

Holy Communion is also taken to several housebound parishioners.

Lay involvement in services:

Our vicar is always supported by willing volunteers who administer the Chalice and serve at Communion; Intercessions are written and read by members of the congregation; Lay people read the lessons; there is a rota of sides-people; we are also fortunate to have an experienced Verger- essential for Weddings and Funerals, as well as for regular services. Our small but dedicated choir have sung with and for us for many years, sadly reduced in number due to the passing of time, but an essential part of our worship still. We are fortunate to have an organist but when she is not able to play we have a large selection of recorded music. There is a small band of bell-ringers who ring for services and call on other ringers for weddings and funerals. A faithful group of flower arrangers keep the church beautiful all year round, and produce special displays for major festivals. Volunteers ensure the laundry and cleaning gets done.




Church Governance:

There is an electoral roll of 60 people

Normally two Churchwardens are elected annually. However, for the first time we have only been able to elect one churchwarden this year. The PCC is supportive, business-like and takes appropriate levels of responsibility- we have an effective Treasurer, and an experienced Fabric Officer. Laity also participate fully in the Deanery Synod, and on the Team Council- where we don’t just attend the meetings, we action the decisions locally, and help to organise team or deanery events and services for the benefit of all.

Church Finances:

All Saints’ have also consistently paid our Parish Share in full over the years.

The congregation and PCC also take responsibility for charitable giving and fund-raising. Harvest collections have gone to Water Aid; Christmas collections to the Children’s Society; gifts for needy children are collected at the Christingle service; and we make smaller donations to other charities during the year which in recent years have included Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree and the local foodbank.

Other Church Activities:

Parish Breakfast: Usually about a dozen people meet for boiled eggs and toast, coffee or tea, between the 8am and the 9.30am services on the first Sunday of the month. This is a time for fellowship and refreshment.

Inside the Church Rooms, ready for the Parish Breakfast




Friends of All Saints: A lively bunch who put on high quality and popular events to raise funds for the maintenance of the church buildings. Recently we have enjoyed the “Safari Supper” around houses in the village; concerts in the church. Without the Friends we would struggle, but with them we can face quinquennials calmly!

It would be good to resurrect the Social Committee to organise more low-key events which seek to increase fellowship, and involve the wider community, but without costing people money to attend!: Previously such events have included Beetle Drive, Mince Pies and Mulled Wine to mark Advent with poetry and song; Patronal Festival walk and afternoon tea- talking together as we ramble. The PCC also run an annual Open garden which is very successful.

What are our hopes and challenges, and what are we looking for in a new Team Vicar?

We need a vicar who can help us

Help us share our faith effectively Grow in our own faith and service Energize and equip us for ministry in the church and world Connect with the children and young people of the village

We hope for renewal and regeneration, particularly in our work with children and young people. In the past we have had a lively Youth Club, and a long-standing Junior Church. We have the facilities to host these again.




We understand that this may not be achievable within the timeframe of this post but we would appreciate someone to lead and support us in reviving our work with children.

Currently, there are a significant number of church people who hover on the fringes of involvement. They are supportive, and may have previously been very active, but they no longer choose to come to services regularly. We have been through sad times recently, key members have died and others have moved, but some of our congregation have drifted away. We need help to get alongside these detached friends again.

Alongside our regular pattern of worship, and in addition to our lent and advent groups we would also like to see some groups which could meet between services. Nurture and study groups may help invigorate and renew the Anglican community in Ashdon.

Christians from All Saints’ Church are actively involved in village activities, and serve the community in many ways (for example in the “Social Car” scheme- driving people to hospital appointments) We think this gives us a channel for gentle evangelism, but we need help to make the most of these opportunities.

What can we offer a prospective team Vicar?

As detailed above, we can offer long experience of lay people accepting responsibilities, both in acts of worship, and also in organising and maintaining the physical church.

Previous incumbents have commented on the friendliness and positivity of the Ashdon community, and specifically the congregation of All Saints. Genuine affection between us is evident, and people will literally go the extra mile to help each other. You can expect a warm welcome!




Ashdon Vicarage - floor plan

Documents

The Chelmsford Diocese | Chelmsford Diocese - A …€¦ · Web viewThe Team Vicar has direct oversight of the mission and ministry of All Saints’ Church, Ashdon. Besides being